Rudy Giuliani's priest has been accused in grand jury proceedings of molesting several children and covering up the molestation of others. Giuliani would not disavow him on the campaign trail and still works with him.
Mitt Romney was part of a church that did not view black Americans as equals and actively discriminated against them. He stayed with that church all the way into his early thirties, until they were finally forced to change their policies to come into compliance with civil rights legislation. Romney never disavowed his church back then or now. He said he was proud of the faith of his fathers.
Jerry Falwell said America had 9/11 coming because we tolerated gays, feminists and liberals. It was our fault. Our chickens had come home to roost, if you will. John McCain proudly received his support and even spoke at his university's commencement.
Reverend John Hagee has called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore." He has said that the Anti-Christ will rise out of the European Union (of course, the Anti-Christ will also be Jewish). He has said all Muslims are trained to kill and will be part of the devil's army when Armageddon comes (which he hopes is soon). John McCain continues to say he is proud of Reverend Hagee's endorsement.
Reverend Rod Parsley believes America was founded to destroy Islam. Since this is such an outlandish claim, I have to add for the record, that he is not kidding. Reverend Parsley says Islam is an "anti-Christ religion" brought down from a "demon spirit." Of course, we are in a war against all Muslims, including presumably Muslim-Americans. Buts since Parsley believes this is a Christian nation and that it should be run as a theocracy, he is not very concerned what Muslim-Americans think.
John McCain says Reverend Rod Parsley is his "spiritual guide."
What separates all of these outrageous preachers from Barack Obama's? You guessed it. They're white and Reverend Jeremiah Wright is not. If it's not racism that's causing the disparity in media treatment of these preachers, then what is it?
I'm willing to listen to other possible explanations. And I am inclined to believe that the people these preachers go after are more important than the race of the preacher. It's one thing to go after gays, liberals and Muslims -- that seems to be perfectly acceptable in America -- it's another to accuse white folks of not living up to their ideals.
I think there is another factor at play as well. The media is deathly afraid of calling out preachers of any stripe for insane propaganda from the pulpits for fear that they will be labeled as anti-Christian. But criticism of Rev. Wright falls into their comfort zone. It's easy to blame him for being anti-American because he criticizes American foreign and domestic policy.
If Rev. Wright had preached about discriminating against gay Americans or Muslims, there probably would not have been any outcry at all. That falls into the category of "respect their hateful opinions because they cloak themselves in the church."
But one thing is indisputable -- the enormous disparity in how the media has covered these white preachers as opposed to Rev. Wright. Have you ever even heard of Rod Parsley? As you can see from what I listed above, all of these white preachers have said and done the most outlandish and offensive things you can imagine -- and hardly a peep.
If the disparity in coverage isn't racist, then what is it?
Read more HuffPost coverage and reaction to Obama's speech
Follow Cenk Uygur on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks
Wright was QUOTING Ambassador Peck - explaining that even a white man on Fox News was expresssing what Malcolm X had once said....that America's chickens were coming home to roost.
Wright was listing FACTS about places and countries we've attacked without batting an eye.
I can't imagine anyone would think it odd to be sitting around a dinner table discussing all the violence and war that we've been a part of, and expressing the desire for it to STOP!
Why was it so wrong for Reverend Wright to passionately express such beliefs?
As far as the AIDS comments....all I can say is that as a 35 year old white woman, I had never heard of the syphillis experiments in Tuskegee. If I HAD, and if I had lived my life as a black person who loved my country but couldn't understand why my country never loved me back, I just might be a firm believer in some of these AIDS conspiracy theories!
These white preachers, from what I saw quoted above, preach intolerance for groups they seek to keep oppressed. Hate speech toward the minority - and nope, nobody flinches!
Racism.
"Our Time for Change Has Come."
I like the way Keith Boykin thinks!
I want to apologize for the way African Americans have been treated over the centuries; it has been horrific!
One problem, I am very "Pro-Life" from before conception to the grave and I want innocent people freed from "Death Row!"
Psalms 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
Psalms 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Psalms 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Psalms 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. (KJV)
Have a wonderful day in the Lord!
ceseeley
I am fascinated with the rightwingnuts and syblillary supporters who regurgitate the media biased news stories with USING THE TIME TO READ THE REAL STORY FOR THEMSELVES.
I will never follow blindly the media again after this. No wonder Americans stay lazy, ignorant, stagnant. This faux righteousness is nauseating.
i listened to hannity one day who spouts the same mindless dribble to his fans about wright went with Farrakhan to Libya. Yet leaves out the important fact that he was also accompanied by jesse jackson as a peace mission to save a UNITED STATES PILOT.
yet..... *sigh* people hate wright
http://OsiSpeaks.com
After 911.. all that has happend is greedy corporations have taken over our military infrastructure and we have destroyed iraq and now want to go after iran. anyone criticizing it is called unpatriotic...
If God were to look at us as a country and speak to us.. I am not sure what better praise he would give us than then one we heard from Reverend Wright. After all God is not patriotic or american.
We all complain about Red China, when they put their own "Dali Lama," into Buddhist tradition, but when you have to complain about War on moral grounds, you have a "Tax Free," license that is in jeopardy. Consequently preachers go overboard, teaching some government line. These are big problems, the putative invasion of government into religion. The only free religion nowadays is reading in your own home the books of your choosing. Even that can be attacked when you peaceably assemble, through misplaced zoning laws. When our country does not even make an attempt to return to free speaking conscience, it dooms itself to apathy to not only spiritual reality, but material reality itself.
You see free speaking is about change without having to have a Presidential candidate or a preacher to lean upon, when silence due to fear makes narrow and parochial the due course of nations. At least FDR despite his short comings had a clear vision of his four freedoms, something almost everyone in government seems to forget or treat with disdain.
We all complain about Red China, when they put their own "Dali Lama," into Buddhist tradition, but when you have to complain about War on moral grounds, you have a "Tax Free," license that is in jeopardy. Consequently preachers go overboard, teaching some government line. These are big problems, the putative invasion of government into religion. The only free religion nowadays is reading in your own home the books of your choosing. Even that can be attacked when you peaceably assemble, through misplace zoning laws. When our country does not even make an attempt to return to free speaking conscience, it dooms itself to apathy to not only spiritual reality, but material reality itself.
You see free speaking is about change without having to have a Presidential candidate or a preacher to lean upon, when silence due to fear makes narrow and parochial the due course of nations. At least FDR despite his short comings had a clear vision of his four freedoms, something almost everyone in government seems to forget or treat with disdain.
A million iraqs are dead due to Bush's war and millions displaced. Our president listens to God. Pat Robertson openly called for Chavez's assasination.
I am not a Barack Obama supporter- I have not seen much details on his 'Change' to really believe him. But this thing about the media going after his preacher and calling him an America Hater is incorrect. Go back and watch the Katrina footage and watch his preaching and you will see that there is plenty wrong in America.
Certain members of the human race have evolved far enough to be considered civilized, not being driven by hatred or malice for their fellow humankind, the opposite being true!
Racism and bigotry is like being mentally ill, many such people don't even realise they are racist or bigoted, and when told they are, they kick their heels up, being offended and in denial!
Racism and bigotry is almost instutionalised all over the world, and like all forms of hatred, it destroys!
It is destroying America, dividing and fragmenting the people, a house divided against itself, cannot stand!