I listened to the entire speech, twice. Some of his defending Pastor Wright annoyed me, but then he went on...and I've got to tell you that by the time the speech was over I was uplifted at the thought that maybe this race issue can be finally put aside.

The issue should have been addressed a long time ago, it REALLY could have made a difference in the primaries. I had never been an Obama supporter. But I am sincerely impressed by the well thought-out speech and the sincerity with which it was given. And if he wins the nomination and then goes on to win the presidency...well, let's just say..OK, this might work.

If you have not heard the speech yet here are the youtube links - video is not great but it's not needed.
Part 1 of 3
part 2 of 3
Part 3 of 3

__________________
Mary

Thanks so much for posting your thoughts. I know some minds will never be changed (I'm related to a few) but I hope people will open their hearts and listen.

It would have been better for Obama years ago to have talked with his preacher about the way he preached. Maybe then some of these linging "black" anger issues from the past would have not had the ongoing effect on these church members. I wonder how many young people sit in that church and now still harbor anger toward white people.
Yes, this country needs to get past the race issue, but churches like this does not help.

Anti-Slavery Homepage
Slavery: Not a Black and White Issue

He only gave speech (written by someone else I'm sure) after the backlash. Just telling you what you want to hear. Did he say he'd stop going to the hate church? Nope! If this is his spiritual mentor it says a lot about what Obama has instore for this country in the unfortunate result that he gets elected. I may just be old and traditional but Hitler started out like this too.

I thought the speech was great.

dnj51, I am impressed with your sincerity. I realize you were never an Obama supporter, but this did not stop you from being open to hearing what he had to say.

ana21, check your PMs

__________________
@@@
l/ l/ l/
Dont go through life,
GROW through life

Real eyes...realize...real lies.

I totally agree...he defended him and it made me sick...he believes everything Wright said...he can deny it all he wants but he is lying... You let a white preacher spew that kind of hate and racism, and they would have his head on a block!!! Sherri

__________________
"It isn't that liberals are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

You know, you and PUM are not going to vote for him not matter what and you're not willing in any way to open your mind about the race issue, so why keep going on about it?

__________________
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I totally agree with you!!
Jen

__________________
Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL!

You are right

Obama wants to bring CHANGE? Change for who?

He should have started trying to change his preacher years ago instead of staying(saying nothing!!) and letting young people hear this resentment/anger towards white people. I wonder how many (hundreds) of young people attended that church that now harbor resentment toward whites.

This is the reason the racial divide still exists in this country. Some people back and white want to "preach" this to the young people to keep the resentment going on and on. WHY?

Resentment leads to anger. This anger left unchecked and feed becomes hate.

When Obama could have started a CHANGE he said NOTHING.

Because thats my prerogative And I believe he is a wolf in sheeps clothing....Sherri

__________________
"It isn't that liberals are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

You can no more judge a man by his preacher than you can judge me by George Bush. I am an American and proud to be so but I disagree with Pres Bush and our current administration on EVERYTHING. Does that mean I should become an expat? I think not.
Just as I am a Catholic and do not agree neither with my parish nor with The Church on everything. Should I change parishes? Heck no because there is no way I or anyone else going to agree 100% with what anyone says.

To judge him by the words of his preacher, which he clearly denounced is just a right wing trick. No matter what a person does or says those who find fault will do so.

__________________
The political system is broke and it's a joke.

GET REAL WAKE UP THIS IS THE REAL WORLD

Obama has as much chance of convincing his preacher he's wrong as I have of convincing The Pope or George Bush that they are wrong.

__________________
The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I have to wonder why no outrage over Hagee. Only over those (African-American) ministers who endorse Obama (and whose views he doesn't necessarily agree with), even though you won't be voting for him. Hmmm...

By the way, what in the world is a proragtive?

__________________
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

From the different news article, blogs and forums some people view the Obama, McCain preacher issue
as very different.
It seems like McCain has never attended Hagee's church. MCain has came out and denouce some comments that Hagee is quoted as saying.
Obama has been going to Wright's church for over 20 years. He considers Wright as close personal realtionship like family.

I am not a McCain supporter ..I think he is more of an idot than Bush.

And I guess you and some of the other liberals on these boards will open your mind about other issues?? I think not! Sher certainly has the right to think and speak how she likes. Just because she doesn't agree with your way of thinking doesn't make her the bad person nor does it make her wrong.

This Rev. Wright is certainly different than, as some others have said, 'white preachers', in that this preacher spews hate toward the white person and our government. It seems the division between the races are getting further apart now more than ever thanks to Rev. Wright and his cronies.

Obama obviously agrees with the Rev or he would have left his church years ago. You don't stay in a church where you don't agree with what the pastor is preaching about. And to say he didn't 'know' -- then he's a liar. You don't go to a church for 20 years and you don't have a person that close to you and not know what he's about. Obama knows exactly what this guy is and, IMO, is a wolf in sheep's clothing. If he's elected president, then we will heaven to help us!!

I wonder how many of you on this board were even born or even were old enough to remember the 60's and what problems we had back then. You have no idea what was going on. All a lot of you are doing is listening to what you've heard. I lived it back then and was going to school. It was a scary time for everyone. After listening to Rev. Wright, this brings back so many terrible memories of the 60's. Instead of preaching hate against the whites and the government, perhaps he needs to turn his attention to uniting America rather than dividing it!!

Hagee has been referred to as the white Farakahn. Senator McCain stood beside Hagee to receive his endorsement. The Senator and his staff campaigned for the endorsement. Sounds like a lotta pot/kettle to me but for those posters who want to continue to believe that Senator Obama is the devil incarnate carry on ... .

Ah yes, the 60s. A democratic President murdered, a Civil Rights leader murdered, a democratic candidate for president murdered, little children bombed in their church. A scary time indeed. What's being written by some about Senator Obama sounds eerily familiar to thoughts expressed about President Kennedy, Rev King, Bobby Kennedy, and those poor little girls who made the mistake of being born black.

and do not forget about the "weather underground group"
(William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn)

obama's friends?
Stop The ACLU Blog Archive Obama’s Terrorist Friends

I noticed this in the aftermath of Katrina. I've seen it before. A lot of whites are irrationally scared of blacks.

I remember the 60s, but I wasn't scared of black people then and I'm not scared of them now. I remember the peaceful marches and always the hoses and the dogs and the cops and their batons. I couldn't underestand why.

As far as being a country who treats everyone equally, I just don't think we're there yet.

I'm familiar with Ayers and Dohm. They were radical youths but are the most boring people in the world now.

Like I asked -- were you around in the 60's? Were you in school? BTW, let's hope Obama isn't like the Kennedy boys and Rev. King -- they all were known for their womanizing. too.

Again, I ask -- how many actually remember the 60's??

I rest my case.

I guess that depended on where you were.......

Ok..I think you are crazy to think because people are pointing out that Obama is not the guy you want him to be...that we are scared of blacks. Can you handle the truth or just going to turn a blind eye to FACTS that even Obama admits to.
Do you want so bad for a black man to win that you put principles to the side? Trying to blame us the "non-black" people if it does not win is crazy.
I would vote for him if I thought he had the best interested for our country but he wants to turn the US into more of a sociaist country.

Why don't you tell us what you were afraid of. As kvmj wrote, was it the marches, the batons, the police dogs, the fire hoses. Did you march, did you set at the counter beside people who were only wanting to buy a cup of coffee but were refused, drink out of a water fountain with a sign saying "blacks only". Tell us about it, how you suffered, how frightened you were. Were you as scared as the little girl who had to be protected by armed police officers on her way into school.

BTW, this sentence "BTW, let's hope Obama isn't like the Kennedy boys and Rev. King -- they all were known for their womanizing. too." says more about you then anything else you might write about this subject.

Not to answer for kvmj but he's not the guy you want him to be either.

We can not change what happened in the 60's. We can only learn from the mistakes made and move on.

It is one thing to be proud. Another thing to remember with only resentment/hate. ..blacks and whites.
There were alot of "non-blacks" that were involved in the civil rights.

Everyone should view the fact that the country came out of the 60's as a stonger nation. Because people pulled together for freedom...something to be proud of. Just like fighting the civil war yes those years in American history is hard to accept. But you have to realize people of all races were fighting for freedom.
Freedom that people nowdays take for granted.

First of all, your sarcasm is appalling.

The first sentence in my post? Oh, the womanizing? Truth hurts, doesn't it? I just hope those comparing Obama to the Kennedys and Mr. King remember that part of history.

As far as the 60's it was a scary time for the entire nation. Obviously, you weren't there because you have yet to say you were. You only want to bring up things that incite problems and what you have read in books. I can remember going to school after the blacks and whites were going to the same schools. I can remember the blacks wanted to be back in their own schools. They hated being bused to a different school all the way across the county because of politics. They missed their own schools. I can remember no one being allowed to walk the halls alone and everyone had to have a partner with them. I can remember in particular one black guy coming to school carrying a big baton-like stick with him and threatening people with it. I remember the rallying around the flag pole at our opposing rural school and riots breaking out and the police being called and all the schools in the county being shut down.

No, it wasn't just the blacks being scared of the whites or whites being scared of the blacks. It was being involved in the entire mess and not even wanting to be. Just watching everything on TV, seeing it happening in your own school and being young and not really knowing everything that was going on was something that is hard to explain.

And thanks to Rev. Wright, he's just bringing all this back again. Our nation doesn't need this and to approve of his so-called 'preaching', IMO, is totally wrong. We're going backwards - not forward. And if you didn't live it in the 60's, then you have absolutely no right to question those who were there.

Oh, and by the way, yes, I can remember sitting with my mother beside black people who were eating at the very same counter we were. It was the Woolworth counter in Roanoke, VA.

What a little trailblazer you were and what a memory to be so specific down to the name of the store where you sat beside black people eating at the same counter. That oh so very specific memory, your reference to womanizing, and the black guy with the baton like stick tells me more then I want to know about you and your mindset. I'm sure there were no white children involved in those riots round the flag pole, no white boys with a bad attitude, just adorable little wide-eyed white girls in frilly little dresses.

How's that for another serving of "appalling sarcasm".

Scared? Of blacks? PUHLEASE!

I don't think it's fear--I think it's frustration!

__________________
Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

It is fear. I have no doubts,

I lived through the 60's. Are you aware George H. W. Bush while president? What's your point?

McCain, however, reached out and sought Hagee's endorsement. McCain probably would have attended the church if he could have. He seems to change religions rather conveniently as it is.

well, I can only speak for myself, but it is NOT fear. It's frustration.

Having grown up in the very rural, very poor South---I saw far too many blacks who blamed everything in their life on slavery and segregation. I saw far too many blacks who felt that the world owed them something because of slavery and segregation. I saw far too many blacks content to take what the government gave them and not work to make a better life for themselves and their children--thus they perpetuated the welfare cycle!

The only "fear" I had was when I had to go on an ambulance call into the "projects" (that were predominately black--see my statement on the welfare cycle) because somebody shot somebody else--and everyone had guns but me and my partner! And you know what--as an EMT we'd go into a variety of neighborhoods: white, black, hispanic, rich, poor, etc. and I can honestly say that we were only subjected to verbal abuse, harassment and aggression in black neighborhoods. Don't know why that was...and this could be on a very "simple" call of a woman in labor. We had blacks refuse transport when they were in a sickle cell crisis--'cause we weren't black and didn't "understand nothing about no sickle cell". And lest you think this was a person who was uneducated or a very old person--we were responding to a dorm at the local university!

I guess from my perspective the discrimination pendulum swings both ways. People of color may still be discriminated against--but I think that the average Anglo-Saxon is far more discriminated against these days. And I think certain races/ethnic groups use the discrimination argument as a crutch. It's a whole lot easier to whine and cry about being discriminated against because of the color of ones skin, than it is to face the fact that you're being discriminated against because they are lazy, mooching, drains on society! It's not a color thing--it's a personal responsibility thing!

__________________
Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

As one of the few (less than 10 judging by that poll a while ago on TC) African Americans on this board, I am literally sick reading this.

mom2twins - I was born in 1972. Didn't live in the 60's and still do not. What's your point? My mother grew up in Little Rock. She had to have armed guards walk her to and from school. She had to leave early so that the white kids who threw rocks at her wouldn't be there waiting. She was among the first African American women to attend her college. Again, I ask, WHAT IS YOUR POINT? That you give Rev. Wright the amount of credit and power you do is something I'm sure would warm his heart. Are you suggesting that he alone has the power to incite us (that would African Americans) to riot? How ludicrous and quite frankly, I'm hoping you're not that dumb as to believe that.

Marilyn, I hope that I'm reading your post wrong but from MY perspective, you seem to be painting us ALL w/ one HUGE brush. I'm sorry that you've had bad experiences, but guess what? There are millions of African-Americans who live in the "ghetto" (alongside white, Hispanics and other ethnicities I might add) who are just as peaceful as your white friends. Jesus. It obvious from your post that you don't know us AT ALL. That's sad.

And now, I'm so freaking DONE w/ this thread and listening to some people who don't know (or give a crap) what they're talking about try and discuss race.

__________________
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I don't regard anything Wright said as hateful. Blacks have been victimized for so long and denied opportunity that resentment is only natural. For the most part, they believe that O.J. was innocent, our government assasinated JFK, RFK and MLK, and that the country couldn't have been built without them. While I do not believe that our government engineered AIDS and infected blacks with the virus nor that Jesus was black, I accept the fact that others do. Who knows, maybe they're right?

I also know that Republicans cling to some pretty strange beliefs; poor people are poor because they're lazy, businesses should operate without restrictions (free market competition will force them to regulate excesses), tax cuts generate federal revenue, government should be small enough to drown in a bathtub, George W. Bush is the best president ever, and might makes right.

What's your problem? You asked my memories. I gave them to you. Was it not what you wanted to hear? I didn't say it was blacks rioting around the flag pole. You're reading into my post what YOU want it to read. As a matter of fact, it started because a confederate flag was being raise by those 'white boys', as you call them. Then the fight broke out. Yes, I DO remember the black guy with the stick because it still stands out in my mind. And that was at my school. And yes, I DO remember that specific store because my mom and I ate there every week when we went out. So quit trying to 'read between the lines' and make more of the facts than is there. Oh, yes, there was bad attitude - on both sides. And yes, there were adorable little wide-eyed girls (white and black) in frilly little dresses. So quit putting words in that aren't there.

YouTube - Obama's Pastor Jeremiah Wright of Trinity Church "New Video"

I think if we as a country is going to get past this racial divide people are going to have to realize that this type of "preaching" has got to stop. Black and white preachers alike have to realize what they are doing to this country.
It is not helping. It is only causing people to continue to habor the resentment and pass it on to the next generation. The racial divide will never go away like this.
Resentment leads to anger. This anger unchecked and feed upon leads to hate.

Also, I do not understand how this preacher considers Obama "not rich". i think Obama and his wife make a good deal of money for a family of 4.

Wright said that Hillary has never known what it's like to live in poverty. Barack and his mother used food stamps for awhile. In other words, he actually lived in poverty for awhile and knows what it's like.

Wright also said that Obama did not fit the mold not white, not rich
Obama is considered by most to be "doing good" as fas ar money. Lives in a house worth over 1 million dollars.

I also grew up poor but I do not BLAME white rich people for that. Everyone around this small town was poor black and white.

Hillary may have had it easier as far as money goes (I do not know) but she had to deal with the fact of being a woman. It was not easy on women trying to get to the top either.

Perhaps if you had mentioned that the reason for the rioting at the flag pole was because a confederate flag was being raised my interpretation of your post might have been entirely different. You failed to mention the confederate flag but DID mention the frightening black guy with the big stick. There was no reading between the lines of your post on my part. You said what you said and left out a pretty important fact when describing the "rioting" at the flag pole which may have explained at least in part why the black guy felt he needed to bring a stick to school.

It wasn't so much what I wanted to read as it is what you choose to write.

Jaded, I pm'd you

Sorry spelled it wrong...went back to correct it....and in case you dont know the meaning.....a right, privilege, etc., limited to a specific person or to persons of a particular category:. Sherri

__________________
"It isn't that liberals are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan