Obama Rationalizes Wright's Rhetoric

Cross posted from Wake up America

The recent firestorm that ensued after certain comments were published from Pastor Jeremiah Wright, (video found here) who is Barack Obama's pastor and has been for 20 years, forced Barack Obama to step up and give a speech today to supporters at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center.

The full text of the speech can be found here.

Obama's speech will, of course, be seen differently from a variety of people, die hard Obama supporters will see that he denounced specific comments made by his Pastor, moderates and independents might be left with some additional questions about his rationalizations almost excusing the more controversial aspects of the Pastor's "God Damn America" rantings, and the Republicans and conservatives will have definite ammunition to use against Obama if he ends up being the Democratic nominee of choice to run for presidency of the United States.

What his supporters will take to heart regarding the specific controversial remarks.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy.

[...]

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; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems – two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

The rationalization that might give moderates and independents pause..

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God’s work here on Earth – by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

The portion that will give conservatives talking points against Obama.

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.

The take aways from these portions of the speech, for Obama supporters will be that he did denounce specific comments.

Moderates and independents, who have only seen those snippets of Wright's speeches and do not know Wright separate from what has been plastered in every newspaper and throughout the world wide web, over the last week, will see Obama rationalizing and excusing Wright's behavior and words.

Conservatives will see that Obama admits to having heard divisive and controversial comments and political views he claims are not representative of his own views and yet he continued to have a close association with him, even stating in this speech, "As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children."

The question that remains is, did Obama go far enough in this speech to stop the damage that has been recently reported where 56 perecent said that Wright's comments, "made them less likely to vote for Obama."

If conservatives were the ones polled there, that figure would not matter much at all because conservatives would not be voting for Obama in the general election anyway.... but 44 percent of Democratic voters were included in that figure.

Since 66 percent said they have seen, read of heard about Wright's comments, the takeaways from this speech of Obama's will be significant in scope, and time will tell if he went far enough in denouncing Wright or if the rationalizations will continue to damage him in the polls.

A very curious theme is developing in the blogosphere from those talking about this speech from Barack Obama.

All sides of the issue are happy with his speech, for different reasons.


Obama supporters are happy he denounced the specific Wright's comments and philosophy, Clinton supporters are happy that he rationalized and excused the man while only denouncing the rhetoric, giving them the opportunity to accuse him of "tap dancing", and McCain supporters are happy because they feel he opened himself up for criticism by trying to distance himself in a non distancing way and giving a "non-apology apology".

After reading the whole speech, do you think Obama went far enough in denouncing just the comments but not the man?

All Miss Beth's Barack Obama posts can be found on one page here.
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Move America Forward Presents "The Sedition Report"

Cross posted from Wake up America

(Click photo to enlarge)
Sedition: Sedition is a term of law which refers to covert conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority as tending toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent (or resistance) to lawful authority. Sedition may include any commotion, though not aimed at direct and open violence against the laws.

I have previously documented vandalism of war memorials, supposed "peace activists" committing crimes and being arrested and one unbelievable case of an anti-war activist hacking up a student, in the last year on my blog, and a report from Move America Forward documents many more instances.

"The Sedition Report," is a document released by the pro-troop organization Move America Forward after a month-long exhaustive investigation into actions by anti-war activists against military recruiting centers including bombs planted at recruiting centers (Times Square - NY and St.Louis, MO), shots fired at a recruiting center (Denver, CO), firebombing of recruiters cars (in Alabama and Maryland), manure and feces smeared across recruiting centers (Toledo, OH and Milwaukee, WI.

Part A of that report can be found at the Move America Forward website and documents the numerous anti-military acts committed by groups right here in the United States.

Part B of that report provides a sampling of what these individuals have said following attacks against various military recruiting centers.

As the report was being officially released to the media at the historic National Press Club, anti-war activists including Code Pink and Global Exchange infiltrated the news conference posing as reporters.

In the middle of the news conference they began to yell and scream, declaring that the reports of violence by the anti-war movement were all lies. One gentleman stood up, proclaimed himself a 2nd generation Marine and said he was ashamed of what had become of the military he once served in. He removed his outer shirt, revealing a pink captain's jacket with various insignias. As he proceeded to scream epitaphs against our troops he was asked to leave by security. When he refused a scuffle ensued. A reporter for the Washington Post confronted the individual and found out he was in fact NOT a Marine.

"I'm a second-generation Marine!" he yelled as he revealed his pink coat, which he wore with light pink pants with a dark pink military stripe. He said later in an interview that he had not in fact been a Marine, but his father and brother had. "We love the Marines! We want to bring them home!"

Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward said, "We have discovered that there have been over 100 attacks on our Marine recruiting and military recruiting centers all across America . . . over a two-year period of time."

Tighe Barry, the anti-war activist has been arrested before, one notable time was for for disrupting the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Perhaps his most notable arrest was after he traveled to Pakistan to express support for Islamic terrorists.

Via an email I received from Move America Forward:

Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward, said that the hostile actions of those who disrupted the news conference goes to the point of "The Sedition Report." "These are the same types of actions these individuals have engaged in at recruiting centers such as the one at 14th and L in Washington, D.C. and Berkeley, California. They storm the office, disrupt the actions of recruiters, commit acts of vandalism, and occupy the offices."

As part of the effort to inform the American people about the increasing frequency and degree of violence in these attacks against recruiting offices, Move America Forward also released a new national ad campaign.

The new ad can be found at YouTube.



One example provided by "The Sedition Report", Part B (linked above), shows future events planned by certain factions of the anti-war activists. Scheduled for March 19, 2008, at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania military recruiting center:

On Wednesday, March 19, POG will be holding a torch-lit march to a modern day castle of abominations—our local military recruiting station. If the station remains open, we intend to evict it and everything inside of it, occupy the location, and transform it into something useful for the community. We'll also be bringing a movable cage in which to confine military recruiters until they no longer pose a danger to our friends and neighbors.

Another example provided in the report is when an anti-war group set fire to a military recruiting station in San Jose, California, then proceeded to brag that recruiting centers made for good targets for “direct action” because they, “are often far away from military bases and completely unguarded."

Other anti-war discussion forums cheered on the act of arson at the recruiting center. This thread in particular contained a string of disturbing comments.

A few examples of those comments:

wow. very cool

1 down! thousands to go! This is some awesome news to wake up to!

i caught this on the Seattle news last night ans was very excited to hear about it. although i thought it was more local, its of course still inspiring. thank you.

Bravo! Usually I\’m not a big supporter of vandalism, but I love to hear people sticking it to the government, and especially the military, like this. Good job!

holy smoke! this is great! good job!

hehe excellent we need to see more of this!

According to a report written by Canada Free Press, Congressman Joe Carter, who was attending and a scheduled speaker at the press conference to release "The Sedition Report", had to be "whisked" away his own personal safety, when midway through the presentation, "anti-war activists rushed to shut down both speakers, and when MAF asked for security to remove them, the activists refused to go, resulting in a forced eviction."

Melanie Morgan told Canada Free Press, "Soon thereafter, I was walking to another appointment when I found myself stalked by the radicals who pulled up alongside me in a car yelling obscenities at me for daring to report on their disgusting conduct," she then adds, "What angers me most is that these people don’t stop there. They’ve planted bombs at recruiting centers (not allegedly just at Times Square but St. Louis too!). They pumped eight rounds of gunfire into the Denver military recruiting center. They’ve set fire to recruiting centers in San Jose, CA and Asheville, NC."

"The Sedition Report" is an investigative piece that chronicles the acts of Sedition and violence from those that call themselves "peace activists".

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Myth vs Fact-Part 270

Myth	Fact
Islam: Religion of peace.	Sahih BukhariVolume 5, Book 59, Number 448: Narrated 'Aisha: Sad was wounded on the day of Khandaq (i.e. Trench) when a man from Quraish, called Hibban bin Al-'Araqa hit him (with an arrow). The man was Hibban bin Qais from (the tribe of) Bani Mais bin 'Amir bin Lu'ai who shot an arrow at Sad's medial arm vein (or main artery of the arm). The Prophet pitched a tent (for Sad) in the Mosque so that he might be near to the Prophet to visit. When the Prophet returned from the (battle) of Al-Khandaq (i.e. Trench) and laid down his arms and took a bath Gabriel came to him while he (i.e. Gabriel) was shaking the dust off his head, and said, "You have laid down the arms?" By Allah, I have not laid them down. Go out to them (to attack them)." The Prophet said, "Where?" Gabriel pointed towards Bani Quraiza. So Allah's Apostle went to them (i.e. Banu Quraiza) (i.e. besieged them). They then surrendered to the Prophet's judgment but he directed them to Sad to give his verdict concerning them. Sad said, "I give my judgment that their warriors should be killed, their women and children should be taken as captives, and their properties distributed." Narrated Hisham: My father informed me that 'Aisha said, "Sad said, "O Allah! You know that there is nothing more beloved to me than to fight in Your Cause against those who disbelieved Your Apostle and turned him out (of Mecca). O Allah! I think you have put to an end the fight between us and them (i.e. Quraish infidels). And if there still remains any fight with the Quraish (infidels), then keep me alive till I fight against them for Your Sake. But if you have brought the war to an end, then let this wound burst and cause my death thereby.' So blood gushed from the wound. There was a tent in the Mosque belonging to Banu Ghifar who were surprised by the blood flowing towards them . They said, 'O people of the tent! What is this thing which is coming to us from your side?' Behold! Blood was flowing profusely out of Sad's wound. Sad then died because of that."
Tafsir

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Myth vs Fact-Part 269

Myth	Fact
Islam: Religion of peace.	Sahih BukhariVolume 5, Book 59, Number 443: Narrated 'Aisha: When the Prophet returned from Al-Khandaq (i.e. Trench) and laid down his arms and took a bath, Gabriel came and said (to the Prophet ), You have laid down your arms? By Allah, we angels have not laid them down yet. So set out for them." The Prophet said, "Where to go?" Gabriel said, "Towards this side," pointing towards Banu Quraiza. So the Prophet went out towards them.
Tafsir

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And The Beat Goes On-Trinity Hate Speech Spin

Also posted at Grizzly Groundswell here; Digg! here; GOP Hub here and Real Clear Politics (unless they censored me again) here.


This week has revealed an interesting aspect into the inner workings of the mind of Barack Hussein Obama, his wife, his allegiance and ties to a hate monger and a hate preaching "church" and "pastor", his preference for the black side of his life over his white side and his inability to integrate the two--and has further allowed a reasonable projection flowing from these aspects of the boy who would be supreme ruler and how he would attempt to rule our lives.

A very dangerous aspect he has done his best to hide. An aspect he has been exceedingly reluctant to divorce himself from, whether it be his connection to Jeremiah Wright or Louis Farrakhan. An aspect of his life he chose to indulge himself in for over twenty years, a sort of legitimatized hate.

How ironic anything regarding his alleged faith is based around rampant hate, violence and anti-Americanism, whether it be his questionable and foggy muslim ties to his family and the current violence in Kenya or his membership in a black supremacist, racist "church". A "church" currently under IRS investigation because of its love of mixing politics with religion--the final straw coming as a speech of his from the pulpit, complete with campaign workers manning tables during and after the speech.

It's shown his failings as a parent--from his unstable, abusive mother to his NOW visible abuse of his own children by allowing his children to be exposed to this rampant racism and anti-American hatred. A form of child abuse determined to teach and keep his children in the victim mentality based upon the color of their skin rather than empowering them to meet the world head-on, regardless of the color of their skin.

Training a child to be a victim is child abuse. Argue it all you want, but it is what it is. Not only is Barack Hussein Obama a fake, an empty suit, a racist, a foggy muslim, a victim mentality, a socialist--he and his wife are also child abusers.

Today, we see (courtesy of Jay at Stop the ACLU!, Politico and Hot Air , respectively) the fallout of Jeremiah Wright's hate. The "church" is accusing the media of "character assassination". Isn't that interesting--the media (including bloggers) have used the "church's" own tapes, sold in its own bookstore, with Wright's own words. No need to paraphrase, no need to "make this stuff up". These are Wright's own words, reflecting the "church's" own beliefs and teachings--but the media is indulging in character assassination. I find that laughable.

From Jay at Stop the ACLU!:

After blaming America for everything from HIV to 9/11, it was inevitable that the church would continue playing the victim card. Now they accuse the media for character assassination! But as others point out, isn’t it character suicide when the “victim” provides the poison? Heh, As David says in the comments, doesn’t one need to have character before it can be assassinated?

The Chicago church attended by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) issued a statement Sunday contending that coverage of his pastor’s inflammatory remarks amounted to character assassination and “an attack on … the history of the African American church.”

Obama distanced himself from inflammatory comments by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., retiring pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ, after they circulated on YouTube last week and were played repeatedly by cable news channels.

Wright, condemning society as racist, said, “God [expletive] America” and referred to the “U.S. of KKK-A.”

The statement begins: “Nearly three weeks before the 40th commemorative anniversary of the murder of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children and men in America and around the globe.”

The statement adds: “Trinity United Church of Christ’s ministry is inclusive and global.”

Inclusive and global? Calling America the US of KKK-A is inclusive and global? The victim card has apparently become a crutch for this church.

These words are Wright's own words, people--not ours.

From The Politico:

The church attended by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) fought back Sunday against mounting criticism of its pastor, accusing the media of character assassination and “crucifixion.”


Otis Moss III, the current pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, used his pulpit to defend his congregation and its past minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., from a wave of controversy stemming from inflammatory statements made by Wright.


"We have listened and watched as the wonderful work of our church has been vilified this week," he told about 3,000 congregants on Palm Sunday morning. "This week should be special for us because I guess we know a little something about crucifixion."

Wow--now they're comparing themselves, their own videos sold in their own bookstore and recorded by their own pastor, things they did on their own--to Christ, who chose to die for us in accordance with His Father's wishes. Did God tell this sham house of worship to emulate the money changers in the temple? Did God tell this sham of a racist congregation, eating up the hate from the pulpit and promulgated by them, they were like His Son? Or are they, in fact, more of the mob mentality who chose to release Barabbas over Christ--a robber over an innocent man? For they are the money changers in the temple and they are the mob who chose a robber over an innocent. They certainly are not Christ, though in their warped and twisted minds they believe they are.

Christ told his followers to render unto Caeser what was Caeser's--not hate your country. He preached love, not racism. And He lived in accordance with His teachings--not in multi-million dollar houses, living off the fat of the land while hating the gifts the land gave Him.

From Ed at Hot Air:

The victimization continues. The Trinity United Church of Christ accused the media of character assassination today in response to the coverage of repeated instances of controversial rhetoric coming from its pastor and confidante of Barack Obama, Jeremiah Wright. But does it count when the victim provides the poison himself?

and:

Inclusive and global? Even Wright himself admitted that wasn’t the case in one of the more infamous of his sermons passed around the Internet. He scolded his audience for its initially reticent reaction to the accusation that rich white people exploited the poor, saying that “I know we have a few white people in our congregation.” Calling the nation the “United States of white America” and the “US of KKK-A” doesn’t exactly sound “inclusive and global."

This is just a tone-deaf way of fighting back against the exposure of Trinity’s senior pastor as raging demagogue and a hater. It isn’t the media delivering that message; it’s the Reverend Wright himself. It doesn’t count as an assassination when the victim exposes his own character, and the media simply rebroadcasts the suicide.

And the beat goes on.

Now, we see more damage control. Wright has now retired. He has left Barack Hussein Obama's campaign, although we aren't sure whether he left voluntarily or it was requested he leave. Now, again from Jay at Stop the ACLU!, we see the "black values" from the "church's" "About Us" page on the website has changed.

From Jay at Stop the ACLU!:

Here is the entire text of the section before it was redacted:

“Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System, written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by the late Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God

2. Commitment to the Black Community

3. Commitment to the Black Family

4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education

5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence

7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect

8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”

9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community

10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions

11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System

12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.”

It has now been replaced with this, from the Trinity United Church of Christ site:

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

These ten talking points are now followed by three videos.

I have a problem with racism. As a middle class white woman, I get awfully sick and tired of hearing about how racist I am because I expect and demand people do for themselves and get their mouths off the public tit. I imagine my white brothers are about as sick of it as I am.

We're sick of the victim mentality inherent in the blacks these days. So are some very prominent blacks, blacks with class as I call them, such as Juan Williams and Bill Cosby, who are unafraid to tell the likes of the Wrights and the TUCC congregation to take some damned responsibility for yourself and quit blaming everyone else (including your country and "whitey") for your problems.

I'm personally sick of the ghost of Martin Luther King being resurrected to justify the attitude of the likes of these people. This is not what Martin preached or marched for. This is NOT Martin's dream and I suspect he would be appalled at his name being used in any form of conjunction with the likes of these racists. THIS is not what he marched for; THIS is not what he withstood beatings for; THIS is not what he was jailed for; THIS is not what he faced water cannons for. THIS IS NOT WHAT HE WAS ASSASSINATED FOR. Martin was not a victim and he didn't marry or raise victims. He stood for his principles, his honor, his beliefs of full integration for all.

And black supremacists, black racists, are his legacy. Hate mongers such as Sharpton, Jackson and Wright, who call upon his ghost to justify the bastardization of his message and legacy and who promote the exact thing Martin fought.

However, since these hate mongers and racists are black, we're not allowed to call them by the name they've rightfully earned.

Besides this latest version of black racism, let's revisit just a few examples in our recent history. Sharpton's Tawana Brawley. Jackson's race baiting Rainbow Coalition. Don Imus. Duke LaCrosse team members. There are still outstanding warrants for Sharpton's, Brawley's (who has now converted to islam and is living under a muslim name--convenient, eh?) and Brawley's mother's role in that fraud. And the accuser of the Duke LaCrosse boys? Why isn't she being prosecuted for false information to the police?

But that's not racism because they're all black, right?

We're sick of affirmative action for those with less talent, who receive jobs and school placement simply to fulfill some quota by feel good leftists.

Barack Hussein Obama has shown himself for what he is--a racist who believes in social engineering and socialism. By his choice to remain in this hate factory for over 20 years, by his choice to contribute over $20,000 in one year alone to this hate factory, by his choice to marry in this hate factory and have his daughters baptized in this racism laden atmosphere, he has shown himself for what he truly is.

A black supremacist, white hating, victim mentality encouraging, child abusing racist. By his choice not to denounce, in hard hitting terms and forceful language, the support and endorsement of Wright and Farrakhan, he has shown his true color. By his refusal to separate himself from such endorsers until literally forced--and then to do so in such tepid terms--shows his true color. By his placement of Wright on his campaign team (until this came out, of course), he has shown his true color.

The question is, of course, are people going to wake up to this wolf in sheep's clothing? Or are they going to continue to follow like sheep to the slaughter? Are they going to wake up, or simply hope it's all going to go away?

And the beat goes on.

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