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Posted By:
Omega/Alpha/Eyes at 10/10/2008 12:59:54 PM
Comment:
While these things are all true, something that still goes on unrecognized and never mentioned by any so called saved peoples in this country is that scripturally speaking, Democracy is called Laodiceanism in old world terminology. Lao = laity = the common peoples or overall comunity. Dicean = judges or deciders. This supposed laodicean or democratic society is actually run by the same old plutarchy of wealthy corrupt peoples who earlier in history replaced the spiritual Yisraelistes in Yisrael with those ruling that nation now. The True Yahudites from Ethiopia do not rule or run the nation known as Israel today, they are only residents held there. Yahweh's planet is still being run by Nicholaitism which means that (Nicos = destroyers = laity= the common people) corrupt plutarchs are destroying the attempts that the common people make to right the direction the nations are going towards. When reverend Jeremiah made the statements that he did, like Jeremiah of the Olden times he was speaking truths that through use of the Plutarchy's media, were stopped. If we of this Laodicean era don't find ways to do like Yahweh's servant, John The baptist(Yohannan) telling even kings when they have no right to things that are forbidden, then when Yahweh sends the final destroying hurricanes or earthquakes or other planetary destroying systems, we will have no rights to say that we were not warned or that these things are not what we deserved. Lastly, while nicholaitaneosity has supplanted many who would direct the course of todays churches, the lukewarm tendencies of sooo many congregations is in league with the materialist Plutarchy and so here's to the (saint)Nicholaitanists of this planet, be warned! Your planet's true Owner and Ruler is about to upset many of you! All Praises to Yahweh, The Sender and Teacher of Yahshu'a and those who follow orders from heaven.
OmegaToBe@aol.com -
Posted By:
juliea at 03/25/2008 8:41:52 AM
Comment:
Thanks for writing this analysis. As an Obama supporter, it is commendable that you have tried to be objective about the speech - although I agree that the speech was a good attempt. Frankly, after listening to the actual speeches from which the clips were taken, I was appauled by the way the press has used these cuts to try to damage Rev. Wright's reputation. I wonder why more of the pastors who understand black liberation theology didn't come out more forcefully in defending Rev. Wright. Two person's whom I thought did justice to the subject were Colbert King in the Washingtonpost, and Tim Wise, on his webpage - who is white by the way.-
Posted By:
Omega/Alpha/Eyes at 10/10/2008 1:27:50 PM
Comment:
Posted By:
Omega/Alpha/Eyes at 10/10/2008 12:59:54 PM
Comment:
While these things are all true, something that still goes on unrecognized and never mentioned by any so called saved peoples in this country is that scripturally speaking, Democracy is called Laodiceanism in old world terminology. Lao = laity = the common peoples or overall comunity. Dicean = judges or deciders. This supposed laodicean or democratic society is actually run by the same old plutarchy of wealthy corrupt peoples who earlier in history replaced the spiritual Yisraelistes in Yisrael with those ruling that nation now. The True Yahudites from Ethiopia do not rule or run the nation known as Israel today, they are only residents held there. Yahweh's planet is still being run by Nicholaitism which means that (Nicos = destroyers = laity= the common people) corrupt plutarchs are destroying the attempts that the common people make to right the direction the nations are going towards. When reverend Jeremiah made the statements that he did, like Jeremiah of the Olden times he was speaking truths that through use of the Plutarchy's media, were stopped. If we of this Laodicean era don't find ways to do like Yahweh's servant, John The baptist(Yohannan) telling even kings when they have no right to things that are forbidden, then when Yahweh sends the final destroying hurricanes or earthquakes or other planetary destroying systems, we will have no rights to say that we were not warned or that these things are not what we deserved. Lastly, while nicholaitaneosity has supplanted many who would direct the course of todays churches, the lukewarm tendencies of sooo many congregations is in league with the materialist Plutarchy and so here's to the (saint)Nicholaitanists of this planet, be warned! Your planet's true Owner and Ruler is about to upset many of you! All Praises to Yahweh, The Sender and Teacher of Yahshu'a and those who follow orders from heaven.
OmegaToBe@aol.com
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Posted By:
Genna at 03/25/2008 12:18:58 AM
Comment:
I thought he was like a balmto my weary soul when I visited there over 2 years. It was hard not to be impressed with the organization of this church. I liked how straightforward he was.
Until I heard him preach, I never knew a pastor could say what was in his heart in such a direct manner. I don't like the way Wright has been characterized in the media.
I also think the different ministers who have been on tv have been disingenuous in saying that they have never attended a church where pastors say things like Wright. Maybe other preachers would not use curse words in the pulpit or describe exactly what goes on in the community but they do touch upon the objections we have as a people.-
Posted By:
Omega/Alpha/Eyes at 10/10/2008 1:28:59 PM
Comment:
Enter Your CommentPosted By:
Omega/Alpha/Eyes at 10/10/2008 12:59:54 PM
Comment:
While these things are all true, something that still goes on unrecognized and never mentioned by any so called saved peoples in this country is that scripturally speaking, Democracy is called Laodiceanism in old world terminology. Lao = laity = the common peoples or overall comunity. Dicean = judges or deciders. This supposed laodicean or democratic society is actually run by the same old plutarchy of wealthy corrupt peoples who earlier in history replaced the spiritual Yisraelistes in Yisrael with those ruling that nation now. The True Yahudites from Ethiopia do not rule or run the nation known as Israel today, they are only residents held there. Yahweh's planet is still being run by Nicholaitism which means that (Nicos = destroyers = laity= the common people) corrupt plutarchs are destroying the attempts that the common people make to right the direction the nations are going towards. When reverend Jeremiah made the statements that he did, like Jeremiah of the Olden times he was speaking truths that through use of the Plutarchy's media, were stopped. If we of this Laodicean era don't find ways to do like Yahweh's servant, John The baptist(Yohannan) telling even kings when they have no right to things that are forbidden, then when Yahweh sends the final destroying hurricanes or earthquakes or other planetary destroying systems, we will have no rights to say that we were not warned or that these things are not what we deserved. Lastly, while nicholaitaneosity has supplanted many who would direct the course of todays churches, the lukewarm tendencies of sooo many congregations is in league with the materialist Plutarchy and so here's to the (saint)Nicholaitanists of this planet, be warned! Your planet's true Owner and Ruler is about to upset many of you! All Praises to Yahweh, The Sender and Teacher of Yahshu'a and those who follow orders from heaven.
OmegaToBe@aol.com
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Posted By:
jdgent at 03/22/2008 3:44:00 AM
Comment:
what -
Posted By:
Bozzy at 03/21/2008 6:28:57 PM
Comment:
Iwish this could be read by MORE...more in the "white" community and truly hope that perhaps this incident regarding the uproar over Obama's pastor serves to open larger dialogues and sessions where far more honesty is shared. Am "white", AM tired of the divsions, truly do want us to "all get along" and that necessitates respect for one another . I was appalled that so many have FAILED to allow full context of Pastor AWrights comments to be just as "LOOPED" as those brief racous wored segments and NONE have bothered to allow the FULL CONTEXT but just use to create further divisivenss and seeming allow the "innate fears" of each to another to fester and somehow feel "justified". Today there is similar regarding Obama referencing his grandmother as "typical white"...Too many want to take quick OFFENSE but are NOT being honest for he was right, especially for those in his grandmothers generation. Too many want to CLAIM that they resent being lumped in as "typical", but it is truer than many care to admit !!! That is sad, more to the point that is tragic for it will keep us all from moving forward if such is continued or allowed. -
Posted By:
eam at 03/21/2008 11:26:01 AM
Comment:
I don't say this as some sort of defense of my family or 'whiteness' or whatever, but both of my parents are sick to death about what the media is doing to Obama with regard to Rev Wright and how the media is handling it. It has been a long time coming but they are watching the insidious way the MSM - deepens and salts the wounds rather than airs them out. Obama was trying to open it up.
The MSM ( non cable channels) played only the bits of the speech that if taken out of context would give a certain type of white person pause. The right wing cable channels are going to town with full on overt distortion... as to be expected.
This is the kind of treatment that has made me scream at the TV in front of my parents for most of my 40 years....but you know what... Now, they are screaming at the TV! And THAT is a sea change in the way they at least related to race in America....They are willing to listen to Rev Wright's anger and not shy away! They are commenting on the mechnisms by with the MSM is using Rev Wright as a means to take out a viable Black candidate, the first in their lifetimes. This is different.
So maybe, maybe Obama is right - NOT THIS TIME.
Part of me wanted to do a REV WRIGHTS ALL RIGHT petition - but lots of folks said that they wanted to keep the focus on the speech. What I meant by putting that idea out there is I wanted to support the Reverend, a veteran - in his right to say anything he pleases about the strengths of failings of his nation...as that IS his right.
Are 'white' people ready? I would ask - are they ready for 100 years war?
Not me.
And on the question of has Obama just soaked up all the views of Rev Wright - not any more than any of us have soaked up the exact views of our parents....on any topic...How many of you agree with everything you heard at the dinner table growing up?
Don't let the McCain camp or the Hilary camp get away with GOTCHA politics... because I know damn well - Not everything said around John McCain smells sweet. And as for the wife of the 'first Black President' ....I'm sure she has heard distastful things as well from those near and dear.
When oh when will America get real? -
Posted By:
eam at 03/21/2008 11:16:52 AM
Comment:
I don't say this as some sort of defense of my family or 'whiteness' or whatever, but both of my parents are sick to death about what the media is doing to Obama with regard to Rev Wright and how the media is handling it. It has been a long time coming but they are watching the insidious way the MSM - deepens and salts the wounds rather than airs them out. Obama was trying to open it up.
The MSM ( non cable channels) played only the bits of the speech that if taken out of context would give a certain type of white person pause. The right wing cable channels are going to town with full on overt distortion... as to be expected.
This is the kind of treatment that has made me scream at the TV in front of my parents for most of my 40 years....but you know what... Now they are screaming at the TV! And THAT is a sea change in the way they at least related to race in America....
So maybe, maybe Obama is right - NOT THIS TIME.
Part of me wanted to do a REV WRIGHTS ALL RIGHT petition - but lots of folks said that they wanted to keep the focus on the speech. What I meant by putting that idea out there is I wanted to support the Reverend, a veteran - in his right to say anything he pleases about the strengths of failings of his nation...as that IS his right.
Are 'white' people ready? I would ask - are they ready for 100 years war?
Not me.
And on the question of has Obama just soaked up all the views of Rev Wright - not any more than any of us have soaked up the exact views of our parents....on any topic...How many of you agree with everything you heard at the dinner table growing up?
Don't let the McCain camp or the Hilary camp get away with GOTCHA politics... because I know damn well - Not everything said around John McCain smells sweet. And as for the wife of the 'first Black President' ....I'm sure she has heard distastful things as well from those near and dear.
When oh when will America get real? -
Posted By:
eam at 03/21/2008 11:12:16 AM
Comment:
I don't say this as some sort of defense of my family or whiteness or whatever, but both of my parents are sick to death about what the media is doing to Obama with regard to Rev Wright.
The MSM ( non cable channels) played only the bits of the speech that if taken out of context would give a certain type of white person pause. The right wing cable channels are going to town with full on overt distortion... as to be expected.
This is the kind of treatment that has made me scream at the TV in front of my parents....but you know what... Now they are screaming at the TV! And THAT is a sea change in the way they at least related to race in America....
So maybe, maybe Obama is right - NOT THIS TIME.
Part of me wanted to do a REV WRIGHTS ALL RIGHT petition - but lots of folks said that they wanted to keep the focus on the speech. What I meant by putting that idea out there is I wanted to support the Reverend, a veteran - in his right to say anything he pleases about the strengths of failings of his nation...
Are 'white' people ready? I would ask - are they ready for 100 years war?
Not me.
And on the question of has Obama just soaked up all the views of Rev Wright - not any more than any of us have soaked up the exact views of our parents....on any topic...How many of you agree with everything you heard at the dinner table growing up?
Don't let the Mccain camp or the Hilary camp get away with GOTCHA politics... because I know damn well - Not everything said around John McCain smells sweet. And as for the wife of the 'first Black President' ....I'm sure she has heard distastful things as well from those near and dear.
When oh when will America get real. -
Posted By:
thefeministrepublican at 03/21/2008 10:21:00 AM
Comment:
I understand that the black men of Jeremiah Wright's generation's anger at the injustices that they suffered. As a pastor, that makes his job much more real. The bible preaches forgiveness and while I cannot pretend to comprehend what he and his peers encountered, it never looks good for a potential black presidential nominee to attend a church where the pastor says "God damn America." There is just no way around this. History or not. -
Posted By:
winteriors at 03/21/2008 10:19:48 AM
Comment:
Very profound! This is one of the best explanations I have read within the past week. I guess it easier to vilify rather than to have an open intelligent discussion on a topic that has plagued our nation since its conception. -
Posted By:
xy-mann at 03/21/2008 10:05:07 AM
Comment:
It is unfortunate that the historical significance of Sen Obama's speech and genius AND Rev Wright's insight and courage are buried beneath charged emotions because of a presidential contest. At the same time, this contest gave rise to a platform to address a powerful undercurrent that has continued to sweep generations of Americans along a divided rift, often clashing in unresolved emotional outbursts. We've seen it in policing, prisons, corporate America, and even in higher education. We've not seen a revolution that has made significant progress, and a radical perspective puts the issues out front. people should be afraid. People should be uncomfortable. This is serious and urgent business. I am grateful for the courageous leaders like Obama and Wright who have spoken the things most Americans want to to keep hidden in the privacy of their small rhetorical circles. -
Posted By:
DeLarren at 03/21/2008 2:16:26 AM
Comment:
Very powerful story; well written. Thanks for taking the time out to do this. -
Posted By:
onereader at 03/20/2008 12:15:05 PM
Comment:
To compare Wright to Douglass is a real stretch......Douglass was intelligent and far reaching...Wright spews hate and as a preacher(as opposed to politician) who is supposed to be a advocate for and live by the words of the bible he is a failure..For Barack Obama to have sat and listened to this man week after week, month after month, year after year it is most difficult to believe he does not hold the same views. There can be no excuses for Rev. Wright...he is a hater and he was teaching hate. -
Posted By:
jim doug at 03/20/2008 6:17:08 AM
Comment:
good article, but, speaking as a member of the white community, i don't think the majority of white people are ready or willing to confront the lingering effects of slavery and racism. too bad. -
Posted By:
Cat Anderson at 03/20/2008 12:31:56 AM
Comment:
POSTED BY:
The ghost of 'Cat' Anderson on 03/18/2008
I suppose white people are always expected to understand and make perpetual allowances for the black community. Are they also obligated to watch and listen to the antics of Rev. Wright and his parishoners while solemnly nodding our heads in sad agreement? Are they to speak of no progress in civil rights? Are they to brook no thought that the civil war had anything to do with white people fighting and dying by the hundreds of thousands to end slavery? Are they to turn an understanding, if not blind, eye to the frightening, ethno-centric orgy displayed by the congregation during Rev. Wright's sermons? If I wanted to see Mr. Obama snatch defeat from the jaws of victory I would be happy that his real feelings and those of his church were unmasked this week. I am not happy. I had thought most black people were mostly american. -
Posted By:
rawest at 03/19/2008 10:25:02 PM
Comment:
Jeremiah, was on-target! It will never be equal. -
Posted By:
rawest at 03/19/2008 10:22:35 PM
Comment:
The truth will set you free. The Rev was on target. As a Black Man in america, I have experienced the racism and the stops by the police.
Black people will always be seen as black people. -
Posted By:
Swip at 03/19/2008 12:12:01 PM
Comment:
So white America has to accept the rantings of Jeremiah as prophetic before we can heal our wounds? You've just set the bar ridiculously high for reconciliation and therefore ridiculously high for white America's (the majority)full acceptance of Barack as our president. -
Posted By:
DemocracyDan at 03/18/2008 12:56:28 PM
Comment:
Presidential! Run and tell that! Transparent, transcending, transforming! These are just some of the words that describe Brother Obama's speech today. He not only hit a home run, but it was a bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, grand-slam seen around the nation and the world! Run and tell that! Too black, too white, too young, too old, too gay, too poor, too rich. Not so. If you listened carefully, using not only your ears but your heart and soul as well, then you can not deny that Obama was Presidential. His back was against the wall and he stood before us, unflinchingly taking on all of his critics, all of the nay-sayers, all of the doubters and yes, even the undecided, and spoke forcefully of things that others dare not address or when they do, it is in whispered tones. Run and tell that! Run and tell the Clinton's and McCain's that this race will be won by Obama! Run and tell the voters in Florida, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and the other states yet to vote in this primary season, that the best person for the job is Obama! Finally, run and tell all races that comprise these United States that Noah???s Ark is ours and the captain of our ship of state is none other than the one and only Barak Hussein Obama! Run and tell that! -
Posted By:
olamina at 03/18/2008 10:05:22 AM
Comment:
Obama's "denunciation" has been exceedingly disappointing. His unwillingness to defend Wright makes me wonder what he WOULD actually stand up for. When the stakes are high is he willing to take a stand? He's against the war, but so is almost everyone else. He's for universal health care, again nothing daring or new. I lay awake in bed last night utterly crushed by his spinelessness. He's still my candidate, but if Obama will let Pastor Wright twist in the wind, what chance do all us nameless faceless supporters have after he wins what he wants from us? -
Posted By:
kirkpepm at 03/18/2008 9:15:52 AM
Comment:
Obama's decision regarding Rev. Wright and, in fact, his entire candidacy puts the black community at an unanticipated political crossroad. We have overwhelmingly supported a party whose political elite - including black elite - really don't exhibit much of an allegiance to the black community. In fact, we witnessed some downright bigoted stuff from Clintonistas who have more that received key black support. At the same time, we have collectively resisted the idea of doing the hard work to create parity in the political system. For example, significant numbers of African Americans hold conservative and libertarian views and yet for them to align with white conservatives or libertarians remain tantamount to betrayal.
How does this relate to Rev. Wright? Our inability to hold opposing political views means we lack a mechanism to challenge black leaders who at best prove mediocre and at worst, corrupt. To explain, Ms. Lacewell, I can completely sympathize with the fact that Rev. Wright speaks not only truth with respect to the racial challenges in America but also as a minister, his words can be a balm. However, Obama was correct to expunge him from his campaign. Rev. Wright is a mediocre political mind who exhibits the type of parochial thinking that is unacceptable for universal leadership. This isn???t my opinion, his words speak for him.
I feel increasingly depressed that given the grave challenges we face (48% of black teenage girls with an STD!) it defies logic and the basic instincts of survival to not seek full political enfranchisement. We seem too willing to vacillate between supporting the maintenance of a leftist infrastructure designed to assuage white bourgeoisie guilt (pick an issue from the comments below: Bush/Chaney are evil; Viva Chavez, etc) and a passivity on taking broad political stances on cultural issues lest it force us in a box where we confront uncomfortable political territory.
This non-choice dilutes our power and our integrity. For example, how we as race can have one of the most brilliant social and economic philosophers living in our time - Thomas Sowell - and he not be a black household name is tragic. The very same white Americans who seem to control the levers of power and wealth - left and right - easily articulate and incorporate his views which he humbly admits are not the be all and end all. Yet it is puzzling that whether it comes to matters of race, economics, health, religion, culture, politics, whatever, we have at the tip of our tongues the words of Michael Dyson who will happily share an intellect that is a mile wide and an inch deep.
A black person should not align themselves with conservative or libertarian views unless they share it. But the fact that we marginalize legitimate intellectual discourse because of our alignment with the left or Democratic Party event in the face of mediocrity is damaging. -
Posted By:
fullertonpaul at 03/18/2008 4:37:44 AM
Comment:
Obama can defuse the race problem by stating he does not believe in quotas and preferences for admittance and selection of individuals.
Will he? -
Posted By:
ttf at 03/18/2008 2:55:17 AM
Comment:
Wright made a simple mistake - by endorsing a political candidate from the pulpit (which tax-exempt religious institutions are not allowed to do) he left the realm of the sacred and entered into the realm of the political. When you play the game of politics, you're subject to the rules of politics. One of them is every single word, gesture and facial tic will be twisted to hurt you or your candidate. It's not fair, it's not right. It is. Wright knew that and screamed "God DAMN America!!!"
MLK never called on God to damn America, even while showing her ugliness to her face.
Jesus himself said, "I judge no one."
I commend Wright for all he's done for the black community (I will not say "African-American" because these labels last shorter than a jug of milk on a hot day - if it's still current when I'm eighty then I'll use it, but till then I'm done with having to upgrade every few years). But he went from facing off against the world of politics, which is what prophetic clergy are supposed to do, and inserted himself into that world. Against Jesus's teachings, he was no longer just in the world but of it. In politics perception is everything. He forgot that, and it hurt Obama.-
Posted By:
MEPosey at 03/21/2008 12:09:54 AM
Comment:
The Rev. Dr. Wright did not call on God to damn America. Unfortunately, you may never hear the sermon in its entirety.
In 1967 at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King warned of the arrogance of power:
???Don???t let anybody make you think that God chose America as His divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with judgment and it seems that I can hear God saying to America: ???You are too arrogant! If you don???t change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power.?????? -
Posted By:
BrianCooper at 03/19/2008 2:59:36 PM
Comment:
I just want to say how much I like this comment:
"But he went from facing off against the world of politics, which is what prophetic clergy are supposed to do, and inserted himself into that world. Against Jesus's teachings, he was no longer just in the world but of it. "
My own Pastor does this and I love him but wish he wouldn't.
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Posted By:
dsquared at 03/18/2008 12:56:07 AM
Comment:
Question: Where are all the other fiery black preachers when you need them? Eddie Long? Paul Morton? Bernice King? Juanita Bynum? Cornel West? And T.D. Jakes, even? I've heard them all preach fiery sermons condemning racismm racists, or racial oppression in this country. Why the silence? Does the Black clergy not have the back of one of its own? -
Posted By:
reinadelaz at 03/17/2008 11:44:42 PM
Comment:
How sad for America that so many people cannot handle the truth as spoken by Reverend Wright. This issue has been propigated by a scandal- seeking media that did not have the decency to point out that white right-wingers have been preaching the same way for 20 years and more in an attempt to limit a woman's reproductive choice. I wish Obama had stood up for his pastor and told the country that separation of church and state is a rule for the state, not the church.-
Posted By:
j-CAN at 03/21/2008 6:30:23 PM
Comment:
How much do you all expect from one man in one electorial term. I am disressed people will be disapointed because ,
I doubt if he will be able to fulfill the multitude of expectations of the masses. I think that Mr. Obama should set certain
important issues on his agenda, like the economy, the war, the housing crisis, and the massive unemployment which
most politician seem to ignore. Mr. Obama, continue to seek good and godly counsel, and the imput of the people affected.
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Posted By:
Kinsmankid at 03/17/2008 11:14:13 PM
Comment:
It's a shame that Rev. Wright has to begin his retirement with such negative press. Apparently under his leadership Trinity UCC has done a lot of charity work in Greater Chicago by providing scholarships, a prison release program and an AIDS/HIV ministry. I can understand Obama not wanting a controversial figure such as Wright to be apart of his campaign, I guess he's doing what he has to do to win, but it's disheartening to see how he seems to have completely cut ties with him. Obama was interviewed by Gwen Ifill on the Newhour tonight and he made it seem as though his 20-year friendship with Wright was a big mistake. This is the man who brought Obama to Christ in the first place. I pray that God will heal that broken relationship. -
Posted By:
shed at 03/17/2008 10:58:37 PM
Comment:
I think the problem in this forum is the one that any insular community has. An echo chamber where not just an image of the world is reflected but also hazy facts get muddled together until even brilliant people are seeing the world myopically.
The crazy conspiracy theories get bandied about until they just don't seem so crazy any more. And a man who says - or sounds like he's saying - some extreme things, well everyone just scratches their heads, don't they? Hard to remember what's so extreme about saying that its America's fault that some crazy Arabs flew some airplanes into buildings so they could get their 72 virgins a piece.
The black community has fallen into the same track of the Jewish one after the holocaust - defining themselves by the atrocities of the past. Everything gets seen through that prism. Well look people, the man was blaming the victims. He said "god damn america."
The sad truth is that atrocity is a fact of life, and it'll always be there. Has America made horrible mistakes? Sure. But if you do research on it, rather than just echo every other opinion out there, you find out that actually our country has made fewer than most, and I mean today included. Hell, in 3/4 of the world you could be jailed or executed for even having this conversation. -
Posted By:
eminka at 03/17/2008 10:31:44 PM
Comment:
This is Obama's opportunity to address the race issue once and for all instead of hiding behind the post-racial label. This works as a campaign slogan, but this Rev. Wright issue has highlighted the fact that Americans still see the same national and international events differently and the reason for that difference lies in the history of the races and their treatment by the state. That's what Barack Obama has to seize and run with. His failure to do that properly may lad to his failure overall. Blacks will see him as some suspected: a black man pretending to be non-racial to get elected. And whites will see him as that angry black man, that Jesse jackson-like character they thought he did not personify. -
Posted By:
Laureate at 03/17/2008 8:50:11 PM
Comment:
It seems that Obama's chickens have come home to roost. Thank GOD!-
Posted By:
041649 at 03/22/2008 11:34:56 AM
Comment:
Laureate:
It seems that Obama's chickens have come home to roost. Thank GOD!
You don't know that, we will know in November if GOD will allow your statement to come true!
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Posted By:
pappy at 03/17/2008 7:43:53 PM
Comment:
Interesting to read the black perspective on this issue. I had it pretty much right, with a few suprizing exceptions from the posters here. I would have never guessed that Obama would be called weak for caving on the Wright comments for instance.
However, I believe most whites, like myself, will never get over the anti-American statements. Also, rightly or wrongly, most white Americans believe blacks are not doing their part to overcome their percieved disadvantages. As a small, insular minority in a larger society of "others" , as well as the horrible past relationship between blacks and whites, I can understand the reasons, although not feel the emotional intensity, of Wrights' remarks. -
Posted By:
EDavis at 03/17/2008 5:16:12 PM
Comment:
I do not understand why we are holding these candidates responsible for what others are saying. We are a free thinking, free speaking people and we will not always agree on things. If every candidate denounced every person that says exactly what they think and feel and it just so happens to be something that the other candidate doesn't agree with, who will be left standing to support that candidate? I believe that this whole siutation is petty. I understand what the Rev was saying. I am a strong Obama supporter, but I believe his denunciation of the man himself is a mistake.
I am honestly tired of this entire campaign run and can/'t wait until November for this mess to be over. The democrats need to stop and really think about the mess that this is causing. November will come and everyone will be so fed up with this that we will end up with Bush the 3rd occupying that seat. -
Posted By:
jazzgilliam at 03/17/2008 4:07:41 PM
Comment:
I think it's the best thing for the Obama campaign to distance themselves from the good and righteous Reverend and his more explosive comments because, after all, Obama is in the historically unique position to not just talk about race and injustice, but to actually do something about these evils. As he said earlier in the campaign that he wants not just to get troops out of Iraq but also change the mindset that gets into bad wars we can't win, he too desires, I believe, to change the way Americans regard themselves and their fellow citizens. But he does have to get elected first, and there needs to be a rapid response on his part to situations that can become fodder for the Radical Right to use against him in the general election. Politics is the art of the possible, and Barack Obama is inspiring just about group in the nation with the notion that changing our spiritual and material lives is something that we can do, something that can be done, with determination, an open heart and a clear mind. -
Posted By:
kirkpepm at 03/17/2008 3:34:52 PM
Comment:
Obama's decision regarding Rev. Wright and, in fact, his entire candidacy puts the black community at an unanticipated political crossroad. We have overwhelmingly supported a party whose political elite - including black elite - really don't exhibit much of an allegiance to the black community. In fact, we witnessed some downright bigoted stuff from Clintonistas who have more that received key black support. At the same time, we have collectively resisted the idea of doing the hard work to create parity in the political system. For example, significant numbers of African Americans hold conservative and libertarian views and yet for them to align with white conservatives or libertarians remain tantamount to betrayal.
How does this relate to Rev. Wright? Our inability to hold opposing political views means we lack a mechanism to challenge black leaders who at best prove mediocre and at worst, corrupt. To explain, Ms. Lacewell, I can completely sympathize with the fact that Rev. Wright speaks not only truth with respect to the racial challenges in America but also as a minister, his words can be a balm. However, Obama was correct to expunge him from his campaign. Rev. Wright is a mediocre political mind who exhibits the type of parochial thinking that is unacceptable for universal leadership. This isn???t my opinion, his words speak for him.
I feel increasingly depressed that given the grave challenges we face (48% of black teenage girls with an STD!) it defies logic and the basic instincts of survival to not seek full political enfranchisement. We seem too willing to vacillate between supporting the maintenance of a leftist infrastructure designed to assuage white bourgeoisie guilt (pick an issue from the comments below: Bush/Chaney are evil; Viva Chavez, etc) and a passivity on taking broad political stances on cultural issues lest it force us in a box where we confront uncomfortable political territory.
This non-choice dilutes our power and our integrity. For example, how we as race can have one of the most brilliant social and economic philosophers living in our time - Thomas Sowell - and he not be a black household name is tragic. The very same white Americans who seem to control the levers of power and wealth - left and right - easily articulate and incorporate his views which he humbly admits are not the be all and end all. Yet it is puzzling that whether it comes to matters of race, economics, health, religion, culture, politics, whatever, we have at the tip of our tongues the words of Michael Dyson who will happily share an intellect that is a mile wide and an inch deep.
A black person should not align themselves with conservative or libertarian views unless they share it. But the fact that we marginalize legitimate intellectual discourse because of our alignment with the left or Democratic Party event in the face of mediocrity is damaging. -
Posted By:
umfundisi at 03/17/2008 3:04:58 PM
Comment:
@ Ookama....While there are some salient points in your write-up, I take issue with this statement, "obama has no historical or cultural legacy to Blacks in this country, which is why he was so quick to dismiss rev. wright and the legacy of socio-polictical dialogue w/in the framework of liberation theology and social justice that has been forged w/in Black pulpits."
Such a statement is divisive and untrue. The black legacy and culture is not limited to the U.S. Blacks in Brazil, South Africa, Congo etc all shared a common experience that transcends geography. Malcolm X's grandparents came from Grenada/Quebec, Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica, WEB Du Bois's parents came from Haiti...and the list continues.
The threat from your line of reasoning is that it takes Black people to this tribal mentality. He's not attached to "our cause" because he's light skinned, he's a house negro, he's a farm negro, he's "fallasha," he's Yoruba, he's zulu etc...
"Attachment" is not based on such shallow paradigmns, if it were, Michael Jackson and Woods will be on the forefront! -
Posted By:
stgeorge at 03/17/2008 2:30:01 PM
Comment:
There is a lot of truth in what Profssor Harris-Lacwell says.
I agree when she writes "But we cannot enter that promised land together if white America refuses to acknowledge the prophetic truths of black religiosity."
At the same time, our country has changed much for the better in the past 40 years. When Rev. Wright calls America "the US of KKK," there is also room for black American to acknowledge progress that has been made.
As Alex Haley said, "Find the good--and praise it." -
Posted By:
Jamnew at 03/17/2008 12:41:34 PM
Comment:
Truthfully, I don't think the statements by Reverend Wright were that bad and your comparison to statements by Douglas was a good analogy. Rev. Wright simply said you reap what you sow. If you send out peace, you get peace back, if you send out war, you get war back. For years, the US has sold arms to every dictator, despot and evil doer in the world for profit. Now those very arms and warfare knowledge is turned on our troops. Rev. wright said should we be surprised. What happened to programs like Kennedy's "Contract for the Americas" that sent food and medicine fre of charge to our Latin American neighbors? Do you think Venezuela's Chavez would be speaking so badly about us if that program still existed. The Bush-Cheney administration has exported warfare to Iraq where no enemy previously existed. Now we have a whole country that hates our guts. You reap what you sow! -
Posted By:
Brittnay.Buckner at 03/17/2008 12:24:55 PM
Comment:
Amen to that. I heard a 65 year old white man from the South on CSPAN today who reminded us that people from his and Rev. Wright's generation vividly remember atrocities commited by the Federal Government against black people. When you can recall the Tuskeegee Experiment, is it too far of a stretch to believe the Government may inject black people with AIDS?? If people from the mainstream are going to condemn Rev. Wright's message about America, let's first explore what's causing his outrage and address those issues. We all should be outraged by the state of America and her history. -
Posted By:
marered at 03/17/2008 12:06:53 PM
Comment:
If Obama loses because of this, America doesn't deserve him.-
Posted By:
dsquared at 03/18/2008 12:30:34 AM
Comment:
High-five! ...As Derrick Bell so eloquently addressed the issues (through allegories) of the plight of Black people in these United States, it bears repeating: "And We Are Not Saved."
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Posted By:
Black Thought 08 at 03/17/2008 12:01:29 PM
Comment:
When keeping it real goes wrong,
As an Obamican I sense something terrible has happened this weekend. I believe the dream of a black president has died because of trying to keep it real. I have many friends who believe all or most of the conspiracy theories that Rev Wright was saying. The white right wing will run this story 24/7 until they have most uneducated whites believing that Obama is racist or can't win the general. This from a man who was raised by his white mother and family. I hope this kills all the conspiracy theories that have plagued my people for years. The end is coming but it's not the end of the world just the most inspiring uplifting campaign in American History. Get ready for McCain.-
Posted By:
dsquared at 03/18/2008 12:38:07 AM
Comment:
Oh how I wish I could disagree. Oh how I wish you are wrong. You comment rings like the loudest bell in my ears. The Rightwingers are going to play the Rev. Wright video all the way until the November election. And our oh-so anit-intellectual (um, make that dumb-ass) electorate will swallow it whole.
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Posted By:
Zoro at 03/17/2008 11:44:51 AM
Comment:
How many Catholics left the church after finding out about the rampant child molestation? Not many. How many Catholics left the church after finding out that the Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger, was a member of the Nazi Youth Party? Not many. Instead they said that it was in the shameful past and that we should look forward. They used the words of Jesus:"condemn the sin, not the sinner." This Chicago pastor is an ex US Marine who served this country in the Vietnam War, he grew up during the turbulent '60s and carried a lot of the bitterness that he and his family had to endure during an ugly time in American history. We all have hard headed parents or relatives that we "tolerate" because of all of the other positive things that they do for us. Those who say that Barack Obama should have left his church are hypocrites. Barack had some affinity to this man even though he thought he was a little bit looney and still haunted by the pain of his past. This issue isn't a deal breaker for me. I actually gave $25 to his campaign today so that he can promote his message of Change and Good Judgement. I am more worried about the Clintons hiding their finances (after loaning $5 million to their campaign), and hiding Hillary Clinton's 10,000 page schedule as first lady (time she claims as relevant experience for being president). We all have a right to know this information. Campaign finance laws require disclosure of all finance sources, and Hillary's resume as first lady is at the center of her claim of being experienced. How can we vote for her while she is misleading us like this? This is exactly the type of politics that I want changed. This is why I support Barack Obama. I also want to put an end to this warmongering philosophy that has cost us so dearly. That's why I can't support McCain. How could we possibly reward George Bush by electing one of his boys to the office? With McCain as President we will never get to the bottom of all of the injustices that George Bush and *** Cheyney enacted on the way to War. Bush wants to ensure that he has a pardon waiting for him if he or Cheyney needs it. No way. -
Posted By:
isay2mlb at 03/17/2008 10:47:48 AM
Comment:
Thank you for your insightful commentary. We need to celebrate, not condemn, men like Rev. Wright who are bold enough to tell the truth-- even if it is painful, controversial, hard to hear, harder to accept. Thank God for the African American church and the African American preacher. -
Posted By:
IgnorantWhiteLiberal at 03/17/2008 10:22:00 AM
Comment:
"But in the hundred years following the end of the Civil War more than five thousand African Americans were lynched and not a single president denounced the atrocities. Because of this history, black patriotism is complicated."
Good point. One controversial Black voice speaks out and Obama is pressured to denounce it. There has always been a separation between the values America espouses and the actions that America takes. Everybody knows about rigged elections in Central America, the CIA condoning the selling of crack-cocaine, and the human-rights transgressions in Saudi Arabia. I understood what the Reverend meant when he said "God damn America!"
"In churches like Trinity UCC, black folks read the Bible with an eye on what it has to say about experiences of bondage and oppression. In this way the Bible is both a moral guide and a political text."
A moral guide? Are you kidding me? Have you read the Old Testament? Have you not read Deuteronomy, Leviticus, or other OT passages? These are not passages that are moral guides but rather revelations that the Bible is far from the moral guide many people assume it to be. The Bible has been used throughout centuries to justify the enslavement and cruel treatment of marginalized people: MLK Jr. wrote on the margins of a newspaper to the White clergy of Birmingham and they did nothing.
I have never understood the deep faith and belief that many Black people and communities have in this world today. Black people had Christianity shoved down their throats when they came to America in order to control them, make them accept their fate. As a White person who has learned the history of Christianity and has read the passages of the Bible, there's now way I could wholeheartedly call myself a Christian.
Without Christianity, would men like MLK Jr. or Cornel West be the men they are today? Yes because they are good men with good hearts. You don't need religion to do good acts or be a good person. You simply need to love people and want to see the best for them. -
Posted By:
danielleamir at 03/17/2008 10:04:32 AM
Comment:
Why is it that Obama gets the black pass, in spite of his repeated, public denounciations of our concerns? Because of his unprecedented acceptance with white America, you'd think he'd take advantage of a unique opportunity to "speak truth to power" by enlightening the mainstream to our complicated tapestry of experience in this country. Instead of avoidance, he should explain. This situation, along with his speedy denounciation and rejection of Farrakhan (with no mention of the history of rehabilitation of black men for which the NOI should be credited,) his distance from Jesse Jackson and the SOTBU make me wonder: What do you stand for brother? Anything?-
Posted By:
eam at 03/21/2008 11:41:36 AM
Comment:
What else did you want him to say exactly? And do you think McCain will do better for or by Black America? If so why?
Is it possible, he is more than Black and believes he owes something beyond - to America? Is it an expectation he can possibly meet in your mind and stay relevant to the rest of the country, and be elected? Or do your expectations put him in an impossible bind. He didn't make America - the mess it is! Is there a candidate out there who is 'Black enough" for you - who could get elected President?
We as a nation demanded so little from our current president... we joke about his inability to speak the English language, and move on -- Barack Obama has more going for him that than our current president and all his rivals....and as if he we're a Black freshman at Havard we - you and I - seem to be demanding that he be twice as good as all his classmates, and happy to be there to boot. Given the field he is the best running. Black, White or Red or Blue.
I tell others I would vote for Sponge Bob Sqaure Pants at this point
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Posted By:
ldbryant at 03/17/2008 9:51:11 AM
Comment:
White America is in denial for their past as well as their present day SINS.
I applaud Pastor Wright for exposing this in his sermons. I am sorry that
Barack Obama chose to denounce his own minister's truths and to essentially "kick Pastor Wright to the curb" because he is scared of alienating the WHITE VOTE. The sooner Caucasians take off the blinders and see as well as acknowledge all of the damage they have done and continue to do to the African-American community the better. I say to those White folks who feel
pain over Pastor Wright's comments: 'GET OVER IT!!!!!!!-
Posted By:
shed at 03/17/2008 10:59:39 PM
Comment:
Don't know how hating his country is a white people/ black people thang
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Posted By:
sanlain at 03/17/2008 8:00:54 AM
Comment:
Melissa Harris-Lacewell is right on target. -
Posted By:
POLpursun at 03/17/2008 7:37:10 AM
Comment:
When one reads the article, "Obama tries to allay Jewish fears", on this site in conjunction with what I would refer to as the white furor (based, I opine, on a combination of denial and ignorance) over Jeremiah Wright's delineation of the true ESSENTIALS of U.S. foreign policy (the U.S.A. is, after all, modern day ancient Rome) one wonders why anyone would think that, should Obama become potus, without the airing that Ms. Harris-Lacewell fears that Obama has missed an opportunity to give, there would be any real meaning to the term, say, first REAL black potus. Indeed it hay even be more meaningless than the reference to slick Willie.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, this is an excellent piece which someone who has a requisite contact should see to it that Barack reads and, perhaps, acts on -------- it and its implications. -
Posted By:
ookama343 at 03/17/2008 3:38:12 AM
Comment:
we all know what happened the last time that the democrats had their patriotism impugned. this leads me to wonder if obama were in the same group of democrats, would he have also succumbed to the same political pressure as clinton, as well as, senators kennedy and kerry, who back his candidacy? obama has had his patriotism called into question several times now, from flag lapel pins, to michelle's "proud of my country" comment, and now association w/ his minister. but w/ the latter he denigrated our time-honored tradition by acting as if rev. wright's comments were egregious and unacceptable. we must not countenance such cowardice.
you and sen. obama are hypocrites who pass platitudes off as enlightenment. stop making excuses for obama. if obama was pressured to do something as trivial as to issue a statement to denounce his out-going pastor over polemical yet factual information in the eyes of history (not just Black history), then what else will he cave-in to or who else will he sell-out? the real story is that mr. charlie had an issue, and like a good boy, obama didn't want to disappoint mr. charlie. support of obama by ~90% of Blacks was not okay until mr. charlie told us so in iowa.
it is easy for steelly-eyed, idealistic academics like harris-lacewell to pontificate (like obama), when middle-class and low-income Blacks who really have to work for a living are the ones hardest hit. we do not need a symbol any more than we need a hypocrite like obama. the root started out strong, but it needs to stop being a pro-obama rag and start presenting real news and more diverse opinions affecting Blacks in america. -
Posted By:
ookama343 at 03/17/2008 3:37:46 AM
Comment:
you cannot condemn sen. clinton for doing what she feels she has to do to win and not condemn sen. obama when he has done the same in disavowing your 'modern douglass,' rev. wright, and his prophetic overtures for political damage control.
once again, obama has folded under the specter of challenge and controversy, yet you support his candidacy. obama has to be held accountable to some standard. now, if rev. wright is 'our jeremiah,' then sen. obama has to be our herod, in the sense of being a king placed over us who is not of our ilk. obama has no historical or cultural legacy to Blacks in this country, which is why he was so quick to dismiss rev. wright and the legacy of socio-polictical dialogue w/in the framework of liberation theology and social justice that has been forged w/in Black pulpits.
let's be clear harris-lacewell, a politician is a politician and your candidate has shown that he will sell-out his friends to purchase the favor of his enemies. obama is someone, to appease Black america while the democratic party continues to take our vote for granted and attenuate our voice. instead of preaching to the choir of the rich worship tradition of Black congregations shared by the root's readership, who had ancestors that were enslaved in these united states, you should drop some knowledge on sen. obama, who appears to be clueless in this regard. you can stop w/ the smoke and mirrors and political spin. as w/ this situation, and dodging sotbu last month, he has dismissed prime opportunities to actually iterate something substantive (and not empty rhetoric) that has direct relation to the Blacks??? experience in america.
if we do not hold obama accountable, one will be hard-pressed to do so if he should make it to 1600 pennsylvania ave. we as a country have supposedly progressed so much on the racial tip, but your candidate is afraid to speak on Black matters and concerns. somehow, he can tailor his message when speaking w/ other prospective constituencies. jewish-americans have no issue w/ asking him about his policies on israel, union members on free trade, and some latinos on immigration. -
Posted By:
kid5rivers at 03/17/2008 12:29:51 AM
Comment:
In all my years living in Trinidad and Tobago, I've never come across areligious minister, of whichever denomination, who was afraid of or shirked calling a spade a spade when discussing the behaviour of government administrations towards ordinary citizens.
As a result, it's very difficult for me to understand why there was/is such a fuss over what Pastor Jeremiah Wright said, or didn't say, from his pulpit.
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