Real Context to Rev. Wright’s Sermon

March 27, 2008

Important! Updated below:
I asked a question in the EC forums the a few days ago and didn’t get an answer (and if it’s there now I don’t know about it because I’m not hunting down the thread). I asked if anyone had read or heard the full text of Rev. Wright’s speech. All these people screaming “Racist!” and “America Hater!” because they’ve read somewhere that he might have said something untoward, but no one knows what context these words may have been spoken in. Unfortunately, when a Black preacher says something that white folks don’t like, then it becomes a huge deal and the fate of a nation rides on who can disavow him the fastest. Nevermind that Hillary and John (McCain, for those not in the loop) have associations with people just as hateful- also against white people (though those white people are most likely gay or Atheist/Pagan, which makes it A-OK to hate them). A Black pastor spoke with passion to his congregation against the hate that brews hard and heavy in this country and OMG! string that bastard up. Get the torches and pitch forks, people, we’re going to have a party!

So, I asked for links- especially since one person decided that Rev. Wright was not only racist against whites, but that he’s anti-Semitic as well (I won’t even get into the Clinton Camp’s hypocrisy with decrying the Reverend). I wanted to know what it was that he said exactly that set off this shit storm. Proof, please. I’m not joining this party without a good damned reason.

For the new people here, I’ve had more than a few tastes of racism with respect to my daughter. I’ve had to take matters into my own hands when her teacher told her Black history wasn’t important enough or when some dunderhead told her to go back to where she came from because she wasn’t welcome here. When a cop pulled my ex and me over just to tell me I would end up “just like Nicole Brown Simpson”, I wasn’t surprised. This is the kind of idiocy that happens in my neck of the woods all the time. I know it’s real and that it’s more common than most people are willing to admit. And the argument “Well, they do it too!” won’t fly with me. Fuck that. If you’ve never had your child in tears because her history was unimportant, then shut the fuck up about that.

There were a couple of more posts about whatever, but no links. I’m pretty sure the person who called Rev. Wright anti-Semitic actually told me that he didn’t actually say that, but he was guilty by association because he honored some guy that said some stuff. Well, fuck a duck, if guilt by association is all we need, then folks who voted for Bush are all homophobic, xenophobic, and elitist¹. Right? If we’re going there, why the fuck isn’t it good enough for both sides? Proof (as in links), please, or shut the fuck up. Without proof you’re mindless yelling is getting drowned out by the Spongebob song in my head.

I guess I could have hunted down the offending speech myself. I’m good at that, you know. When I feel like some point needs to be proved I will prove it. If I can’t prove it then, well, I guess I look like an asshole for spouting off unsubstantiated rumors, doesn’t it? I didn’t hunt it down though, because I don’t listen to the hype. I’ve been to African-American churches, I’ve sat at African-American dinner tables, I’ve listened when African-Americans told tales of racism and hatred aimed that them just because of their color. I’m not falling for it, so someone has to give me a reason to get my ire up. A real reason. A Christian sermon full of passion and vitriol isn’t news to me, folks. I don’t care what color the pastor’s skin is².

Today someone put up some proof. Seems that there was a young man who felt it his duty to not only watch/listen to more than one of Rev. Wright’s sermons, he picked them apart and, this is really important, PUT THEM IN CONTEXT.

Holy shitballs! Can you believe that?

Here’s a little snippet of context for all you “OMG! There’s a Black person on the loose!” freaks.

One of the most controversial statements in this sermon was when he mentioned “chickens coming home to roost.” He was actually quoting Edward Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and deputy director of President Reagan’s terrorism task force, who was speaking on FOX News. That’s what he told the congregation.

He was quoting Peck as saying that America’s foreign policy has put the nation in peril:

“I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday did anybody else see or hear him? He was on FOX News, this is a white man, and he was upsetting the FOX News commentators to no end, he pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true, he said Americas chickens, are coming home to roost.”

“We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism.

“We took Africans away from their country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.

“We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.

“We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.

“We bombed Qaddafi’s home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your children’s head against the rock.

“We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that they’d never get back home.

“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.

“Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day.

“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.

“Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said that y’all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said the people we have wounded don’t have the military capability we have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them. And we need to come to grips with that.”

He went on to describe seeing the photos of the aftermath of 9/11 because he was in Newark, N.J., when the planes struck. After turning on the TV and seeing the second plane slam into one of the twin towers, he spoke passionately about what if you never got a chance to say hello to your family again.

“What is the state of your family?” he asked.

And then he told his congregation that he loved them and asked the church to tell each other they loved themselves.

His sermon thesis:

1. This is a time for self-examination of ourselves and our families.

2. This is a time for social transformation (then he went on to say they won’t put me on PBS or national cable for what I’m about to say. Talk about prophetic!)

Go read the whole thing, if you’ve still got an open mind. Context, people.

You know, I expect the Bush Republicans to do this sort of shit flinging. They want Hillary to win the primary because they just know that McCain has a chance of beating her. So, they’re all happy that the Dems/Liberals/Progressives are cutting each other’s throats. They love it. It’s watching a liberal tell another liberal that she’s not voting for a Black man because Blacks are homophobic that chaps my ass. Fuck that. You’re no better than the fuckers at LGFs for saying shit like that.

Here’s some advice (if you’ve managed to read this far without putting your hands over your ears and crying “Na-na-na I can’t HEAR YOU!”):
Don’t spout off the idiotic talking points before you’ve done your research. Sure your own readership will believe you, fawn over you, and possibly declare you a god, but when you bring that crap to a public forum, someone is going to call you on it. If you haven’t got the goods to back up your words, then keep that shit on your own blog. And if you’re just spouting crap because someone else is spouting crap (and your dad told you and dad is always right) don’t jump into debates with actual grown folks who know they have to get all the facts before they make an ass of themselves.

To those that have declared Rev. Wright a hate-monger:
Look at the churches around you. Go listen to their sermons. Don’t hate the sinner, hate the sin and all that jazz. Sound familiar? There’s a lot of sin to hate and a lot of “good” Christians don’t know the difference between the sinner and the sin. Why do you think “marriage is defined as between one man and one woman” is so popular? Hmm? Is that different because [fill in your favorite reason why that's different]?

Hat-tip to Queen of Spain for bringing this to my attention.

Update:
I searched and found the thread about which I was speaking. You can see that here. I also noted that the “person” to whom I posed the question answered me.

Here’s a special note to people on OUR side that are dragging this shit out. This bullshit about Rev. Wright (and it IS bullshit) has brought out more of the racist language that we’ve been trying to erase. Don’t believe me? Habitation of Justice had this to say when I asked him to prove that Rev. Wright is anti-Semitic:

As for antisemitism, that sentiment is implicit in Wright and his church’s actions and words. Given the history of the black community’s animosity towards the Jews, given the fact that Jew basher Farrakhan was given the man of the year award there, as well as the concern over the Palestinians, which I suspect is not borne out of humanitarian reasons, but because of their hatred of Israel. You don’t have to dig far to see that there is an undercurrent of antisemitism that colors their thinking and politics, and depending of the level of extremism, many of them would not hesitate to blame the Jews for most of the evils in the world.

You see, not only is Rev. Wright apparently an anti-Semitic, but the entire Black community shares that view. Right? The Black community, and especially any Blacks that have attended services at Rev. Wright’s church, are anti-Semitic. Because Farrakan is Black so that means he speaks for ALL Black people.

Did you know that? HUH? You motherfuckers dragging this nonsense out and giving people like this a free pass to spout this ignorant bullshit need to really think about where we’re headed. You that are berating Barak Obama for his affiliation with Rev. Wright (who no one has proven is anti-Semitic) are sitting by while people like this are telling the world “He’s guilty because he’s Black!” You’re sitting there, claiming to be progressive’s and claiming to fight for the little folks while holding hands with these people- all in your zeal to condemn someone for having the audacity the run against your candidate in the primaries, for god’s sakes.

This person is wrapping his racism in his “concern” for the Jewish culture. But he’s not Jewish. He’s just waiting for Jesus to come down from heaven, convert or kill all the Jews and take back his holy land (that’s what Armageddon is all about, right?). But it’s the Black Christian pastor and his Black Christian congregation that are bad and racist. Uh-huh. When his white pastor calls on his white god to come back to Earth and smite all the sinners- which includes anyone who doesn’t accept Jesus as their lord and savior- that’s loving and good. Oh, wait. Am I generalizing? Well, shit, yes I am. I don’t know shit about what’s in his pastor’s heart. I do know, though, that it’s not love, light and lollipops. Because I know enough Christians to know that not all of them think this way. Only the “goodest” kind. Right?

But what really bothers me about all of this is that my brothers and sisters in arms- the ones that have been fighting this kind of fucked up thinking -are walking hand-in-hand with this kind of thought just because they like Hillary better. They are pushing this fucking non-issue to get votes away from Obama. Progressives and liberals are encouraging this- every fucking time they say that Obama is Black, his preacher is Black and Black people are [homophobic/racist/anti-Semitic] therefore Obama is the EVUL they are giving these people another goddamned crumb.

You worry about misogyny among the pols and the media, but fuck if you care about the racism. This just gives them another reason to HATE someone. Does that even bother you? Guess what there are WOMEN of color who are being even more marginalized because you motherfuckers just have to go on and on about Rev. Wright.

Get that shit out of your system and lets get back to the real issues. If you can’t do that, then take your happy little asses over to the Republican side because, honestly, you’re being no better than them right now.

Popularity: 28% [?]

1. No, I don’t actually believe this. [↩]
2. Don’t get me started on the fucker that presided over my son’s funeral. That would take all day. [↩]

Posted in 2008, Oh, God!, P.S.A., Politics, race issues
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