Posts with the tag Rev. Wright

Frank Rich Overreaches Again

mathpol — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:54:53 EST

“You’re Likable Enough, Gay People” is the title of a column by Frank Rich in today’s New York Times. After several weeks of fairly serious columns, he has reverted to his usual hyperbolic style. The main focus is on Obama’s choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. Here are some excerpts:

Barack Obama has little in common with George W. Bush, thank God, his obsessive workouts and message control notwithstanding.As we saw during primary season, our president-elect is not free of his own brand of hubris and arrogance, and sometimes it comes before a fall: “You’re likable enough, Hillary” was

the prelude to his defeat in New Hampshire. He has hit this same note again by assigning the invocation at his inauguration to the Rev. Rick Warren, the Orange County, Calif., megachurch preacher who has likened committed gay relationships to incest, polygamy and “an older guy marrying a child.”

You can’t blame V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an early Obama booster, for feeling as if he’d been slapped in the face. “I’m all for Rick Warren being at the table,” he told The Times, but “we’re talking about putting someone up front and center at what will be the most-watched inauguration in history, and asking his blessing on the nation. And the God that he’s praying to is not the God that I know.” Unlike Bush, Obama has been the vocal advocate of gay civil rights he claims to be. It is over the top to assert,

as a gay writer at Time did, that the president-elect is “a very tolerant, very rational-sounding sort of bigot.” Much more to the point is the astute criticism leveled by the gay Democratic congressman Barney Frank, who, in dissenting from the Warren choice, said of Obama, “I think he overestimates his ability to get people to put aside fundamental differences.” That’s a polite way of describing the Obama cockiness. It will take more than the force of the new president’s personality and eloquence to turn our nation into the United States of America he and we all want it to be.

(end of excerpts)

Here is the comment I posted.*

Obama tends to see the good side only, when it comes to ministers. Didn't his relationship with the Reverend Wright teach us this? To me this shows naiveté rather than cockiness. I hope this “one-sided vision” doesn’t apply to heads of state. I’m glad he’ll have Hillary as a buffer.

As for “you’re likable enough Hillary”, that has been way overblown. Watch the tape again. He was caught by surprise and had to say something. Maybe a bit sardonic, but not arrogant.

And “obsessive workouts”? Daily exercise is important, especially when one wants to relieve stress and stay in shape. With George W. Bush, on the contrary, it was clear that being a “physical trainer” was a more important role to him than being president.

As for Bishop Gene Robinson’s comment that “the God that [Rick Warren] is praying to is not the God that I know.” That statement is off the mark. I guess he meant "interpreting" rather than "praying to"

As for Warren’s role at the inaugural, it bothers me too. I would have preferred a ”Billy Graham” type, one who doesn’t state that Jews don’t go to Heaven, as Warren did when asked about it at an Aspen Ideas Festival. **

Barack Obama is only human, not divine. So let’s all stay in the big tent and wait to see how he actually governs as president. We’re really not sure, but most of the early signs are positive.

(end of comment)

** To be precise, Warren answered “yes” when a woman proclaimed her Judaism and asked him if she was going to burn in Hell. Graham, on the other hand, once advised George W. Bush to "never play God" by ruling on who gets into heaven.

*This comment actually appeared. Number 938.

Do They See Something We Don't See?

Jonathan from New York, NY — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:28:27 EST

I was reading an article recently about Palestinians' views on the upcoming elections. While the people don't see a big change in US policy regardless of who wins the election it seems that many people on the street believe that Obama will be better for their cause. The question of course is why.

That Pesky Preacher Problem - revisited

Michele — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:02:00 EDT

Well, you know it's going to happen. Next week McCain Palin (M/P) and their surrogates are going to rehash Rev. You Know Who.

I am not surprised.

And we in Obamaland need to be ready to counter and counter hard. For M/P have their own Pesky Preacher Problems.

Remember Rev. Hagee? He was the guy McCain courted for an endorsement, who said that Hurricane Katrina was sent by God to punish all the sinning homosexuals and the parades in New Orleans. So to make a moral point, God, his, yours and mine, sent a fury of destruction down on a sinning society – nevermind all the innocent lives and homes, dogs and cats, that were destroyed.

It reminds me of what Rev. Falwell said after 9/11. He blamed that on American permissive society- again the homosexuals. Falwell wasn’t surprised God was so fed up! He later recanted and apologized of course, under pressure and outrage from the public, but deep down he believed what he was saying. This is the God of the religious right. Their God is angry, wrathful and punishing. Americans are heading down a wrong moral path and every once in a while, God swoops down to teach us a lesson. It makes Rev. You Know Who sound not so radical after all. According to Hagee and Falwell, the Lord damns mankind quite often because we are so unlearning.

But wait! We have God’s son to consider, don’t we? Hmmmm, didn’t Jesus hang out with sinners? Didn’t Jesus forgive and love sinners especially? My New Testament seems to indicate Jesus didn’t judge anybody lest we be judged.

So let’s look at that. Sen. Obama’s critics will counter, “ Yeah, but Obama stayed in his church with THAT preacher for 20 years!” “He should have known better!” “There is no excuse, that speaks volumes about his character.” Okay, as a Catholic, let me ask you…

How many Catholics stayed in their churches, prayed at their pews and dropped dollars in the collection basket after the terrible priest pedophile scandals- by men of the cloth who committed violent sexual crimes against children. Terrible stuff and awful shame! Some left, but most stayed in their faith. Doesn’t that make those who stayed, accessories? Aren’t they guilty by association? Maybe they stayed and remained Catholic because they weighed the good their church did against the singular bad. I think that is more fair.They knew their parishioners who sat with them on their left and right pew. They were people they prayed with, good people who did GOOD things in the name of their church. And that is why Sen. Obama stayed in his.

There was another preacher, Ted Haggard, who ran the largest church ever. He was the biggest hypocrite ever too. He cheated on his wife with male prostitutes and bought seedy drugs and had a hidden life. He was always on TV, the go-to-expert- about God, who claimed to know what God wanted from us. He couldn’t practice what he preached. So did his congregation get up and stomp out? No. They, like Hagee and Falwell’s congregations, remained in their church, and tithed and did good deeds despite the outrageous statements and behavior of their representative. Did they pull their children out of Bob Jones and Liberty University? Of course not!

And that is their business and their right. We should be allowed to worship who and how we want. We can believe that God, and not meteorology, is responsible for Rita, Katrina, Ike and the like, were sent to show His displeasure. That somehow, American society was to blame for 9/11? I find it an obscene logic, but we are allowed to believe what we want and stay in the church however nutty a preacher’s interpretation of Holy Scripture is.

If we don’t question the numerous examples of perplexing loyalty in these examples, what right does anybody have to question Sen. Obama’s. He chose to concentrate on the good his church did. And it did a lot of good.

Sarah Palin too, chooses her own path of faith. She prays to God to get herself elected to public office. She claims to know God’s will and side about war and battles and stuff like that. Voodoo priests who believe in witchcraft can lay hands upon her and Jews who “aren’t “ for Jesus can be condemned. She may not believe that specifically, but she “pals around” with people who do believe that – rather stringently I might add. Does that make her guilty by association? Of course not.

And she claims to understand God’s will in this war. She has the inside track, don’t you know – just like George Bush does. Maybe they are right. I certainly hope God is on our side…but you know, He created us all, now didn’t he? I mean, he created more than just Americans. And as I look back and read the history of civilization and see all the wars, torture and death fought in God’s name?...well, sorry, I prefer to believe in a different kind of theology, and so did his son, Jesus.

Jesus understood we are imperfect human beings. He tried to set an example that somehow, we have a real hard time following. That means forgiveness for errors of judgment, that no church or congregation member or preacher is perfect, but that we keep on trying. We all sin, and some of us, most of us, do so repeatedly.

So if we need God in our lives, it should be to help us to be better people – not use Him as a measure to judge and condemn others by. Those that shout it out the loudest, feel the most outrage, and wear their faith on their sleeves often do so because He does not exist in their hearts. And that “my friends” is where HE needs to be – in our hearts – especially in those who are shouting and judging and condemning the loudest.

Phil Gramn - McCain's Pal & Adviser

John DesMarteau, MD — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:18:50 EDT

Harold Myerson in the Oct 6, 2008 edition of the Washington Post sets the stage very clearly what kind of reformer John McCain has been and would be if his pal and close adviser, Phil Gramn, is any indication. According to Myerson, Republican Gramn was instrumental as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee in getting a provision attached to an omnibus spending bill on Dec 15, 2000 that really set the stage for the credit market meltdown that is underpinning the current financial crisis. The Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA) prohibited government regulation of credit default swaps. These are the insurance products, most often in the form of derivatives that expanded to $62 trillion when the housing market was hot. Although Myerson does not say so, the lack of regulation has an implicit role in the leverage that brought down Lehman Brothers.

Myerson also states that the CFMA prohibited regulation of the energy-trading market. This enabled Enron to so manipulate the energy market that it was able to hold the state of California hostage and outsmart itself into bankruptcy.

Unlike Bill Ayers or Rev. Wright, McCain’s relationship with Phil Gramn is a close one. Myerson clearly states, “…that Gramm's relationship to McCain is not comparable to the relationships that Ayers or Wright have with Obama. The idea that either Ayers or Wright would have any impact on the workings of an Obama administration is nonsensical. But Gramm and McCain do have an enduring political and economic alliance [emphasis mine]. McCain chaired Gramm's short-lived presidential campaign in 1996; Gramm is co-chair of McCain's current effort. McCain has not repudiated reports that Gramm is on the shortlist to become Treasury secretary if McCain is elected, even after Gramm labeled America ‘a nation of whiners.’”

In relation to the presidential debate on Oct, 7, 2008, when McCain may try to assassinate Obama’s character by inappropriately tying him to Bill Ayers and terrorists, Myerson’s last sentence sums it up neatly, “If pressed, though, he [Obama] can mention that it is McCain's senior economic adviser who has diminished American solvency and power beyond the wildest dreams of anti-American terrorists.

If McCain does try to malign Barack during the debate, my guess is that it will backfire as has already started because of Palin’s disgusting accusation concerning Sen. Obama and terrorists. The electoral avalanche in Obama’s favor that is starting to happen could only accelerate. The Republicans may finally learn that when there are real problems facing the country the politics of mean doesn’t play in Peoria.

All this fuss about Rev. Wright

FiredUpVoter — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:29:14 EDT

To all the trolls who are using the Rev. Wright hooplah to justify their hatred for Obama:

Rev. Wright is not running for president.

I doubt that Obama appreciated this guy's comments.

So forget the Rev. Wright thing and move on with your life.

Thank you.

Rev. Wright sounded like Martin L. King Jr.

1 LOVE, 1 NATION, 1 GOD, 1 CHOICE [OBAMA 08] — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:02:34 EDT

Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes

"Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them."

"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."

"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative."

"You know my friends, there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled by the iron feet of oppression ...If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. And if we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong. If we are wrong, Jesus of Nazareth was merely a utopian dreamer that never came down to Earth. If we are wrong, justice is a lie, love has no meaning. And we are determined here in Montgomery to work and fight until justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

"Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten. A society is always eager to cover misdeeds with a cloak of forgetfulness, but no society can fully repress an ugly past when the ravages persist into the present. America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most element of greatness — justice."

"Don't let anybody make you think God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with justice and it seems I can hear God saying to America "you are too arrogant, and if you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name."

"They asked if our own nation wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve its problems in Vietnam, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having
first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government."

"This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love."

"If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty, to make it possible for all of God's children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to Hell…."

"It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages," King said two weeks before his death."… I can hear the God of the universe saying… 'The children of my sons and daughters were in need of economic security, and you didn't provide for them. So you cannot enter the kingdom of greatness'."

"America gave the black man a bad check that's been bouncing all around,"King said in March, 1968. "… You are even unjustly spending $500,000 to kill a single Viet Cong soldier, while you spend only $53 a year per person for everybody categorized as poverty-stricken.' Instead of spending $35 billion every year to fight an unjust, ill-considered war in Vietnam and $20 billion to put a man on the moon, we need to put God's children on their own two feet."

Martin L. King Jr. curses America and tell our government to "CHANGE" its ways (YouTude Video)

"GOD DAMN AMERICA!" A Fresh Perspective...

1 LOVE, 1 NATION, 1 GOD, 1 CHOICE [OBAMA 08] — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:15:14 EDT

Comments welcome...

"GOD DAMN AMERICA!"
Is Wright's comment REALLY un-American? Read on...

Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. [Genesis 18:20]

Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel" [Ezekiel 21:2]

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished;it is filled with oppression. [Jeremiah 6:6]

Sound Familiar?

Here's a similar quote from Rev. Jeremiah Wright (yes, I bolded his first name on purpose to make a point):

“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no,no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”

I've been hearing so much back and forth about this, I wanted to bring in a fresh perspective...

Let's take a quick look at the above statement... Isn't it fair, for a Christian pastor, to ask God to avenge the blood of an oppressed people? Isn't it fair for someone who prays, to ask God to repay those who have put themselves in the place of God? Yep.... it's totally fair... AND Biblical... (the Bible verses above are just a tiny sampling of how the Bible addresses these issues).

Wright is a pastor, and he thinks in terms of Biblical Law... in fact, he would be sold on the idea that the United States is a "christian" nation, and as such, is "supposed" to be "godly."

If the United States, claiming to be a "christian" nation, instead becomes an "ungodly" nation, it is totally normal for a Christian leader to ask God to repay their infidelity to God... (it's everywhere they look in the Bible).

Wright isn't saying: "go out and take over the country," which is what the Declaration of Independence says is the prescription when "any government becomes destructive of these ends," (speaking of the right to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness), Wright is saying "God damn America." Wright is calling on God to NOT bless the country "as long as" she is guilty of the things outlined in red above... he's not declaring a holy war, nor advocating one... he's not saying he "hates America." He, like his namesake, Jeremiah of the Bible, is asking God to judge and chastise America for her wanderings from the Godly ways... Like his namesake Jeremiah, he's asking God to remember the sins of a so-called "christian" nation and hold her accountable for her hypocrasy... He's a man of God, calling on God to repay America for the three things mentioned above (highlighted in red). Jeremiah was an Israelite... he was a prophet of Israel... he LOVED Israel SO MUCH, that he prayed for God to chastise her... and so did Isaiah, and so did Ezekiel... and MANY of the Israelite prophets... in times of hypocrasy and backsliding, the men of God of the Bible, called on God to chastise... to "repay." This would be something TOTALLY natural for Wright to say, as a christian pastor... especially one who tells the truth from the Bible... here's the list again:

1. Killing innocent people (which the US government has done. It's called "collateral damage.")

2. For treating our citizens as less than human (which still occurs in many forms)

3. As long as she (America) acts like she is God and she is supreme.

What we have to ask is: "What does 'God damn America' mean?"

What is Wright asking God for here? The evidence is in the term "as long as." Wright is saying, "as long as" America continues to act in the listed ways, I'm asking God to "not bless America." Why? Because America doesn't deserve a blessing from God "as long as" she continues to behave in the manner listed above... not under those circumstances... and the opposite of "God bless America" is, "God damn America." Of course, Wright COULD have said: "God don't bless America as long as she behaves this way," but he chose the more dramatic form of the statement.

Wright is basically saying: "God, teach America a lesson... teach her NOT to do the things she's doing... He's not saying: "I HATE America".. "He's saying: "I LOVE America so much... and what America is supposed to be, that I am asking God to NOT bless her... to force her to wake up from her hypocracy and repent... this is the job of the Pastor... to call his people to REPENT... and to ask God to bring that repentence about, for the good of America... this is a pastor's love for a country, enough that he would call upon God to "damn" her "as long as" her behavior deviates from her "godly" calling...

Now ask yourself: "Should I ask God to bless a country that does the three things listed above?" Should I ask God to bless the leaders of Darfur, or Damn them?" "Should I ask God to bless those who engage in ethnic cleansing, or should I ask God to Damn them?" As a man of God, who follows the Bible, and the laws of God...

When I read Wright's words, with the understanding of the Israelite prophets that I have, I don't see a man who "hates" America... I see a man who loves "the idea" of "the true" America so much, that he would ask God to punish her "as long as" she commits her backsliding atrocities against his creatures...

Finally, the converse of what Wright is saying is: "When America DOES finally awaken, and live our her creed, then and ONLY then, will 'God bless America.'"

Rev Wright (YouTube Video)

Response to Video Accusations on Eyeblast TV

Amanda Marshall — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:41:28 EDT

This is my response to a video I was e-mailed with many ridiculous accusations and false information about Obama. The people who were included on this e-mail were more traditional, right-leaning Christians and have probably always voted Republican. However, I felt it important to combat the lies that are out there. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the responses I received—some even thanking me for helping them sort through the lies and stating that now they are considering a vote for Obama! I’m posting this in case anyone else runs across this same video and would like some information on the accusations involved. __________

I just got this message and watched the video. I would like a chance to respond to it. As some of you may know, I have been a supporter of Obama for a long time. And while I know most of you are not, and probably wouldn't consider him just by virtue of the fact that he is a democrat, I do think it fair that the truth be told. If you disagree with his policies, voting record and what he stands for then you should vote for another candidate. However, if it is because of videos and e-mails that are circulating the internet like this one, then I think you should reconsider. Every accusation in this video is either completely fabricated or twisted beyond any resemblance of the original fact. I have taken the time to research these myself because I feel it's very important to know what a candidate believes, stands for and what his or her background is before committing to them. So, let me share with you what my research has shown. First however, I want to say that I don't mean this as an attack on anyone who has sent this-- I know when you hear things like this video your first thought is fear, and you want to do what's best to protect your country. I believe that most of the people who send these do so not realizing that the information in them is false, but that doesn't make the damage done any less real. If you've passed this video along, and my arguments convince you that the statements in it are false, please consider sending along another e-mail to let people know the dishonesty of the video. You can even send along my comments if you'd like. Blessings!

Dick Morris Tries to "Raise McCain"

mathpol — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:59:13 EDT

"Obama Has the Upper Hand. But McCain Can Still Take Him" is the title of a column by Dick Morris in today's Washington Post. Here are a couple of choice excerpts.

Wright has become the honorary chairman of McCain's get-out-the-vote efforts. It would be nice to think that race isn't a factor in American politics anymore, but it is. The growing fear of Obama, who remains something of an unknown, will drag every last white Republican male off the golf course to vote for McCain, and he will need no further laying-on of hands from either evangelical Christians or fiscal conservatives.

Meanwhile, McCain should highlight his credentials as a reformer and a maverick to attract Democrats and independents who worry about Obama. Forget about the base. It will be there. Obama's liberalism, his pro-tax agenda and his proposed weakening of the USA Patriot Act -- as well as fears that he would appoint to office people such as Rev. Wright and William Ayers, a former member of the Weather Underground -- will all assure the full mobilization of the right.

Well, Morris is the master of the smear, and an equal-opportunity one at that. Now let's try to parse this.

Profanity of Hannity

Khaidji — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:50:28 EDT

I can’t write half of the thoughts that came to mind and keep this in less than 20 line acrostic poem. This topic is too provocative and perhaps I might revisit it in some of my other works. I was so disturbed over the last broadcast by Hannity that I felt that if switching the television off would hurt him I would had toddle the on and off switch for the better part of the hour. How could a man by mere speculation define another base on the rants of his Rev. I know nothing of my Rev., School teacher and sometimes many of my co-workers with whom I spend 10 and more hours per day. I also have a close family member who has some values that I distant myself from but I still love my family. If The Rev. Wright is as bad as we now believe him to be and Barack is not like a pea in the same pod then Barack may be very strong in character to have avoid his ver prominent influence.

Profanity of Hannity

Putting it all into perspective I forcefully say

Rev. Wright behaved in the wrong way

On TV and when he was on the pulpit

Folk generally agreed he was inappropriate

As soon as Barack heard of this terrible disgrace

News came out and he had his talks on race

I heard him denounced the incendiary sound byte

Then disapproved of that side of the Rev. Wright

You would have thought guilt by association would disappear

O’Reilly and Hannity didn’t want it end there

For O’Reilly it’s his “fear” and balance reporting

Hannity who disclosed a strong Christian up bringing

And should therefore know the 6 “things doth the Lord hate”

Never adheres to Proverbs 6:16-19 when he does orate

No man “that soweth discord among brethren”

Is working to benefit his fellow men

The Proverbs later describe there’s honor to cease from strife

You’ll find though fools meddle to complicate another’s life

See other Acrostic Poetry here on Barack Obama
By Khaidji

There always seems to be a Judas in the camp

One of Those Women — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:19:23 EDT

During this campaign, and at any time in life we must be aware that there is an enemy that seeks to destroy us, and I hate to say that even one that has walked in the steed of the 5 Fold ministry, proves to us in this day that there is always a Judas in the camp. One who desires to serve himself and in the process destroy another. I commend Barak for having the integrity and courage to denounce someone he knew well for a while but when that someone took on the spirit of the enemy, he separated himself, and rightly so.

It just ashamed that Rev. Wright chose to defile the office of God, much like Saul, who sought David's life because David was anointed to be king and he got jealous. Know that God is not pleased and in this day and this particular campaign, it's all about God.

You see this country must return to the state and mindset that it was created in and that was "In God We Trust." Faith is the key and it is the substance that we HOPE for and that will take CHANGE. People's minds and hearts have to be changed to value again the things that count. Loving God and loving one another.

To be honest, I am offended by Rev. Wright's remarks. I am retired from the Army and I have three children in the military, and the accusations he made against a country that he lives in and thrives in are absolute treason. In the military it would be noted under Article for Mutiny and Sedition. His remarks actually fit the definition of a Hate Crime. I can understand a Pastor speaking what God says in his Word that is definitely offensive to those who are guilty, but the things he said didn't come from God, check the Word. I think the FBI should hand cuff him and charge him for treason. His act was just as great as any terrorist attack we have had because he literally attempted to destroy not just Barak, but all that Martin Luther King Jr. died for and what this country needs right now... a chance to dream again, hope again, live again.

Jeremiah Wright Issues

Oliver from Lawton, OK — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:28:51 EDT

Dear Senator Obama,

I am a fan of yours and I voted for you during my states primaries. I will vote for you in November also, but I have a problem with the way you handled the Jeremiah Wright issue. Pastor Wright's comment were taken out of context and used to stire up some false problems. I don't believe you should have denounced his comments and release all ties with him. Where i'm from we stand behind our people, and I thank you should have taken up for Rev. Wright. If the media would have played the whole sermon then their wouldn't be such a controversy in the first place because if you listen to the whole sermon, (Which I did before I made judgements) you would have clearly understand the context of Rev. Wrights comments. I know you had to do what you did because most Americans following the race will not seek out the whole sermon as I did and they won't ever understand the whole sermon if they don't here it. I was worried at first because you were backed into a corner and you folded on this issue, but I still continue to support you because I understand what you had to do. Also being from New York, I could never vote for Hillary Clinton after she stole the New York senate seat. She never lived a day in New York but decided to run where she saw a weak race, and used her husbands popularity to win the seat. If she would have ran for the New York Senate seat without her husbands popularity she would have been shut out ridiculously. Also Bill Clinton's move into Harlem is leading to the gentrification of the African American people. What was once a bustling well known black community now is filled with Donald Trump condos, and the emergence of caucasians into our communties. Harlem is no longer what it once was. So keep the fight alive Senator Obama, but next time do what's right not what the media thinks you should do.

Oliver

Obama, Bring before the eyes!

Marcus @ Whitman College — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:48:40 EDT

Aristotle in his treatise on Rhetoric stated that in order for a message to be effective, one has to "bring before the eyes." That is, you have to give a vivid picture of whatever you are trying to say to the listener. This will be more convincing than just stating something; give examples, describe how those examples look, smell, feel.

I've been trying to leave off watching the continuing primary battle and focus instead on my massive amount of school work. I still get sucked into the news and process, every time we get close to a contest that could be decisive for Barack.

I've said in a previous post that I was disappointed by the Clintonian tactics used against Obama. Lately the two issues that have had some traction are the Rev. Wright controversy and the fallacy that Obama is an elitist. The Rev. Wright controversy is a very hard issue to deal with, especially with the Rev. running around digging a deeper hole for Obama to climb out of. Rev. Wright has a huge ego. The other issue needs to be dealt with by examples. Obama needs to start giving examples of hard times in his life, times when he was poor, times when he was worried, times when he didn't know how to go on. If he spells out some of the hardships he has overcome, then I think people will soften and stop believing the elitist charge.

I hope Barack win's Indian and North Carolina, so that we can start our work against John McCain.

Marcus

Michelle and Caroline Kennedy on CNN --Link

Rosewalker — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:06:21 EDT

Michelle did an awesome job on the CNN interview tonight in stating clearly that she, Barack, and the campaign are committed to moving forward and that she will not be continuing to discuss the pastor controversy. GOOD FOR YOU, MICHELLE!!! And I expect that Barack will do the same thing when he is confronted with these questions on the campaign trail. :) Caroline also did an awesome job talking about how Barack DOES appeal to women and to blue collar Americans.

Here's the link to the video on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/30/michelle.obama.interview/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Pundits

Jiffytuvix — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:54:59 EDT

This won't be a long post. I just need to rant.

Hillary Clinton Needs a New Church

Luke from Washington, DC — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:15:23 EDT

QUOTE

He would not have been my pastor. You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend. - Hillary Clinton

ENDQUOTE

I spoke with a gentleman by the name of Phil at 202.332-4010. I asked him to confirm that Hillary's Pastor Dean Snyder following quote.

QUOTE

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times. He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism, and homophobia which still tarnish the American dream.

"To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church, which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear.

"Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize. This is a critical time in America's history as we seek to repent of our racism. No matter which candidates prevail, let us use this time to listen again to one another and not to distort one another's truth.

END QUOTE

Phil stated that he did not know word for word the statement made, but did say that Rev. Dean Snyder gave a simular sermon to the congregation. I left a message for Rev. Snyder to give me a call.

Does this mean that Hillary will be leaving Foundry United Methodist Church? I called Hillary's West Virginia Campaign office about this issue. The volunteer seemed shocked.

I just wonder why the media does not cover this?

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT! Good Advice from Roland Martin

Keibo — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:21:33 EDT

I was on CNN.com today and found this amazing piece written by Roland Martin. It offers ways in which Obama can get back on track and not allow the controversy with Rev. Wright take away his chance to bring real change to our country. Here is the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/30/roland.martin/index.html

And also visit my blog at:

http://therevealedoasis.blogspot.com/

where I also address this situation. God bless us all!

Hello? Is anybody there? Hello?

davidual — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:22:37 EDT

Why does Barack Obama distance himself so far from his "former" minister when his minister has such an incredible vision for change, and what ails this great nation? Everything, and I mean everything, that I've heard from the Rev. Wright is the God's honest truth! You know, sometimes the truth hurts. That is the part I think that makes the Rev. Wright non-issue an issue at all, and of course the media will blow it up just to have something to spat about and fill airtime.

Barack should be listening to his minister. Barack should be listening to his good conscience. Barack should be devising a plan to deal with the problems in which his minister discusses. By speaking that he's "outraged" only goes to make him appear weak and unsure of his positions. We want change! However, when issues come up that need to be changed so badly we run the other way? NO!

Barack should be the force of change that we need, and that he has campaigned on since the inception of his campaign. Know the truth, and speak the truth, because as your minister knows, God is listening and God knows. Fear not the truth because it is just the thing we need to set us free.

Barack and the Rev. Wright

Patti — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:48:01 EDT

After today I would believe and hope the American people especially the media/pundits will STOP showing and stating Rev. Wright's words are those of Barack's and/or Michelle's.

If per chance there are some who still believe Barack needs to respond regarding this issue, I then ask those few, have you ever disagreed with your Religious party (congregation)? I for one as a Catholic have disagreed with my very own Religion and with certain aspects of the Catholic Religion. I have disagreed with some Priests, and frankly there have been a few occassions that I felt so saddened by some of their responses, because I disagreed with them.

Having said that I am still a Catholic, even though at times I felt like simply leaving the Catholic Religion. And, honestly is was due to one specific priest (even though I have not seen him in over 18 years). However he was honest, understanding and spoke with me like a HUMAN being.

Again, I say I believe most HUMAN'S disagree with their religion at one point or another. And I hope that the MEDIA NEEDS to start covering the true issues We The "UNITED" States Of America deeply NEED and WANT and DESERVE to hear.

I am currently watching CNN and there is a Republican on there, Leslie, and she is still bashing Barack Obama. Then I ask about Hagey and Parsley. As well, Wright did not speak the same as he did in front of the NPR. ENOUGH with the bashing of Barack and saying it is for political reasons, because at first he did not completly distance himself from Rev. Wright. To Leslie let's HONESTLY speak of John McCain's backers!

Thank you,

Patti

Barack Ends His Relationship With Rev. Wright

Steve Brant — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:29:30 EDT

Barack Obama has just done a difficult - and necessary - thing. He has ended his relationship with Rev. Wright. I watched most of Sen. Obama's press conference (missed the very beginning but heard most of his opening remarks and all the questions he took) and am now listening to Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, and others analyze this developing story as I write.

I think both Chris and Andrea are correct in saying that - in starting what may now be an on-going fight with Rev. Wright - Barack is clearly telling the American people "I believe the opposite of what Rev. Wright believes". While Barack touched on this in his Philadelphia speech on race, he is now making it crystal clear: Those religious leaders who look backward and only see the problems of the past - without seeing the progress we've made AND the opportunities for continued healing and progress in America - have beliefs that are the opposite to those of Barack Obama.

Chris Matthews thinks that the Rev. Wright will take to this fight because - in Matthews' opinion -the Rev. Wright sees Senator Obama as the young upstart who is looking to replace him as the Black leader in America.

To those who say (as Pat Buchanan just did) that Barack Obama should have known that the Rev. Wright was "always like this" (given their relationship over the last 20 years), I would offer the following parallel:

People respond to levels of stress they haven't experienced before in different ways. It's called "reaching the breaking point". Bill Clinton has - in my opinion - experienced a similar extraordinary level of stress in recent months, as he has experienced this "young upstart" replacing both his wife and him as the leader of the Democratic Party. That's why the Bill Clinton we see today is so different from the Bill Clinton most of us have known over the years.

As this extraordinary level of stress and anger has led Bill Clinton to say the crazy, hurtful things he has said (such as "They played the race card on me."), I believe the incredible stress the Rev. Wright has been under - from seeing his words taken out of context and his 40 years of work being trashed in the court of public opinion to hearing Senator Obama say that the Rev. Wright's teachings are obsolete (my choice of words) in their frame of reference - has caused him to reach the breaking point... leading him to become someone who Senator Obama did NOT know he was.

Based on what the Rev. Wright said at the National Press Club, Senator Obama has seen clearly that the Rev. Wright has a very dark side... a dark side which has now come out. It may have been there all along, but it wasn't controlling Rev. Wright's behavior. Sadly, it is now.

Senator Obama, you have made a wise choice. You may be in a fight with Rev. Wright for the duration of your campaign, but you will be seen as being on the right side... the progressive side... the side devoted towards bringing America together - rather than pulling American apart - of that fight from now on.

I believe today will be seen as a landmark in Senator Obama's campaign... a positive turning point in which he finished defining himself in the context of what religion can be in America (and has been in the case of the work of other, constructive religious leaders).

Religion can be - and already is to many - a healing force in America. Sadly, that does not appear to be what Rev. Wright believes. But fortunately, that IS what Senator Barack Obama believes.

Rev. Wright sets things right

Neale from Ashland, OR — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:17:13 EDT

I'm impressed with Rev. Wright

I don’t agree with Jeramiah Wright’s choice of words when expressing the outrage of blacks at life in post-modern America, but I must admit that I was impressed with his defense of the overall incident that has made him a household name.

The minister from Chicago has been making the media rounds the past several days in an effort to explain himself and his views—views that seems to be causing, for reasons that I wish were not very clear to me, but are—a small complication in the campaign of Barack Obama.

Yesterday the Rev. Mr. Wright made an appearance at the National Press Club in Washington and delivered what I thought was a reasoned response to all the upheaval. The most significant thing, the most important thing, he said (in my opinion) about the infamous sermon in question was this:

“I offered words of hope. I offered reconciliation. I offered restoration in that sermon. But nobody heard the sermon. They just heard this little sound bite of a sermon."

The second most important thing he said was that the U.S. Government was “a government whose policies grind under people." There are many Americans—both black and white—who would agree with that.

There are also quite a few Americans who said after 9/11 just what Rev. Wright said. "America's chickens are coming home to roost," he declared to his congregation then. "The stuff we have done overseas is brought right back into our homes."

These are not ideas that Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright introduced for the first time into the public discourse. They were ideas being articulated by many U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, Rev. Wright then went into areas in his sermons that I would call ill-advised. Most of us would call them ill-advised. But isn’t it the job of a minister to shake things up a little?

And so we know that Rev. Wright once charged in a sermon that the U.S. government "lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color." Yet is this any more radical than the idea, spoken and promoted by many, many whites as well as blacks, that 9/11 was itself a conspiracy, co-created, if not entirely instigated, by dark forces within this very country and perhaps even its government?

I don’t believe the second statement above any more than I believe the first, but I do believe in the right of free speech that allows all Americans to say what they think and to express how they feel.

Of course, Rev. Wright’s most famous and now most quoted utterance from the pulpit was his tirade against a government that he said discriminates against blacks "and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America'.” He unwisely added: "No, no, no, God damn America. . . . God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human."

Understandably, those words do not play well with most Americans. Whatever we think of our country and its actions, we certainly don't want God to damn our country, and we would not call upon God to do that. (Or to damn anyone, for that matter.)

But we should, if we want to be even-handed, listen as Rev. Wright yesterday explained how he could say such a thing. He was saying it within a theological framework in which he asserts that God damns everything that is evil, even as God blesses all that is good.

Most of middle America would agree with that. I venture to say that most of the writers on faith whose words grace this very Beliefnet website would agree with that. God does and will condemn (damn) evil, and God does and will reward good, I think they would agree. Indeed, isn't that the basis of most of the faith traditions represented here? (I don’t happen to embrace this idea of a judging, condemning, damning God, but I do understand that many, many people do—not only Jeremiah Wright.)

So the only disagreement now is whether America, or certain of its actions, could be called evil. Rev. Wright inserted his political opinion that God should condemn America “for treating our citizens as less than human.” He referred, of course, to black citizens. He was speaking to a black church. He was addressing black anger. And—it is once again important to note—he asserts that he offered words of reconciliation and healing in that same sermon.

Rev. Wright suggested at the Press Club yesterday that Senator Obama had no choice but to repudiate the sound bite that he heard. "He had to distance himself, because he's a politician, from what the media was saying I had said, which was anti-American. He said I didn't offer any words of hope. How would he know? He never heard the rest of the sermon. You never heard it.”

And now I repeat, for emphasis, what Rev. Wright told the audience at the Press Club yesterday:

“I offered words of hope. I offered reconciliation. I offered restoration in that sermon. But nobody heard the sermon. They just heard this little sound bite of a sermon."

Okay. Fair enough. I wouldn’t have spoken Rev. Wright’s ill-advised, anger-sponsored words from a pulpit, but I understand—not condone, but understand—how he could have done so, especially in an emotion driven declaration of intense and immense frustration.

I think what we are seeing here in this episode is the very basis of why we don’t seem to be able to get along in this world. Gosh darn it, we don’t even want to hear each other out. We just, ourselves, want to judge, condemn, and damn.

I think there is considerable merit to Rev.Wright’s argument now that to take a sound bite out of a much longer sermon from years ago and use it as a wedge to make political points in the campaign for the presidency of the United States years later is not merely and obviously disingenuous, it is just as obviously unfair. Yet we don’t seem to care much about fairness in American politics anymore.

Unless we do...

...in which case we will place the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermonizing into context, stop trying to spray it all over Barack Obama, and get on with this campaign, focusing on the issues that really matter.

Winston Salem talk about Rev. Wright

MEK — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:59:27 EDT

Sen Obama's words about Rev. Wright brought tears to my eyes. Both tears of joy at the thought that this kind of person could possibly become President of the United States and tears of frustration that he might not. If only the press could realize that important issues are not all good or all bad. Sen. Obama does realize this and can clearly articulate both sides.

ad idea

John Hussein Stifler — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:02:20 EDT

Clips of Rev. Wright, Clinton saying we can obliterate Iran and little anything from the crazy talk express followed by Barack saying its time to get serious and finally bring an end to "silly season". Or maybe clips of the three acting both collected and crazy. The key is comparing a surrogate to people who are actually running, implying that if you think this guy is nuts listen to these two kooks that are actually vying for the presidency. The Rev. is no more bipolar than either of them, swinging radically between egotistical and empathic, crazy and caring.

A forceful split with Rev. Wright is essential

WDavidStephenson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:55:14 EDT

Since Rev. Wright won't exit gracefully, I agree with Andrew Sullivan that Barack has got to FORCEFULLY AND UNAMBIGUOUSLY cut his ties to the guy

That would serve two purposes: undercut the racist campaign underway in North Carolina that might cost him the primary there (and, IMHO, really create serious doubts about his viability), and show that, no matter whether the issue is extremism or Iraq, he can combine vision and sweet words with action and unambiguous straight talk.

And furthermore...

Ru — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:21:03 EDT

In response to
hopefulheart1@hotmail.com (her first two paras below)

Okay, I've already posted a response to the group of people among us who seem to find it necessary to join the media in attacking Rev. Wright. But I have to say that I did not find him to be a "narcissistic bombastic blowhard." I found him to be an intelligent, articulate pastor who has the courage to demonstrate that he is, in fact, more educated, more experienced, more well-versed in ALL religious traditions and history, than his critics, most of whom are white. I wonder what your response would have been to a black woman standing at the NPC and literally snapping at and being sarcastic to a white pastor of Rev. Wright's caliber? Oh, I forgot - that would NEVER be allowed. If there has been an attack on the white pastors accused - AND CONVICTED - of abuse in public, on national TV by a young black hair-tossing woman, I missed it. But perhaps you can direct me to the video/link/press story that covered it.

And, while we are talking about the meek, do you recall this: "the meek shall inherit the earth but they must be willing to fight for it."

Ru.

hopefulheart1@hotmail.com wrote:

That all may be... but I wish that Reverend Wright would just shut up!! His performance today at the Press Club painted him as a narcissistic, bombastic blowhard. I was not part of the hand-wringing before now, and was prepared to give Wright the benefit of the doubt all along, even during the swirl around his most inflammatory sermons. However, now can no longer support him as he continues to throw Senator Obama under the bus in pursuit of his own self-gratification. I don't think that there's any deep strategic plan around Wright's current speaking tour; I think his reemergence is being driven by an inherently selfish, very earthly motivation. He is not proclaiming the power of the Lord. He is demonstrating the power of his ego. Whatever happened to "blessed are the meek"???

Is Jeremiah Wright a colossal disaster for Barack Obama or a press trick?

Pjamiez — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:56:27 EDT

Is Jeremiah Wright a colossal disaster for Barack Obama or a press trick?

Tuesday, April 29th 2008, 4:00 AM

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright couldn't have done more damage to Barack Obama's campaign if he had tried. And you have to wonder if that's just what one friend of Wright wanted.

Shortly before he rose to deliver his rambling, angry, sarcastic remarks at the National Press Club Monday, Wright sat next to, and chatted with, Barbara Reynolds.

A former editorial board member at USA Today, she runs something called Reynolds News Services and teaches ministry at the Howard University School of Divinity. (She is an ordained minister).

It also turns out that Reynolds - introduced Monday as a member of the National Press Club "who organized" the event - is an enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter.

On a blog linked to her Web site- www.reynoldsnews.com- Reynolds said in a February post: "My vote for Hillary in the Maryland primary was my way of saying thank you" to Clinton and her husband for the successes of Bill Clinton's presidency.

For the rest of the article, click below:

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/louis/index.html

When Rev. Wright became Rev.Wrong

Karen from Harlan, IA — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:31:22 EDT

I began a journey with Rev. Wright when the snippets of video streamed on television. Barack could see that he was being pummeled by the sound-bites of Rev. Wright's anger and fanaticism. Barack countered with a speech that brought me to tears. Now, Rev. Wright has chosen to stir up the pot again. I listened to the entire speeches of Rev. Wright or read the entire text of his speeches. After today, I can no longer rationalize Rev. Wright's behaviors and words as simply "taken out of context" or my possible failures to view things differently, not divisively. His message was, at first, educational, philosophical, and even entertaining. After today's speech, I have now come to believe that he is an ego-centric, grandiose, cynical, old man who happens to be a minister. I can only imagine how sad Barack and his family must be feeling. We have all experienced betrayals from friends or loved ones, and I believe the American public can square this experience with their own, at some level. I was a voter who asked Barack's campaign to stay on the high ground. I no longer feel that he can overlook the intense damage that is occurring. It's one thing to take dirty pot-shots from your opponents, but it is quite another to take rapid-fire from a trusted friend. Rev. Wright's words and actions are the front-page story, and he continues to remind us of his association with Barack. As a woman who has spent her life in an agricultural state, it's not a good friendship when your neighbor wants to hitch his broken wagon to your tractor and then ask you to take the load to his farm. We can be good friends and help in a crisis, and we can be good friends if it only happens once in a while. But in this case, Rev. Wright has hitched his wagon one too many times. I say Barack needs to play like a Kansas basketball player. He needs to show his grit and passion once again. I am confident Barack will get close to that microphone, with that furrowed brow and cadence in his speech, and let this country know that he cannot and will not be defined by the minister who has come to mock his very dream of becoming our next president. Barack says he may be skinny, but he's tough. Bring it on.

Rev. Wright

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:04:48 EDT

Rev. Wright has a right to defend himself and fight back against the immoral attacks that have come against him in the past weeks but recently I believe he has done nothing but hurt the Obama campaign as they try to make a stand in Indiana and North Carolina. Over the past few days he has been on talk shows and at dinner banquets giving speeches. I've seen him on CNN and MSNBC more than I've seen Clinton, McCain and Obama combined. Rev. Wright is an outspoken and passionate speaker but I think recently he has been doing more than just correcting the image that was made of him. He has been projecting himself into the spotlight that should be occupied by Barack Obama and the other candidates. The major media outlets will always jump at the chance to talk about a character like Rev. Wright and they have numbed my ears to the sound of his name with the amount of coverage they have given him.

When Rev. Wright talks he makes some good points, but he also makes overreaching and fiery statements that ostracize him from the general public. Wright also still seems to think that what he said in the infamous clip was justified and he continues to show no empathy towards the people who have taken offense to the video clip of him denouncing America. I know his comments were taken out of context and that it was only a ten second clip from a speech that was almost an hour long but he still needs to reconcile with the public who will never hear the rest of that speech. Even today in Detroit he said things that rural American's will undoubtedly be offended by.

I realize that it is a difficult - maybe impossible - task to calm such an impassioned person but someone should try. He needs to realize how much of a spectacle he has become and step aside elegantly before he ends up turning a crack in the ground into a gaping hole that Mr. Obama won't be able to climb out of.Please feel free to post your thoughts and ridicule mine.

Who's That Guy?

alyce rocco — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:21:29 EDT

This 20 year old young man was not allowed to buy a Coke at a dime store luncheon counter under Jim Crow United States of America condoned southern law.

Black President response to post

The Pollitikat — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:08:53 EDT

By The Pollitikat 7 minutes ago I have been irate about that fact since the beginning of the campaign Hillary has been exploiting the female vote. She is urging women to vote for her because she is a woman but Obama could never say vote for him because he is black. That just shows that there is still a serious racial problem in this country. African Americans are far more discriminated against than women, because if you're a woman of the right color things are a little easier than if you were the wrong color, and thats according to society not my personal belief.

In order for a black man to be president the media wants to castrate him and take away his manhood. They want him to give up his entire life. If they are successfull at having Obama denounce his pastor, where will it end. Next they are going to ask him to denounce his wife. what next his children. When has this ever happen in history, someone being asked to give up so much. The Clintons had their shady friends, they had them over to the white house.

Why because this blackman is saying things that maybe contrary to someones belief. Freedom of speech is written in the constitution. Even if he said god damn america he is not asking people to pick up arms. Is america that afraid of god, why if your doing right, do the christians believe god would damn them on the word of Jeremiah right?

Meanwhile Hillary, lies and only admits to lying when caught on video tape, she admited to lying during the last debate. Her words: "I repeated something I knew not to be true". Has no real experience, has been indicted several times on several different charges. Has all kinds of questionable relationships. However she is more acceptable to many because she is of the right color. In my mind there is no comparison between Obama and Hillary. She has done very little since she entered congress. Her Congressional page is a joke. Her and Bill want to continue living off the public which they have been doing for most of their lives. She has no qualification to be president, she has never ran anything succesfully, not even her campaign. She is only asking for the presidency preying on females and she is not even addressing womens issues.

Oh yes, it is hard being black in america and now the world sees it.

Voters Respond: Wright Is Not the Issue in Election

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:17:28 EDT

Nothing is more disheartening than the media assault that ties our Senator Obama's ideals with Rev. Wright's perceived ideas - distorted by the barely minutes-long media "coverage". Long articles are written, but they consist of quoting themselves and each other - no new information, no analysis of the history of black churches, no question of how they are feeding into threats to the pastor and the congregation.

My gift has been voters' and supporters' letters and comments in response to this pathetic media feed frenzy. They inspired me to write my own, but first, their encouraging words:

I am a soldier reading all this from Iraq. I cannot tell you how disturbed I am at this moment. I have spent 34 of the past 48 months in battle or training for battle... and all my country can do is squabble about Jerimiah Wright. I believe in Barack Obama. Not just his policies, but the process in which he will go about implementing those policies. Unity, sitting down at the table, transparency, diplomacy, empathy... and all I see are my fellow citizens behaving like children, fighting for the tablescraps of power. I understand what a McCain presidency will bring... another tour here, sigh. I understand what a Hillary presidency will bring. 4 years of partisan bickering, more stories of Bill, mudslinging from the Right and on and on and on. This is almost like a movie, a living nightmare that won't end. Everything is topsy turvy. I'm losing faith in our political system. I have yet to hear a single hate word spew from Sen Obama's mouth. Not one. I have not heard a single hateful character bash come from his words, not one. I have read his books. Beautiful, sound, in depth, visionary, truthfull, articulate... sigh. I am this close to resigning my commission. Our government IS broken. I no longer feel inspired to serve my country. Why am I fighting here? Why are we fighting at home? We can elect George Bush twice, and yet sling this amazing American possessed with tremendous talent in the garbage. If Obama is not elected, we get what we deserve. Either more war, or more of the same Rush Limbaugh bickering. April 28, 2008 4:05 PM Link

More below the fold.

Indifferent about Rev. Wright's Speeches

I'm not Political, I'm GRASSROOTS! — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:44:03 EDT

Yeah, I had mixed feelings about his speeches...

On one hand, I was relieved, excited to see the comparisons (and they actually made sense to me), and moreover, I thought that no matter what happens, the fact that Rev. Wright was able to have an international forum to bring the plight and misunderstandings of the black church's role in the black person's struggle in our society was unprecedented and was years over due!

I guess the last time this much attention had been paid to these issues, and on this scale was with Dr. King. Pretty exciting stuff, until I realized how utterly sheltered most white people are, to the extent of how we "worship", communicate with each other and general "protocol" of social interaction. We're a stiff bunch, really. We'll see how it goes down. But in the end, I think social equality overrules the Presidency. Unfortunately what Rev. Wright might be missing in his big picture is Barack's ability as President to help bridge the gap and slowly expose us white folk to the black culture in a more understanding way.

All I know is Barack Obama is in a tough spot today. Tomorrow the fervor will fade and we can get on with our issues at hand!!

Obama 08 YES WE CAN!!

Rev. Wright

Karen — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:52:11 EDT

I think he's a wonderful Reverend. Articulate, Insightful, Funny and very honest. But, that honesty is being turned against him. It's just not right to judge a man's life on a few selected snipets. The news is full of Reverend Jeremiah Wright today. About how he's hurting Barack Obama. I don't think he's devisive. I do see things like Decisive, Descriptive, Dogmatic and Correct, in so many ways. Leave him alone. He is not Barack Obama's alter ego. He's a man. Perhaps not a perfect man. But, then again, no one is.

By the way, I think the fact that Barack Obama has lots of friends/acquaintances/partners with such varied viewpoints, just underscores his ability to bring people together. Isn't that what he claimed he could do.

A few thoughts on Rev. Wright and statemanship

Dorothy — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:01:14 EDT

I have listened to Rev. Wright's sermons on line, his interviews on Bill Moyers and at the National Press Club.

The pundits, and certainly the GOP, want to paint Rev. Wright as 'divisive', etc. and they want to EQUATE Sen. Obama with Rev. Wright. That is the error. They are NOT the same.

WHAT Rev. Wright is saying is historically accurate. His ire is directed at "governmental policies", at systemic oppression, NOT AT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. His history is correct. The POLICIES of our government have been and still are often stacked against the poor, minorities, women and children. He is a preacher. It is his JOB to get people fired up and motivated to act, and he does it well.

Sen. Obama is a legislator, a statesman, a scholar, a mediator. His job is to look at all sides and to find common ground. It is a fundamentally different approach to the world.

Sen. Obama has NOTHING to apologize for. He is NOT THE SAME as anyone else, and the fact that he actually respects other people enough to not try to control them says a lot about the man that Sen. Obama is. He actually respects the rights of others to differ from him. THAT is American. That is who I want to run this country - a statesman, a Constitutional scholar, a leader.

Sen. Obama respects the rights of other people to have different views than his own. Haven't we had enough of an administration who only listens to those who agree with them? Haven't we had enough of a government who only works for themselves, not those they serve?

Sen. Obama should NOT divert attention from the issues. The next time someone brings up Rev. Wright, he needs to look at them and ask, "Now just how did you introduce me? What is MY name? What have I done?

The other reality is that much of the divisions of race, immigrant status, etc. have been exploitedso that if they can get people to hate each other, then we don't notice what the BIG BOSSES are doing. Gee, if we are fighting amongst ourselves, we cannot UNITE to organize and change the system that has got its foot on ALL our necks.

Rev. Wright is correct about the policies of the government.

Sen. Obama is RIGHT in uniting people to change that system.

Reverand Wright at the National Press Club

Stephanie -Political Organizer-Middle Georgia — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:49:00 EDT

Rev. Wrigth is speaking this morning at the National Press Club. I think that this event is unlike any that the National Press Club has ever seen. The National Press Club function is usually a sedate and quite frankly borking function. Not today. If you ever had a doubt that Rev. Wright has a quick tongue and scathing sense of humer those doubts have been dispelled. He clearly was analytical and informed in his prepared remarks and he was funny and scathing in his replies to the questions. I may have been inclined if I were the young lady asking the questions to have stopped after question 5 and definitely I would not have taken my feet again after question 7.

Rev Right and Bill Moyers!

Karen — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:50:50 EDT

I think everyone should see this interview, in its entirety. That is unedited. Rev. Wright is a lovely man, who seems to have been shortchanged by snipets aired, instead of full sermons.

Let all who have eyes to see, ears to hear

BRGHTSD1 HOPE & COURAGE — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:45:08 EDT

This is an incredible You Tube piece ....

Please take a few moments....it is Sunday morning after all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H73WqSj1-aI&feature=PlayList&p=7C19AC20C5E410F8&index=13

Hillary can continue, on one condition

Lindsey Allen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:21:34 EDT

Hillary should not drop out. She should stop with the "kitchen sink," and focus on real issues. However, campaigning competitively in each state sets up healthy grassroots campaigns in each state that will mobilize for the general election. THAT is not a bad thing at all!

They just need to focus on the issues. Is no one else offended that the media and politicians have such a LOW opinion of the general public that they think we only need to know about flag pins, 6 degrees of separation, and twisted sound bites taken out of context. It makes me so ANGRY that they insult our intelligence in this manner! What's the point in making Americans care about politics if you aren't going to talk ABOUT POLITICS! I want to know how you will affect the world, not pointless religious speculation (separation of church and state what?) or attaching other people's beliefs to candidates unjustly. Make us care about the FAILING education system! Maybe jobs wouldn't leave this country if our citizens were educated at a competitive level with the world. Make us care about the future of our world! Renewable resources and clean green technologies! Make us care about PREVENTATIVE healthcare! Make us care that what we decide in our country affects the rest of the world! We shouldn't think ourselves better than other countries, we should collaborate and share good ideas and make the world a better place together!

Whew! Well, that was my rant for today!

Lindsey

Who Is Rev. Wright?

Ricardo — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:53:03 EDT

For all those who view Rev Wright as a monster please read this article. You may not necessarilly agree with his comments; I most certainly do not, but it would seem we are condemning a Minister of God without any attempt at finding out who he is.

It is better to have him in the open defending himself now so that he cannot be demonized or resurrected during the General by which time he will be old news.

FACTS:

1) Ex Marine who volunteered to serve his country

2) A former student of the Navy's Corpsman School at the Great Lakes Naval Training Centre.

3) Graduate Valedictorian

4) Then trained as cardiopulmonary technician and graduated number two in his class

5) Holds three White House commendations for his work as part of the team that took care of President Lyndon Johnson and other senior U.S. officials at the National Naval Medical Centre in Bethesda

6) Provided spiritual counsel to the Clintons at the height of their marital problems and was a regular visitor to the White House

Before you believe the politics of destruction do a little reading.

He has served his country and has earned the right to exercise his right to free speech whether Barack agrees with it or not.

http://www.usadaily.com/article.cfm?articleID=328626

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=225

OMGooness - Should Journalists Check Facts????

Carolyn New York Obamacan — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:22:52 EDT

I just had an astonishing conversation with Curt Smith, a talk show journalist who broadcasts a show called Perspectives on Public Radio. I wrote it about his statement on Public Radio that Senator Obama exposed his children to "vitriolic" language in church week after week. It turns out children are not in Sunday services at Trinity. Is the language commonly "vitriolic" or anti-American? His response.... who cares about the fact! Read it to believe it. Keep the media accountable. I'm writting to my Public Radio station NOW!

Here's the thread:

From: Carolyn Sullivan To: curtsmith@netacc.net ; perspectives Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 11:21 AMSubject: Feedback on Curt Smith Show

I was listening to WXXI on April 19. I think the
host was Curt Smith. He teaches public speaking. I have never heard
him before. I was very disturbed by his representation of Barack
Obama and the Rev. Wright controversy during his discussion with the
founder of Zogby. He stated that Barack Obama had his two girls in
the pews week after week while Rev. Wright said GD America over and
over. This is NOT what Rev. Wright says every week. It was from one
sermon that neither Sen Obama nor his family was at. Portraying an
image that Sen. Obama subjected his young daughters to a preacher who
swore at America on a weekly basis is just WRONG. I am ashamed at
American journalism these days. Id appreciate it if NPR stopped
buying into a Utube visceral culture of misrepresentation by
repetition!

Please stop mis-representing this story. You are doing a dis-service
to American democracy. You could say Rev Wright said this, but add
that he said it once in chuch when neither Sen. Obama nor his family
were present.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Sullivan
Member WXXI
Victor, NY

From: Curt Smith To: Carolyn Sullivan Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 11:04 AMSubject: Re: Feedback on Curt Smith Show

Dear Carolyn:Many thanks for your note. Regarding your comments, Obama's two daughters have indeed been in Reverend Wright's pews regularly over the years. I did not say they heard Wright say "GDA" over and over again, or that Wright swears weekly. (Indeed, no one knows for sure whether they were there the day he said it.) What I said was that the children over and over again have heard Wright's "vitriol" against America. That is irrefutable.Obama might do better if his fans were as offended by someone smearing the U.S. as they are by people reporting what that person said.Again, many thanks for writing.
BestCurt Smith
_______________________________________________
From: Carolyn Sullivan To: Curt Smith Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 2:28 PMSubject: Re: Feedback on Curt Smith Show
Dear Curt,
Thank you for writing back! I appreciate it. Please let me know your sources of information. I'd love to know what they are. At Trinity, the children are not in the Sunday morning services. They are in church school which happens concurrently with Sunday services. Do you have information that Sen. Obama's children don't go to Sunday school? Secondly, in terms of "vitriol agains America", have you watched his sermons over the 35 years of history? Have you watched a year's worth of sermons? A representative sampling? I certainly don't have the impression that he spoke against American "over and over". You say this is irrefutable. It would be nice if you could site more than the U-tube video of the same two sermons that have been played "over and over". I didn't like what Rev. Wright said either. However, I can equally be offended by a mis-representation of the facts to serve a political motive. I'm sure you can appreciate that fact that some people are spinning this story as a way to impugn Senator Obama. Sincerely,Carolyn Sullivan

____________________________________________________________
Dear Carolyn:
Thanks for writing. If children at Trinity are not in the Sunday morning services, have Obama say that. He hasn't thus far. In most churches, parents have the choice of putting kids in Sunday school or Church. Have I watched his sermons over 35 years? Why would I? According to U-tube, and also other newspapers exceedingly favorable to Obama -- NY Times, LA Times, etc. etc. -- Wright has called U.S. the world's top warmonger, blamed it for "white supremacy," called AIDS a white plot to eradicate blacks, and said "God damn America." How many insults do we need?My two kids are 7 and 8, sometimes go to Sunday school, other Sundays church. If this parent heard a minister once engage in such hatred, my kids would never see that church again. Did Obama not know what his close friend and long-time minister was saying? Would you want someone that oblivious as President? Again, I suspect the problem is Wright's words, not how they're being interpreted.In any event, here's to democracy. I don't have a candidate in either party, so I don't have a dog in this hunt.Thanks for writing.
BestCurt

North Carolina Republican Party Gutter Politics

Cindy — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:58:34 EDT

The North Carolina Republican Party is trying to swiftboat Barack Obama with a hateful new add that it helpfully provided to cable news channels. The ad trashes Obama, and then in a truly gutter twist, says that two North Carolina democrats endorsed Obama so don't vote for THEM.

See, it "isn't really" a negative ad about Obama, it's allegedly about those two North Carolina democrats.

Yet the ad contains a smarmy lineup of the far right's "greatest hits," including the infamous clip of Rev. Wright. Yah, right, that really is relevant to those two North Carolina politicians. NOT.

Both the Republican National Committee and Sen. McCain have strongly condemned the ad, and Sen. McCain has not minced words in demanding that the state republican party not show the ad, the state party took great glee in sending it to news stations for maximum hurtful play.

And, no word yet on whether these stubborn racists intend to heed the calls to stop.

Hillary Clinton, of course, remains happily silent, refusing to denounce the commercial, no doubt furiously feuling the flap through all her surrogates.

Let us Define Rev. Wright and William Ayersby not hiliary nor the republicans

Elijah from Minneapolis, MN — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:18:12 EDT

Here is some kindly advice from Barack’s most active supporter! My advice is this: I believe Barack has to define the Rev. Wright and William Ayersby issue and my suggestion is this -start a national ad (countering the republicans ad in NC) by defining the issue like this: (as a screen shot of Rev. Wright transition to a screen shot of William Ayers (in the background) Barack's should begin to speak saying something like this, " As a community organizer, I had to listen to the good, bad and the ugly to understand their issues and then work to rectify those differences so that those Americans who may have lost faith in our Government; feel as though they have a voice and sense of purpose--- (then transition to a screen shot of Iraq and Iran and China) as Barack continues, "this is why I will be able to meet with those unfavorable leaders around the world and develop a diplomatic relationship as the Leader of the Free World. I will fight to win back our neighbors, by talking vs. dividing (picture of Iraq ), by building relationships vs. hate (picture of a white American child hugging a black child), with civil disobedience vs. racial intolerance. And then, have Rev. Wright, and William Ayers say, “I'm sorry for my harsh language and actions, Barack taught me to believe, love and trust in America- with "Peace T-shirts"! As, Barack then say's "I approve this message"!This way we begin to define these issues the way we want to, and showcase Barack as the healer and the only canidate that can unite, thus hiliary and the republicans will have a hard time redefining is issue! But we have to address this issue so it doesn't continue to over our heads!

Here's a little story I'd like to share, In the movie 8 mile, Eminem was battle rapper in Detroit... He won his final battle by rapping about all the stereotypes 'BS' that his challenger was going to say about him and thus defused the content before his challenger could even begin his turn. The challenger was confused while searching for words he ran out of time and ultimately Eminem won over the crowd and the Battle.

What they need to hear

Elizabeth from Montgomery Village, MD — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:58:42 EDT

My husband is from Allentown, PA. Most of his family still lives between there and Reading. They wanted to believe in you. They wanted vote for you. But in the end, they didn't.

Barack, you lost them and their neighbors, not because of Rev. Wright or the word "bitter," but because when you labeled their concerns "mere distractions," you were being dismissive to the very people you were asking to vote for you. They wanted the truth, not bobbing and weaving and searching for words that didn't even answer the question.

These folks have been receiving piles of negative emails every day for months (Lee, please stop passing them on to me. Please!). All they wanted was straight, clear answers that showed real strength of character and wisdom.

I'm hoping that the experience in PA will bring back the Obama that our family would have voted for. I know today's Washington Post predicted more dirt and slugging from you. Really, how dirty do you have to get to point out that the best person to lead us through an economic crisis might not be the one whose campaign is constantly broke and can't seem to pay its bills?

Did America instigate 9/11?

Justin — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:36:28 EDT

This is along the lines of something Rev. Wright said and I still cannot understand why anyone could actually disagree with what he said. The initial reaction of course is that America is good and we were attacked by an evil enemy and all that fairy tale bullsh*t.

I was young when 9/11 happened. But I also felt that afterwards I was the only person in the world asking why? What could have motivated people to do something like that? The only answers I seemed to get from the Government was that they were jealous of freedom and that we had to act irresponsibly quick to deal with the problem of "radical islamic extremists". While at the time I agreed with the war in Afghanistan, I was never convinced about Iraq which is my biggest reason for supporting Obama.

After doing a lot of research on the subject, the biggest reason I have found for why we were attacked has to do with none other than Israel. Many Americans wholeheartedly believe that you must protect Israel and the foundation of this argument lies with religion. While many Americans "know" the existance of Muslim "extremists", many americans are completely oblivious to the Christian extremists living among them. These people believe that not only must you protect Israel because of its involvment in the foundation of Christianity but that the biggest prophecy in the bible that has yet to be fulfilled requires that not only should Israel remain under the protection of Christians but that the Temple must be rebuilt. Temple mount is the Islamic holy site built on top of the site of the old Temple of Jerusalem. From what I understand, Temple Mount is pretty much the center of controversy for both Israel and the Palestinians when it comes to a Palestinian state.

Christian extremists would like nothing more than to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, but as the world knows, to tear down Temple Mount and replace it with the old temple would start world war 3. As long as this part of Jerusalem is controlled by governments friendly to the United States, this area will maintain the possibility of this someday happening.

This is the Christian influence on Israel. Israel could not exist without the help of so called "Christian Nations" and wholeheartedly owes the United States for its very existance. The history of Israel is very violent. According to the Bible, the land was first given to the Israelites by God. But later in history they were completely driven from the land, I don't remember by who, but it wasn't until after world war 2 that the zionist movement succeeded and Israel was a country again. However, that is what we as Americans learn about Israel.

People neglect to inform others that in the time that Israel was not a country, Palistineans occupied the area. They lived there for centuries since the times when Israel had been occupied by various nations. When Israel officially became a state, three quarters of a million Arabs were forced to abandon their homes and leave the country.

On one side of the arguement, you have the Jews that felt the land was rightfully theirs. On the other, you had Palistineans who've been living their for generations. The Palistineans were not very accepting of just giving up their homes because someone who'd never lived there told them so. Imagine if the native americans suddenly said ok get out we were rightfully here to begin with. While they may have a convincing argument, it is a complicated situation to deal with.

Since then their have been many wars fought and Israel and Israel still remains a country. In the Arab world, this could not happen if it weren't for America. We fund Israel with money and weapons and we consider their existance non-negotiable.

Now let's say Native Americans got together and said ok we want New York, PA, NJ, etc, back. Let's say they were backed by China. Let's say a war broke out and the United States lost. Would you blame the Native Americans or would you blame China, or both? That is why we were attacked on 9/11 and that is why we were attacked prior to that, at least that is the main reason. Other reasons include American soldiers being on land considered holy by many Muslims. Before Osama Bin Laden became a "terrorist" he volunteered to protect the Saudi royal family with his soldiers. They declined and instead opted for help from American soldiers. This infuriated Bin Laden, not only because of the way they see America for its backing of Israel but that they were now on holy soil. Many people also do not realize that in the big picture, Israel has been oppressing the Palistineans. They are constantly having their homes bulldozed, bring driven from their homes, and their civilians are being killed in the constant fighting between Israel and Palestine.

Now while I do not blame one side as much as the other, it's hard to tell people that violence should not be put on the table while you're oppressing them, starving them, driving them from their homes, and not giving them a voice in government.

To conclude, I do not think we are the bad guys, but we definitely are NOT the good guys. Nobody should have died for this conflict over a stupid piece of land that holds such a high place in religion. Another reason I don't believe in religion anymore. Religion is supposedly meant to promote a good happy life, yet all I see is violence, widespread hate, war. I'm a moderate agnostic pacifist.

Father Phleger, Catholic Priest in Chicago talks to FOX News about Rev. Wright

A Goner — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:35:08 EDT

Check out Father Phleger's interview with FOX defending Rev. Wright.

FWD to me:

Father Pleger takes on FOX News: Send to all of your friends and Undecided Voters even if they are not Catholic. This is a great man who won't let FOX twist his words. I wish the whole world could see this.Watch a highly respected Catholic Priest, Father Michael Pleger of St. Sabina in Chicago harassed - I mean interviewed by FOX NEWS. You decide who is RIGHT.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0wvQMqSzTMBest of Hillary Clinton...quotes I have never heard before:http://youtube.com/watch?v=-jFmmXfExhgThis is hysterical.....Barack Obama is a Finalist in TIME'S 100 Most Influential People.If you want to vote for Time Magazine's most influential persons, follow the link. I voted 100 points for Senator Obama of course. You can vote as many times as you like!

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1725112_1723512,00.html

My comments:

I attended Father Phleger's church as a parent when my children attended Little Flower Catholic School which he pastored. I walked with him through the neighborhood on Friday nights to "Stop the Violence" and attended Mass although I am a Protestant. He is real, genuine, and very caring about the community. St. Sabina Catholic School has offered a first class education to many African Americans on the southside of Chicago. I also attended Rev. Wright's church as a visitor although I didn't hear any fiery sermon that day. Many members of his church are upstanding community leaders and he is very well respected in Chicago. I agree with Father Phleger that much of what Rev. Wright has been taken out of context and I have heard fiery speeches condemning America's sins from Rev. Billy Graham, Rev. Roy Parsley, Rev. Hagee and some outrageous comments from Pat Robertson about assassinating President Chavez which he had to apologize for. The Pope condemned the invasion in Iraq and God does not bless ugly and is no respecter of persons. If we have a foreign policy that is ungodly, perhaps 9/11 was a wake-up call, and Katrina, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. As Zora Neale Hurston put in her book title "Their Eyes Were Watching God."

Even the Christian Prophet, Edgar Cayce warned the establishment that if they kept up their racist policies and militarism with unfair policies towards other nations that in the millenium we would witness drastic weather changes and other events occurring if our nation does not CHANGE. As for me, "My arms are too short to box with God!" (title of play) Let the ministers do their job which is what we boast about in this country - freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. If the press wants to corrupt its reporting, they are playing with God when they mess with his messengers, not that ministers are above scrutiny. Many pr people are hired to scandalize leaders and bamboozle the public have paid the price.. brain tumors, etc. Don't forget Lee Atwater's phone calls and apologies before his death. I repeat, my arms are too short to box with God! As for Cheney and Bush, "What does it profit a man if he gain the world and lose his soul?", Jesus. I pray God will have mercy on ALL OF US, Bush and Cheney included.BTW, Rev. Wright isn't the only one who believes AIDS isn't only transmitted by monkey bites... Didn't Khadafy in Libya just sue some Belgians administering vaccines in his nation to children he believed were contaminated with the AIDS virus and WIN! The Belgians blamed it on dirty hospital conditions, where was the green monkey in Libya? Let's not forget how African Americans were used as guinea pigs for syphillis research for 40 years at Tuskegee Institute... for what nefarious ends? Things that make you go... uhmmm!

Great read on Obama, Rev. Wright, and America

Haven — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:18:05 EDT

Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama and the Unacceptability of TruthOf National Lies and Racial America

By TIM WISE

For most white folks, indignation just doesn't wear well. Once affected or conjured up, it reminds one of a pudgy man, wearing a tie that may well have fit him when he was fifty pounds lighter, but which now cuts off somewhere above his navel and makes him look like an idiot.

Indignation doesn't work for most whites, because having remained sanguine about, silent during, indeed often supportive of so much injustice over the years in this country--the theft of native land and genocide of indigenous persons, and the enslavement of Africans being only two of the best examples--we are just a bit late to get into the game of moral rectitude. And once we enter it, our efforts at righteousness tend to fail the test of sincerity.

But here we are, in 2008, fuming at the words of Pastor Jeremiah Wright, of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago--occasionally Barack Obama's pastor, and the man whom Obama credits with having brought him to Christianity--for merely reminding us of those evils about which we have remained so quiet, so dismissive, so unconcerned. It is not the crime that bothers us, but the remembrance of it, the unwillingness to let it go--these last words being the first ones uttered by most whites it seems whenever anyone, least of all an "angry black man" like Jeremiah Wright, foists upon us the bill of particulars for several centuries of white supremacy.

But our collective indignation, no matter how loudly we announce it, cannot drown out the truth. And as much as white America may not be able to hear it (and as much as politics may require Obama to condemn it) let us be clear, Jeremiah Wright fundamentally told the truth.

Oh I know that for some such a comment will seem shocking. After all, didn't he say that America "got what it deserved" on 9/11? And didn't he say that black people should be singing "God Damn America" because of its treatment of the African American community throughout the years?

Well actually, no he didn't.

Wright said not that the attacks of September 11th were justified, but that they were, in effect, predictable. Deploying the imagery of chickens coming home to roost is not to give thanks for the return of the poultry or to endorse such feathered homecoming as a positive good; rather, it is merely to note two things: first, that what goes around, indeed, comes around--a notion with longstanding theological grounding--and secondly, that the U.S. has indeed engaged in more than enough violence against innocent people to make it just a tad bit hypocritical for us to then evince shock and outrage about an attack on ourselves, as if the latter were unprecedented.

He noted that we killed far more people, far more innocent civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki than were killed on 9/11 and "never batted an eye." That this statement is true is inarguable, at least amongst sane people. He is correct on the math, he is correct on the innocence of the dead (neither city was a military target), and he is most definitely correct on the lack of remorse or even self-doubt about the act: sixty-plus years later most Americans still believe those attacks were justified, that they were needed to end the war and "save American lives."

But not only does such a calculus suggest that American lives are inherently worth more than the lives of Japanese civilians (or, one supposes, Vietnamese, Iraqi or Afghan civilians too), but it also ignores the long-declassified documents, and President Truman's own war diaries, all of which indicate clearly that Japan had already signaled its desire to end the war, and that we knew they were going to surrender, even without the dropping of atomic weapons. The conclusion to which these truths then attest is simple, both in its basic veracity and it monstrousness: namely, that in those places we committed premeditated and deliberate mass murder, with no justification whatsoever; and yet for saying that I will receive more hate mail, more hostility, more dismissive and contemptuous responses than will those who suggest that no body count is too high when we're the ones doing the killing. Jeremiah Wright becomes a pariah, because, you see, we much prefer the logic of George Bush the First, who once said that as President he would "never apologize for the United States of America. I don't care what the facts are."

And Wright didn't say blacks should be singing "God Damn America." He was suggesting that blacks owe little moral allegiance to a nation that has treated so many of them for so long as animals, as persons undeserving of dignity and respect, and which even now locks up hundreds of thousands of non-violent offenders (especially for drug possession), even while whites who do the same crimes (and according to the data, when it comes to drugs, more often in fact), are walking around free. His reference to God in that sermon was more about what God will do to such a nation, than it was about what should or shouldn't happen. It was a comment derived from, and fully in keeping with, the black prophetic tradition, and although one can surely disagree with the theology (I do, actually, and don't believe that any God either blesses or condemns nation states for their actions), the statement itself was no call for blacks to turn on America. If anything, it was a demand that America earn the respect of black people, something the evidence and history suggests it has yet to do.

Finally, although one can certainly disagree with Wright about his suggestion that the government created AIDS to get rid of black folks--and I do, for instance--it is worth pointing out that Wright isn't the only one who has said this. In fact, none other than Bill Cosby (oh yes, that Bill Cosby, the one white folks love because of his recent moral crusade against the black poor) proffered his belief in the very same thing back in the early '90s in an interview on CNN, when he said that AIDS may well have been created to get rid of people whom the government deemed "undesirable" including gays and racial minorities.

So that's the truth of the matter: Wright made one comment that is highly arguable, but which has also been voiced by white America's favorite black man, another that was horribly misinterpreted and stripped of all context, and then another that was demonstrably accurate. And for this, he is pilloried and made into a virtual enemy of the state; for this, Barack Obama may lose the support of just enough white folks to cost him the Democratic nomination, and/or the Presidency; all of it, because Jeremiah Wright, unlike most preachers opted for truth. If he had been one of those "prosperity ministers" who says Jesus wants nothing so much as for you to be rich, like Joel Osteen, that would have been fine. Had he been a retread bigot like Falwell was, or Pat Robertson is, he might have been criticized, but he would have remained in good standing and surely not have damaged a Presidential candidate in this way. But unlike Osteen, and Falwell, and Robertson, Jeremiah Wright refused to feed his parishioners lies.

What Jeremiah Wright knows, and told his flock--though make no mistake, they already knew it--is that 9/11 was neither the first, nor worst act of terrorism on American soil. The history of this nation for folks of color, was for generations, nothing less than an intergenerational hate crime, one in which 9/11s were woven into the fabric of everyday life: hundreds of thousands of the enslaved who died from the conditions of their bondage; thousands more who were lynched (as many as 10,000 in the first few years after the Civil War, according to testimony in the Congressional Record at the time); millions of indigenous persons wiped off the face of the Earth. No, to some, the horror of 9/11 was not new. To some it was not on that day that "everything changed." To some, everything changed four hundred years ago, when that first ship landed at what would become Jamestown. To some, everything changed when their ancestors were forced into the hulls of slave ships at Goree Island and brought to a strange land as chattel. To some, everything changed when they were run out of Northern Mexico, only to watch it become the Southwest United States, thanks to a war of annihilation initiated by the U.S. government. To some, being on the receiving end of terrorism has been a way of life. Until recently it was absolutely normal in fact.

But white folks have a hard time hearing these simple truths. We find it almost impossible to listen to an alternative version of reality. Indeed, what seems to bother white people more than anything, whether in the recent episode, or at any other time, is being confronted with the recognition that black people do not, by and large, see the world like we do; that black people, by and large, do not view America as white people view it. We are, in fact, shocked that this should be so, having come to believe, apparently, that the falsehoods to which we cling like a kidney patient clings to a dialysis machine, are equally shared by our darker-skinned compatriots.

This is what James Baldwin was talking about in his classic 1972 work, No Name in the Street, wherein he noted:

"White children, in the main, and whether they are rich or poor, grow up with a grasp of reality so feeble that they can very accurately be described as deluded--about themselves and the world they live in. White people have managed to get through their entire lifetimes in this euphoric state, but black people have not been so lucky: a black man who sees the world the way John Wayne, for example, sees it would not be an eccentric patriot, but a raving maniac."

And so we were shocked in 1987, when Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall declined to celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution, because, as he noted, most of that history had been one of overt racism and injustice, and to his way of thinking, the only history worth celebrating had been that of the past three or four decades.

We were shocked to learn that black people actually believed that a white cop who was a documented racist might frame a black man; and we're shocked to learn that lots of black folks still perceive the U.S. as a racist nation--we're literally stunned that people who say they experience discrimination regularly (and who have the social science research to back them up) actually think that those experiences and that data might actually say something about the nation in which they reside. Imagine.

Whites are easily shocked by what we see and hear from Pastor Wright and Trinity Church, because what we see and hear so thoroughly challenges our understanding of who we are as a nation. But black people have never, for the most part, believed in the imagery of the "shining city on a hill," for they have never had the option of looking at their nation and ignoring the mountain-sized warts still dotting its face when it comes to race. Black people do not, in the main, get misty eyed at the sight of the flag the way white people do--and this is true even for millions of black veterans--for they understand that the nation for whom that flag waves is still not fully committed to their own equality. They have a harder time singing those tunes that white people seem so eager to belt out, like "God Bless America," for they know that whites sang those words loudly and proudly even as they were enforcing Jim Crow segregation, rioting against blacks who dared move into previously white neighborhoods, throwing rocks at Dr. King and then cheering, as so many did, when they heard the news that he had been assassinated.

Whites refuse to remember (or perhaps have never learned) that which black folks cannot afford to forget. I've seen white people stunned to the point of paralysis when they learn the truth about lynchings in this country--when they discover that such events were not just a couple of good old boys with a truck and a rope hauling some black guy out to the tree, hanging him, and letting him swing there. They were never told the truth: that lynchings were often community events, advertised in papers as "Negro Barbecues," involving hundreds or even thousands of whites, who would join in the fun, eat chicken salad and drink sweet tea, all while the black victims of their depravity were being hung, then shot, then burned, and then having their body parts cut off, to be handed out to onlookers. They are stunned to learn that postcards of the events were traded as souvenirs, and that very few whites, including members of their own families did or said anything to stop it.

Rather than knowing about and confronting the ugliness of our past, whites take steps to excise the less flattering aspects of our history so that we need not be bothered with them. So, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for example, site of an orgy of violence against the black community in 1921, city officials literally went into the town library and removed all reference to the mass killings in the Greenwood district from the papers with a razor blade--an excising of truth and an assault on memory that would remain unchanged for over seventy years.

Most white people desire, or perhaps even require the propagation of lies when it comes to our history. Surely we prefer the lies to anything resembling, even remotely, the truth. Our version of history, of our national past, simply cannot allow for the intrusion of fact into a worldview so thoroughly identified with fiction. But that white version of America is not only extraordinarily incomplete, in that it so favors the white experience to the exclusion of others; it is more than that; it is actually a slap in the face to people of color, a re-injury, a reminder that they are essentially irrelevant, their concerns trivial, their lives unworthy of being taken seriously. In that sense, and what few if any white Americans appear capable of grasping at present, is that "Leave it Beaver" and "Father Knows Best," portray an America so divorced from the reality of the times in which they were produced, as to raise serious questions about the sanity of those who found them so moving, so accurate, so real. These iconographic representations of life in the U.S. are worse than selective, worse than false, they are assaults to the humanity and memory of black people, who were being savagely oppressed even as June Cleaver did housework in heels and laughed about the hilarious hijinks of Beaver and Larry Mondello.

These portraits of America are certifiable evidence of how disconnected white folks were--and to the extent we still love them and view them as representations of the "good old days" to which we wish we could return, still are--from those men and women of color with whom we have long shared a nation. Just two months before "Leave it to Beaver" debuted, proposed civil rights legislation was killed thanks to Strom Thurmond's 24-hour filibuster speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate. One month prior, Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus called out the National Guard to block black students from entering Little Rock Central High; and nine days before America was introduced to the Cleavers, and the comforting image of national life they represented, those black students were finally allowed to enter, amid the screams of enraged, unhinged, viciously bigoted white people, who saw nothing wrong with calling children niggers in front of cameras. That was America of the 1950s: not the sanitized version into which so many escape thanks to the miracle of syndication, which merely allows white people to relive a lie, year after year after year.

No, it is not the pastor who distorts history; Nick at Nite and your teenager's textbooks do that. It is not he who casts aspersions upon "this great country" as Barack Obama put it in his public denunciations of him; it is the historic leadership of the nation that has cast aspersions upon it; it is they who have cheapened it, who have made gaudy and vile the promise of American democracy by defiling it with lies. They engage in a patriotism that is pathological in its implications, that asks of those who adhere to it not merely a love of country but the turning of one's nation into an idol to be worshipped, it not literally, then at least in terms of consequence.

It is they--the flag-lapel-pin wearing leaders of this land--who bring shame to the country with their nonsensical suggestions that we are always noble in warfare, always well-intended, and although we occasionally make mistakes, we are never the ones to blame for anything. Nothing that happens to us has anything to do with us at all. It is always about them. They are evil, crazy, fanatical, hate our freedoms, and are jealous of our prosperity. When individuals prattle on in this manner we diagnose them as narcissistic, as deluded. When nations do it--when our nation does--we celebrate it as though it were the very model of rational and informed citizenship.

So what can we say about a nation that values lies more than it loves truth? A place where adherence to sincerely believed and internalized fictions allows one to rise to the highest offices in the land, and to earn the respect of millions, while a willingness to challenge those fictions and offer a more accurate counter-narrative earns one nothing but contempt, derision, indeed outright hatred? What we can say is that such a place is signing its own death warrant. What we can say is that such a place is missing the only and last opportunity it may ever have to make things right, to live up to its professed ideals. What we can say is that such a place can never move forward, because we have yet to fully address and come to terms with that which lay behind.

What can we say about a nation where white preachers can lie every week from their pulpits without so much as having to worry that their lies might be noticed by the shiny white faces in their pews, while black preachers who tell one after another essential truth are demonized, not only for the stridency of their tone--which needless to say scares white folks, who have long preferred a style of praise and worship resembling nothing so much as a coma--but for merely calling bullshit on those whose lies are swallowed whole?

And oh yes, I said it: white preachers lie. In fact, they lie with a skill, fluidity, and precision unparalleled in the history of either preaching or lying, both of which histories stretch back a ways and have often overlapped. They lie every Sunday, as they talk about a Savior they have chosen to represent dishonestly as a white man, in every picture to be found of him in their tabernacles, every children's story book in their Sunday Schools, every Christmas card they'll send to relatives and friends this December. But to lie about Jesus, about the one they consider God--to bear false witness as to who this man was and what he looked like--is no cause for concern.

Nor is it a problem for these preachers to teach and preach that those who don't believe as they believe are going to hell. Despite the fact that such a belief casts aspersions upon God that are so profound as to defy belief--after all, they imply that God is so fundamentally evil that he would burn non-believers in a lake of eternal fire--many of the white folks who now condemn Jeremiah Wright welcome that theology of hate. Indeed, back when President Bush was the Governor of Texas, he endorsed this kind of thinking, responding to a question about whether Jews were going to go to hell, by saying that unless one accepted Jesus as one's personal savior, the Bible made it pretty clear that indeed, hell was where you'd be heading.

So you can curse God in this way--and to imply such hate on God's part is surely to curse him--and in effect, curse those who aren't Christians, and no one says anything. That isn't considered bigoted. That isn't considered beyond the pale of polite society. One is not disqualified from becoming President in the minds of millions because they go to a church that says that shit every single week, or because they believe it themselves. And millions do believe it, and see nothing wrong with it whatsoever.

So white folks are mad at Jeremiah Wright because he challenges their views about their country. Meanwhile, those same white folks, and their ministers and priests, every week put forth a false image of the God Jeremiah Wright serves, and yet it is whites who feel we have the right to be offended.

Pardon me, but something is wrong here, and whatever it is, is not to be found at Trinity United Church of Christ.

Some of my families thoughts

Chris Morse — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:38:08 EDT

The Below post was originally a FWD: my Father sent me to one of his republican friends. This is basiclly our thoughts on the whole Rev. Wright thing.

Obama '08 ~ Food for Thought Worth Repeating

alyce rocco — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:00:02 EDT

I saw an article posted here yesteday. An except worth repeating:

"In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines. In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.) The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery.'

"For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation. What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated. While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections. Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?"

Read entire article about Obama's former pastor Rev. Wright using this link. More food for thought is to remember that Jim Crow law was still in effect in 1961. I did not need any explanations about Wright. I still remember Emmett Till and others. The man is not hard to understand. The people who are quick to condemn and judge him do preplex me.

"Racist!"

Abigail — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 12:57:01 EDT

ON Friday Night I was walking across the city of Philadelphia with a friend on our way to "First Friday" which is our gallery opening night for seeing art in the city ever month...

I had my HUGE Obama pin on my coat, wearing it LOUD and PROUD... and as I walking this white man, in a preppy/business outfit muttered under his breath as he passed me "Racist!"

Of course I didn't respond, because this was ridiculous!! I "turned the other cheek" ; ) ! I assume that he was referring to the Rev wright..

I have volunteered for this camp in DE, and I have received far worse response to my OBAMA pledge in Delaware- outside a polling location than what I heard yesterday. I just think its silly that people who are let's face it un informed about the issues, about the events- choose to use me, a young adult with a pin- as a speaking board to the campaign.... And I know that's what I am up against when i wear the pin, I'm representing my support of this great Candidate. I get it. And by even writing this log I am using his words to speak to the camp- the community. But I do so for awareness and for healing.

Ultimately this man's response simply reminded me of my twin Brother's arrogant and mis informed reuplican view point about OBAMA. Isn't it amazing that with all the crap with this war- we have seen how this adminstration is LYING to us and how the MSM feeds on this and just perpetuates these lies out of laziness and for a sensationalism that will produce ratings and something to talk about around the water cooler- generating gossip that is empty and false. It also made me realize- these people who are misinformed- are the ones who still think we should stay in Iraq, who don't see ALL of the bad things about the war, and instead only a few... So this is what we are up against essentially... But there are more of us who are informed than those who are not (HOPE)!

This comment this man made also sparked a conversation btwn my friend and I about OBAMA, about Rev Wright, America, 9-11, our standing in the world... and in the end it was a great conversation. By then we were in old city where the galleries were open and I saw more OBAMA love down there, with pins, signs and volunteers talking with the people on the street.

so for perspective- it was just one man, but he does represent people out there- people in my own family. But I could no more disown or dislike that man than I could my own brother! ; )

In closing- and in remembrance of MLK- what we need to do is- LOVE, love these people who are misinformed and help them understand in every small way- how OBAMA is the change our country needs.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright

Disabled Vet 2000 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:34:21 EDT

I would like people to start paying more attention to the good works that the people of Trinity Church have done. Where would the country be without faith based organizations to help with hunger, poverty, AIDS, civil rights, after school programs, homelessness, etc.

I would also hate to be judged on the five worst things my friends had said. What if someone took the 5 worst things you had ever said and played them on a continuous loop for the world? Or worse, what if at a job interview you were judged on what your friends did, or the five worst things they had said in their entire lives?

Why not ask what Senator Obama, his family, and his church have done for their community and their country? Why is his commitment to public service rarely mentioned?

'Search' Problems

lauretta — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:36:03 EDT

I had found more extensive videos of Rev. Wright's controversial sermons on youtube & through Huffington Post. These totally exonerated the Pastor from the egregious charges made of him, and proved to be excellent/balanced statements. These have since been pulled from internet access. If you 'google' Wright, you find listed at the beginning of the search all the negative slanted sites. If you 'search' on the youtube site, you also only come up with the negative stuff. I know there is a way to combat that problem, but am not in a position to do anything about it. Could somebody out there DO something about this slander of Rev. Wright (& Barack)? I think people should be able to see MORE than those sound bites of Pastor Wright.

We need to get the good stuff up front, and make it available. The Cooper-Union address also needs to be made available. Very important!!!!!!!!

Chicago Tribune Op-Ed [Article?]*

D.C. Jones — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:18:10 EDT

This Op-Ed piece [article] below was emailed to me by my cousine who lives in Chicago. Of course, I don't get the Chicago Tribune, and I don't know the validity of this piece. None the less, it is still well worth reading.

chicagotribune.comRev. Wright in a different lightMarch 26, 2008 nselBy William A. Von Hoene Jr.,Exelon EVP and General Counsel
During the last two weeks, excerpts from sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., pastor for more than 35 years at Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side, have flooded the airwaves and dominated our discourse about the presidential campaign and race. Wright has been depicted as a racial extremist, or just a plain racist. A number of political figures and news commentators have attempted to use Sen. Barack Obama's association with him to call into question Obama's judgment and the sincerity of his commitment to unity.

I have been a member of Trinity, a church with an almost entirely African-American congregation, for more than 25 years. I am, however, a white male. From a decidedly different perspective than most Trinitarians, I have heard Wright preach about racial inequality many times, in unvarnished and passionate terms.

In Obama's recent speech in Philadelphia on racial issues confronting our nation, the senator eloquently observed that Rev. Wright's sermons reflect the difficult experiences and frustrations of a generation.

It is important that we understand the dynamic Obama spoke about.

It also is important that we not let media coverage and political gamesmanship isolate selected remarks by Wright to the exclusion of anything else that might define him more accurately and completely.

I find it very troubling that we have distilled Wright's 35-year ministry to a few phrases; no context whatsoever has been offered or explored.

I do have a bit of personal context. About 26 years ago, I became engaged to my wife, an African-American. She was at that time and remains a member of Trinity. Somewhere between the ring and the altar, my wife had second thoughts and broke off the engagement. Her decision was grounded in race: So committed to black causes, the daughter of parents subjected to unthinkable prejudice over the years, an "up-and-coming" leader in the young black community, how could she marry a white man?

Rev. Wright, whom I had met only in passing at the time and who was equally if not more outspoken about "black" issues than he is today, somehow found out about my wife's decision. He called and asked her to "drop everything" and meet with him at Trinity. He spent four hours explaining his reaction to her decision. Racial divisions were unacceptable, he said, no matter how great or prolonged the pain that caused them. God would not want us to assess or make decisions about people based on race. The world could make progress on issues of race only if people were prepared to break down barriers that were much easier to let stand.

Rev. Wright was pretty persuasive; he presided over our wedding a few months later. In the years since, I have watched in utter awe as Wright has overseen and constructed a support system for thousands in need on the South Side that is far more impressive and effective than any governmental program possibly could approach. And never in my life have I been welcomed more warmly and sincerely than at Trinity. Never.

I hope that as a nation, we take advantage of the opportunity the recent focus on Rev. Wright presents—to advance our dialogue on race in a meaningful and unprecedented way. To do so, however, we need to appreciate that passion born of difficulty does not always manifest itself in the kind of words with which we are most comfortable. We also need to recognize that the basic goodness of people like Jeremiah Wright is not always packaged conventionally.

The problems of race confronting us are immense. But if we sensationalize isolated words for political advantage, casting aside the depth of feeling, circumstances and context which inform them, those problems not only will remain immense, they will be insoluble.

William A. Von Hoene Jr. of Chicago is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ. Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

(*) This blog has been edited since first posting. Changes were made due to the comment below.

"Obama Speech Fails to Assuage Indiana White Voters" article Bloomberg.com

A Goner — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:06:31 EDT

Article in Bloomberg.com on April 1, 2008. http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20080401/pl_bloomberg/alp6dprdtyo0_1 My comments about this article to the reporter are as follows:Hi Heidi,As a first generation, born of immigrants in America, my initial reaction to your article is that once you have lived here in Indiana, as I have for 10 years, you realize the attitudes about race are light years behind New York, Chicago and Atlanta. This is where the KKK was started and when you meet co-workers who tell you how hard it is for them to work with minorities without the childhood training of racism blocking their mind in 2008, it is still very real. One co-worker told me how his father told him that when blacks moved to his small, suburban town the local volunteer fire dept would not go to an African American neighbor's house and put out the fire. I had that conversation two years ago, and it occured in reality in the past 20 years, so you figure.On the other hand, most of the progressive people I have met in Indiana are people from other states like myself. So in the melting pot situation, perhaps we out-of-towners may influence the natives eventually to "get over it". Many people from Indiana are becoming a lot more cosmopolitan and urbane because of higher education, traveling, television, military service, and the internet. What Rev. Wright sermonizes on is in response to lynching, Jim Crow, the Tuskegee experiment where African American men were given syphillis and thought they were being given penicillin to see how long the cure would take place, when in reality they were only given a placebo and used to study how long it takes for syphillis to kill people, and it went on here in the U.S. for 40 years... and there are so many other things that Rev. Wright is very intimately acquainted with Emmit Till and so many other injustices. Recently in South Africa they discovered scientists who were creating a virus that would only make the black people sick and were planning on lacing the cigarettes sold in the predominately black townships with the virus. This was only seven years ago and I am sure Rev. Wright is quite familiar with these types of situations around the world as well We are really lucky he just asks GOD to do something about it... Think about that!In my parent's native country, they may have taken matters into their own hands.

The Truth about Rev. Wright

Tovala — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:09:51 EDT

So they have diminished the Rev. to a sound bite and made him look like a Nazi, but how many of you have actually seen the ten minute sermon? I bet not many. I am Jewish and I just sat and watched and what a mess the media has made. This man has lost his integrity and his reputation because Fox does not want a Dem in office and because CNN is too lazy to research the facts before posting information--wait I am sorry CNN is more concerned with ratings then the truth and that to me makes me ill. The media is despicable, deplorable, and downright dirty. I have attached the true sermon--by which the Rev. Wright was quoting a "white ambassador named George Peck" who was interviewed on Fox after 9/11. Rev. Wright went on to denounce violence, terrorism and told his congregation that they need to reflect on what they have done to cause harm to this nation and to their relationship with G-d. After this debacle I will never again watch the News. I am sick to my stomach because of the lack of journalistic integrity that journalists portray. Please watch and learn. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T6-O8GIylQ&hl=en] I have also included a white pastor who knows Rev. Wright. Listen to what he has to say about what the news media is doing to this man's reputation. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ec_um8cts0&hl=en] Here is an explanation on the foundation of Obama's church. Watch it all the way through. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quSSJw-oz4o&feature=related=en] McCain and Huckabee are defending Obama. How many news outlets are talking about this? Don't you think it is amazing the way people defend him? It says a lot about Obama's character, when the Republicans are defending a Democrat against a Republican, rightest news media. Amazing. Now put that in your pipe and smoke it, Fox news. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed1Tb-vrEww&hl=en]

On the issue of the Wright issue

Amon from Warren, MI — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:46:27 EDT

Disclaimer: I am writing this blog for the undecided voter. The voter who is on the fence about Senator Obama, particularly because of his association with his now former pastor Jeremiah Wright. If you have not seen his speech as of yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. It may help you to move beyond your anger for Rev. Wright's comments and give you a glimpse at the make up of the man one Barack Obama.

Now let me say for the record, this is not an attempt to douce the fiery darts that the far right are throwing at the Senator; because lets face it, no matter what he says, no matter how good of a candidate he is, no matter how good he may be for America, politicaly, they want his candidacy dead. There is no greater good for people who think this way. There is only the agenda of promoting propaganda that is meant to do nothing but to tear down and tear out the heart of those of us who have had the audacity to hope at the chance of having a better government.

My only advice to you is if one of these frothing at the mouth right wingers are bending your ear concerning this issue, that you never lose sight of the fact that they are the same ones who said vote BUSH in 2004. And they did this knowing that he lied to the American public about a war that didn't need to be waged! They promoted and openly touted an administration that wrapped the imaginary threat of weapons of mass destruction around the blood stained flag of patriotism and waved it in front of the face of the American people. A people who were still grieving from the shock and grief of 9/11.

They preyed on the sentiments and fears of the American people so they could put innocent men and women, our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, in harm's way. In harms way...it is at best a tenuous power, this power that a commander and chief has; this power to march men up terror's hill or down into a dead man's valley with nothing but a rifle and the comradery of the man standing next to them. But not to have an exit strategy...

Sadly, we still don't know why we're really over in Iraq, the reasons for war and the ever elusive victory in this war has still not been made known, not to us, not to Congress, not to the men and women dodging bullets over seas. The goal post keeps moving. Now if you only take one thing I say with you let it be this. Each time this goal post moves it cheapens the lives of the soldiers who have died for this cause. This is a point that needs to be stressed. Men and women are dying for a cause that has yet to be identified. The singular reason that we are over in Iraq is still not known. But what does that mean to this adminstration? What does the American people, American lives mean to them.

When Vice President Cheney was told that over 60% of the people he represents were unhappy with the war, his response was and I quote, "So." So!...There are no words that can eloquently express how his one word response made me feel. Because I didn't just see the response being about the war. I seen it as a response that speaks to the overall theme of the Bush administration. That's why they could suspend habeas corpus, listen to our private conversations, lower taxes in a time of war, turn a blind eye to the geneva convention's conduct for war, spend over five hundred billion dollars on a war that was only supposed to cost fifty, ignore all domestic policy, allow predatory lending to run rampant without regulatory constraints, (It is my opinion, that the cost of war, the cost of gas in conjunction with the predatory lending i.e. the current real estate crisis has thrust this economy into a recession) This is the cost that this war has placed on the American people and all this administration can say is, so. And I still have yet to mention their most egregious sin of all. It is the way they have perverted, ignored, winked at and have blatant disregard for our most sovereign doctrine of all, the constitution of these United States. "So!"...

Now, I know that the VEEP can't speak for the Commander and Chief but if he felt any different than Dick Cheney then you wouldn't be seeing him dancing on the steps of the white house like he was auditioning for dancing with the stars; that is, if he truly felt the plight of the American people. If their well being was his first concern. So!!! So?... The sun is setting on this administration and its lack of leadership. Americans have bled, died and suffered immensely because of it. I hope it sets on Give me the same Mccain's candidacy as well. Because he has offered nothing but mostly the same. One hunderd more years occupation in Iraq. No financial resolution to the market crisis that challenges this country, making the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans permenant. How does any of this stop the bleeding, mend the hurt and honor our fallen? America needs a vast contrast to the political landscape that we now have. America needs a Barack Obama. Hopefully, prayerfully he'll be able to stop the hemorrhaging.

So when the Rush Limbaughs, Glenn Becks and Pat Buchanans of the world mention something about Wright its because they don't want to talk about the real issues like running the government, making policies that reflect the will of the people. They don't want to talk about uniting the country and who would be best for that. Their politics is the politics of fear. So they like to point out race without saying it. They are happy with a divided union. They are happy with the big I's and little you's in this country. They are the fear mongerers who want to keep control of the country by speaking a language of hate politics and division. A broken country divided into red and blue states. Because they know if we ever came together with one common cause and purpose....We might just change the conversation, we might just change the country, we might just change the world. Now that is the issue with the issue of Rev. Wright.

Sleeping Through the Sermons

Cindy — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:58:04 EDT

Let me add a different perspective on the Rev. Wright mess. I've zoned out during 99% of all the sermons I've heard in my lifetime. It doesn't matter if it is interesting, thoughtful, or well-delivered. Eventually, the minister gets into a sing-song rhythm, and it puts me right to sleep. I believe I've even snored a delicate little snore or two in the sanctuary on more than one occasion.

Now, if I had a pastor talking about garlic-nosed Italians, I'd perk right up. Nooooo question about that! How can anyone possibly fall asleep during all that gesticulating, exhorting, and inflammatory languag?. Especially with everybody around you repeatedly yelling "Amen!" You could be monsterously sleep-deprived and still not manage to drop off in all that racket.

Perhaps that's the whole point. To keep everybody awake. That's such a simple concept, yet it's a problem that so many ministers face as they drone on and on because they just don't have the gift of good public speaking. Second, it's to keep everybody so absorbed that they actually do hear a message in it. And, in and amongst that over-the-top language is a deeper message, one which Barack Obama had the ability to "compute." Guess what he took from all that ranting, raving, misery, and anger? "The Audacity of Hope."

I give Barack high marks for locating the positive message in all that theatrics.

Reflections on Rev. Wright

Ron from New Rochelle, NY — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:31:11 EDT

Obama has written two books and given numerous speeches. The commentators can’t seem to come up with any anti-American or racist sentiments. Now the media is combing through everything Rev. Wright has ever said. Can any politician pass such a test? How does all this activity help us solve the problems of the economy, Iraq, or global warming? And why don’t they also mention Rev. Wright’s “Audacity of Hope” sermon easily found on You Tube, for which Obama says inspired him? Links: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFZROa0rlMU / www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9_LQKlLSBo&feature=related)

That Darn Pesky Preacher Problem

Michele — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:09:00 EDT

Hillary raised the preacher problem again out of desperation. But it started the talking heads again - the desired effect obtained.

Now I have a question. I am Irish-Catholic by heritage. How many of my fellow Catholics remained in their pews, defended the church when it went through their child abuse scandals? Many. Horrific crimes were made against innocent children but people stayed loyal to their church nonetheless. I am not passing judgment. It is a personal decision to make that inolves weighing the reality of the scandals against the good the church has done.

How many good Christians stomped out of church, how many parents withdrew students from Liberty University after Rev. Jerry Fallwell's outrageous comments of what he thought caused 9/11?

Why aren't people up in arms because of the remarks of Rev. Hagee said about the Catholic Church? Despite the church's failings, that remark was offensive to good and pious Catholics who continue to practice their faith.

There are other preachers out there who believes Hurricane Katrina was sent by an angry, wrathful and vengeful God, who wanted to teach all the homosexuals and other sinners a lesson. Their congregations agree or remain silent. That explains why the infamous French Quarter was largely spared and why many innocent families lost their homes and still remain homeless.

There are those who believe in the Old Testament God of revenge, who punishes us by volcanoes,hurricanes and other natural disasters. No mind to the science of meteorology - they know the real reasons for those storms - our sins. A God who bet with the Adversary to taunt Job, who cruely placed Abraham on the precipice of killing his son Isaac, who punished innocent children for the sins of their fathers.

That logic explains all the terrible ilnesses that befall innocent children. And why bad things happen to good people.

There are men of cloth who say terrible, awful things. Who pronouce edicts and judgments against others, while their flocks sit and nod, and agree and donate while their preachers run off with mistresses, hired-for sex- partners, and escape in their luxury automobiles paid for by the faithful to their beautiful homes because.

And then, there are those who claim to honor the words and deeds of Christ, a man who bucked the trend, a rebel in his time who taught us to forgive, turn the other cheek and embrace sinners with love. Not much of that going around that I can see.

Those who shout and judge and point to Rev. Wright and who do not take Sen. Obama's word that he disagreed with those statements, don't want to hear that. They say because he didn't stomp out of that church at the first radical word, argue that because of that decision, he does not deserve our trust now. He chose to remain in the congregation. The other reasons that factored in his decision to remain are not speculated upon. He should have terminated his relationship that very instant. Period. Less than that demonstrates his lack of judgment.

By that rationale, John McCain should renounce Rev. Hagee's endorsement immediately and strongly. He did not. Isn't that what all this bruhaha is about? Isn't that what the critics are demanding of Sen. Obama? What is good for the goose is good for all the ganders.

But before we make those demands of someone else, we need to examine our own actions. What nonsense have we tolerated and supported? Be honest. I have. I have sat silent when I have seen hipocrisy delivered under the banner of God. I am ashamed of that, and sadly, I don't think I am alone in my behavior.

Let ye who are without sin, cast the first stone...

Rev Wright and the American Black Sermon

Raj — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:02:28 EDT

I was listening to Dwight Hopkins, a minister with Rev. Wright's church: Link
2:50 into this clip, he talks about the 5-6 stages of an American Black sermon. The stages are:
1)Biblical interpretation
2)Apply Biblical interpretation to personal experience
3)Apply Biblical interpretation to social issues, politics, foreign policy, etc. (this is the stage we are getting our sound bytes from about 911, etc.)
4)Now, how to we reconcile all this with love?
5)The doors of the church are always open please enter.

You can listen to the entire clip of this sermon here: Link

When you do, you will see that Rev Wright is closely quoting scripture about how a nation will move from hatred of one's enemies to hatred of the innocent ones, how nations will bomb civilians, etc. He states that when he asked God what should his response be to the tragedy of 911, God told him to look at himself and see if he is seeking God. The answer was one of self-reflection and this is what Rev. Wright encouraged his parishioners to do.

I lost a cousin in 911. Two cousins and their father, my uncle, worked in those buildings. Thankfully, two of them were not there that day. I understand the pain we feel about that tragedy, but I also understand the perspective that our country has pursued an invasive foreign policy that is creating more enemies than friends.

After 911, there was a document circulating on the web called "Open letter to America" purportedly written by Osama Bin Laden ( Here is a link. It was published in UK's The Guardian, but, to my knowledge, America's press has not mentioned it. Link). Whether it was written by him or not, it revealed the extremist Muslim perspective. It criticized America for many things and said that we should turn to Allah and Islam, but it clearly states that the only reason they are now killing us is because we have been killing Arabs for a long time. This is what Rev Wright means, I think, when he quotes the white ambassador who says that America's chickens are coming home to roost.

After listening to entire sermons of Rev. Wright, I view him far differently than when I had only seen the sound bytes on the news.

"On Any Given Sunday" All races are seen (NEW LINK)

Sis O — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:34:21 EDT

Since Hillary plans to expand on this, please share this truthful video with everyone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA0vEys1oxY

The media portrays a rabidly-racist black separatist church. The media doesn't point out that the church is part of a white organization/denomination. And that the church welcomes white members.

Pastor of Hillary's Former Church: Don't Use Wright to Polarize

Paul Evans — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:55:21 EDT

Pastor of Hillary's Former Church: Don't Use Wright to Polarize By Sam Stein, Huffington Post
Posted on March 26, 2008, Printed on March 26, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/http://www.huffingtonpost.com//80561/

On Tuesday, Sen. Hillary Clinton re-stoked the flames of the controversy surrounding Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor, saying she would have long ago distanced herself from Rev. Jeremiah Wright if she had attended his church.

"He would not have been my pastor," Clinton told a gathering of the campaign press corps, repeating a line she used earlier in the day on a Pittsburgh radio program. "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

But the pastor at the church that Clinton did once attend has recently expressed public support for Wright. He's even proclaimed it a "grave injustice" to make a judgment on Wright based off of "two or three sound bites," and criticized those who would "use a few of [Wright's] quotes to polarize."

Last week, Dean Snyder, the senior minister at the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington D.C. -- which the Clintons famously attended while in the White House -- released a little noticed statement offering a sympathetic defense of the totality of Wright's work.

"The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times," Snyder wrote. "He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear. Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize."

Snyder, it should be noted, was not the pastor at Foundry during the Clinton years. That was the previous minister, J. Philip Wogaman. Moreover, there seems to be confusion as to exactly what church Clinton now attends. Her campaign did not return requests for comment.

However, Foundry was cited on numerous occasions as a steady presence during the first couple's time in the White House. And in January 2001, Bill Clinton gave a farewell speech to the congregation, thanking the church for its work in the city as well as for its "courage" to welcome gay and lesbian Christians.

Snyder, according to the church's website, became senior minister in 2002. "Before his appointment to Foundry, he served as director of communications for the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. His writings on theology, Biblical interpretation, and Christian mission have appeared in dozens of publications."

And in a recent New York Times article, even he acknowledged that some in his congregation were aghast at Wright's remarks.

"During staff meetings this week at his church," the Times reported, "Snyder said he noticed the rising awareness among some African-Americans of white Americans, he said, 'who don't understand the history of black people in this country and the role of the black church as a prophetic voice, and that in church you can say things that you couldn't in larger society.'"

Sam Stein is a Political Reporter at the Huffington Post, based in Washington, D.C.

Blog about Rev. Wright

bobbym — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:10:49 EDT

From The Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/26/0470/11807/726/484385

The best article so far about Rev. Wright.

Haven — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:16:02 EDT

Here is a link to the best article I have read about Rev. Wright. What do you guys think?

http://counterpunch.org/wise03182008.html

What a week...

IllegerateNoMore — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:08:25 EDT

Alright, lots to talk about this week. There was the Wright controversy, Hilary's Bosnia blunder, and the Richardson endorsement.

First, obviously, I have to expound on the Wright issue. The internet, has, I believe, ended the age of the sound bite. Thank God, or Al Gore, or DARPA, whomever you prefer. Nowadays, when the broadcast and cable news media throw a couple of short clips of someone saying something deplorable, as with Rev. Wright; one can go onto the internet, bring up YouTube and find something like this.

While it certainly doesn't excuse Rev. Wright's statements, it does put some in a little more context. And that's one sermon out of somewhere around four thousand, six hundred eighty. Quite clearly he wasn't saying these anti-American things every week or else he wouldn't have had a congregation. Not to mention that in that particular sermon he did have a point, and a point which I think we as Americans should acknowledge.

After the Wright flap, Senator Obama delivered perhaps the most important speech made so far in this 21st Century. As Jon Stewart exclaimed: "A prominent American politician spoke about race as though we were adults!".

Second, let's talk about this. Wow. Now, as far as politics are concerned, I'm fairly jaded. I've seen lots of lies and scandals and gaffs in the past twenty years. But I have never seen any lie so ridiculously blatent as this. Not only ridiculous and blatent, but utterly pointless.

Hilary keeps trying to come up with a silver bullet "Commander-In-Chief" test that she has passed, but Senator Obama has not. First, she said she'd been in Washington longer. Obama countered by saying that wasn't neccessarily a good thing. Then she claimed that she was more of a morning person. That didn't work either. Now she's claiming that being shot at or making a hostile landing in a developing country is the test. But not only has Senator Obama done that as well, but she's outright fabricated a dramatic tale in which she's the victim of the Secret Service("...too dangerous, the President couldn't go, so send the First Lady."), poor military planning and Bosnian militants.

Senator Clinton claimed that there was supposed to be a greeting ceremony, but that there wasn't, and they were told to run with their heads down to the motorcade. This can clearly be seen to be a fabrication at 0:10 and 0:25 of the first video, where the greeting ceremony, with the plane on the tarmac in the background, can clearly be seen. WOW.

And finally, there were a couple of endorsements, most significantly from Governor Bill Richardson, proving that Dave Chappele can see the future.

19 Years, 51 Weeks, 5 Hours, 30 Minutes Old and Illegerate No More,
Brandon William Wicks

Why Obama Can't Say Disown Pastor Wright

QueenTiye — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:35:50 EDT

Senator Obama said that the church he attended reflected the black community in its entirety.

Evangelical Preachers

Barbara Rademacher — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:38:30 EDT

Something almost no one has mentioned is that extreme rhetoric is common in the Evangelical Christian community. I am an Evangelical Christian. In fact, until recently, I attended pentacostal churches. I have heard my pastors say loving, wonderful, insightful things obviously motivated by God. I have also heard them say really stupid things that were motivated by their own bigotry. If you are Evangelical, you don't leave your church just because the Pastor gets a little carried from time to time. In fact, there is a strong predisposition against church-hopping.

Recall that Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell gave partial blame for 9/11 to political liberals and secularists. Pat Robertson blamed Ariel Sharon's stroke on his returning West Bank settlements to the Palestinians. The secular world got a little upset at these statements, but no one got bent out of shape.

Someone has to begin educating the mass of Americans that Rev. Wright's statements are not unusual in the Evangelical community, white or black. The entire Rev. Wright issue should not be a big deal.

Response to Peter Wehner, "The Wright Stand - Judgment, character and Barack Obama.

Oregon Artists 4 Obama '08 — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:33:06 EDT

What frustrates me is:

- Obama tried to explain the appeal of his church which reaches far beyond the pulpit; namely, it's community contributions. Why are people not talking about that? CONTEXT MATTERS !!

- It is petty and ignorant to make anyone accountable for the ramblings of their associates; if that were the case, we would all have a lot of explaining to do.

Political Gaming Throws a left hook!

Randy — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:03:44 EDT

I am so sick and tired of Politics as usual, the games and dirty tricks, are once again proof that the Clinton's and the conservatives are still stuck in the politics of the past. Hillary's playing to the voters of Michigan and Florida, the same ones, that she was the first to disown several months ago. Proof once again that she will sell her soul to get a vote. Obama is standing by his decision not to play to our two rogue states. then you have the racist conservatives playing up the comments of Rev. Wright. As a white male, with racist elements in my own family I am sickened. Last time I checked Rev. Wright wasn't running for President but Sen. Obama is, and his Address yesterday was one of the most eloquent and provoking speeches of our time. The address will go down in history as a turning point in race relations for our great nation. Time and time again Obama proofs that he is the true candidate of change and not playing politics of the past. I say, Yes We Can!

Sunday Morning CHANGE!!!

ObamaBob NSB — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:28:36 EDT

This might give our candidate some well deserved R&R this Sunday.

There was one comment in Sen. Obama's great speech this week that bothered me and that was: "the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning".

Would local Chicago neighborhood attendence at Trinity United Church of Christ by Blacks, Whites, Latino, Asian and any other race,creed, or color i've left out be viewed as a welcome home to forgivness and unity over divisivness?

It might be a nice homecoming for Sen Obama and his family to see all those friends and well-wishers in or around the church to be with them this Easter Sunday after that great speech and a difficult week standing by his church.

Here's the link if you're around Chicago this Sunday: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/45x3

YES WE CAN!!

Amazement, Shame, and Hope for "A More Perfect Union"

democrat — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:31:58 EDT

I had three reactions to Senator Obama's address (calling it a "speech" cheapens it): amazement, shame, and hope. In that order.

AMAZEMENT

He has turned what many (including myself) believed to be a dooming political liability, into a political opportunity. He has turned the weapon back onto its wielder. It's a reversal of Hollywood proportions. Rhetoriticians and debaters would call his performance genius. Talk about sidestepping the 8-ball. Not only has Senator Obama managed to mitigate the political damage, but his address may lead some to wonder whether those calling for Rev. Wright's banishment from Earth, are judgmental, disengenuous a--holes with historical amnesia. Can you say "backfired?"

SHAME

As Senator Obama discussed the bias and cynicism that polarizes this nation, I realized that even as his supporter - one on the "correct" side of this war - I beared some guilt. The fact is, I believed that this recent controversy, the "loop," would kill his chances of being elected. I had zero faith in White Americans, even those supporting him, to be able to see past the Conservative psychological tactics, such as the Obama-as-terrorist-sleeper allusion, the Rev.-Wright-as-plausibly-deniable-mouthpiece-to-Obama insinuation (much as Anne Coulter is to her party), and the attempts to assert guilt by association.

And the reason why I had no faith in White America to deconstruct all this is simple: I believed that deep down, on some subconscious level, there was a degree of racism in ALL white people, certainly in Conservatives, and even in Liberals and Independents, whose "true" feelings would come spewing forth in Pavlovian fashion, now that they had been frontally assaulted. The only difference between me and his opponents, on this point, is that they were happy about it. When Senator Obama called out not only his opponents' cynicism and bias, but my own, I was ashamed. Stunned by the mirror-glimpse at my own psyche, and then ashamed.

HOPE

The thing on which Senator Obama's campaign rests. The nickel that drives the machine. The whole point. What exactly made me hopeful? Maybe the fact that a socially influential person demonstrated his thorough understanding of the race problem; leaders who truly understand a problem are the only ones who stand a chance of helping fix it. Maybe the fact that my cynicism is seldom proven wrong, as it was this time. Maybe because I simply didn't want to see Senator Obama eliminated from consideration, and I was happy that this development proved less damaging than I thought it would be. Maybe because the same cynicism that, in my mind, framed White Americans as instrinsically incapable of objectivity when it comes to criticism of the magnitude of Rev. Wright's, also led me to see Senator Obama as too good to be true, i.e., politically opportunistic, disingenuous, and merely gab-gifted. (I cannot remember in my lifetime a level of political honesty that even approaches what we've heard from Senator Obama, therefore, he must be lying. Hence the terms I used in the first paragraph above: turned, performance, managed, mitigated.)

My cynicism is deeply ingrained. But it appears, in light of this recent address, that I have bet on a man who is not only more intelligent than myself, but more honest. It is a seldom seen standard to which I aspire. This incident, instead of leaving me let down and returning me to a state of political apathy, has confirmed my belief that I'm backing the right person.

Condemning The Man

A Woman For Change — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:28:46 EDT

Recently, while at church practicing for a Easter play, i was sitting in on some idle chat when i overheard one the church members speaking about Obama's pastor tirades in church and how he had couldn't believe a pastor would say such things as "God damn America", and another said, "One minute Obama said he never heard his pastor say those things and the next minute he turned around and said he had heard his pastor say those exact words", yet, another said, "it was prophesied in the bible that one would come along and cause division and war".... Didn't that parishioner know that division started way before Rev. Wright was even born.....

I could not believe my ears and that these "follow christians" were saying such ignorant things about a man they didn't know but were passing judgment against because of a few sound bites from 4 years ago. The ironic part was we were in a play about condemning a man for speaking the truth and they were doing the same thing to a pastor that felt what was true and what he lived. As damning as Pastor Wrights sermon may have seemed, this is preached in many black churches on any given sunday.

although I sat and said nothing, my mind ran over constantly the many defendable lines i could have said to combat the verbal attack against a very much loved pastor whom is respected in his community. I too grew up in black churches and I too heard my pastor say much about white society and greed the United States has monopolized for many centuries while other nations have suffered. Some things I to agreed with and some things I did not, but that did not make me any less American or any more militant against my fellow white brother or sister.
I realized right then that this same condemning and opinionated conversation was going on in not just my church, but many other churches and homes, restaurants, schools, businesses and meetings around the country. I am a christian and I too was taught in church to love thy neighbor; to turn the other cheek and to judge not lest i be judged....so instead of saying anything to my lost and confused white church brethren about the plight of the black church and Obama, I chose to hold my peace and go play my part as a sinner condemned to hell who Jesus would set free before ascending to heaven.

Obama should not be judged by the words of another individual, but by the merits of his own.

Cooking the Main Course

Mr. D — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:36:24 EDT

I knew there was a firestorm caused by the Rev. Wright clips. I’ve known of Wright's comments before now and assumed that they were contained. Those firey sound bites have gotten out of control and did some damage. The force of Tuesday’s speech made me realize how dangerous the situation became.
What Obama has proposed with the speech is to use this as an opportunity address a deeper issue. The firestorm of racism in America will not be extinguished with just one campaign. However, the act of addressing our problems head on and inclusively will set a course in which problems will be solved!
My fear is that Americans do not have the stomach to deal with race relations. The fact that the economy takes priority in many households makes it easy to place this topic on the back burner. We need to realize that the items left on the back burner are also going into the main dish.
If we don’t have the stomach for race relation, then we won’t have the stomach for the economy, the war, the housing crisis, health care or any of the tough ingredients we will have to digest.

I use to hate brussel sprouts, but if you deal with it the right way they’re more than digestible – they’re good.

The Wright Controversy and Barack's Speech: Moving Beyond

Paul Evans — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:21:14 EDT

This was inspired by a comment made by my friend Steve on an earlier blog post of mine on the Wright controversy, titled "The Next Chapter?' I felt that our combined thoughts merited a separate blog post and I wanted to start out by giving him the credit for the inspiration for these words:

Barack's speech does indeed give America a chance for a new chapter. Some will take up the mantle of freedom and equality for all, some will still engage with their feelings of hate and prejudice, and Rev. Wright's unfortunate (but still understandable, given the experiences of his lifetime) sermons will be, for the latter, just the excuse they need to damn Barack. They were looking for an excuse to anyway. These people are not capable at this moment of being a part of what Lyndon Johnson called The Great Society. Hate, prejudice and discrimination have no place in our culture, only understanding and working for the greater good. Intelligent people KNOW that Senator Obama is the one to lead us to That Promised Land. That Dream will always live in the hearts of sensitive, intelligent Americans. Barack is the one we are counting on to bring the Dream to reality for ALL Americans ...even if they are brought there reluctantly.

Selective Amnesia-Barack Obama speech...brilliant

Washitawest 4 Obama 08 Bitter Sweet Victory is Tasty — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:22:20 EDT

In Order to form....The words from our presidential HOPEful...March 18, 2008

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: 'A More Perfect Union'

Philadelphia, PA | March 18, 2008
As Prepared for Delivery

"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union."

Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.

And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part - through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:

"People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters....And in that single note - hope! - I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about...memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild."

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.

Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings.

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naÃ¯ve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances - for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American - and yes, conservative - notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright's sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country - a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen - is that America can change. That is the true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope - the audacity to hope - for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds - by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world's great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister's keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today - a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King's birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn't. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."

"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.

-----

Reverand White's "Favor"

Sue Wemett — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:18:17 EDT

Reverand Wright has done Senator Obama & America a huge favor. A fluff comment from an insignificant unknown would not have been given credence in the media. But Sen. Obama's pastor, proposing deeply critical ideas, has called America's citizens, it's Presidential candidates, and the Obama Camp to action.

Take What You Like And Leave The Rest—Obama’s True Position On Wright

LOVEABLE — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:13:47 EDT

Written by: North Graves County Resident Member: Paducah/McCracken County 4 Obama

Rev. Wright has been Obama’s spiritual advisor on his relationship with Jesus and God for 20 years, not his mentor in racial analysis or politics. Anyone who has paid the least attention to Obama’s beliefs, views, and speeches can see that he does not share Wright’s historically different perspective on what direction America needs to go nor what is appropriate rhetoric for the dialogue to move in that direction.

Anyone who has really studied Obama can see that he always seeks out disparate opinions and analyzes all sides of an issue in true Socratic tradition. He goes to a Bush-supporting conservative fellow law professor and asks to be convinced of Bush’s constitutional arguments on FISA before he determines his own ideas on the legislation. His exposure to Wright’s point of view in no way means that he adopts it. Obama is one of the most independent and nuanced thinkers of the current times. His nuance means overly simplistic media analysts often simply don’t get him.

In fact, it is highly beneficial that he has explored this segment of the Black community so deeply and understands their needs and viewpoints. He has made it clear that he feels that the objectionable rhetoric highlighted in the clips is rooted in the struggles of the past, but now it is time to move on to the politics of the future. He is the leader with the talent to move that rhetoric and dialogue onto a higher and more productive plane.

Readers are also cautioned that black liberation theology as practiced in churches like Trinity UCC is born out of a desperate need for social action to serve the ravaged inner city environment. Trinity is attended regularly by the likes of Oprah, and is known for its commitment to helping the poor and disenfranchised to lift up their lives through Jesus. Trinity brings the unchurched and alienated to God and brings them to lives without drugs and despair. The rhetoric does serve a particular purpose in a particular environment.

It is also patently unfair to presume that the segments snipped out of context and compiled for pure political impact are representative of Wright’s ministry. Readers should visit You Tube and listen to Wright’s Audacity To Hope sermon, Parts 1 and 2, if they want to hear the rhetoric that interested Obama. Learn more about Rev. Wright, who so loved his country he served as a Marine in the Vietnam era.

Many people are familiar with the motto “take what you like and leave the rest”. I think it is fair to say that most people at one time or another have heard a minister espouse views or engage in unacceptable behavior that does not negate the rest of their message. Obama should not be judged on the basis of his association with this skewed sample of pastoral rhetoric, which he was not present for and never endorsed.

Judge Obama on his own words, and look very closely at his behavior since he has been engaged in politics. You will see no evidence of racial hatred. You will see a man who is intensely and devotedly patriotic, who loves and respects all of America—conservative America, liberal America, evangelical America, progressive America. He is someone with an unusually deep empathetic understanding of what motivates people from all sides of the spectrum, from Jeremiah Wright to Rev. Parsley, from George Bush to Hillary Clinton. You will see a true patriot who loves America so much that he has been willing to put himself through this grueling, painful—and yes, personally dangerous-- process because of the importance of the change he sees as vital to America’s future.

Barack loves and respects all of us in true Christian tradition. He deserves respect and fair judgment in return. God bless America. God bless Barack. God bless all of you.

Amen!

Spin360 — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:13:18 EDT

CHICAGO'S TRINITY UCC IS 'GREAT GIFT TO WIDER CHURCH FAMILY'UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Just thought I would include images of the Officers of UCC. What a multi-ethnic, inter-racial bunch, eh?

*Please note that these pictures were not issued with the press release, I inserted them. And they are not placed here to imply that they individually or collectively support Barack Obama in his bid for President (Although I hope that they do!). Rather, they are inserted to give context to the diversity of the religious congregation that supports Rev. Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ.

CHICAGO'S TRINITY UCC IS
'GREAT GIFT TO WIDER CHURCH FAMILY'
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: The Rev. J. Bennett Guess Director of Communications United Church of Christ Phone: (216) 736-2173 E-Mail: guessb@ucc.org

United Church of Christ leaders respond to 'media caricatures' of congregation

Friday, March 14, 2008

Cleveland, OH - In the wake of misleading attacks on its mission and ministry, Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ is being lauded by United Church of Christ leaders across the nation for the integrity of its worship, the breadth of its community involvement and the depth of its commitment to social justice.

"Trinity United Church of Christ is a great gift to our wider church family and to its own community in Chicago," says UCC General Minister and President John H. Thomas. "At a time when it is being subjected to caricature and attack in the media, it is critical that all of us express our gratitude and support to this remarkable congregation, to Jeremiah A. Wright for his leadership over 36 years, and to Pastor Otis Moss III, as he assumes leadership at Trinity."

Thomas says he has been saddened by news reports that "present such a caricature of a congregation that been such a great blessing."

"These attacks, many of them motivated by their own partisan agenda, cannot go unchallenged," Thomas emphasizes. "It's time for all of us to say 'No' to these attacks and to declare that we will not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends."

Located in the heart of Chicago's impoverished Southside, Trinity UCC's vast array of ministries include career development and college placement, tutorial and computer services, health care and support groups, domestic violence programs, pastoral care and counseling, bereavement services, drug and alcohol recovery, prison ministry, financial counseling and credit union, housing and economic development, dozens of choral, instrumental and dance groups, and diverse programming for all ages, including youth and senior citizens.

Thomas, a member of Pilgrim Congregational UCC in Cleveland, has attended worship at Trinity UCC on a few occasions - most recently on March 2 - and says he is "profoundly impressed" with the 6,000-member congregation.

Among Trinity UCC's crowning achievements, Thomas says, is its work with young people.

"While the worship is always inspiring, the welcome extravagant, and the preaching biblically based and prophetically challenging, I have been especially moved by the way Trinity ministers to its young people, nurturing them to claim their Christian faith, to celebrate their African-American heritage, and to pursue higher education to prepare themselves for leadership in church and society," Thomas says.

'Exceedingly gracious'

The Rev. Steve Gray, the UCC's Indiana-Kentucky Conference Minister, describes Trinity UCC as a "jewel."

"It's everything a Christian community is supposed to be," says Gray, who has been working with Trinity UCC for the past three years to develop a new UCC congregation in Gary, Ind. "Trinity has given well over $100,000 in support of its partnership with us, and in 15 months of regular meetings with Jeremiah Wright, we always found him to be a man of gracious hospitality, humor, generosity, who paid attention to detail but also a man who does not call attention to himself."

Trinity UCC has been involved in planting more than 15 new congregations, according to the UCC's Evangelism Ministry in Cleveland.

Gray, a member of First Congregational UCC in Indianapolis, has worshiped several times at Trinity UCC and is most impressed by the overflowing sense of welcome it extends to visitors.

"When you're Euro-American, the people [at Trinity UCC] are so exceedingly gracious, warm and welcoming. They hug you and say, 'Welcome to our church!'"

Many, including Gray, point with appreciation to Trinity UCC's generous support of denominational and ecumenical ministries. From 2003 to 2007, Trinity UCC gave more than $3.7 million to Our Church's Wider Mission, the UCC's shared fund for connectional mission and ministry.

'Extraordinary outreach'

The Rev. Bennie Whiten, retired Massachusetts Conference Minister who prior served for 15 years as associate director of Chicago's Community Renewal Society, says, "Trinity was one church that we could always rely on to respond almost immediately. They have been very, very involved in the community in so many meaningful ways."

Noting the church's work in health care, early childhood education and economic development, Whiten says, "The scope of their concern and outreach is extraordinary. It's really just an outstanding congregation."

Whiten, a member of Pilgrim UCC in Oak Park, Ill., is especially taken with Trinity UCC's commitment to the need and importance of quality theological education. More than 60 members of Trinity UCC are currently enrolled in seminary and pursuing masters-level degrees. Moreover, the congregation pays for students' tuition costs

"They firmly believe in the UCC's commitment to an educated, seminary-trained clergy," Whiten said, "and they have probably had more people feeling the call to ministry than any other church in the denomination."

The Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite, president and professor of theology at UCC-related Chicago Theological Seminary, says Trinity UCC is a model church in the way it supports its people in discerning and cultivating their gifts for ministry, both lay and ordained.

"Another thing I really appreciate about Trinity is that its ministries are always directed both inward, toward the congregation itself, and also outward in supporting other congregations ecumenically and supporting community organizations that are dedicated to lifting up the wider society," Thistlethwaite says. "We have had so many fine students come through Chicago Theological Seminary who were helped to discern their call to ministry through this church's dedication to serving the wider church."

'Jesus and justice'

The Rev. Kenneth L. Samuel, pastor of the 5,300-member Victory UCC in Stone Mountain, Ga., says he is impressed that trinity UCC "promotes spirituality and piety while also being emphatic about social justice."

While Trinity UCC is the denomination's largest congregation, Samuel's 5,300-member church is the UCC's second largest. Founded in 1987, it joined the UCC in 2004.

"Trinity was really one of the churches that inspired me to want to affiliate with the United Church of Christ," Samuel said. "My church was originally National Baptist and Southern Baptist, but it was the critical-thinking that [Trinity] brought to this work, the justice work, that helped me to want to become a part of the denomination. I have no regrets about that."

Samuel says that, during Wright's 36-year ministry at Trinity, Wright has not been afraid to tackle difficult topics, while staying equally committed to preaching "Jesus and justice."

"There have been two major sins in the Black church that many Black churches will not address - homophobia is one and sexism is another," Samuel says, "and Jeremiah Wright has been one of the articulate, courageous voices that has not been afraid to address these critical issues. If he can do that and still maintain his close connectivity to the Black community, and stay grounded in the Black ethos, that's what has inspired me."

'Speaks well for us'

Carol Brown, national president of United Black Christians and a member of Cleveland's Mt. Zion UCC for more than 50 years, describes Trinity UCC as "the flagship church of the United Church of Christ."

"I think it's very interesting that a minority group within a denomination can have the largest church, support the most ministries and give the largest number of OCWM [mission] dollars," Brown says. "That speaks well for us as an accepting, open and affirming denomination. Especially, as a justice-oriented church, [Trinity UCC] sets a standard for all the denomination that all are welcome."

Brown, who worships at Trinity UCC when in Chicago for meetings, says she is most taken by its exuberant spirit.

"It's certainly a very welcoming church, and it's certainly very reaffirming of the faith when people join in such large numbers when there's an altar call," Brown says. "It's something that you don't see in the average church. God is certainly at work there, and it's exciting when you see that many people stand up to witness to their faith and step forward."

###

In denying you, I deny myself....

Arielle from Miami, FL — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:12:17 EDT

There is a purpose within all things and this controversy with Rev. Wright is a timely opportunity for Barack Obama to address the racial divide in this country. We have buried our heads on this topic for so long and the festering wounds will continue to ooze until sincere and meaningful healing takes place. Barack Obama by Universal Design is positioned perfectly to do so. You were born to both black and white parents therefore, you ought to impress upon America that any notion of denying either race would be an act of denying thine own self.

It is time to shine a light upon the darkness of our misconceptions and fears regarding this issue, as most whites feel that because slavery is over, black folks ought to "get over it". Unfortunately, it is not that simple, as the scars cut deeply in the soul of the black race. It is somewhat like a child who has endured abuse in his upbringing, and will invariably grow up to continue the cycle of abuse with his own children which will continue until he seeks therapy to help him understand the conditioned nature of his behavior.

The anger of many blacks is a legitimate response to the pain still lingering in our hearts.... America has yet to apologize to the black race for it's history of abuse. We cannot change the past but we must find the most valuable way of transforming the pain and anger to forgiveness and a love for the self.

I ask Mr. Obama to embrace what has come to light as this opportunity may not come again for quite sometime. I ask that you assemble a brilliant panel of psychiatrists, sociologists, behavioral therapists and other brilliant minds to try and help explain to white America the lingering consequences of centuries of mental, physical, emotional and psychological abuse on the black psyche. We seek understanding, not anger … we seek compassion not pity. We ask to show us the ways to love ourselves as we have been programmed for inferiority and self-hate.

May Divine Light guide us to a place of healing and grace…

Who Taped the Rev.?

Karen in St. Joseph, Missouri — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:57:30 EDT

Who taped Rev. Wright? Anyone know, because it sounds like tit-for-tat Hillary Clinton to me. What kind of person takes a video camera/phone into church?

The Nefarious Plan

Monique "Hussein" Exotic American formerly 3rd ID Milspouse — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:07:21 EDT

Am I the only one who thinks that Geraldine Ferraro’s comments were made for a specific purpose, and that purpose was so that the media could drudge up Rev. Wright and claim fair and unbiased reporting? This seems so obvious to me! Geraldine Ferraro made these comments so that the media could crucify Barack based upon his religous associations. This attempt to marginalize Obama as the black candidate is definitely part of Clinton machinations, as were the other attempts. Clinton needed a woman to play a victim, one that would remind blue collar female voters of the persecution they and she face everyday. Of course the persecution they face is shared by African American women as well (witness the “shut up,” comment directed at Keli Goss by MSNBC’s Pat Buchanan). But, that is of no consequence to the Clinton campaign. Clinton herself could not play the victim again because people would see through her ploy (she’s already picked on by the sexist media, and even cried so her victim cards are running low, but FERRARO serves as the perfect stand in victim for HRC, she’s over 60, female and white. ) She is Hillary Clinton's twin.

Remember when Ferraro said she felt that she was the victim of “reverse racism," then suddenly the very next day, surprise, Obama is accused of reverse racism, because his Pastor made some inflammatory statements, which in my view have been taken out of context, because I am sure he has made Bill Cosby-esqe like inflammatory statements about African Americans as well, hence he is an equal opportunity agitator. The subliminal ridiculously errant message by the Clintons conveyed thorughout the land by the MSM in the Rev. Wright story is “, don’t vote for the Black guy, because he is going to be racist against us whites folks (reverse racism card), after all shouldn’t we (white people) fear the big payback,” translation, we white people can not let a black man be in charge he may persecute us acting upon revenge because of slavery and Jim Crow.” This ultimately, is the incoherent, irrational fear that is being subliminally played upon here. Once again the Clintons along with the MSM are using the dynamics of the African American experience in this country to cast doubt upon a qualified candidate, and diminish the hopes of a movement made up of a multi cultural coalition of Americans.

Reverend Wright

stevie — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:29:30 EDT

A famous American progressive some 50 years ago was hauled before HUAC and asked if he knew any members of left-wing organizations. His answer was to tell a story about the plight of the coal-miners. Asked again, he sang a song about the need for unions to protect the workers. He was blacklisted, and some 40 years later he received a presidential medal of honor as a true patriot.

Our man Obama has stories to tell and solutions to problems. Let him tell his stories and focus on his solutions and stay on his game plan. We, millions of us here and throughout the world, need this man. Here's exactly what Barack needs to do about the Rev.Wright foolishness: A one-line comment on Rev. Wright, and on to health-care or bringing jobs back home. For example: "Rev. Wright is wrong about America. I love my country, and my country has some unfinished business, some promises to keep. A woman I met yesterday is one of millions without health care. Here's my plan for getting her covered.... A man I met last week is one of millions who is loosing his job. Here's my plan for bringing new jobs into our economy...." No, I have no further comment about Rev. Wright. What he said about America is wrong, and here's my plan for bringing healthcare to those who don't have it....Yes we can. Si, se peude.

That is what our man Obama needs to do. That is what we want to hear from him. Our support is not in the least diminished by the muckraking around Rev. Wright. Our support is stronger than ever. Yes we can. I hope this plan gets to Mr. Obama. It is a winning plan. If he asks us to, we'll stand in the streets in every corner of America saying yes we can. At 72 years of age, I can still hold a sign and sing a song and be pursuasive with those who are frightened and wavering. Yes we can. Si, se puede.

Barack Obama and the Rev. Wright

bekehangel — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:24:27 EDT

The so called "conservatives" championed by Fox News Network have been making a big deal of statements made by the Rev. Wright, the pastor of Barack Obama's church. It is interesting that these are the same people who have largely ignored the controversial remarks made by the Rev. Hagee against the Roman Catholic Church. The logic here is that if it helps the Republican candidate, it is okay and it is wrong if it favors the democratic candidate.

It Was Fun While It Lasted.....

Matthew and Janna Luke — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:34:34 EDT

I just watched Barack on Countdown with Keith Olberman. I expected to hear him distance himself from the vile, disgusting Rev Wright. He did not. This is the end of the campaign. It was wonderful to believe in Hope. It was wonderful to believe in the American people again. It was wonderful to make new friends who shared this beautiful feeling of being on the verge of a new dawn. I will miss you all. To borrow a borrowed phrase, Good Night and Good Luck. We will all need in the coming years.