- published: 01 Dec 2008
- views: 481990
Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 1st congressional district, serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district is located principally on the South Side of Chicago. It is a minority-majority district and has a higher percentage of African Americans (65%) than any other congressional district in the nation. Rush has the distinction of being the only person to defeat President Barack Obama in an election for public office, when Obama challenged him in a primary election in 2000. Rush is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
After dropping out of high school, Rush joined the U.S. Army in 1963 but went AWOL and yet, somehow received an honorable discharge in 1968. Throughout the 1960s Rush was involved in the civil-rights movement. He worked in civil-disobedience campaigns in the South, and co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers in 1968 and was made its "defense minister". His son, Huey, was named after Panther leader Huey Newton. "We were reacting to police brutality, to the historical relationship between African-Americans and recalcitrant racist whites," Rush later told People magazine. "We needed to arm ourselves." Rush was present when fellow Black Panther Fred Hampton was killed in a police raid and later made an official statement that the police, referred only to as "pigs" by Rush, had murdered Hampton. Rush's own apartment was raided in December 1969 where police discovered an unregistered pistol, rifle, shotgun and pistol ammunition, training manuals on explosives and booby traps, a small amount of marijuana and an assortment of communist literature. Earlier that same year Rush stated the philosophy behind his membership in the Black Panthers saying, "Black people have been on the defensive for all these years. The trend now is not to wait to be attacked. We advocate offensive violence against the power structure."
When I see her eyes, look into my eyes
then I realise that she can see inside my head
so I close my eyes, thinking that I can hide
disasociate so I don't have to lose my head
this situation leads to agitation
will she cut me off? Will this be an amputation?
I dont know if I care
I'm the jerk, life's not fair
Fighting all the time, this is out of line
she loves me not, loves me not
do you realise I wont compromise
she loves me not, loves me not
Over the past five years, I have shed my tears
I have drank my beers and watched my fears fly away
so until this day, she still swings my way
but it's sad to say sometimes she says she loves me not
but I hesitate to tell her I hate
this relationship, I want out today, this is over
I dont know if I care
I'm the jerk, life's not fair
Fighting all the time, this is out of line
she loves me not, loves me not
do you realise I wont compromise
she loves me not
lifes not fair
I'm the jerk
Line for line, rhyme for rhyme
sometimes we be fighting all the goddamn time
it's making me sick, relationship is getting ill
piss, drunk, stupid, mad, on the real
could you feel what I feel?
whats the deal girl? we're tearing up each others world
we should be in harmony, boy and girl
that is the promise we made
back in the day, we told each other things wouldn't be this way
I think we should work this out
it's alright baby, we can scream and shout
I dont know if I care
I'm the jerk, life's not fair
Fighting all the time, this is out of line
she loves me not, loves me not
do you realise I wont compromise
she loves me not, loves me not
lifes not fair
lifes not fair
lifes not fair
I'm the jerk
lifes not fair
she loves me not, loves me not