Posted on 05/02/2008 8:20:05 PM PDT by kathsua
I disagree with Rev. Jeremiah Wright on many things, but as an American I believe that he has the right to believe whatever he wants to believe and express those beliefs.
My father believed the rights of freedom of belief and freedom of expression were important enough to risk his life in Europe in World War II. I believe those rights were important enough to risk my life in Vietnam.
I disagree with Rev. Wright that the U.S. government is responsible for the HIV virus, but as an historian I know that some of our ancestors gave small pox infected blankets to the Indians.
America has a long tradition of belief in conspiracies. Many believe there was some type of government involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the fall of the World Trade Towers. I disagree with those theories but see nothing wrong with people wanting to have such beliefs.
Wright's statements about 9/11 being punishment are consistent with a long religious tradition dating from biblical times. Religious leaders have often explained calamities as punishment for sins. I disagreed with Rev. Martin Luther King's statements about the Vietnam War, but I recognized that he had a duty to speak out against what he believed to be wrong.
One of the functions of religious leaders is to condemn what they believe people or nations are doing wrong. If we want to truly guarantee religious freedom, we must allow them to continue to do so even if we disagree with them.
If anyone is to blame in the controversy, it is Senator Barack Obama not Rev. Jeremiah Wright. No one held a gun to Obama's head and forced him to attend Rev. Wright's church for 20 years. If Obama had serious disagreements with Rev. Wright, Obama should have left the church instead of belatedly condemning Rev. Wright for holding various beliefs.
Obama's behaviior is scary in someone who wants to be president. Presidents can become intoxicated with the powers of the presidency. A candidate who makes a practice of condemning those he disagrees with as a candidate might attempt to punish those who disagree with him if he's elected.
Rev. Wright's statements about HIV might not make sense to most of us, but many of those who are condemning him believe ideas that make even less sense.
For example, many of them believe that carbon dioxide which is less than 0.04% of the atmosphere has some type of magical power to control the temperature of the atmosphere. They believe this even though the process they talk about is inconsistent with the laws of physics and with scientific experiments. They claim the earth is getting significantly warmer, even though they admit that the average temperature they use changed by only 1F during the entire 20th Century and such change represents only a 0.17% increase in temperature. Such a small change could indicate nothing more than differences in equipment or differences in the characteristics of the sites containing the equipment.
Obama changes his opinions to please his audience which means he is as wishy washy as Charlie Brown.
“Rev” Wright says that he can only believe in a God who is committed to destroying the “White Enemy”.
I don’t know about you, but I think I would draw the “religious freedom” line somewhere *BEFORE* genocide.
wonder why mccain’s minister john hagee
gets a free ride?
mccain and hillary are white.
Reverend Wright may well be willing to stand up for his believes, but his believes encompass racism and paranoia.
I agree. Wright is a black hatemonger just as Hitler started out as a small-time white anti-semitic hatemonger (and look what he accomplished through scapegoating and spreading blind hatred).
Obama is more dangerous because he has some political power and could get more. That is enough to want to keep this muddle-headed marxist-lite out of the White House (as well as keeping out Stalinist-heavy Hillary).
However, people who believe what Wright says are still out there, and can spread the hate and the stupidity.
At some point we have to say “Enough of your hate. Enough of your ignorance. Enough of your lies.”
Wright has the right to make a fool of himself. Just as I have the right to vote against his socialist friend.
....oy...
So it doesn't matter what the man advocates, you think he's a hero.
But we're told to believe that Bernardine Dorhn isn't the same thing she was 40 years ago.
So which is it? Is he "defendable" because he was a Marine 40 years ago or is he a psychopathic attention hog on your TV screen today?
I agree. Rev. Wright, as wrong as he could be, stood his ground. The same can not be said for Obama. Reminds me of George McGovern saying in 1972 he was 1000% behind Thomas Eagleton as his VP. A day or two later he drops Eagleton.
Well stated.
I was also a Marine 40 years ago. I disassociate myself with this turd as a brother Marine. He may have been a patriot 40 years ago, but he’s just a common scumbag now.
Charmain Mao stood up for his beliefs.
Stalin stood up for his beliefs.
Hitler stood up for his beliefs.
Standing up for your beliefs is not a virtue when your beliefs are corrupt.
> Hitler stood up for his beliefs.
I was thinking about this. However, as distasteful as Reverend Wright’s believes are, I think it would be inappropriate to compare him to a mass murderer (be he Hitler, Stalin or Mao).
You are right.
How about,
Ward Churchill stood up for his beliefs.
Al Gore stands up for his beliefs.
Jimmy Carter stands up for his beliefs.
Might it be because a) Pastor Hagee isn't "McCain's minister" (McCain doesn't attend his church)and b) Pastor Hagee isn't goading whites to hate blacks like Pastor Wright is doing in reverse? Could it also be c) that Pastor Hagee hasn't really said anything that controversial and d) people know where Senator John McCain is coming from and who he is? Or maybe e) that you're comparing apples to rocks, in the words of Jeremiah Wright?
Lying is ANTI-TRUTH, ANTI-FREEDOM, ANTI-INDIVIDUAL, ANTI-LIFE. The lie enslaves us all.
When Jeremiah Wright spews OUTRAGEOUS generalities without naming specific individuals he should be laughed off the pulpit. When he came close to the truth he mentioned a specific individual [paraphrase] ...he [Bill Clinton] did us like he did Monica Lewinsky. Otherwise his divisive rhetoric, pointed at America (in general) or whites (in general) without naming specific individuals is just that...DIVISIVE.
Where does a divisive robe & congregation or divisive robe & mosque take us?
Hagee is not McCain’s minister.
I have no problem with Mr. Wright, or any Pastor, pointing out that Judgment is long due on America for sins against God, and HIS Word... But I have several problems with the way Mr. Wright handled it:
1) What was our great sin that he was pointing out? The fact that our government supports different policies than he'd support (e.g., supporting Israel vs. the Palestinians)? What Biblical edict is being violated?
2) Lamenting 'national' sin is very common in the Bible -- but it is always in the context of being our sin. The sermon snippets I saw, were of Mr. Wright, and his audience whooping it up, about how 'America' got what it deserved. Had he been mourning, and his crowd weeping, about America getting what it deserved - I'd treat his words with more respect. Laughing, and cheering on death and destruction is the sign of depraved men - not "long religious tradition".
3) This 'Judgment' seems to be all centered around, 'get whitey'... Where is the forgiveness and love for our enemies? Even if Mr. Wright feels that he is oppressed in America -- the Bible tells us to pray for our enemies. Even the Hebrews were told to pray for Babylon when they were taken to that land.
I don't care how one tries to slice it. Mr. Wright was not preaching Righteous Judgment. He was preaching racial hatred, and mocking America.
Rev. Wright calls for genocide against a race. This is foul racism which is contrary to God's Will as explicitly stated in Revelations. This is damnable as well as being a call to murder of innocents due to their genetics.
He is vile and without worth, as was Stalin, Mao, Hitler, et al - who also ALL share his Anti-God, Anti-Bible, Anti-Freedom, anti-humanity Pro-Enslavement Socialist point of view.
Rev. Wright is a proponent of Socialism, a philosophy which is not and never will be compatible with our society under our Constitution. It is a detestable worldview which requires the subjugation & enslavement of the People by an all-powerful Government - the exact opposite of our nation. It makes Citizens into Slaves. His views are as poisonous as any other treasonous CRIMINAL who attempts to foment insurrection and violence - these actions taking his loathesome words from under the protection of the Constitution and the 1st Amendment. Calls to insurrection, calls to violence, all are not free speech - they are crimes and crimes again.
He is not a holy man. He is not an American. He is not my countryman, nor is he a civilized man. He is not a citizen with full rights - he, by his words, is an enemy to be defeated and expunged from our sight. He should be escorted to the border and declared to be Hostis humani generis, or the Enemy of All Humanity just like a pirate or a slaver (which he is- a slaver) and a price put on his head for any to collect.
He is scum of the lowest order and has no place in our country.
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