I need to get some sleep, but this has been weighing heavy on my mind the past few days…so here’s a quickie…
I have to admit, this whole Rev. Wright and Obama thing really has shaken my resolve that Barack is my man.
I want to believe that having him as our President will be a unifying force in our turbulent world, but learning that he sat under the counsel of a man like Jeremiah Wright for 20 years is disturbing to say the least.
Having sat under one pastor’s leadership for 17 years, I can tell you that I agreed with 90% of everything he taught and preached. The times that I didn’t agree with him, you better believe I sat there and didn’t say a word while the entire crowd was standing, applauding, and saying “Amen!”… If something was said from that pulpit that bothered me enough, I would talk to him afterwards. There was never a time that he didn’t welcome a question or a differing viewpoint, because I believe he loved that his congregation was thinking for themselves.
I understand that he respected his elder (Rev. Wright), and perhaps in the culture of that church one didn’t challenge an elder. However, had my pastor ever said anything like what Rev. Wright preached, I would’ve never gone back…”uncle” or not. I would’ve felt like I was wasting my time if I stayed.
So yeah…I do have a problem with the potential leader of the free world standing by and allowing such vitriol to be spewed from his spiritual adviser without challenging it — until your presidential bid is at stake.
Don’t get me wrong, his speech today was one of the greatest speeches I have ever heard.
After his speech today, I do feel better about things. Perhaps as I learn more about Obama with time, my uneasiness will subside.
Ok…off to bed…
Filed under: Cultural Matters, Current Events, Politics, Spirituality | Tagged: Barack Obama, church, Jeremiah Wright, racism, Rev. Wright, spiritual leader, Wright
That’s a good point. I guess it’s not enough to shake my support for him, but I wonder if he regrets having not spoken to his pastor about those words he disagreed with.
On another level, hearing Obama’s speech today brought me closer still to him as a leader with both intellect and compassion. Who knows? Maybe we’re lucky that this whole thing happened just so we could hear a political figure speak so eloquently about racism and our continued problems with it. I can’t think of another politician who would have been so forthright about a topic such as this.
One can only imagine the temptation in his campaign to just “denounce, denounce, denounce” and then distance Obama from Wright as quickly as possible. Instead, he used the opportunity to speak at length his thoughts on the subject and pretty much stayed with the true Christian spirit of “love the sinner, hate the sin.”
Thanks for making me think about this. Your blog always make for a wonderful and important read for me.
I feel as you do. I’m holding off because snap decisions on emotions are rarely wise. However, one thing that has HIGHLY ticked me off is the arguments made early on by some Obama supporters that implied that what happens at Trinity is just what happens at all “black” churches. I know better, and I know you do, too.
Everytime Braisted or SoBeal or others would make that argument, I’d seethe more, thinking about my longtime friend and pastor Ken E. (who you have met when we played at John Wesley), and the implication that this great, gentle man I’ve known for so many years was filled with hate and spread vitriol from the pulpit. It’s personal with me – how could they insult my friend so?
I finally just wrote it off to ignorance.
Anyway, back on topic – there’s a divide between people for whom religion is a hobby or a social convention, and people who put religion at the heart of their being. The former do not understand what all the hubbub is about. Unfortunately for them, the latter make up the majority of Americans in the heartland.
You are listening to talking points, Ginger. Tell me about this vitriol. What was said, and who was it aimed toward?
I have never been prouder of my vote than i was today, er, yesterday.
I tend to be somewhat revitalized by Barack Obama’s speech yesterday but I think that you articulated very well how this has impacted you.
Good post, Ginger.
My response was more in the vein of Chez Bez. With that said, I’m suffering such Primary Election Fatigue right now, it’s hard to concentrate. Obama was very direct yesterday and for that I’m grateful. I’m not a big churchgoer, but I know that the pastor I had growing up would say things that would make me very angry. I would talk about it. We had to agree to disagree on many things.
With everyone I know paying medical bills and struggling to make sure their bills are paid, it seems to me that both candidates need to concentrate on what is happening to folks on Main Street instead of what a pastor said. In this dead time during this election process, this all seems so much of media spin right now.
Sending many good thoughts and thanks for your support last night.
Mack, apparently you haven’t been up on the news since you were on vacation. (I’m going with that presumption instead of believing that you could possibly be dismissing the seriousness of Wright’s words as the opposition’s “talking points”.)
While you were on vacation, it came out that Obama’s closest spiritual adviser for the past 20 years has these viewpoints…these are direct quotes, from his mouth, in sermons at his church, that Obama sat in the congregation and listened to, without challenging them until now, that I heard with my own ears:
In a 2003 sermon, he said blacks should condemn the United States: “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.”
Sorry, man…I don’t want us to be damned, I want us to learn from our mistakes and become better. I pray for blessing in spite of our failings, not for damnation!
“The government lied about Pearl Harbor. They knew the Japanese were going to attack. Government’s lied.”
“Fighting for peace is like raping for virginity.”
In promoting Obama’s candidacy in a sermon last December (which, incidentally, is borderline illegal unless he gives the other side equal time): “Barack knows what it means to be a black man to be living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people. Hillary can never know that. Hillary ain’t never been called a nigger.”
“… what’s going on in white America, U.S. of KKKA …”
“The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied.”
“Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain’t! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty.”
These are racist comments of the worst, most divisive kind. If you hear the hateful tone of his voice while saying that, it should alarm you. It is all very, very disturbing to me.
Having said that, I am not saying that I have withdrawn my support for Obama. What I am saying, however, is that I am NOT going to sit back and accept talking points from either side.
As I stated in my original post, I am much more hopeful after his speech addressing it all. It just concerns me that he waited until now to call Wright out for his comments…when he realized it was going to affect his standing in the race.
Right on, Ginger. I agree with you that Obama’s speech yesterday was awesome, but there are still concerns. I think Obama is still a great guy and I’ve not withdrawn my support, but I do think this needs to be examined.
I agree with you on this one, Ginger. Like Obama said yesterday, we need leadership tthat is not affraid to confront racism. How do you know a racist other than by hearing them utter hateful rhetoric even once? But twice? Three time? Four? 10? And in front of your own children? Why would anyone even bring their kids to listen to that?
As I wrote on NIT, claiming your pastor is like a family member you tolerate is a total cop out. You don;t choose your family. You do choose your church and what you subject your own children to Sunday after Sunday. Had Hillary, Bill, or John McCain made that choice all the way through this year, what on earth do you think would be the level of disgust from America?
Picking and choosing which racists are OK based on your political affilaition isn’t taking Obama up on addressing racism. It’s placating to racism and allowing it to take root. If we’re to take Obama’s challenge and deal with racism, we have to hold people accountable for the choices they make to cozy up to racists, especially if they are willing to fund them for years and subject their own family to it over and over and over again.
Hey Ginger, what do you know about Jeremiah Wright?
I don’t know much. I know the the few clips I have seen over and over again. I also know what Barack said about him in his speech yesterday (marine, organizing social programs, etc).
To me it seems a little small-minded to dismiss a candidate based on a relationship with someone we know very little about. It could be that you know a great deal more about Mr Wright than I do and if so I hope you can tell me more.
Aside from a few clips (of some over the top stuff) what else do we know about the man?
How is Jeremiah Wright any different than Fred Phelps?
Discuss.
To me it seems a little small-minded to dismiss a candidate based on a relationship with someone we know very little about.
Thanks for chiming in, Jackson…I know this all may seem small-minded to you; however, as somebody who places a whole lot of importance on who a person deems as their “spiritual” adviser and Pastor, I don’t think it is at all unwarranted to question why Obama didn’t call Rev. Wright out early on when he started making these kinds of divisive remarks from the pulpit. If the good outweighs the bad, then fine…but these are very extreme viewpoints.
I’m saying that as a person of faith myself, if my Pastor started preaching these kinds of things, I’d be all over it.
Heck, I once got all over a guest speaker (who also did a lot of good things, too) who preached that you were not “right” in your relationship with God if you had to use Prozac or any other kind of medication to treat mental conditions. If somebody had said these kinds of things, I’d have gone ballistic.
I think Slarti is right that there are also cultural divides with how many of Obama’s supporters (I, being one of them) are responding to this.
To me it seems a little small-minded to dismiss a candidate based on a relationship with someone we know very little about. It could be that you know a great deal more about Mr Wright than I do and if so I hope you can tell me more.
Ginger’s saying it bothers her, not she’s dismissing Obama because of this. I think you’re right, we don’t know a lot about Jeremiah Wright and we need to examine this more.
Great comments. Two questions after the speech. 1. He still didn’t explain his own judgment in staying in a church that gives awards to Louis Farrakhan. 2. He said before the speech that he had never personally heard any hate from Wright and changed to admit he heard some of the offensive material. Why change?
Well, i was in east Tn, which, I’ll admit is Fox News territory, I still knew about this last week, and over the weekend. First of all, it is tricky to call what Wright said racist…in the absence of political or economic power, railing against the ruling “class” isn’t overtly racist, or even divisive. In our case, the ruling class being assailed is the white, privileged mindset, not white people per se.
This flap over Obama’s pastor is the Right’s desperate attempt to link him to unsavory practices and exploit it in the general. Believe me, they fear running against Obama way more than Clinton. Is it possible that in the hundreds or thousands of sermons this man gave, that he may have over-reached to make a point? Clearly. It seems perfectly reasonable to me for a FORMER MARINE to say whatever he wants about America, it is his earned right, something most people take for granted.
Obama said all he had to say to clear this up. I want to see more of this from every would-be elected official. Otherwise, we will continue this race to the bottom approach to modern politics. Every relationship scrutinized beyond reason, every utterance taken out of context, and shaped to fit our prejudices. Enough.
Ginger, I am in no way belittling the importance of someone in a spiritual advisor position, but it seems to me that Jeremiah Wright is being crucified for a couple of sound bites without looking at the larger picture of the man.
“learning that he sat under the counsel of a man like Jeremiah Wright for 20 years is disturbing to say the least.”
A man like Jeremiah Wright? What kind of man is that? I know the news has been telling everyone to be up in arms about this, but what kind of man is Jeremiah Wright? The content of his character (even the whole of his being) is being judged from some relatively short video clips.
From what Obama said yesterday it sounds like the net sum of Rev. Wright’s words and actions is quite positive. It seems like he may be the kind of champion for justice that you would applaud. There is no spotlight on his good deeds or on his positive sermons right now, but doesn’t it seem incongruent that Obama would have sat through hate speech for 20 years? Isn’t the more likely scenario that these clips are an anomaly?
The only reason I am saying anything is that I know you to be a thoughtful, considerate, and compassionate human being.
Sarcastro beat me to my response. God hates fags and whitey invented AIDS to kill off brown people. The CIA invented crack, too. Everyone knows this. I don’t know why the Wright stuff is getting shit for reading off Wikipedia.
Yeah, except that wearing a big foil hat isn’t a crime. The Phelps comparison isn’t even close…
“Barack knows what it means to be a black man to be living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people.”
That Hawaii is a bastion of racism, and Indonesia is a country controlled by rich white people. Poor Barack had so much to overcome, what with going to private schools all his life, and then college in the Ivy League.
Sigh. Actually, hawaii can be a horribly racist place, but probably no more so or less so than any other. Yup, i knew this was coming too, the inevitable references to Obama’s privileged life as proof that he cannot “know” about racism. Reach much?
I heard this line of logic quite a bit when Edwards was campaigning. Unless he was born wealthy, (which he wasn’t) he is perfectly capable of knowing a little something about oppressive poverty.
…doesn’t it seem incongruent that Obama would have sat through hate speech for 20 years? Isn’t the more likely scenario that these clips are an anomaly?
Indeed, that is the point of my post…I am expressing that I truly want to believe that. I want to believe what Mack says that the reverend was over-reaching to prove his points.
Again…damn…these are some extreme statements. Statements that, if the black community truly believes these kinds of things, we are in far deeper trouble as a nation than I ever thought. It’s very disheartening.
Ginger, in regards to these comments – have you actually sat down and talk to an African-American about them? My reason for asking is that – yes, alot of the older black community feels the same way Wright does. Maybe not using such inflammatory language as he did – but it’s out there.
Again, I hope that this incident would not shake your faith in Obama to much. The war in Iraq, the economy, health care, net neutrality, gas prices, how the world perceives America on the global stage should all be much bigger concerns then a few out of context remarks from Obama’s pastor.
Marcus, I would love to sit down and have an open, honest discussion about this.
You up for it? Let’s do it!
While I don’t particularly care about the political views of a person’s church minister (after all, “church” is far more than sermons), I can understand why some people might.
That said, I have to wonder how I might look if somebody with an agenda decided to cherry-pick 4 or 5 phrases out of all the words I’ve spoken in the last 20 years. Of course out of the excerpts you quoted, there are even a couple of them that really don’t bother me even as they sit. Seems to me if he’d been saying this kind of thing constantly for 20 years, the cherry-pickers could have found enough inflammatory quotes to not need to include the less shocking of them.
And unless he’s said as much (and I just haven’t heard about it), I’d be careful assuming that Obama didn’t speak with his minister upon hearing some of these (and it’s probable that at least occasionally missed a Sunday as it were, so he may well be hearing some of these things for the first time as well). I met with my spiritual leader last night for over an hour to discuss some things (though not about anything he’s said, but rather for some counseling on things going on in my own life), but I don’t go sharing that information around. Obama may have spoken with Rev. Wright, in a private conversation, between him and his minister.
Sure, hit me with an email to set up the details
You must be commended Ginger for a rare display of intellectual honesty.
Btw, I don’t mean rare on your part, but rare for die hard Obama supporters.
After reading that, I felt the need to clarify.
LOL!!! Glen, I gasped and then read your clarification…hahahahaha…too funny!
But that’s the thing…we must be honest. No candidate is going to be 100% perfect, and I want to get past the party-line, die-hard thing. If an issue needs to be addressed, then we should address it honestly.
Barack is nothing but a punk-ass snitch who sold out his own grandmother.
Way to make Hillary look like a decent human being.
Barack is nothing but a punk-ass snitch who sold out his own grandmother.
Way to make Hillary look like a decent human being.
Way to make yourself look like a complete asshat, Ron.
Hawaii is a horribly racist place. If you are unfortunate enough to be a haole.
As for Wright being a former Marine, so was Lee Harvey Oswald.
But that’s the thing…we must be honest.
But the OTHER thing is… alot of us honestly don’t care about what some guy Obama sees maybe once a week thinks about things.
Geez, every single person in my office (except me) attended Liberty University. Should I hold them responsible for all the things Rev. Jerry Falwell has said?
dolphin: OH the irony! I happened to attend Liberty University my first year of college. Upon being under the influence of the teachings of Jerry Falwell every week and realizing that I could not stand for it any longer, guess what I did? I LEFT!!!!
Even Obama himself denounced what Rev. Wright said, so some of you who choose to defend it…well, I don’t know what to tell you…
Look, I am searching for answers not based in blind loyalty to a candidate. For those of you who can’t stand to have the candidate of your choice even questioned for their words, actions, associations, and viewpoint…you should seriously review your own reasons for supporting whoever it is you are choosing.
As for me, I believe that what has occurred IS important and I DO care about it enough to examine it deeper. From what I’ve seen and heard so far, I believe Obama is the kind of guy who would appreciate that.
Dude, it’s his fucking GRANDMOTHER who RAISED him. How is any part of saying, “Hey, my grandmother was incredibly racist, too!” make him look decent? He could’ve easily defended Wright without dragging his dying grandmother into this whole thing.
[...] Our Ginger: I want to believe that having him as our President will be a unifying force in our turbulent world, but learning that he sat under the counsel of a man like Jeremiah Wright for 20 years is disturbing to say the least. [...]
[...] And most of the folks talking about what he said probably weren’t going to vote for Obama anyway. But, in a thoughtful discussion at Ginger’s, people were talking about hesitations about the candidate. This kind of discussion is a good thing. It’s best to have “adult” conversations about politics instead of a bunch of name-calling and I commend Ginger for being upfront in her uncertainty. [...]
Ginger, you say “Again…damn…these are some extreme statements. Statements that, if the black community truly believes these kinds of things, we are in far deeper trouble as a nation than I ever thought. It’s very disheartening.”
To which I say, no, I don’t think that the “black community” believes these kinds of things, but, yes, there are black people, many black people, who have similar sentiments. And why?
Because they lived through segregation, and through the Kennedy assasinations and the murders of King and Malcolm X. They witnessed, first hand, the violence against them as they tried to desegregate this country. They watched as the war on drugs turned into a way to keep black men under control and stripped of political power. They watched candidate after candidate show up at Liberty–when at Liberty it was against the rules for black kids to date white kids–looking for evangelical support. Not to mention Katrina and so forth.
And Ginger, you know I love you, but then you, with access to the internet and history books want some black person to explain to you why there’s such a deep strain of crazy anger in the black community?
You are one of the most empathetic people I know. So, imagine you were a black woman born in 1945, and ask yourself if you wouldn’t be pissed off?
As Huckabee says, And one other thing I think we’ve gotta remember. As easy as it is for those of us who are white, to look back and say “That’s a terrible statement!”…I grew up in a very segregated south. And I think that you have to cut some slack — and I’m gonna be probably the only Conservative in America who’s gonna say something like this, but I’m just tellin’ you — we’ve gotta cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told “you have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can’t sit out there with everyone else. There’s a separate waiting room in the doctor’s office. Here’s where you sit on the bus…” And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.
Plus, no matter what, it’s either going to be Clinton or Obama against McCain–a man who doesn’t seem to even know for sure that there’s no way Iran would train Al Quaida terrorists.
We’ve already had our primary. You already had your chance to choose between Clinton or Obama. The question is whether you’re going to let your discomfort on this point steer you into voting for a man who seems to be crafting himself into more of what we’ve had for eight years, but with a shorter temper.
Upon being under the influence of the teachings of Jerry Falwell every week and realizing that I could not stand for it any longer, guess what I did? I LEFT!!!
And I think that’s good for you, but I know other people (one in particular who I’m thinking of who I’m close to) who vehemently disagreed with some aspects of what Jerry Falwell (and also, as a Christian, agreed with alot of the less controversial things Falwell said), and ultimately decided that he enjoyed his friends at Liberty, he enjoyed his teachers at Liberty and that, despite massive objections to what the leader of Liberty stood for, he decided Liberty was still the right fit for him. Should HE be condemned for the views of Falwell? He didn’t leave until he had a diploma in hand.
At the risk of bringing the wrath of Ron on me for daring to question a family member, my step-dad is fairly racist. I’ve made sure he knows well how I feel about that, and he usually tries to avoid making such statements around me. Now I could have disowned him and ripped apart my family, but I prefer instead to see him as an incredible person who is unfortunately misguided and ignorant in that particular area. I don’t agree with his views on race, but I love him all the same and could never repay all the good, positive things I have learned from him.
Even Obama himself denounced what Rev. Wright said, so some of you who choose to defend it…well, I don’t know what to tell you…
Now I don’t know if this is aimed at me or not, but I’ve not defended anything that Wright has said that I disagree with. I personally have no problem with the statement “fighting for peace is like raping for virginity” (though I’m far more familiar with the version that says “Fighting for peace is like f*cking for virginity”). It’s not a perfect analogy by a long shot, but I see nothing hateful in it, and Wright hardly came up with it as it’s been circulating in pacifist groups for years and years. Also not terribly upset by the statement that “The government lied about Pearl Harbor. They knew the Japanese were going to attack. ” because based on every Pearl Harbor documentary I’ve ever seen, declassified documents show that the US government was in fact trying to instigate an attack from the Japanese so they could declare war on them with out looking like the aggressor (though the scale of Pearl Harbor took everyone by surprise). Those two statements don’t particularly bother me, and I’ve defended nothing else he’s said.
I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t be concerned about this (or anything else that comes up), I just don’t appreciate the implication that anybody who isn’t concerned by them is being intellectually dishonest. When I say that this doesn’t bother me, it’s not out of “blind loyalty” (in fact I am quasi-indifferent to this year’s election, I figure any of the three will be better than what we’ve got now). It’s because, in the factors I consider when choosing a president, a few words spoken by one’s pastor over the course of a couple of decades, that the candidate has opposed in both words and action doesn’t even register as a blip on the radar.
If it does for you, that’s fine. But we’re all different (one of the great things about the human race) and it’s not dishonest of me to not care.
there are black people, many black people, who have similar sentiments.
I grew up in a black neighborhood in Miami during the time of race riots. Let me assure you that I know very well the frustrations of racial inequality. It’s quite presumptuous to think that I don’t know black history and don’t understand the underlying issues that cause these kinds of divisive viewpoints.
However, to say that many black people share similar sentiments as what Rev. Wright said is an insult to most of the African American people I know, because these statements are statements of racism and hate. You justify those statements because they are coming from a black man?
B, just like you and I both hate the assumption that many men are potential rapists who cannot control themselves, I despise such an assumption that most African American people are racist and hateful and divisive. Rev. Wright did nothing but promote that viewpoint with his hateful words.
…with access to the internet and history books want some black person to explain to you why there’s such a deep strain of crazy anger in the black community?
Again, I grew up in a black neighborhood…I’m pretty sure I’ve got a good handle on the topic…but you are questioning my desire to sit down with Marcus and talk about his viewpoint? So now…because I have access to the internet and books, it seems silly to want to talk to an ACTUAL PERSON about Obama and Rev. Wright’s statements? I don’t even know what to say to that.
…when at Liberty it was against the rules for black kids to date white kids
That was never a rule at Liberty. Never.
The question is whether you’re going to let your discomfort on this point steer you into voting for a man who seems to be crafting himself into more of what we’ve had for eight years, but with a shorter temper.
Exactly. That’s why I’m examining all of the candidates on the issues that are important to me, including their views on race.
I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t be concerned about this (or anything else that comes up),
I appreciate that, dolphin. You are absolutely right that it isn’t dishonest of you or anybody else not to care about this issue as much…but at the same time the fact that I and others DO care shouldn’t be belittled, either.
I wrote this post expressing an honest desire to examine the aspects of this situation that have bothered me. I’ve certainly learned a lot through it.
Again, I believe Obama wants this kind of discourse on a mature and honest level and for Americans to be open to understanding each other without insulting each other’s intelligence and with the ultimate desire to find our common ground.
At the risk of bringing the wrath of Ron on me for daring to question a family member,
Let him bring it, Dolphin, its fairly flaccid.
Ginger, what race riots? I was 12 in 1968, living in Los Angeles, and happened to be there when the Rodney King verdict was read. Now, THOSE were riots. Just being there for that doesn’t necessarily mean I have a handle on what “The Black Community” thinks or feels. Having a couple of black friends doesn’t give anyone insight either. I remember being stopped by the police for no apparent reason. I remember the kids that were not allowed to play with me, and I remember being chased down the road by red-necks hurling racial insults at me and my friend. Still, I don’t pretend for a minute to understand the pain and suffering caused by 100 years of slavery, followed by a hundred years of Jim Crow. In fact, in the small Southern town I lived in before moving to nashville, it has only been a few years ago that they allowed non-whites to use certain facilities.
Like I said in the beginning of your thread…I think you bought into the premise that Obama has done something wrong, or needs to distance himself from the Rev Wright. I’d have been disapointed if he had.
lastly, for the morons out there that love to ask all the “what ifs?”, like…what if Hillary Clinton had gone to a church pastored by David Duke? Isn’t that the same? It might be, but only if you can point to a lynching or church bombing carried out by its members. It is a bullshit comparison.
Dolphin, that’s fine if you don’t agree with it. There’s a difference to me between speaking candidly about these flaws in private and airing your familial dirty laundry in front of millions of people, which is what Obama did. Or whoever wrote the speech did, anyway.
I just think it’s a really shitty move, considering what the woman did for him. She couldn’t have been that racist, considering she took him in and put him in private school instead of just disowning him.
Ginger, what race riots?
I’m referring to the 1980 Liberty City riots from when Arthur McDuffie was beaten to death by a group of white cops. An all-white jury acquitted the officers after brief deliberation.
It was a nightmare for Miami. I remember school being canceled, we had curfews…it was one of the worst times I can ever remember when I was growing up…watching as much of Liberty City was burned to the ground.
While I am not a member of the “Black Community” I, like you, remember being beat up and bloodied — in my case, by black kids for BEING WHITE. I, like you, remember being chased down the road by black kids–yes, hurling racial insults at me. Like you, I don’t pretend for a minute to understand the pain and suffering caused by 100 years of slavery, followed by a hundred years of Jim Crow…no way. Nor did I ever say I did.
However, I don’t need to be lectured on Black History, either. I CAN empathize as to why there is anger and bitterness stemming from hundreds of years of oppression in this country. I do understand the outrage when those white cops were set free. It was absolutely, 100% wrong…and it is just one of many, many cases of injustice based on race. I could recite a litany of wrongs perpetrated on black people because of the color of their skin.
However, I — like Obama himself — believe that there is no progress that can come from continuing the cycle of bitterness and hate. That is why I was so upset by the words of his Pastor.
Having been churched almost my entire life, I place more importance on the role of Pastor in a person’s life than a perhaps person who isn’t churched would. I believe I have explained that earlier, so I won’t go on and on about it again.
Bottom line is that I am moving on from this. I listened to Obama’s speech and read the transcript again today. I am 100% satisfied with his explanation and where he stands. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to question these things, and I’m glad I did, because I have learned more about the man.
Since Obama placed enough importance on it to write and deliver a speech on the matter, I think that justifies the importance I and others placed on it as well.
Many may not agree with that and that’s ok.
fyi…here is a Time magazine article about the Miami race riots of 1980.
Aunt B is confusing Bob Jones University with Liberty.
They all look alike to her.
*SNORK*
Well – when it comes to the words of Rev Wright, you should really judge for yourself his comments in their FULL context, so here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdlnzkeoyQ&feature=email
This video clip is the one where he says “The Chickens are coming home to roost” but did you know he was actually quoting someone else? Did you know that right after that line he says “Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. and Terrorism begets terrorism”.
Also note that these clips come from the actual church, so you can check out Wright’s other sermons and get a better picture of the man.