Gray Truths And The Inspiration Of Barack Obama

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I swore I would not write another post about the Presidential campaign after my last foray with the incredibly obtuse and “inspired” constituency of Obama over “Is this the best we have to offer?” Well, being a Web dweller to a large degree, not noticing something about Obama and having thoughts on the Web these days is all but impossible obviously. He has so inspired the digital world that soon TechCrunch will offer Obama action figures with the TC logo for only $19.95. So, in order to keep up the pace, here go some more observations.

The preacher had officiated at Obama’s wedding and been his spiritual mentor for some 20 years.

The preacher of the Trinity United Church of Christ Obama has recently left had officiated at Obama’s wedding and been his spiritual mentor for some 20 years.

Popular Truth And Distance

What does it take for a person to abandon the place where their spiritual faith was fostered? A bigger question might be; “Why would anyone abandon truth in a quest for it?” I was doing some surfing into the Obama “show” out of an investigation of the best blogs in the world when I once again ran across just how “inspirational” Obama is. OMG, I thought -this much inspiration just has to be dangerous! So, delving into some of the news stories, I also discovered that this Presidential campaign is really an expedition into truth for the American people - now there is a quest given the nature of politics! Unfortunately for the American people, and most notably the Obama supporters, this “truth” campaign appears to be as much about running away from it, or at least revealing convenient truth.

Senator Obama withdrew he and his wife from membership in a church he has attended for over 20 years because his pastor (retired?), the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, became a liability once press pressure was focused on his rhetoric. To make a long story short, let’s just look at the reverend’s controversial statements and see how untrue or inappropriate they are. Perhaps the reader will glean some indication of Obama’s vigil on truth and a new perspective (a reintroduction if you will) into American politics.

Statement (quote) by Reverend Wright after 9/11 attacks:

I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday. Did anybody else see him 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 — did you see him, John? — a white man, he pointed out, ambassador, that what Malcolm X said when he got silenced by Elijah Muhammad was in fact true — America’s chickens are coming home to roost.

Is this untrue? Is it even inappropriate? How can true really be inappropriate? It is not like Wright is condemning the people of America, but rather the policy right? Ask yourself a simple question; Does everything American policy does attract warm and fuzzy friends? Our policy over the last 5 decades has left wayward chickens all over the globe and even in outer space! The 9/11 attacks regardless of how inescusable, were partly because of American policy toward neighbors however distant in geography or ideaology. Period! Statement - Inextricably true!

Wright has the audacity to separate church and state!

The United States government lied about their belief that all men were created equal. The truth is they believed that all white men were created equal. The truth is they did not even believe that white women were created equal, in creation nor civilization. The government had to pass an amendment to the Constitution to get white women the vote. Then the government had to pass an equal rights amendment to get equal protection under the law for women. The government still thinks a woman has no rights over her own body, and between Uncle Clarence [Thomas], who sexually harassed Anita Hill, and a closeted Klan court, that is a throwback to the 19th century, handpicked by Daddy Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, between Clarence and that stacked court, they are about to undo Roe vs. Wade, just like they are about to un-do affirmative action. The government lied in its founding documents and the government is still lying today. Governments lie.

Your government lying to you? Impossible! (Hey, governments are made of politicians aren’t they?) Need I go further? Statement - Inextricably true

The big one as far as Obama’s campaign is concerned -

´And the United States of America government, when it came to treating her citizens of Indian descent fairly, she failed. She put them on reservations. When it came to treating her citizens of Japanese descent fairly, she failed. She put them in internment prison camps. When it came to treating her citizens of African descent fairly, America failed. She put them in chains, the government put them on slave quarters, put them on auction blocks, put them in cotton field, put them in inferior schools, put them in substandard housing, put them in scientific experiments, put them in the lowest paying jobs, put them outside the equal protection of the law, kept them out of their racist bastions of higher education and locked them into positions of hopelessness and helplessness. The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, not God Bless America. God damn America — that’s in the Bible — for killing innocent people. God damn America, as long as she pretends to act like she is God, and she is supreme. The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent.

Damning America is not something we like to hear, but taken in the context that the reverend is talking about policy and not you the average Walmart shopper, not really more than a “true” opinion about facts that are like the statement - Inextricably true

Obama had this to say about these controverisal (or unpleasant to accept for Americans) statements from his former pastor:

In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.

If you examine this statement carefully, you can see where Obama stands exactly. I reject..anything…that people perceive to be bad…or are at issue in any way…so let me know…so I can act as you want…until I am elected. Okay, so how does this distance Obama or any other candidate from their passion for truth? It should be fairly obvious. Obama and his wife listened to rhetoric like this for 2 decades, are we to believe that reverend Wright just decided to go militant all of a sudden? Obama, perhaps for the first time in history, becomes the first (that I know of) leading Presidential candidate to abandon his church and long time spiritual mentor for telling an unpleasant and unpopular truth. This is not the only example of Obama distancing himself from his past, but it is perhaps the most symbolic and relevant.

For myself,  I would as soon have a President that would stand behind his church and pastor, and simply argue the relative truths and also the disagreement onhis part, not just leave and make it appear as if he were saving the congregation. I cannot help but think of a scenario in which some of Obama’s other supporters say or do something unpopular, how fast would he abandon other potential truthful associates. What if he is offered a kingdom he likes more than America?

Bannana Banna Fee Fi Obama

Even the roosting chickens of Malcolm X could not have asked for a better henhouse than the one about to be provided by Obama. A world leader who is so tied into popular opinion and fence riding in the face of Amierca’s problems is so conducive of getting what other entities want done. I am not against Obama, but rather wonder what is going on that America is so “inspired” and adamant about.

All this inspiration seems misplaced given the way Obama distances himself from anyone with unpopular shadow on them. Just the other day a friend railed me for even suggesting that Obama was less than Washington himself all be it not on horseback. He said over and over; “Did you hear his speach, did you hear his speach, have you heardhow inspirational he is?” WOW, even the world’s best blog and best writers are tuned into this inspiration. This is all anyone seems to be able to say about Obama, and no one I have talked to has even mentioned just how he is going to lead us to the promised land.

The chicken crossed the road for one of two reasons, to get to something on the other side or to get away from something on the side he was on. The Obama chicken seems all too ready to get away from anything from his past or present that you - the people - do not like.

Why does the Obama chicken cross the road?

Why does the Obama chicken cross the road?

The gray area between truth and perception is a wide gulf. Running away fom truth, no matter how unpopular, is an indicator of what a person will do when the times get really rough. I hope we can count on this fellow to be more dedicated to the people of America than he was to his pastor, belief system or church. I know, he gave good reasons, but 20 years and then POOF, come on.

3 Responses to “ Gray Truths And The Inspiration Of Barack Obama ”

  1. This is a very provocative article. As much as it is easy to put these charismatic, big personality people on pedestals when it comes down to it they also suffer from the human condition the plagues us all, imperfection. The relationship with Wright and Obama may have been a long one but something soured and we can’t really know from our vantage point how long this separation was in the making. Obama is going to make mistakes and decisions that aren’t always perfect, but he is intelligent and strong, and is going to make a much better leader than his opponent. I would like to see an article about McCain turning his back on his first wife for a much more superficial reason. Great article Phil, love the challenging talking points!

  2. You comments, seem to me, to all the more make the case that the American people and our Government are not ready for Mr. Obmama to be President, even if he is voted into office.

    Considering the volatility, delicacy and pogniancy of the times now, how can a man of a race that has been so negatively affected by the American Government be expected to be impartial and to thrive in a way that makes him able to be an effective Presidnet of all the people - afterall, that is the job, to be President of all the people and not just President of the black people or Indian people (that is the standard and what we expect of all white Presdients).

  3. [...] “put all their eggs in one basket” with their expectations of this man. In a post on my personal blog before Obama was elected, I took a good bit of heat from my constituents in the US, and the reader [...]

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