The Reverend Wright homilies were very disturbing, no question.
I thought Barack Obama's speech, which finished just minutes ago, was brilliant, nuanced, healing and shows him to be incredibly worthy as a candidate. I hope America is interested enough in progress to embrace this man. We would be lucky, very lucky, to have him as a president. If you didn't see the speech, please seek it out.
His speech was brave, and touched on the minister and race in general with real wisdom, and hope for healing. He condemned the minister's words again; but he explained what he valued in him, and you have to be rigid and unbending not to understand what he said (and which he compared to his white grandmother, whom he loves greatly, but who sometimes has made racially divisive comments). He spoke of whites with racial resentments with empathy, and kept moving on to the need to find progress for all. (And his anti-corporation thoughts are pretty relevant, I'd say, right now? Are you sick of having your money disappear in value due to banks and financial houses using the money they invest as insane, addictive gambling adventures; and when the games then blow up in all our faces, the people who did the unwise gambling for short term profits then get 100 million dollar "parachutes"? Are we sick of that yet?)
I'm sorry -- I don't often get moved and inspired listening to a speaker. I think Barack Obama is brilliant, and he is a genuine healer. If we don't take our chances with him, we are doomed to more of this endless, idiot, non-constructive bickering deadlock that passes for governance in our stuck, stalled political landscape.
Can't write more. Off to the bus for my teaching job. I am grateful to have a job. (And I can't leave it if I want to keep my health insurance, can I?)
Bravo to the senator from Illinois.
Also he turned the Rev. Wright issue which is primarily an issue of judgment into one primarily of race - crafty.
I was not supporting him initially but now I do as he is not an idealist naive politician I thought him to be but a seasoned one ready to handle the complex issues that Bush will leave behind.
Even John McCain has more integrity than the Clintons; at least McCain believes his own bullshit; the Clintons are laughing all the way to the nomination, knowing full well that their systematic manipulation of the dumb masses may pay off after all. The Clintons are no champions of th working-class; they just know how to talk the talk; it's not Obama's talk you should be suspicious of, it's the Clintons talk you need to question.
I am an American but naturalized not born here. My ancestors were enslaved too, I don't hear them whining about it. Get over it already.
Will be a cold day in Hedes before I vote for this man, I think this is big trouble in the making and then once again we will be crying in our milk. And yes anyone who is a friend of Farrakhan in not a friend of mine..
It has one generation since the civil rights movement, and people's attitude are not going to change. In fact, it may take longer. Saving get over it already is easier said then done, and very insensitive. How would like for someone tell you to get over the death of a parent or child? When you think of from that perspective, it is a horrible thing to say to someone. I think race was always used by the powers that be to cause separation between the masses so that people could not come together with common goals. It was used in the industrial revolution when white workers wanted reasonable working conditions and decent wages. When the workers walked off the jobs, the owners got Asians and blacks to fill the jobs at much lower wages causing a riff. It is human nature to blame a group than placing the blame on the company which caused the problem, but it easy to fight what you see before you, then something invisible. Just something to think about.
As a white woman of european ancestry I was not at all offended by Wright's remarks, although I don't agree with eveything he said, and yes his angry delivery was vile and over the top. Perhaps I'm not offended because I don't feel guilty, but I can still empathize. If you're offended you obviously you obviously feel guilty. Most people go to church and remain in their church because of 'community', in spite of their pastor. The pope and the catholic beliefs have caused more damage in the world, than any religion I can think of. Millions of people have been discouraged from using birth control because of catholic beliefs. As a results thousands of unwanted pregnancies, over-population, poverty, AIDS. Wright, who is an ex-marine, accomplished so much good for his community., ...he should be judged by his actions.
"Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough."
After 7 long years of organized incompetence and outright lies, America is ready for a leader with this level of intelligence and vision and depth of spirit.
Thank you Mr. Durang. Thank you Seantor Obama.
peace.
Of course I'm aware that IS BY DESIGN....KEEP THEM IGNORANT AND DUMB (fox, cnn etc...)and they will agree with everything you tell them and run to their DOOM. Like sheep!
It is happennig.....The Administration has succeedeed to fool most of us still....It is almost too late to turn around....Clinton is part of that picture.
OBAMA at this point is the only one who can MAYBE help us turn around, we hire McCAIN or CLINTON and WE ARE DOOMED!!!!!
PLEASE PEOPLE WAKE UP NOW!
And yet, when he talks about Iraq, he doesn't talk about shared vision. He doesn't talk about Iraqis desiring the same freedom and pursuit of happiness as we do. He ostracizes them. He distances them. He puts them into a neat little package, and blames them for all their woes.
He doesn't offer them hope. He says that they and they alone can solve their problems. He says that our government has no role. He says that our presence is a crutch, preventing them from progressing. He says that the Iraqis must be abandoned so that they can rise to the task.
How does this fit in with his vision for the future? Why doesn't he see reverse racism by the government as a crutch? Why doesn't he demand that we abandon such policies and force the black community to rise to the task? Why doesn't he say that blacks alone can solve problems in their own communities, their own families, and their own culture?
There's a major, major disconnect. If racism devastated the black community, then didn't the war in Iraq devastate the Iraqis? If the black community requires understanding and assistance and compassion, don't the Iraqis require the same?
Obama talks a lot about shared vision and the inherent humanity within each of us, but when it comes to Iraq, he blatantly refuses to be his brother's keeper. He blatantly refuses to accept responsibility for our role in the situation.
Would someone please explain this to me?
As is Afghanistan. And yet, Obama says we MUST assist Afghanis in their fledgling democracy.
Isn't it convenient how Obama's inspiring, unifying, humanizing rhetoric can so easily be dismissed when it becomes politically inconvenient for him?
I would speculate that Iran being the next target under the "Nuclear Boogeyman" clause will go much the same....I digress, the way we we invaded Iraq, and the way we continue to play guerilla games with the opposition there has no bearing on what we as United States Citizens have to do to come to terms with our own racial issues. Our brothers/sisters keeper is relevant to policing our own society, not to enforce freedom/democracy on nations with their own cultural history using an iron fist.
One of the points I took from Obama's speech was: You, and you alone are responsible for your successes or failures, and while we all have a common goal to prosper, be happy, and live peacefully....ultimately there is no "man" holding anyone down from achieving these things, so quit looking for someone to blame, and keep your eyes on the prize.
Citation, please?
"The black people ought to wake up and vote for my husband"
The anti-Obama attacks and are already getting extreme, and it’s still six months before the November election. We’ve been bombarded with discussions about Sen. Obama’s pastor’s words and what it might mean about Obama’s integrity or judgment. Jeremiah Wright, pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ, said, “God Damn America.” How shocking! I gotta tell you, I’m more scared about the opposition’s tactics (they must have spent a lot of time weeding through old sermons to dig up this stuff) then the words an African American pastor uses to express his outrage at our country’s often misguided policies.
So, what about the D word and what does it mean to criticize America? The word damn is partially defined as “to doom to eternal punishment or condemn to hell”, but that’s not what it means to everyone. I've said damn plenty of times in my life, and I sure didn't mean it in the biblical sense. When I say damn, in my very own secular way, it means I'm mad or frustrated at whatever comes after it ("The damn car won't start," "The damn dog stole a burger," or "The damn President won't admit global warming exists or that the economy is in the crapper.") See, it’s not the word that’s so bad, it’s the situation.
What about Obama’s “association” with someone who would say stuff like this? Hell (whoops, I mean Heck) he already vehemently condemned all the statements that are the subject of controversy. He said the statements directly contradict his profound love for this country. What more do people want?
This kind of attack is to be expected. Americans are getting inspired by the possibility of taking back our government, mitigating the damage done by our out-of-control President, and restoring control over our economy. Big business, the GOP and theocratic institutions recognize the swell of public revolt and are running scared. America has done some wonderful things in this world, but our government has also done things I’m ashamed of, including propping up terroristic leaders in other countries, killing innocent civilians in Iraq and elsewhere, and spying illegally on our own citizens. It’s not a case of America Right or Wrong. We can love our country without being blind to its failings. In fact, criticizing our country’s mistakes is our duty as citizens, especially when the government makes them in our name (and with our tax money). That might include stopping the Bush giveaways to the ultra rich, ending the war in Iraq while still helping their fledgling government, and supporting our struggling middle class and our economy. It might even mean holding Fox “News” accountable to the public it supposedly serves. Obama’s candidacy for Presidents represents those possibilities for many of us.
So what if Pastor Wright said God Damn America. I’d prefer to keep it in context with the many other things he has said. Maybe in the process of talking about mistakes America made he felt so frustrated he couldn’t think of a more rational way to express himself. Maybe he deliberately chose those words to get a rise out of the audience, or to inspire them to take action to make our country better. Lord knows, many sermons leave listeners snoozing. Were those two seconds picked out of hours and hours of sermons where he says uplifting, peaceful, inspiring words? Is Pastor Wright a good person who does good work in the world but who gets frustrated now and then because he’s working with downtrodden people? One thing’s for sure, sound bites don’t give you the whole story.
No matter what the context was for the pastor’s statements, Barack Obama is not responsible for what someone else says. But you can see just how scared the opposition is when they sift through his pastor’s sermons for the past twenty years to get a couple of potentially damaging sound bites. Trust me, that kind of digging for dirt and out-of-context finger pointing is what makes people like me fight all the harder for change.
This isn’t about Obama, it’s about the rest of us reclaiming our government. So here are a few more words for you: YES WE DAMN WELL CAN!
If he disagreed with the minister, speaking up during his 20-yr relationship with the church would have been brave.
To sit in a pew and hear hateful speech directed at vulnerable, impressionable minds, but yet fail to stand up and speak out against those harmful words is to fail in leadership.
Even a person who is less than presidential material, should be moved to step up in such a situation.
But to sit quietly for 20 years, and to fail to speak out vehemently shows cowardice, not courage.
If ever there was an opportunity to try and implement "change" his church was a shining example. As a member for twenty years, he should have spoken out. His failure to do so shows that he either agreed with the hateful words, or he is not equipped with the character to be a leader.
We didn't see the whole sermon, don't know where Rev. Wright started, don't know where he ended, but I believe he spoke out of pain. If you love America, you are furious when America fails to live up to its ideals and promise. While we're here, we're the keepers of the flame. If you're a Christian believing we should love our neighbors and treat others as we wish to be treated, you feel wild pain when we don't. Rev. Wright reminded me of my father, who had fits when we did wrong. He shamed us into doing better.
One thing I would take away from Obama's speech today is tremendous reassurance and confidence, no matter who I am or what side of an issue I might take. That's because Obama considers all sides. He listens respectfully to all ideas, is curious and fair. The one thing he does not tolerate is personal attacks.
Words are more effective than guns. The First Amendment is of the utmost importance as opposed to some candy words. It matters that we say and hear. Everybody.
Pretty much that's what's missing in America's "national security." Our bombs and Gitmos and dungeons are measures of our national insecurity, which is what you get when you can't be respectful, can't be fair, can't be real, can't HEAR another person, another country, another viewpoint.
What a weight fell off today. We can be real again. We can be Americans again. We can be fellow humans again. Joy!
Exposing the thoughts of Obama's "Spiritual Advisor" is not a personal attack. It is telling you something about what Obama thinks. We, as voters, need to know about the whole man or woman asking for our votes. We, as voters, have an obligation to know what we are voting for.
I am a registered Democrat. As a White Jewish male, I will not vote for Obama. His spiritual advisor thinks I am the enemy. By having a 20 year association with a man who hates me, why on earth should I think that Obama is for me? why should I even take the risk? Obama, the miracle man is a miracle man only until you dig deeper and find out what he really thinks.
But tonight, I see the Fox media pundits still trying to marginalize Obama. I hope America is intelligent enough to discuss the issues and move forward with the best candidate for our collective future. If not, we will deserve what we get with a McCain or Clinton. Empty promises while they work for lobbyists and not the dummies who elected them. And why should they?