The one thing that is clear to me about the issue of Jeremiah Wright is that it is far too complex for our media to accurately capture. But one other thing is clear: as much as one can argue that his words were taken out of context before, his speeches to the NAACP and National Press Club contained extremely troubling statements, in context. And Obama was right to forcefully renounce those views today.
It is clear that Wright’s assertion that AIDS was created by the U.S. government is paranoid.
It is clear that his support of Farrakhan is troubling and his implication that white people are his enemy by placing his ancestors in chains appears on its face to be opposed to the teachings of the Christ he follows.
It is clear that he simplistically morally equates U.S. and Israeli military action with terrorism.
And yet to dismiss what he says completely without listening and engaging with it is to miss an opportunity. Why does Reverend Wright believe the things he does? What has he seen in his life which has formed his opinions? And are there nuggets of truth in his message from which we can learn?
Regardless of what happens to Barack Obama’s candidacy, our country needs to deal with its racial demons. What we need is not the vilification of people who say things which are wrong or which make us uncomfortable, but true racial reconciliation. Messy, angry, forgiving, racial reconciliation. White folks are going to need to hear what the Jeremiah Wrights have to say and black folks are going to need to understand the fears (rational or irrational) which continue to drive white racism, without condemning each other. And every other ethnic group will need to join in right along with them in this conversation. We’re going to need to listen much more than we speak, and forgive much more than we condemn.
Like with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this incident is a teachable moment for our country. If we miss the opportunity, like with our failure to address issues of poverty and race after Katrina, we will continue to slog through the uneasy racial peace which defines our country today. But if we grasp it, we have a chance to start to build the beloved community that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called us to so many years ago.
I pray that it will be the latter, but unfortunately my cynicism leads me to believe it will be the former.
Last night, Jeremiah Wright, the supposedly “racist,” “anti-American” pastor of Barack Obama’s Trinity United Church of Christ, was interviewed by Bill Moyers on PBS.
Watch the interview. Please.
If you expected a loon, a radical leftist hate-America-firster, you will be sorely disappointed if you watch the videos.
Instead, what I saw was a man who is deeply committed to Christ and building his kingdom here on earth. A man who loves his congregation and longs to see the African American community emerge from the legacy of slavery and oppression. And a man who was quoted OUT OF CONTEXT and then vilified by the entire mainstream media apparatus.
Two examples:
The media and the right-wing noise machine have claimed that Wright was blaming the United States for the attacks on 9/11 when he stated that “the chickens have come home to roost.”
But if you watch the sermon on context, what he was saying instead was the same as what Jesus said. “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.” Violence begets violence, not peace. And so, as a nation which has engaged in numerous wars in its history, it is only logical that one day war would find itself back in our nation.
Rather than the media narrative that Wright was saying America deserved 9/11, instead he was simply helping people understand why wars happen in the first place.
The second, and more widely mentioned of his two remarks, was the sermon where he stated “not God bless America, God damn America.” However, this sermon too was quoted out of context.
And here this the context: God in the old testament blesses those who do good and curses those who do evil. And it is clear that God would NOT bless the litany of wrongs our nation has committed in the past: stealing the land of native American people, slavery, Jim Crow, and so forth.
Wright was NOT saying that HE damns America or that even God damns America in general, but like when Israel disobeyed the lord and oppressed its poor, he DOES damn the evil actions of its past.
And so should we all.
The bottom line here is that like with Al Gore’s supposed claim to have “invented the internet” (which he never made), and Howard Dean’s supposed crazy scream (which in the context of a VERY noisy room wasn’t so crazy at all), the media and its right-wing echo chamber have chosen to take soundbites out of context to try to destroy the political fortunes of one man (Barack Obama) and vilify a man whose love for Christ comes through loud and clear when you actually listen to what he is saying.
I have supported Barack Obama since early in the primary season, and hearing the words of his pastor only strengthens that support in my mind. It’s time for me to write a letter of encouragement to Rev. Wright and to give some money to Barack Obama. We can’t let these thugs in the right-wing noise machine lie their way to the destruction of another good candidate. It’s time to stand up to them.
For the sake of our country AND the sake of our church.
Wow, has it really been six months since I’ve posted here?
During those six months, I’ve spent a lot of time re-evaluating my faith (for the better), re-evaluating my political engagement (I would also say for the better), and enjoying my wife and three kids. But at least for today, I’ve got something to say, so I’m back.
At least for today.
I’ve just finished Brian McLaren’s Everything Must Change, where he describes the world’s current system as a “suicide machine” which is hurtling our planet toward its untimely demise. The BBC has two data points which back up his thesis:
Global trade coupled with fossil fuel use is exacerbating global warming:
Our highly consumptive lifestyle is impacting our ecosystems:Global emissions of carbon dioxide from shipping are twice the level of aviation, one of the maritime industry’s key bodies has said.
A report prepared by Intertanko, which represents the majority of the world’s tanker operators, says emissions have risen sharply in the past six years.
North Sea cod stocks have declined severely since the late 1990s, and in the past the scientific advice has been to stop fishing for cod entirely.
Researchers say where fisheries have been closed, there are signs of a slight recovery.
But, they say, it is not yet enough, and these young fish need the opportunity to grow and reproduce so they can contribute to the restoration of this important fish stock.
For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must find a way to grow our economies in a sustainable fashion while at the same time sharing our wealth more equally with the poorest of the world’s poor. It’s the only way we can depart from our current suicidal course.
This is starting to become a pattern. The Democratic congress is showing that it is just as willing to do the administration’s bidding as the Republicans were:
First it was their caving in to continue to fund the immoral war in Iraq, and now they have basically said to any American who calls overseas: you will be monitored. Whether you are suspected of talking to terrorists or not.Bush is getting practically everything he asked for. Indeed, under Bush’s warrantless-search program launched in 2001, the administration could conduct oversight-free surveillance only if it suspected someone on the call was a terrorist. Under the bill passed by the Senate yesterday, that condition no longer exists.
And for those who would say “the only people who have to worry are those who are doing something wrong”: has this administration done anything to make us believe that it will NOT use the law in unethical ways? The same administration which has ignored the Geneva convention, implemented illegal wiretapping programs without Congressional or court authorization, and used executive privilege to obstruct Congressional oversight investigations?
These people cannot be trusted, and yet the Democrats in Congress have done just that. Yeah, that’s why we elected you.
Kevin Drum hits all the low notes of our dysfunctional health-care system:
Over the course of the past several years, and especially as my wife and I have added three children to our family, we have been subject to many of these things. The lack of choice which requires you to switch primary doctors repeatedly in order to get the right mix of specialists. The terrible lines in the emergency room when your child needs care outside of business hours. The need to switch hospitals just because your health insurance decides it’s not going to pay for the one that is closer to your home.Rather than overall cost, then, which doesn’t matter to most people anyway (as far as most employed people are concerned, healthcare is essentially free right now) the selling point of national healthcare is freedom from the endlessly gnawing problems of our current jury rigged system. For example: HMOs that make it hard to see a specialist. High and rising copayments. Fear of losing coverage if you lose your job. Long waits for non-urgent care. New (and usually worse) healthcare coverage every time your HR department is told to find a cheaper plan.
And more: Small businesses that have a hard time attracting good employees because they can’t afford to offer health coverage. Big business that are on the verge of bankruptcy because of skyrocketing health costs. Lack of choice in physicians because you’re limited to whichever medical groups have signed contracts with your company’s insurance carrier. Losing your longtime family doctor because your company switches insurance carriers and you can only see doctors on your new carrier’s approved list.
And yet more: Fear that preexisting conditions won’t be covered if you take a new job. The risk of financial ruin if someone in your family has a truly catastrophic illness. Crowded emergency rooms that have essentially become clinics of last resort for the poor. Being forced to go on strike year after year because your employer relentlessly tries to gut your healthcare benefits every time your union contract gets renegotiated. 43 million people who lack health coverage of any kind.
And we have GOOD health insurance when compared to most people.
The fact is, the system is broken beyond repair and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. The first candidate who promises to do this in a way that ensures coverage for all, improves on the dismal level of service in our healthcare industry, and allows doctors to focus on being doctors will get my vote.
Unfortunately, no one, even the Democrats, seems to be willing to step up to the plate and offer more than a band-aid approach to reforming our health care system.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
I first met the prophet Amos during my junior year in college. I was already acquainted with Jesus’ call to love the outcast and the poor, but it was through Amos that I was confronted with the stark reality that God wanted more than individual acts of compassion - he demanded justice.
Israel at the time of Amos was living in a time of prosperity, with no real threats from the nations surrounding it. But that prosperity had a dark side - it was built on the backs of the poor. Archeological evidence shows that in the 10th century, homes in Israel were of a similar size. But that by the time of the prophet Amos, there were a few very large homes in Israel, and many many more extremely small homes. Income inequality had taken root, and the prophet Amos named its cause: oppression.
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria,
you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy
and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”
Amos’ message is frightening for those of us who live in the developed world at the beginning of the 21st century. A website, the Global Rich List, shows where we stand. $50,000 a year, which is just above the median household income in the United States, is in the top 1 percent of income worldwide. Over 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day, and almost 3 billion live on less than $2 per day. There are more than 27 million slaves worldwide, vulnerable because of their abject poverty.
While most of us do not directly oppress the poor, each of us in the developed world benefits from their oppression. Our computers are cheaper because laborers in the developing world are not paid a living wage and are not given basic labor protections common in the developed world. Many of the products that we buy, from our sneakers to agricultural products, come to us because of the work of modern day slaves. And our addiction to greenhouse gas producing energy promises to displace millions of the world’s poorest in this century, through flooding, famine, and lack of access to drinking water.
The heart of God demands that we take steps to lift up the poor. But how can we do it, when the numbers are so large? The scale of the problem can lead to paralysis.
Rather than give in to paralysis, Jesus calls us to action. We may not be able to save all of the children dying from preventable diseases in Africa, but we can probably contribute money to help buy mosquito netting and vaccines to save a few hundred of them. We may not be able to stop global warming in its entirety, but we can reduce our energy utilization by replacing our lights with compact fluorescent bulbs, adjusting our thermostat, buying a more fuel-efficient car, and purchasing carbon offsets to create more renewable energy. We may not be able to directly create jobs in the developing world, but we can certainly give to micro-loan programs which help the world’s poorest start businesses which can move them above the $2 per day threshold of extreme poverty.
But if we do not act at all, we need to heed the words that the Lord spoke through the prophet Amos almost 3000 years ago:
You trample on the poor
and force him to give you grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.
Apparently, they don’t have much of it:
[Republican Representative Chris] Cannon said that there is “nothing wrong with firing a U.S. attorney for the reason of politics,” and Democrats have been unable to prove there was any corruption involved.
I have three words for Mr. Cannon: Obstruction. Of. Justice.
Firing a number of U.S. Attorneys for what appears to be one of two reasons, that they either were pursuing valid investigations against Republicans or were not pursuing invalid investigations against Democrats is slightly more serious than simply firing them “for the reason of politics.”
But then, should I expect more? Over the course of the past six years the Republican leadership has proven again and again what it thinks of the rule of law: not much.
Yes, I am against the death penalty in ALL cases - even for Saddam Hussein. Protecting the sanctity of life means protecting ALL lives, not just those which are cute and cuddly or that somehow seem to deserve it more.
It appears that when confronted with the specter of a same-sex couple raising a baby, Focus on the Family has taken quite an “anti-life” position:
Focus on the Family, an influential Christian group that has provided crucial political support to President Bush, released a statement that criticized child rearing by same-sex couples.
“Mary Cheney’s pregnancy raises the question of what’s best for children,” the group’s director of issues analysis, Carrie Gordon Earll, said in a statement. “Just because it’s possible to conceive a child outside of the relationship of a married mother and father doesn’t mean it’s the best for the child. Love can’t replace a mom or a dad.”
I have a few questions for the FotFers on this one. Based on the statement above, I wonder if they would say that it would have been better for the child to have never been conceived than for it to be raised by a same-sex couple? If that is the case, isn’t that an incredibly hypocritical, anti-life position (using the terms of the “pro-life” movement)?
Disclaimer: I am anti-abortion but do not consider myself “pro-life,” which is a political word meant to vilify pro-abortion rights people for political gain. If you force me to apply the “pro-life” label to myself, then I would add that being truly pro-life requires me to be against the death penalty and also against war.
I’m not sure where to come down with regard to the argument that it is “best for the child” to have both a mother and a father. It all depends on whether there is something intrinsically good in having parents of opposite sexes, and I’m not sure where the science comes down on this one. I suspect there may be some value in an idealized situation, as there likely are lessons which are taught better by one gender or the other to the children. But I’m not willing to bet a whole lot of money on that suspicion, and am quite prepared to be wrong about it.
But how can anyone in their right minds NOT consider it to be better for a child to be raised in a loving gay or lesbian family than not to exist at all? And how can anyone even consider that it would be better for a child to live their life an orphan rather than be adopted by a gay or a lesbian family who will love him or her? It boggles the mind that anyone could think such things.
And yet for many in the Religious Right, who support bans on adoption for gays and lesbians, it is this outcome exactly that would be the result of those policies. More orphans.
Not exactly what I would call “family values.”
