Posted on 06/02/2008 7:54:41 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
None of it came from Obama; he was too busy getting earmarks for Pfleger. Look, the parishioners pay their taxes, however damned by God they might think the Treasury Department is, and the church does appear to be putting the money towards charitable programs — although given Wright’s beliefs about AIDS, I’m mighty curious to see the lesson plan for the HIV “education” program. Unless someone can show it’s being spent on improper ends, like, hypothetically, a mansion for the ex-pastor, I’m not sure what the beef is.
FOX News has learned that over the last 15 years, Trinity has received at least $15 million in grants from the federal government — in other words, taxpayer money.
Records show this money supported a variety of outreach: everything from low income housing to nutritional programs for needy kids to money for HIV/AIDS education…
[A] scholar who specializes in religion and politics says Wright never swore off government funding like ultra-nationalist Black Muslims have.
Andrew Walsh, associate director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life with Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., said Wright’s practices fall in line with his preaching.
“Wright believes things like the government-funded programs are a necessary compensation for the legacy of white racism, part of what’s necessary to heal the wounds inflicted over four centuries on blacks. His niche is even more specialized–he does this sort of work in the context of white denominational mainline Protestantism, which, on the whole has welcomed both him and his message.”
Another professor looked at the grant documents and found things to be in order. Seriously, if feeding from the federal trough while coming up for air occasionally to spout anti-government invective (which is distinct from anti-American invective, but close enough for these purposes) is some mortal sin, then there are a lot of Republicans in red congressional districts that had better be repenting on Sunday.
Update (Ed): After AP posted this, I tooled around through the FedSpending.org database to see how these grants got allocated. The database covers all grants and contracts for fiscal years 2000-2007 and is a great resource. According to the search, TUCC received its last grant in FY2001, for $150,000 under a program to “Improve the Health Status of Minority Populations”.
After 2001, the grants apparently stopped, which might also explain some of the hostility Wright felt for the federal government. It also absolves Obama from the accusation of finagling pork for his church, as he didn’t enter the Senate until 2005. Unless, of course, one applies the Selma rule to this situation ….
America sucks, but $15 million spends, ba-beeeeeee!
Cut them off,NOW!!!
Yeah, Wright just bites the hand that feeds him...
Does this cover the price of the Revs new digs?....in whitey town?
The Bible has been replaced with this at UTCC?
Whitey owes it to them. When will whitey be paid in full?
One way or the other..Taxpayer money paid for Wright’s house. Money in Money out. Maybe they did most of the things they were supposed to do in the grant..but they should have done that with their own money before a Million Dollar house for Wright.
How low we have sunk as a nation that we should even consider electing this pair to become the First Family.
The Obama’s would be The Worst Family.
More shocking news...
The fat idiot called Obama a patriot!!!! A patriot??? After his associations with Ayers and Wright????????
I feel the need to get out a shovel every time O'Reilly opens that fat mouth of his.
He indeed keeps it usually in the open mode rather than closed.
Too bad, since he can be thoughtful at times.
“Patriot” is not one of those times - the remark is abysmal. Maybe it’s the price he must ante up to get Obama on the program (re: ratings).
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