He has spent 20+ years with that preacher.

[sellitman]

You think for a minute he did not clearly understand what kind of crap his preacher was spewing?

That was what I heard today from a X Obama supporter.

This is what we are going to be up against in the GE.

My question is can Obama overcome this kind of objection?

As a Obama supporter I don't know?

I am honestly worried.

Your thoughts?

[LoZoccolo]

1. Easy: "How often do you go to church?" n/t

[sellitman]

7. I'm not a good one to ask that of.

Being Jewish and all.

[Taxmyth]

9. About 40 times a year

and no one EVER talks that way from the pulpit in the Church I attend.

[Iceburg]

14. "my mentor and spiritual advisor"; "I can no more disown Rev Wright than the black community" /nt

[Mags]

86. or my typical white grandmother.

[annie1]

92. rotf

[Mags]

104. I kinda of thought you were on the floor to begin with.

[annie1]

106. i'm laughing *with* you. i thought your answer was funny.

[joeybee12]

27. How often do you title your book after your pastor's sermon? n/t

[JoFerret]

72. and then stab him in the back.

.

[joeybee12]

75. Lots of circle-dancing as each manuevered into position to aim at the

other's back!

[cliffordu]

78. Ah, the oldy but goody. Too bad about the end of the Clintons. Good riddance.

Too bad you won't be able to post this excretia after...oh, later this week...

Good riddance to you too.

[joeybee12]

84. Well, come cry when Barry loses to McLame in november....

...we're seeing his slow but steady demise...too late because he will still probably get the nim and bring down lots of Dems with him when he loses.

[cliffordu]

87. The void in your expertise in these things is surpassed

only by your hubris.

Good luck with that.

[joeybee12]

96. Thanks for the general slam without anything specific to back it up...

...pretty typical comment.

[JoFerret]

80. Talk about disloyalty and b(ar)ack stabbing.

I understand why he had to do it - the truth finally emerged.

So much for the high ground.

[joeybee12]

101. yeah, Oprah left that Church because of Wright about a dozen years ago...

...she saw what was coming, so if nothing else this calls into question Barry's political acumen.

[JoFerret]

107. Of course, it may also suggest

that he was not thinking of running for president.

Which would be just fine.

But - leaves open the question of judgment and choice of spiritual "mentor".

All this pastor stuff is very creept to me. The Wright replacement is a chip off the old block too.

[kimsterdemster]

49. Can Clinton & McCain...

name A preacher they've known and was close to for 20-yrs? Doubt it. Who married them & baptized their children? I want to know!:banghead:

[Rene]

59. It wasn't just the Pastor folks..watch the videos...the entire congregation is clapping, chanting,

stomping, jeering. They all believe that rhethoric...thry're all supporting it. You can't tell me; I'll never believe they hid that for the times the obamas weren't in the pews. That racist attitude is pervasive in the entire church he attended for 20 years.

[benddem]

67. Lots of white people

believe the blacks have been given...and still are given a bad deal and they have a right to shout and clap and scream if they want. I've heard nothing he's said I disagree with. You heard sound bites.

[JoFerret]

77. Seems w(right) to me

.

[cliffordu]

81. I attended a church that was just as racist. First assembly of god.

only MY church hated African Americans.

I love reverend Wright. I'm white. God Damn YOUR America.

[yardwork]

113. Scary, isn't it? You have to breathe through your mouth, you're so scared, don't you?

Imagine hundreds of people clapping and cheering for something that you don't agree about!!! Appalling, isn't it? Shocking. The thought of a scary black man in office just about makes you faint with fear, doesn't it?

I'm so sorry about your condition. Maybe therapy?

[tledford]

124. No one has been able to mention ONE THING ...

...in the soundbytes of Wright, not ONE STATEMENT that WASN'T TRUE other than the crap about HIV being a government conspiracy!!! (This is a white Southerner saying this, FWIW.)

When Wright says that black people were brought to this country as slaves, based on my knowledge of history, this is a fact.

When Wright says that there has been racial injustice and inequity, that blacks have been murdered for no other reason than that they are black, this is a fact.

When Wright says that the government has no interest in black people other than to suppress them (at least when Republicans control the government), this is a fact.

When Wright says "God damn America!" for the way this country has treated blacks, and the indigenous people who were already here when the white Europeans took over, I suspect that, at the right time, God *WILL* damn America for these things, if she hasn't already!

The truth can be a very ugly thing when you don't want to believe it.

As to the nutty stuff like the HIV thing, hell, there are people on this discussion board with just as wacky conspiracy theories, like MIHOP.

The sad fact of the matter is that the reason people are so outraged about Wright is because he states the truth and it is a truth that people don't want to hear.

I don't mean to speak for (and cannot, being white) African Americans, but I'm a 51-years-old white Southerner who, just barely, REMEMBERS seeing, at the age of five or six, drinking fountains with signs for "White" and "Colored" over them. And although God knows things have gotten better, as evidenced by the fact that a man who is half-black is very likely to become the next POTUS, that does NOT mean that we don't still have a LONG way to go, as in turn is evidenced by the FEAR that some white people still feel when they hear a black man TELL THE TRUTH!

Sorry about being impassioned, but I am SO SICK of people talking about the "terrible" things that Wright has said when he is simply providing a history lesson, in a sense.

[bowens43]

2. It's a non-issue.

[Texas Hill Country]

15. actually, it is an issue because it can let us in on his worldview... you just have to decide what

to filter out, but it is a legitimate issue.

[joeybee12]

38. Agreed...I think the MSM has gone overboard, but I don't think that it's

totally irrelevant...besides, he referred to and praised Wright enough so that his disavowal of him must be viewed in that light.

[tabasco]

94. Hanging out with neocon scumbags should give you an idea of Hillary's "worldview."

You filter out timbers in Hilary's eye and screech bloody murder about the splinter in Obama's.

[yardwork]

115. It's ok, I'm already familiar with the world view of racists.

[Seabiscuit]

121. It will be THE issue in the Repuke MSM if Obama runs against McCainus

It won't go away unless Barack goes away.

[supernova]

3. Speaking as a white Southerner,

no, I'm not a damn bit worried about Rev Wright.

He has a right to speak has mind as he sees fit, including anger.

I am much more worried about McCain's suck up to that lunatic Hagee.

[OmahaBlueDog]

22. I agree Hagee is a lunatic...

but if Wright has a right to say whatever the Hell he pleases, so does Hagee; and if we're theoretically saying the Wright thing is a non-issue with regard to Obama, then I think it's pretty safe to say McCain supporters have reasonable grounds for crying "hypocrisy" if we try to saddle McCain with Hagee's baggage.

[DMorgan]

53. Amen, brother!

As a white guy from another part of America, Reverend Wright is "dead" to me.

He's not the reason I vote for who I vote for......nor is MY pastor at my church, who may vote for Hillary, or McCain.......I don't care!


My church is NOT my pastor.......nor is it sermons I only partially agree with.

I'm sure Obama and Hillary feel the same. Probably McCain feels that way, too!

[Cosmocat]

57. For the mother loving son of god ...

People want to do this "20 years of being in church" with Wright nonsense, like it was 1000 9-11 sermons ... They have two tapes of him going off during that time ... Gotta assume that 998 other sermons during that time were general god talk ...

This 6 degrees of seperation nonsense, if they put the same level of intensity and scrutiny to everyone else that they have with Obama, would make everyone on this planet unelectable ...

[Tribetime]

4. Iraq is my thought and bringing our troops home

[Indenturedebtor]

5. Hagee n/t

[cliffordu]

6. Who the fuck pays attention anyway, really. AND:

ROD PARSLEY

Look him up. be prepared....

[Deja Q]

20. I always listen to what pastors have to say.

Doesn't mean I agree.

Doesn't mean I won't politically vet them.

And it certainly doesn't mean I am a robot who is supposed to agree on every little topic mentioned by said pastor.

But it's still the pastor's perception, right or wrong. Like other activities in life, it's ultimately not as much the words but the actions a person does. Even if the words are vile and I've been at that corner of the block too. And vice-versa, but it's rare for even me to say "G D ________".

[Texas Hill Country]

8. of course he knew... it is completely ridiculous to say otherwise.

[thevoiceofreason]

66. Hey, Hill Country

How many racists do you know? Do you have any friends who let some racist slips show through from time to time? Since you are from Texas, I'll answer it for you. Yes. Have you publicly denounced them and disavowed their statements? If not, why not?

Here is the point. This attack on Obama for attending a church with a preacher prone to hyperbole is an attack on him as a person, not a candidate or leader. In other words, the statement is : Why didn't you leave during the 20 years you were there, you were bound to have known? Outside of my inclination to ask "Known what?," the point is that involvement in a church as a citizen (and for the last 3.5 years as a U.S. Senator who was seldomly in the church because he was in Washington) is a highly tenuous basis for attributing/blaming someone for the statements made by a preacher in years past. And, more importantly, to impose upon that person who was not there (by his own admission, and in whatever form) a "duty" to stand up and walk out is questionable.

Now let's go to the argument I hear from my freeper friends -- Although Obama may not have heard the specific references that pop up on the 30 second video clip, that frame of reference and thinking must have permeated Rev. Wright's lifestyle and thought process, so he would have evidenced this "revolutionary" approach to life and Christianity and that is the type of Christianity to which Barack Obama agreed to adopt and accept into his life. That is the shallowest argument of them all. First, point to me some writings from Rev. Wright that indicate such a frame of reference. Second, are there any other parishioners who witnessed such "radical" theology? If so, why haven't any come forward? Because I will affirm to you with every fiber of my soul that the excuse I hear (no African American would rat out a preacher) has an infuriatingly condescending view toward African American parishioners. In other words, if Rev. Wright exuded an aura of "radical" theology, there would be many folks lined up right now to tell the tale -- African American church-goers are not a monolithic block.

So, my friend, you can take your "it is completely ridiculous to say otherwise" and chew on it, very slowly, the day Barack Obama is sworn in. Peace.

[joeybee12]

71. Oprah left...so why didn't Obama?

But you're right, they're not a monolithic block, so why did Wright say that an attack on him was an attack on the black church, clearly believing it was a monolithic block.

[cliffordu]

88. So you'd come up with ignorant shit like this line of attack.

[CreekDog]

119. Oprah doesn't go to church AT ALL anymore

is that the same thing?

[NashVegas]

128. It's Absurd to Suggest Otherwise

It's not like Wright was an obscure deacon.

[Exultant Democracy]

10. No one talks about the things white preachers say, this topic is race baiting.

Even McCain thought so.

[Texas Hill Country]

26. two things... 1. yes, they do. 2. they arent THEIR PREACHERS for 20 years

usually, the controversial preacher is just an endorser or an associate... this is Bobama's guy, this is HIS preacher for two friggin decades!


like it or not, the relationship is very different

[LSparkle]

11. He didn't go there to worship the PASTOR, he went there to worship GOD

What's more important, Wright's WORDS or Obama's ACTIONS, having been
inspired by what he heard in church?

"Thou shalt know them by their ACTS ... "

[Seeker30]

61. God hates America and white people too?

His sermons were no more about God than they were on how to give a dog a bath.

[cliffordu]

90. And you know this how??

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. Apparently you've been on DU for four years.

So I guess this "guilt by association" thing ain't all it's cracked up to be.

[Deja Q]

13. People can understand (or not) what a mentor says. The people need not respond/act the same way.

I know a few parallels. Some politically correct. Some not. I will not recite them, for they would divert this thread into tangents and attacks -- to a level that would be surprising for even GD-Piffle.

Obama's most relevant task, in theory, is to convince people that he listens to other people but does not believe their discussions or diatribe by rote. He still has to do what is necessary as President, which means ignoring some of the people at times too.

That's why I've learned to look at other perspectives and remain independent. If nothing else, it gives everyone a reason to hate me. :P :7 (just kidding, but the only people to be wary of are one-note trolls.)



Edited: Brief clarification for subject line

[Cant trust em]

16. That "crap" isn't the subject of every sermon, every Sunday for 20 years

sure, it pops up every now and then. But for the most part that's not the theme.

[DemGa]

17. Ah now, he's just a Columbia and Harvard Law grad

not a mind for details - oblivious to it all I guess. :sarcasm:

You can't get away from it - to say Obama didn't know is simply implausible.

[phrigndumass]

18. ** Eight Belles **

What?!

Dead horse. Too soon?

:hide:

[Saturday]

19. No, he can't talk his way out of sitting in the pews for 20 years.

Only here on DU do you think it's no big deal.

[bunnies]

21. You're an Obama supporter?

Coulda fooled me.

Seriously.

If you were you could have answered this query for yourself.

[sellitman]

28. Read my posts.

Of course I am. The reply I am talking about is that of someone with no political savy. I am afraid that is more the norm than the political average here on DU. My post was one of worry, not agreement.

[bunnies]

44. Gotcha.

Sorry. Im a little crazed today. Didnt mean to offend. :)

[Webster Green]

23. Perhaps Obama missed his theory about the aids virus..

That's the only quote I've read from Wright that I disagree with, and for all I know, he may be correct. Nothing would fucking surprise me at this point.

God Damn America!:grr: :patriot:

[GoesTo11]

24. Wow. Very original insight. Did you just think of this?

[sellitman]

31. Why the snarky reply?

I didnt say I agreed to the comment.

[GoesTo11]

42. Heard this too many times. It makes me snarky.

As to your question, will people keep harping on "20 years" -- if we keep wanting our elections to be about nothing, they can harp on anything. People who regurgitate what they hear will regurgitate what they hear, and it's up to the Obama campaign to have a vigorous positive message that takes over the airwaves.

For a thinking person, what does it mean that he remained in the congregation 20 years? Not much. As errors of judgment go, there are far, far, far worse things than listening to a pastor. 20 years ago, the Republican candidate, for example, was busy taking bribes as part of the Keating 5.

[Bucky]

25. Yes, they'll use it against him. Yes, it'll work up to a point.

But it won't work for them--not this year. People are too tired & too angry & too inured to this sort of malarkey.

McCain's real threat to the Dems has always been his crossover appeal to the working class & to younger voters. Hitting the Wright thing hard enough to make a difference will destroy his chances amoung swingable 20somethings.

[Deja Q]

32. Does the working class knowe McCain has made jokes about Americans not wanting to pick lettuce for

even $50/hr?

Still, compared to Hillary, that's why I'd rather see Hillary lose. I hate to say it, but as much as she has points on foreign policy, can she be trusted on domestic policy? Without a domestic policy, is there even a point FOR a foreign one? THAT is the argument each candidate must address. For people know that more than anything.

[sellitman]

34. I hope you are right.

It definately took me aback being from a X Obama supporter.

[BklynChick]

29. if all they could find was 5 clips out of 20 years, I think it's safe to say he wasn't there and it

wasn't a regular occurence.

[annie1]

93. than oprah must have been there every minute, since she heard enough to leave

[boppers]

30. Your concern has been noted.

I clearly understood the preacher. Apparently, not everybody did.

[Smarmie Doofus]

36. And not everyone *will*; that's the point. nt

[boppers]

56. Racists and flag worshippers were looking for an excuse.

It's not a matter of "what happens", they'll find it somewhere.

I'm glad it came from the mouth of somebody so educated, with so much on the public record, that it could move national dialog forward.

[cliffordu]

91. Yeah, so what? I could care less what they misunderstand.

[Smarmie Doofus]

99. Wouldn't it be nice to *win* a national election for a change? nt

[cliffordu]

105. Yeah, it would. The fear around this issue is bullshit.

[Smarmie Doofus]

33. Worried also.

He handled the whole thing badly. His explanations make no sense. His embracing of Wright one week and then abruptly dropping him the next reflects badly on Obama.

If Clinton weren't so detestable I'd be tempted to switch allegiances but I prefer Obama even with the Wright fiasco hanging over him to the alternative.

[sellitman]

41. Thanks for the honest answer.

Having to defend myself from fellow Obama supporters here was beginning to wear thin.

[Smarmie Doofus]

46. Bunker mentality+ wishful thinking. Not a great sign. nt

[uponit7771]

35. 30 year career and only 5 clips = 20 years of Wright saying stupid stuff? Are you kidding?

[Skittles]

45. his recent rantings negate that argument n/t

[dave29]

37. how long was Bill Clinton with THAT woman?

I forget

[Seeker30]

64. When in doubt mention Clintons penis.

[hell-bent]

82. Yes, because that's what excites them!

Ha,ha,ha,ha,,:>)

[Deja Q]

70. He'll say 30 minutes. She'll say 30 seconds. Who cares?

I think there are other issues to discuss, though in politics a person's personal life is invariably brought to the table along with all else. Doesn't seem utterly unfair on the face of it, and a worthy politician would address any issues confronted head-on. And not "head-on" like how Monica had. :blush:

[chascarrillo]

74. No. The question is how long Hillary was with THAT serial philanderer. Someone...

Someone who repeatedly cheated on her while she was trying to raise a child.

How many years? More than twenty, that's for sure.

[PurityOfEssence]

97. As Lenny Bruce would say:

You sound like you're a "card-carrying member of the great legion of the unlaid."

It's common; many seem to be jealous of Bill 'cuz he has sex. Just as obviously, they hate Hillary because she's capable of loving, an act that often causes one to accept and forgive.

Truly, those who retort against some criticized action of Mr. Obama with a juvenile recanting of Bill Clinton's infidelity haven't a scrap of morality. Hillary got dragged through the mud and had her pride and feelings trampled by hoards of unfeeling parasites; she was the victim in this, and to counter an attack against Obama with this is just plain mean.

A parallel retort would be if someone criticized Hillary for something similar and a Clinton supporter said "too bad your dad walked out on you and died so young" to Obama.

Get it? It's mean. Mean mean mean.

[panader0]

39. If you listened to his sermon for one hour, every week (52)

That would be 43.3 days, not 20 years. Math!

[sellitman]

43. Smart

Ass.

Snarky reply.

If you want to reply try replying with thought next time.

[JVS]

47. a one hour sermon would be longer than ordinary

[DearAbby]

40. This issue is so Important....

to the war in Iraq
to the economy
to the falling value of the dollar
to the enormous debt...on and on.
The real issues we face as a nation.

I can only speak for myself, but the Wright (manufactured)issue means very little to me. I guess you have to decide for yourself what is really important. You asked for my thougts, I gave them. This is a non issue, a wedge issue.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

48. It will an "issue" only for those who wouldn't vote for him anyway.

Of equal importance as "flag-pin-gate" and "60's-radical-gate".

[depakid]

50. The tabloid orgy over this will get old

and the effect will dull as the GE rolls around.

[BlooInBloo]

51. Your sincere, sincere concern is noted.

[July]

52. I am honestly not worried.

My mother has spent 70+ years with the Catholic church, while disagreeing with them on abortion, pedophiles, and women priests.

So, no, I'm not worried.

[maxsolomon]

54. what crap?

that 9/11 was blowback? that isn't crap. it was.

farrakhan is an important voice in the black community? he is. he's a rascist, but he is an important voice.

the government created AIDS? that's a little wacky, but who does it harm? the vaunted white blue collar voter? i don't see how.

news flash to the scared white voter: BHO isn't a Black Panther. hell, he's more european-american than he is african-american. his dad is AFRICAN.

[barack the house]

55. Democrats are always up against it. It's nothing new. All we have to do is keep enthusiastic and

inventive.

[jeffrey_X]

58. 1992? that's 16 years in my book. BTW...do you have the transcript for all of his speeches?

thanks in advance.

[Jed Dilligan]

60. Oh. Give. It. A. Rest.

please?

You know you can bore the public out of thinking a scandal is scandalous, don't you?

[Goodnevil]

62. Anything still brought up about Wright

can be countered against McCain's Hagee.

Let's try not to cut eachothers' throats please...we're all democrats and the party really very much HAS to win in November. Perhaps each candidate can spend time improving upon one another's ideas rather than tearing eachother down.

I know, it's politics...

Another failure could very well spell the end of the party and perhaps the who liberal way of life and perspective in this country.

Might not be a good idea to give the Republicans any more ammunition than they already have...strategically speaking.

[ericgtr]

63. Very original question that hasn't been answered thousands of times

if none of those reasons are good enough for you then none will be.

[benddem]

65. do you know

that the preacher was spewing that kind of crap for 20 years? And some of us think the Preacher was right. Most of the crap you heard was sound bites taken out of context. Give it up!!!!

[Madam Mossfern]

68. Oh puh...leeeze

not that again!

I think this may deserve a squirreley.

[cstanleytech]

69. The whole preacher issue is so not an issue for me.

I voted for Edwards so as far as Obama vs Hillary I am having a hard time deciding which to support.
I like Obama on some of the issues but I like hillary as well and I think they both could do a better job than McCain or the current idiot in office right now and like I said the preacher thing is mainly being blown up by the hot air bags on the far right mainly because they "want" to keep egging both Hillary and Obama to weaken each other, I just hope Hillary and Obama wake up and see it before its to late and McCain wins.

[Warren Stupidity]

73. Pastorbation leads to blindness.

And by the way, it is simply scary black man racism. Please stop with the racist bullshit.

[Bensthename]

76. I spent 20 years in church to before I realized they were lying too.

[PM7nj]

79. Did he go to church for Rev Wright?? No...

he went to worship God, not the pastor. He "sat there for 20 years" because of the good work that church does and the community.

[Hepburn]

83. And Hilly has been married to a cheating hubbie how long?

What does THAT kind of role model say to other women?

[datopbanana]

85. I spent 20 years as a dumbass teenager.

[Mezzo]

89. He entitled one of his books after wright's sermon...but didn't really know him all that well. nt

[cliffordu]

95. There were THREE services a day on Sundays.

Did the WRIGHT preach EVERY one??

I just love the way the racists and the haters come out and act like they understand what went on in that church.

Wright served 6 years in the fucking marines. Ask anyone who has served with them if THEY learned to swear like that.

Oh, yeah. If you hate Obama for what Wright said: God damn YOUR America -

(I'm not talking to you, sellitman)

[Dark]

98. Simple. If a rightwinger starts that shit, just fuck with them.

(RW): Osama, I mean, Obama, had a crazy racist pastor at his church!

(Me): Really? At his church?

RW: Yea!

Me: But you were saying just a month ago that he was a muslim.

RW: Huh?

Me: Remember? There was that e-mail going around, you forwarded it to me, saying he was trained at a Madrassa in Indonesia?

RW: Oh, yeah. But he's anti-white!

Me: Wait, so you were wrong about his religion before, and I was right. You said Bush was a great president for 7 years, and I said he was a dipshit who would have been a dumpster diver without pappy. I was right. But you expect me to believe that you're correct this time?

[Umbram]

100. Search all the threads that have been on the EXACT same topic with the same concern

and see what everyone thought in those.

[sfam]

102. It would help if you posted some clips of this preacher if there are any...

Did he say anything bad? Don't know that this has been covered much before. Thanks so much for doing your civic duty and bringing this guy to our attention...

[GoldieAZ49]

103. Obama knew exactly what his preacher was long ago, he just tried to hide it

No f'ing way will he ever be POTUS even if he does skate by the SD's

[Orsino]

108. I think you're mistaking the MSM's handful of preferred sound bites...

...for the twenty years of sermons preached during Obama's years in the congregation. I don't expect him to have attended every one, to have agreed with every word, or even to have been awake for all of the gotchas so beloved of his political opponents. I don't necessarily believe any candidate who speaks of how important his faith/congregation/pastor is, and if I did, well, Obama's chruch-going doesn't seem to have turned him into a Scary Black Revolutionary out to destroy America.

I found that I agreed with most of what I've heard from Wright in context, and was only disappointed in Obama when he let the MSM talk him into disowning Wright. I can understand even that, however, after Wright's most recent attempts at ethnic humor.

But thank you for your concern.

[niyad]

109. I don't have any problem with what rev wright has been preaching my problem is with

peter barack obama, who would have us believe that he didn't know what wright has been preaching in all the years he has been a member of the church. no, my problem is with obama, not wright. once again, he is disavowing parts of himself. will there be anything left of him soon?

[Vinca]

110. Hillary has spent 20 years with Bill.

Do you think the Republicans will conveniently forget the Lewinsky affair if she's the nominee? Their whole campaign will be keeping Bill out of the White House. Both candidates have baggage. Most candidates would have something, unless you located a "bubble boy". . . or girl.

[yardwork]

111. Thank you for your concern. My advice is to tell the racists to shove it.

If a person is really worried about the things that Reverend Wright said, then they're probably racists. They're little cry-baby whiners who will be afraid to vote for Obama or any Democrat in the fall. They're already planning to vote for McCain because the thought of anybody but a white man in office just scares them too much.

I recommend not wasting your time with them. You might suggest that they buck up, stop being such a coward, and get a grip. That just might shame them into rethinking their puny little stance on things. Or not. In any case, you won't have to waste your time and expose yourself to such shameful quivering cowardliness.

[B Calm]

112. How many Catholics are in the same boat?

[jeffrey_X]

114. PLEASE READ THIS!!!

Yes, it is from Fox News, but it's one of the best damn things I've read in the past 3 weeks.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,354203,00.html

Radley Balko: We Aren't 'Over' Race

Monday , May 05, 2008
By Radley Balko
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I spent an afternoon last week at the American Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. The museum is built around the Lorraine Motel, where just outside room 306, Martin Luther King was assassinated 40 years ago.

It's an emotionally draining experience.

The museum begins with a look at slavery in America, starting with the first importation of slaves in the 1600s, then continuing up through the Civil War and the period of reconstruction in the south. The institution of slavery is of course an abomination. And though parts of America's founding on the principles of equality before the law will always be tainted by our early reliance upon the forced labor of other human beings, there's nothing uniquely shameful about slavery's role in early America that couldn't also be said about its presence in other parts of the world, and throughout most of human history.

<snip>

It's when the museum gets into the 20th century and the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s that it begins to get especially emotionally taxing. You pass by wrenching photographs, grainy video, and firsthand accounts of lynchings, bombings of black churches, and slayings of civil rights workers.

<snip>

I can't begrudge black Americans if for three hours on Sunday they want to indulge in a bit of righteous indignation within the walls of their places of worship. Even if that indignation sometimes expresses itself in hateful or nutty ways, or in ways I'll never quite understand.

[Carrieyazel]

116. It will come and go. But this will continue to hurt him overall.

[Carrieyazel]

117. Oprah got out when she sensed trouble and got uncomfortable

with much of his sermon. Why didn't Barack? This will continue to haunt him.

[jeffrey_X]

120. Thanks Sean.

Keep up the great work.

[EFerrari]

118. Have you gotten a load of what McCain and Clinton's current preachers

are preaching?

lol

[Freddie Stubbs]

122. He needed a large chruch to build a political base in Chicago

Obama can't come out and say that unfortunately.

[Overseas]

123. Ever heard of Freedom of Speech ? Freedom of Association?

Ever listened to the full speeches? Ever enjoyed talks you didn't agree with 100%? Check out Michael Moore on Larry King April 30. He expressed my feelings well. After Obama is our nominee, only the right wing wackos will be pushing the issue. They are known kooks. Far less significant than Democrats we are supposed to admire stooping to such pathetic guilt-by-association slander.

[Terran]

125. Oh good god. YAWN.

I try not to yawn at people's posts, but this so, like, two months ago. Give it a rest. And I don't believe you talked to any "x Obama" supporter who left over Wright. Didn't happen.

[gauguin57]

126. I'm just gonna mention Hillary's membership in the (creepy!) Fellowship organization

Just gonna mention it.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/09/hillarys-prayer.html

"For 15 years, Hillary Clinton has been part of a secretive religious group that seeks to bring Jesus back to Capitol Hill. Is she triangulating—or living her faith? ..."

"... Through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the Fellowship. Her collaborations with right-wingers such as Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) grow in part from that connection. ..."

"... Clinton's prayer group was part of the Fellowship (or "the Family"), a network of sex-segregated cells of political, business, and military leaders dedicated to "spiritual war" on behalf of Christ, many of them recruited at the Fellowship's only public event, the annual National Prayer Breakfast. (Aside from the breakfast, the group has "made a fetish of being invisible," former Republican Senator William Armstrong has said.) The Fellowship believes that the elite win power by the will of God, who uses them for his purposes. Its mission is to help the powerful understand their role in God's plan...."

[oasis]

127. Wright's preachings have certainly affected Michelle's psyche. Her anger

most likely, has been cultivated by Rev. Wright.