Posted on 03/17/2008 11:41:36 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The eruption of outrage, shock and fear that is flowing over Barack Obamas campaign like hot lava because his pastor has preached some strident sermons tells us one thing for certain: Many white people dont know black people at all.
If they did, they would know that Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Chicago is hardly the only black minister who uses the pulpit to rant against racial duplicity and injustice. The black church has always been the place for letting our hair down and speaking our peace -- a safe haven from the criminations outside. Its how and why the black church became the nursery for the freedom and civil rights movements. Not every minister seasons his or her sermons with political commentary, and not every one who does is as fiercely spoken as Rev. Wright, but there is nothing unusual about the black clergy as social agitator. Guess the shockees didnt know that.
It seems they were also clueless that, when race, racism and discrimination do invade the pulpit, it is not always in the context of forgiveness and humility. Much of black America is resentful, angry and distrustful -- rightly so, some of us would say. Did the uninitiated honestly believe that slavery, lynching, Jim Crow, white resistance and flight, economic and educational duality, hyper-incarceration and yawning disparities in wealth, health and longevity have had no lasting effects; that all of that is really no big deal -- something we can kick off as easily as our Sunday shoes?
Surprise.
This could be a teaching moment for the society at large, which would do well to pay closer attention to 35 million of its members and to give heed to their accounts of their own experiences. Unfortunately, and typically, the alarmists are threatening to make it a Waterloo for Obama.
The candidate has denounced Rev. Wrights statements about Americas treachery, honest as they were.
Obama has even removed his Wright from his ministerial council. That had to be painful for Obama, who has otherwise spoken devotedly of the preacher who brought me to Jesus, performed his marriage ceremony and baptized his daughters.
Those pounds of flesh are not enough for the alarmists, however. They and frothing pundit after frothing pundit want the candidate to rebuke Wright categorically -- mind, body and soul.
Obama is in the unenviable position of having to court a large and diverse audience -- the American electorate generally and Democratic voters particularly -- that includes a good number of people who have no knowledge of, curiosity about, nor sympathy for the black experience, while, at the same time, remaining true to what he knows about Rev. Wright specifically and the black church generally.
Its a delicate balance, and Obama has tried to strike it, explaining to journalists that the anger and disdain expressed by Rev. Wright reflect common themes in the black memory, albeit not sentiments he shares.
In a fair world, Obama would be able to elaborate about the black perspective and thereby give some context to Wrights comments and the facts of black expression.
But, then, in a fair world, there would be no racial divide to bridge. Of course, Obamas detractors would never consider that.
(IF LOVIN' THE U.S. IS WRONG) I DON'T WANT TO HEAR WRIGHT
Tune: "(If Lovin' You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" Original
If lovin' the U.S. is wrong
I don't want to hear Wright
If joinin' his church means hearin' his hatred
I'd up and change belongin' tonight
Obama, your pastor says it's a shame
It's a downright disgrace
America's problems, all the blame
Is the fault of the white man's race
Barack, you say it's the future
And healing is in your plan
But if you can't leave this kind of hate
Believe me, yes we can
If lovin' the U.S. is wrong
I don't want to hear Wright
If lovin' the U.S. is wrong
I don't want to hear Wright
Am I wrong to smell
The sewage he loves to spew?
Knowin' you wanna lead, then why do you waffle
Defendin' you know who?
And am I wrong to question
Your ability to unite,
Knowin' you got someone there at church
Dividin' black and white?
And are you wrong to give your tithe
To a racist man?
And is he wrong for tryin' to get God
Not to bless but instead to damn?
If lovin' the U.S. is wrong
I don't want to hear Wright
If lovin' the U.S. is wrong
I don't want to hear Wright . . .
Are you wrong to give your tithe
To a racist man?
And is he wrong for tryin' to get God
Not to bless but instead to damn?
If lovin' the U.S. is wrong
I don't want to hear Wright
If lovin' the U.S. is wrong
I don't want to hear Wright
I don't want to hear Wright
If it means hearin' his hatred
I don't want to hear Wright
If it means black against white . . .
This should be a teaching moment for black racists at large, who would do well to pay closer attention to the gospel of Jesus Christ and give head to His instructions on the nature of forgiveness, and the nature of the One Church.
This is just one more example of those hyphenated-Americans who have reached their level of alienation by not wanting to be Americans. They have never preached in my church about how horrible blacks are, or that whites should blame them for the shortcomings of our lives; can you imagine the uproar that would occur?
This is a rework of the central Liberal tennant: Rules for you, but not for me. You are a dirtbag if you don't tolerate them, but they can whail to the heavens, in the name of Jesus no less, that they have no need to ever tolerate you.
I have to give the good Reverand the same advise I offer to the followers of that baal Allah: I have to judge your god's power on how he treats you. Why in the world should I believe in what you preach if your god only makes people who are bitter, arrogant, cruel, vindictive, vicious, and blame everyone else for it.
True. Whites who aren't racist and don't hate blacks mistakenly think that blacks aren't racist and don't hate them. They are quite often mistaken.
uses the pulpit to rant against racial duplicity and injustice.
Change "black" to "white" and "white" to "black" in those sermons, and no one anywhere would call it anything but racist hate speech. Racial injustice my butt.
The black church has always been the place for letting our hair down and speaking our peace -- a safe haven from the criminations outside.
Like Klan meetings, OK I get it.
Obama’s campaign isn’t over until Hillary steals the nomination out from under him at the convention.
This is playing out better than we all had hoped.
Obama’s gonna be dumped by the DEMOCRATS for being associated with beliefs that the majority of the far left and many of his supporters believe in.
I’m curious as to how many whites are in Obama’s closest political circle. If he does indeed have a number of white advisors, I find it impossible to believe that they didn’t see this coming and warn him. And I don’t mean a token white here or there. If he has mostly or all black advisors, that speaks volumes.
So let me get this straight...Barack Obama’s pastor makes an ill-considered remark in the sanctity of his church, and Obama is called out in the public pulpit and made out to be somehow responsible for it. But, for the last 28 years, lunatic right-wing Christian ministers can spew anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-Arab, anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, anti-science anti-human bile from their cable networks and talk shows; summon the wrath of their god on the Muslim world; and call for the assassination of foreign leaders — and the Republican presidents and politicians who consort with them not only get off scot free, they get away with branding the media as liberal.
Racism is racism is racism. White, black, brown, yellow or blue, no amount of racism justifies more racism.
You don’t fix racism with racism. You don’t fix hate with hate. You don’t fix anger with anger.
Either you ARE or ARE NOT a racist. Rev Wright’s speech is no different than that of the KKK. In his speeches if you changed the word “white” to “black” it would be clear to anyone willing to see.
For ALL American’s, of all colors, who have worked to put racism to to proper death, Wright’s speech is what it is.
You can’t defend it without believing in it, supporting it and being it.
Ball’s in your court, Mr Obama...
***Comments?***
I don’t know what is more unpalatable to me: Racism or the justification of Racism. Everyone has a reason to gripe except the super rich who are part of some aristocracy.
Where were you when the OJ verdict was cheered. It was an expression of the same deep hatred of whites.
Heard some bigwig in the Dhimmicrat party yesterday (meet the press I think) defend Wright’s speeches as the truth.
One thing that struck me funny was when he demanded to know why we had to drop a second A-Bomb on Japan when one was clearly more than enough.
Well, Mr. Leftwing Historical Ignoramus - the Japanese refused to surrender after the first one.
Just goes to prove, you HAVE to be ignorant to be a leftist/dhimmirat.
PROJECTION ....as usual...from Democrats, aka Black Separatists....who have been feeding their children filth for decades....what you fill your head with is what you become!!!
BS........there is a group of white people who do the same thing....their initials are KKK.........
Are these people so blind they don't see who is creating the "racial divide" that needs to be bridged? Most Americans don't see color, black or white, unless it's worn as a badge, as a sign of victimhood, or as a chip on a shoulder.
The big danger here is that MLK's dream is being trampled on, and the gains of the last 30 years are being negated - by the very people he was so instrumental in helping. And they are doing it in his name!
I don’t think the divide is racial so much as “civil” vs. “uncivil”.
That is, black people who work to succeed in life are often very civil, polite and personable.
Their major concern with whites is that they be *recognized* as civil, and distinguished from the uncivil. Civil black people are haunted by the inability of most whites to distinguish them in this way. Many white people seem unaware of their dress, manner, politeness, and erudite speech.
Granted, the uncivil of any color try to blur the distinction between themselves and the civil. Scoundrels, the criminal, the gross and stupid often pretend to be the way they think civil people behave. ‘To take on airs’.
But civil white people can easily align themselves with and identify with civil black people. Just with ordinary conversation, speaking and listening with respect, they build strong bridges with civil black people.
However, this in no way associates civil white people with uncivil black people. The uncivil deserve no recognition or politeness due to their color. And as I said, it is easy to tell civil and uncivil people apart.
It even works the other way. Tiger Woods is a gentleman, and demonstrates his good breeding, manners, and talents to everyone. He is erudite and polite.
Bill Clinton is not a gentleman. He is a person of low quality, bad breeding, crude manners, and the demeanor of a con artist. He was therefore desperate to become associated with Tiger Woods, something Woods had to firmly refuse, and several times.
The bottom line is that color is incidental in a relationship between civil people. The commonalities between people of character far outweigh the differences, which only needs a modicum of effort to prove. And in most circles, and effort that will both be appreciated and returned.
The candidate has denounced Rev. Wrights statements about Americas treachery, honest as they were.
Then its not much of a denouncement. You can feel as angry as you want to feel, you and your ilk. I don’t care and I certainly won’t give any vote of mine to such misguided and uninformed fools.
Before the blood had a chance to dry on Martin Luther King Jr’s vestments, Jesse Jackson scooped up his fallen sword and marched forth into the fray of the pundits vs the apologists claiming the throne so indignantly abandoned only to get lost in the Garden of Entitlement.
Now comes a reality-inspired claimant, self-made out of sterner stuff and we see him as he galloped across the landscape of white guilt wiping out barrier after barrier only to be brought up short by the lame black horse he chose to ride.
Is he a modern-day Pony Express, a fresh steed at the ready, snorting and raring to race the last remaining mile or is he too far short of his goal and resigned to sit inside the rocking coach as his Wells Fargo dash turns into the farrago it was doomed to be?
Is it safe to assume, then, that MOST black people will be upset if the super-delegates decide to fulfill their duty and nominate the “more-electable” candidate?
I guess it never occurs to some people that we all have our own stuff to deal with. I don't have the energy to oppress anyone...my laundry is piled up, the toilets need scrubbing and I've got dentist appointments to get to.
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