1. As far as factual content of the sermons goes, they're basically correct and don't say anything especially new or shocking. Black people have been and continue to be treated poorly in America? This is controversial? Funny, I thought it was patently obvious.

2. There seems to be, among a certain section of the white population, the truly bizarre belief that black folks should love America and be grateful for -- what? Not being treated even more poorly than they already have been?

3. Preachers in general say all kinds of crazy, stupid shit. On the sliding scale of crazy, stupid shit that preachers say, Jeremiah Wright's sermons barely rate a mention. I mean, c'mon, Pat Robertson keeps saying crazy, stupid shit to the effect that gay people will attract asteroid impacts, and James Dobson has written a number of books advocating things like beating children to get them to stop crying. At this point, shouldn't association with any preacher be suspect by itself, without having to delve deeply into the specifics of the particular crazy, stupid shit that it is apparently their job to say?

All of this plays a part.  I think older white people want to believe that everything was all fixed back in the 60's and fail to see the work that yet needs to be done.

And of course, we have 3 decades worth of conservative backlash and propaganda.  Most white people know very little about the lives of African Americans, and what they do know is the worst things because that is all the TV News and popular culture relays to them.

We are awash in information yet we know less about each other than ever before.

Obama is a Patriot

Rev. Wright's letter to the New York Times...

March 11, 2007

Jodi Kantor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, New York 10036-3959

Dear Jodi:

Thank you for engaging in one of the biggest misrepresentations of the truth I have ever seen in sixty-five years.

You sat and shared with me for two hours. You told me you were doing a "Spiritual Biography" of Senator Barack Obama. For two hours, I shared with you how I thought he was the most principled individual in public service that I have ever met. For two hours, I talked with you about how idealistic he was.

For two hours I shared with you what a genuine human being he was. I told you how incredible he was as a man who was an African American in public service, and as a man who refused to announce his candidacy for President until Carol Moseley Braun indicated one way or the other whether or not she was going to run.

I told you what a dreamer he was. I told you how idealistic he was. We talked about how refreshing it would be for someone who knew about Islam to be in the Oval Office. Your own question to me was, Didn't I think it would be incredible to have somebody in the Oval Office who not only knew about Muslims, but had living and breathing Muslims in his own family?

I told you how important it would be to have a man who not only knew the difference between Shiites and Sunnis prior to 9/11/01 in the Oval Office, but also how important it would be to have a man who knew what Sufism was; a man who understood that there were different branches of Judaism; a man who knew the difference between Hasidic Jews, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews and Reformed Jews; and a man who was a devout Christian, but who did not prejudge others because they believed something other than what he believed. I talked about how rare it was to meet a man whose Christianity was not just "in word only."

I talked about Barack being a person who lived his faith and did not argue his faith. I talked about Barack as a person who did not draw doctrinal lines in the sand nor consign other people to hell if they did not believe what he believed.

Out of a two-hour conversation with you about Barack's spiritual journey and my protesting to you that I had not shaped him nor formed him, that I had not mentored him or made him the man he was, even though I would love to take that credit, you did not print any of that.

When I told you, using one of your own Jewish stories from the Hebrew Bible as to how God asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?," that Barack was like that when I met him. Barack had it "in his hand." Barack had in his grasp a uniqueness in terms of his spiritual development that one is hard put to find in the 21st century, and you did not print that.

As I was just starting to say a moment ago, Jodi, out of two hours of conversation I spent approximately five to seven minutes on Barack's taking advice from one of his trusted campaign people and deeming it unwise to make me the media spotlight on the day of his announcing his candidacy for the Presidency and what do you print?

You and your editor proceeded to present to the general public a snippet, a printed "sound byte" and a titillating and tantalizing article about his disinviting me to the Invocation on the day of his announcing his candidacy.

I have never been exposed to that kind of duplicitous behavior before, and I want to write you publicly to let you know that I do not approve of it and will not be party to any further smearing of the name, the reputation, the integrity or the character of perhaps this nation's first (and maybe even only) honest candidate offering himself for public service as the person to occupy the Oval Office.

Your editor is a sensationalist. For you to even mention that makes me doubt your credibility, and I am looking forward to see how you are going to butcher what else I had to say concerning Senator Obama's "Spiritual Biography."

Our Conference Minister, the Reverend Jane Fisler Hoffman, a white woman who belongs to a Black church that Hannity of "Hannity and Colmes" is trying to trash, set the record straight for you in terms of who I am and in terms of who we are as the church to which Barack has belonged for over twenty years.

The president of our denomination, the Reverend John Thomas, has offered to try to help you clarify in your confused head what Trinity Church is -- even though you spent the entire weekend with us setting me up to interview me for what turned out to be a smear of the Senator; and yet The New York Times continues to roll on making the truth what it wants to be the truth.

I do not remember reading in your article that Barack had apologized for listening to that bad information and bad advice. Did I miss it? Or did your editor cut it out? Either way, you do not have to worry about hearing anything else from me for you to edit or "spin" because you are more interested in journalism than in truth.

Forgive me for having a momentary lapse. I forgot that The New York Times was leading the bandwagon in trumpeting why it is we should have gone into an illegal war.

The New York Times became George Bush and the Republican Party's national "blog." The New York Times played a role in the outing of Valerie Plame. I do not know why I thought The New York Times had actually repented and was going to exhibit a different kind of behavior.

Maybe it was my faith in the Jewish Holy Day of Roshashana. Maybe it was my being caught up in the euphoria of the Season of Lent; but whatever it is or was, I was sadly mistaken.

There is no repentance on the part of The New York Times. There is no integrity when it comes to The Times. You should do well with that paper, Jodi. You looked me straight in my face and told me a lie!

Sincerely and respectfully yours,
Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. , Senior Pastor
Trinity United Church of Christ

But now I am fighting back.  Tonight I have contacted every media outlet.  Here is my letter titled, The Media and the Race Wars.

I am trying to figure out why the media is trying to start a race war.
Guess they couldn't find a way to destroy Barack Obama, so they go after his preacher.

Preacher made same some infamatory words, but so do the spiritual leaders of Hillary, McCAin and every Conservative Republican.
Falwell, Robertson, Rod Pailsy.  Said god is punishing AMerica with 9/11 and giving America the AIDS virus for the same.
But we don't see that covered.  Must be because they are white.

The media could have took Obama's speech and had an intellecutal discussin of race.
Instead they use Rev. Wrights words to try and frighten angry whites ablut the soon to be black President.

Or maybe, you just want to distract America on the annnivesay of the Iraq war and distact from all the lies you told us to start the war.
So are you flaming a race war, or do want to distract America to your war crimes.

Patriotism and religion, like whiskey, is best used in moderation. Mark Twain

As a society we are so clouded in our own way of living, consuming, and viewing the world, it's just not possible for us, collectively, to see that it's (1) not sustainable; (2) creates injustice in the world that is, at best, inconsistent with Christianity or any other religious faith, and (3) is grounded in the "religion" of consumerism which is not valued by many in the world and there are abundant resources available to fight it.  Add to this our empirialist miltary actions in a dangerous attempt to sustain our lifestyles, and we now find our once "peaceful" society wrapped in fear and danger.  

Obama, I think, understands this; but he can't say it and can't publicly agree with this.  I often feel like Obama has much more he wants to say, but can't say it because the ideas are just too radical for most Americans to buy into.  Of course, I might just be projecting.

Is Obama a Spritual Progresive, as Michael Lerner at tikkun.org labels him?  I would say his close affiliation with Wright is evidence that he is.  And while I am pleased by this revelation; I can see why many are disturbed by it: it's a threat to our way of life.  And I would expect there to be more such stories as November approaches; stories that flesh out how radical Obama really is; it's a radicalism that doesn't even fit into the democrat v. republican distinction. And this is why this primary is really about the Republican/Democrats v. the Obama movement.

The same people/entities who are behind the scenes, funding Clinton, will be fiercely writing checks for the general election to defeat Obama.  Strap yourselves in, it's going to be a really bumpy ride to the white house.  

Just some idle thoughts for a beautiful Easter morning.  

who are these superior mystical beings you speak of and where do i find them?

and oscar....clinton didnt deserve our love and kerry did?

oy

Edible panties taste like crap.