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Straight Talk ***************************************************** March 25, 2008 ***************************************************** The Racist Ravings of Obama’s PreacherUnlikely as it would have seemed only a few weeks ago, it now appears possible that some sermons by Barack Obama’s pastor could cost the Senator his bid for the White House. In fact, the publicity over his minister’s racist rants could keep him from winning the Democratic nomination for the presidency. In a matter of days, Obama has dropped dramatically in the polls. He’s gone from a commanding lead over Hillary Clinton to a distant second. The latest numbers I’ve seen put Hillary ahead, 49% to 42%, among likely Democratic voters. Just two weeks ago, Obama was leading Hillary 50% to 44%. That is an astounding shift to take place so quickly. Especially since it has nothing to do with anything Obama or Hillary said. No, it has everything to do with remarks by Obama’s pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Remarks like, “The government gives them [black Americans] the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, God d**n America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people. God d**n America for treating our citizens as less than human. God d**n America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.” That is from a sermon Rev. Wright delivered in 2003. Like most four-year-old sermons, it could have been lost to history. But for some reason, Rev. Wright’s church sells copies of it to anyone who asks for one. Brian Ross of ABC News purchased one just a few days ago. Hmmmm, I wonder who urged Mr. Ross to do that? Interestingly enough, he hasn’t said. The controversy has led to scrutiny of other speeches and actions by Obama’s pastor. There was, for example, the award given to the viciously racist and anti-Semitic leader of the National of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, for “lifetime achievement.” And remarks such as the following, which Rev. Wright delivered to his congregation just five days after September 11, 2001: “We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye. We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.” Two years ago, Rev. Wright was still singing the same America-is-always-wrong song. This from a speech at Howard University in January 2006: “Racism is alive and well. Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run. No black man will ever be considered for president [!] … no black woman can ever be considered for anything outside what she can give with her body…. America is still the #1 killer in the world…. We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns, and the training of professional killers.” Barack and Michelle Obama have been members of Dr. Wright’s church for more than 20 years. He married them, he baptized their children. In that time, they’ve listened to scores, perhaps hundreds, of sermons by him. Given Dr. Wright’s bigoted bias against this country and its history, it’s no wonder Michelle Obama could say that she had never been proud of her country before her husband’s candidacy. Who could be proud of the land that exists in Dr. Wright’s malignant imagination? Barack Obama now says that he himself never heard such racist remarks from his pastor. But it’s clear he was aware of them. In fact, when the Senator first announced his run for the White House, back in February 2007, Rev. Wright was first invited, then disinvited, to be one of his honored guests. Wright later told a reporter that his friend Barack called and said, “You can get kind of rough in your sermons, so what we’ve decided is that it’s best for you not to be out there in public.” After the firestorm of controversy that erupted from the exposure of Dr. Wright’s views, Sen. Obama was quick to distance himself from his friend and mentor of 20 years. In a major address on the subject of race in America, he denounced Rev. Wright’s “incendiary” remarks and said they “denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.” Both liberals and conservatives have praised Obama’s speech, which carried the title, “A More Perfect Union.” Former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan said “it was a speech to think to, not clap to.” In it, Obama talked about his own multiracial background – son of a white American mother and a black father from Kenya – and declared, “I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.” Obama told his audience, “I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Rev. Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.” Then he continued, “But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America.” There was much in Sen. Obama’s speech I found profoundly moving. He is, clearly, one of the most eloquent and articulate candidates this country has seen since John F. Kennedy. But there was also much I found deeply disturbing. It worries me that every single solution Obama proposes, for the long litany of problems he so eloquently describes, requires more government. More spending, more taxes, more redistribution of wealth. If a little socialism has not made all these problems go away, let’s try lots of socialism. Personally, I believe Ronald Reagan had it right, and Barack Obama has it wrong. Government is not the solution, it is a large part of the problem. It discourages individual responsibility, it encourages dependency and envy, it punishes success and it rewards sloth. In his speech, Barack said that we must have a new and different conversation about race. I agree with him and I applaud him for saying it. I have some thoughts on the subject I’ll share with you in a future column. And many of you no doubt have some thoughts you’ll want to share with me. But in the meantime, we should thank Sen. Obama for both what he said and the way he said it. It took real courage to address this delicate and inflammatory subject as he did – simply, openly, honestly, without pandering to the most vocal, the most passionate, and yes, the most bigoted sector of his admirers. Will this speech win him more supporters than Rev. Wright’s hate-filled diatribes have cost him? Time will tell. But of one thing you can be certain: The words and deeds of both men will be subject to much more scrutiny in the future than they have been in the past. There is something else I hope will happen. It is that the tone and tenor of political debate in this country will rise to the high standards Sen. Obama set in his speech. Certainly, there are crucial issues that divide us … race being just one among many. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could discuss such things as immigration, Iraq, taxes, welfare, and so much more, without the nastiness – the ugly mean-spiritness – that seems to have become a hallmark of our political discourse? Yes, passion can be a good thing. But as Barack Obama has just shown, it doesn’t have to trump civility. It’s time for more of us to exhibit a decent regard (or at least tolerance) for the opinion of others … even (or especially) those with whom we most strongly disagree. The Americans With No Abilities Act(I have no idea who came up with this particular piece of parody. But given the “something for everybody” parade of promises we’re hearing from our politicians this election year, I thought you’d get a chuckle out of this proposal. Chip) Washington, DC – Congress is considering sweeping legislation that will provide new benefits for many Americans. The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA) is being hailed as a major legislative goal by advocates of the millions of Americans who lack any real skills or ambition. “Roughly 50% of Americans do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in society,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). “We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they have some idea of what they are doing.” In a Capitol Hill press conference, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pointed to the success of the U.S. Government, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. Approximately 74% of postal employees lack any job skills, making this agency the single largest U.S. employer of Persons of Inability. Private-sector industries with good records of Nondiscrimination against the Inept include financial advisors (73%), retail sales (72%), the automotive industry (70%), the airline industry (68%), and home improvement “warehouse” stores (65%). At the state government level, the Department of Motor Vehicles also has a great record of hiring Persons of Inability (63%). Under the Americans With No Abilities Act, more than 25 million “middle-management” positions will be created, with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance. Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given, so as to guarantee upward mobility for even the most unremarkable employees. The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations that promote a significant number of Persons of Inability into middle-management positions, and gives a tax credit to small and medium-sized businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for every two talented hires. Finally, the AWNAA contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the Non-abled. For example, such discriminatory interview questions as, “Do you have any skills or experience which relate to this job?” will be prohibited under the bill. “As a Non-abled person, I can’t be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them,” said Mary Lou Gertz, who lost her position as a lug-nut twister at the GM plant in Flint, Michigan, due to her lack of any discernible job skills. “This new law should really help people like me.” With the passage of this bill, Gertz and millions of other untalented citizens will finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Said Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), “As a Senator With No Abilities, I believe the same privileges that elected officials enjoy ought to be extended to every American with no abilities. It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every American citizen, regardless of his or her adequacy, with some sort of employment in this great nation.” This Week in HistoryOn March 22, 1765, the British Parliament passed an odious piece of legislation known as the Stamp Act. It imposed a tax on every piece of paper used by colonists in America, including all legal documents, licenses, newspapers and other publications, and even playing cards. The colonists were outraged by this "taxation without representation" and launched massive protests. After a decade of appeals accomplished nothing, Patrick Henry urged Virginia's House of Burgesses to adopt his Stamp Act Resolves. When the legislators approved four of the resolutions, Virginia Governor Fauquier (who was appointed by the King) ordered the assembly dissolved. The next day, on March 23, 1775, Henry gave his famous speech, which ended with, "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, Give me Liberty or give me Death." Within a month, Britain and the colonies were at war, Fauquier fled his post, and Patrick Henry was named Governor of Virginia. Until next time, keep some powder dry. Chip Wood *************************************************
Straight Talk is a weekly commentary written by Chip Wood.
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