.Wright says criticism is attack on black church
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a defiant appearance before the Washington media, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright said Monday that criticism surrounding his fiery sermons is an attack on the black church and rejected those who have labeled him unpatriotic.
"I served six years in the military," Barack Obama's longtime pastor said. "Does that make me patriotic? How many years did (Vice President Dick) Cheney serve?"
Wright spoke at the National Press Club before the Washington media and a supportive audience of black church leaders beginning a two-day symposium.
He said the black church tradition is not bombastic or controversial, but different and misunderstood by the "dominant culture" in the United States.
He said his Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago has a long history of liberating the oppressed by feeding the hungry, supporting recovery for the addicted and helping senior citizens in need. He said congregants have fought in the military, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"My goddaughter's unit just arrived in Iraq this week while those who call me unpatriotic have used their positions of privilege to avoid military service while sending over 4,000 American boys and girls to die over a lie," he said.
Wright said he hopes the controversy will have a positive outcome and spark an honest dialogue about race in America. Wright says black church traditions are still "invisible" to many Americans, as they have been throughout the country's history.
He said he hopes "the most recent attack on the black church—it is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright—it's an attack on the black church," he said to applause, "just might mean that the reality of the African-American church will no longer be invisible."
Videos clips of Wright's sermons, circulated widely on television and the Internet, knocked Obama's presidential campaign off-stride. The Illinois Democrat distanced himself from the comments of Wright, whom he has known for 20 years.
In a sermon days after the Sept. 11 attacks, Wright said "America's chickens are coming home to roost" after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan and "supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans."
Asked about some of the comments after the terrorist attacks, Wright challenged the reporter questioning him.
"Have you heard the whole sermon? No? The whole sermon?" he responded. When the reporter shook her head, he said, "That nullifies that question."
He said criticism comes from people who only have heard sound bites playing repeatedly on television and have never listened to his entire sermons.
Wright said he's told Obama that if he is elected in November and is inaugurated in January, "I'm coming after you." He said that's because his differences are not with the American people, but U.S. policies.
"Whether he gets elected or not, I'm still going to have to be answerable to God on November 5 and January 21," Wright said.
BreitBart
You can see my take on the issues here:
What a coward Obama turns out to be., and watch the Bill Moyers interview linked there.
"I served six years in the military," Barack Obama's longtime pastor said. "Does that make me patriotic? How many years did (Vice President Dick) Cheney serve?"
Wright spoke at the National Press Club before the Washington media and a supportive audience of black church leaders beginning a two-day symposium.
He said the black church tradition is not bombastic or controversial, but different and misunderstood by the "dominant culture" in the United States.
He said his Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago has a long history of liberating the oppressed by feeding the hungry, supporting recovery for the addicted and helping senior citizens in need. He said congregants have fought in the military, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"My goddaughter's unit just arrived in Iraq this week while those who call me unpatriotic have used their positions of privilege to avoid military service while sending over 4,000 American boys and girls to die over a lie," he said.
Wright said he hopes the controversy will have a positive outcome and spark an honest dialogue about race in America. Wright says black church traditions are still "invisible" to many Americans, as they have been throughout the country's history.
He said he hopes "the most recent attack on the black church—it is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright—it's an attack on the black church," he said to applause, "just might mean that the reality of the African-American church will no longer be invisible."
Videos clips of Wright's sermons, circulated widely on television and the Internet, knocked Obama's presidential campaign off-stride. The Illinois Democrat distanced himself from the comments of Wright, whom he has known for 20 years.
In a sermon days after the Sept. 11 attacks, Wright said "America's chickens are coming home to roost" after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan and "supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans."
Asked about some of the comments after the terrorist attacks, Wright challenged the reporter questioning him.
"Have you heard the whole sermon? No? The whole sermon?" he responded. When the reporter shook her head, he said, "That nullifies that question."
He said criticism comes from people who only have heard sound bites playing repeatedly on television and have never listened to his entire sermons.
Wright said he's told Obama that if he is elected in November and is inaugurated in January, "I'm coming after you." He said that's because his differences are not with the American people, but U.S. policies.
"Whether he gets elected or not, I'm still going to have to be answerable to God on November 5 and January 21," Wright said.
BreitBart
You can see my take on the issues here:
What a coward Obama turns out to be., and watch the Bill Moyers interview linked there.
posted by madtom at 10:17 AM
4 Comments:
I'm pretty surprised you would side with Wright, MT. He proved today his words were hardly taken out of context, but instead reflected his radical anti-American views. He is an acolyte of Farrakhan, Kahdaffi, Chavez and Castro. Is Obama a blatant hypocrite, liar and backstabber? Sure, he is a politician! Wright is a megalomaniac and is loving every minute of his time on the stage, and obviously doesn't care that it is doing damage to Obama. He's another preacher feeding into the frustrations of the poor and ignorant while making himself rich in the process. He's a bigger phony and liar that Obama is, though they are much the same. His claims that he was taken out of context is funny, considering his website was scrubbed of a lot of the Black Liberation Theology references and many of his tapes were taken off the 'store shelves'. I bothered to find the site in archives before the controversy hit. Now his church as demanded that the archives be scrubbed as well. Wonder why he hasn't made his sermons available online for us all to judge for ourselves whether we are judging him unfairly? He even stopped selling some of them, that should tell you something.
Guilt by omission?
I'm not sure I subscribe to that theory. Maybe it's just me but I do not see any anti Americanism there.
Black liberation Theology? Not even sure what that is, but if I were black, I would probably be a member.
I of course don't know to much about they guy, and I am commenting on what the Right is saying about him and the sound bites being used against him. They are out of context, they are a pack of lies, Propaganda at it's zenith. now, maybe it can all be proven true? Who know, all I know is that the picture that was painted by the Right, was wrong. Anyone that took the time to see more than a sound bite can see this for himself.
My fight is not with the Reverend, or his theology as I believe in the first amendment and allow people their own conscience, My fight is with the Right's portrayal, and with Obama's flight from the issues. Had Obama come out swinging he could have scored a few points in my book. But he distances and retreated at the first sign of trouble. Not presidential qualities in my book.
And Wright saying that Obama just did what politicians do, is some of the most damming rhetoric I have heard in this campaign.
"He's another preacher feeding into the frustrations of the poor and ignorant while making himself rich in the process."
By the way, this is a completely different issue not related to the current controversy.
I bothered to find the site in archives before the controversy hit.
Your free to post those archives here. What held you back?
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