Rev. Wright Round II

I defended Reverand Jeremiah Wright in a recent post, and was happy to do so. His antics yesterday however, were certainly bizarre in terms of motivation. To use a term Howard Cosell used when interviewing Muhammad Ali, Wright behaved rather truculantly. Wright has done himself, the black church, and Barack Obama a disservice. His behavior has played directly into the hands of those who would dismiss the legitimacy of his pulpit and his message of dissent, not to mention the candidacy of Senator Obama. Wright deserves our respect for serving in the military and the work he has done in the south-side of Chicago, and it therefore saddens me that he has behaved so recklessly.



Nevertheless, I was not outraged at what Wright said, but more by the manner in which he conducted himself, which was contrary to the ideal vision of a pastor. His conduct at the national press club was arrogant, but also hilarious. I particularly enjoyed his dancing and when he threw his hands up much like a football player after answering a particular question with a strong sense self-satisfaction.

Goddamn America!

Bill Moyers sat down with Jeremiah Wright for a much needed discussion last night. Click on the following links if you have not had a chance to see what the man has to say.
Bill Moyers & Jeremiah Wright part 1
Bill Moyers & Jeremiah Wright part 2
These are direct links to the PBS page, which are better than trying to watch the interview on YouTube. Of course Newt Gingrich blithely dismissed Moyers as a far-left fringe supporter and apologist. After hearing what Wright has to say I can only explain the controversy surrounding his now infamous sermon, I can only conclude that America has a problem with people who tell the truth, especially if they are black. The "chickens have come to roost" comment is surely no worse than what Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell had to say following 9/11, yet no one is drudging up those comments and attaching them to McCain even though he has received their support in his bid for the presidency. Last time McCain ran for president he denounced Falwell as an "agent of intolerance," but he has since reversed his position. I will concede that the principal difference is that McCain is not a member of either Robertson or Falwell's church.

America's chickens have come home to roost. We have murdered innocent people and propped up oppressive regimes all across the globe, but apparently the American people don't want to face these hard facts. Our government has committed atrocities, and we need to acknowledge these and move on to create a better government and world.

We have been lied to and manipulated. Does anyone consider the Vietnam War a just war? We were lied to about the Gulf of Tonkin incident. We were lied to about WMD, we we lied to about links to Al Qaeda, we were lied to about liberating the Iraqi people, we were lied to about oil. If you aren't outraged, you simply haven't been paying attention. We were lied to and now we have gotten ourselves into a giant Chinese finger trap with no end in sight. Has our presence in Iraq made us safer? Has our presence in Iraq weakened terrorism?