The types of momentos for sale in Gaza. The twin towers - aflame - are at the mullah's feet. He is holding the Pentagon.
March 14, 2008
I am taking time out of the stated purpose of this blog to do something I hate to do - comment directly on this ridiculous and exeedingly annoying presidential race. But the philosophical and religious ideals of a candidate are in my opinion inseparable from the ethics and future conduct of that candidate.
Barack Obama posted today a response to the media flurry over comments by his pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This man who wants to sell himself to the American public not on experience, but on judgement, posted of all places on the Huffington Post. He also appeared on FoxNews this evening in an interview on the subject. This interview, and a reading of his posting in its entirety unfortunately proves that poor Mr. Obama is really missing the point, and that is unfortunate for him, because his oversight may in the long run doom his campaign.
As offensive as Rev. Wright’s pulpit tirade against white America, is the barrage of African American pundits on cable news lining up to defend it, tripping clumsily over their own illogical statements to justify the unjustifiable. It is interesting how few non-African American commentators have been invited onto these news segments. Or maybe it isn’t - white America has been shamed into silence long ago: it doesn’t get to opine on such issues without some backlash.
The first time I saw Barack Obama’s face on the news was over a year ago, speaking to a crowd at the genesis of his campaign. I was astounded to hear his comments regarding some who disagreed with his political views, something to the effect “We don’t need people like them. . .”, to the cheers of the crowd. (This from a man who proposes to represent non-divisive politics.) I immediately knew I could never support this man; I thought a president needed to represent everyone, not just those he likes. I thought that a campaign needed support from everyone it could get, not just the few who passed some standard. At the time, I didn’t realize the phenomenon Obama’s campaign would become, or I would have taken more note of his exact comment. What did stick in my mind was this man’s arrogance and divisive attitude.
And so here we are today, with Obama rushing to disclaim Wright’s comments, insisting he knew nothing about such rantings - he himself never heard them (I have absolute confidence this ridiculous statement is not true, and the lie will catch up with him...). Pundits this evening are insisting it’s a witch hunt, the same way we questioned Kennedy’s Catholicism, Romney’s Mormonism.
The bottom line: Wright is a racist. The public mission of his church as stated is the advancement of “black values” and “black Christianity” and addressing “black poverty”, amongst other specific “black” issues. His words from the pulpit preach hate, period - it’s something he calls “Liberation Theology”. ( Oh, okay.) The reaction on film of his congregation to his words suggest the flavor of that congregation. The bottom line: Obama has been a member of that congregation for near 20 years. Obama’s habit of insulting our intelligence to the contrary - we need to take a serious look at his judgement and his ability to represent all of us.
This is an excerpt from Obama’s Huffington post:
As I have written about in my books, I first joined Trinity United Church of Christ nearly twenty years ago. I knew Rev. Wright as someone who served this nation with honor as a United States Marine, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country, from Union Theological Seminary to the University of Chicago. He also led a diverse congregation that was and still is a pillar of the South Side and the entire city of Chicago. It's a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day, through ministries ranging from housing the homeless to reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS.
Through coming days, Rev. Wright’s philosophies will be dissected far and wide, but here is the tip of the iceberg, and it’s floating right by Barack Obama. This “respected biblical scholar” screams from his pulpit that “....damn America! It’s in the Bible!” I have a feeling, after looking at the church’s website, that the “social justice” Obama speaks of them supporting is only that which pertains to blacks. Reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS, if one is to understand Rev. Wright’s words, refers to fighting a disease that the U.S. Government infected blacks with intentionally.
The Rev. Wright exemplifies the very reason why America is not ready for a black president. America won’t yet trust Obama to represent all Americans equally. And until people like Wright and his followers can drop the chip off their shoulders, take some responsibility for the enormous issues in black communities and families, and move away from blaming the past and begin to move forward, America will not be to the point of trusting.
Perhaps that is what is most damaging about the revealing of Rev. Wright’s true character: it will damage any real political voice black political leaders are beginning to have, and the damage may last for years.
Aside from race, we all need to question the religious affiliations of our leaders. Non-Catholics had a right to question Kennedy’s values if he was to represent them too. We need to question McCain's, and Clinton's. A person's spiritual connections and convictions speak to the core of what that person is, and their value as a leader. We of all races have a right to question the values of Barack Obama, who belongs to a church that preaches hate. He is making a lot of excuses for this church and Rev. Wright, even as he claims to denounce particular sermons. He calls Rev. Wright's words a "mistake". But this "mistake" isn't a one-time thing, but shows a philosophy present in himself and his congregation - as stated by the church's mission - over many years. Obama says this man "showed me Christ". Many Christians would argue that a man so full of hate doesn't know Christ, and can't show him to anyone. His words belie not only a serious lack of theological understanding (regardless of his purported credentials) but a selective knowledge of U.S. history.
There is nothing Christian about Rev. Wright’s words. There is nothing Christian about his philosophy, or that of a person who would support it. As an American, if I were a member of a church where the preacher screamed hate against other races and this country from the pulpit, I would leave for good. And Obama needs to do the same, and understand exactly why.
