Category Archives: Racism

A House Divided – Part 3 of 3

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Here’s some old news with continued relevance.  According to a March 25, 2007 Chicago Tribune Article: The not-so-simple story of Barack Obama’s youth, by Tribune Correspondents Kirstan Scharnberg and Kim Barker; and reporter Ray Gibson,

 “…one word Obama learned quickly in his new home [Indonesia] was curang, which means “cheater.”

“When kids teased him, Obama yelled back, ‘Curang, curang!’ When a friend gave him shrimp paste instead of chocolate, he yelled, ‘Curang, curang!’”

It appears that very little has changed since those days.   How many speeches have we heard in which Obama blames Republicans for failures in foreign and domestic policy, immigration, gun control, climate change and probably for dirty restrooms in the Capitol Building!  Remember his first year as President and the constant repetition of complaints regarding the mess “I inherited”  from George Bush?  Remember his reports on alleged U.S. abuses  to the United Nations  Human Rights Council?

Our memory doesn’t have to be that good, because he’s still doing it!  As reported by Joel B. Pollak of Breitbart, on May 11, 2015, the Obama Administration has once again reported so-called U.S. Human Rights violations to the United Nations including:

  • “Police brutality, including the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri
  • Discrimination against Muslims who want to build or expand mosques
  • Voter identification laws in Texas and elsewhere
  • Predatory lending in home mortgages
  • Suspension of black children in schools
  • Women earning ‘78 cents on the dollar’”

Was this his “Cheater” list for the year?  Close your eyes.  Can you just picture this guy running down the street, looking over his shoulder and shouting at Republicans: Curang, Curang?

Here’s some older ones.  In his book OBAMA:Promise of Power, David Mendell says

“…white people from the better neighborhoods nearby walk their dogs down our block to let the animals shit on our curbs.” 

Was that a simple observation, a misperception, bias?  What do you think?

Curang, Curang – those damn white people again!!!

In the same book, he also made these comments:

“…Security guards tailing me as I shop in Department stores…”

“…white couples who toss me their car keys as I stand outside a restaurant waiting for the valet…” 

See something familiar in Michelle’s Tuskegee speech?

In what alternate universe does Barack Obama present himself as a person who would either provoke security to follow him, or restaurant patrons to throw keys at him?

Curang, Curang, America!!!

How many times has Obama suggested that police are racists?   In bringing a negative spotlight on police and fostering racial tension between communities and the police who serve  them, Obama’s is once again worthy of the title “Agitator.”‘

I guess it’s a matter of Curang, curang police!!!

At an April, 2010, speech at the Ottumwa, Iowa Town Hall, Obama managed to incorporate  his view of police into the discussion of a proposed Arizona State Statute aimed at immigration enforcement.

“If you are a Hispanic American in Arizona – your great-grandparents may have been there before Arizona was even a state.  But now, suddenly, if you don’t have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to be harassed.  That’s something that could potentially happen.”

Curang, Curang Arizona – Curang, Curang again Police!!!

And of the Republicans stressing the need for border security, President Obama declared:

“Those aren’t the kind of folks who represent our core American values.”

Curang, Curang Republicans!!!  Curang, Curang Senator McCain

Sadly, if we are indeed a “House Divided,” President and Mrs. Obama seem, to be without a strategy, or inclination to repair what they have so quickly and enthusiastically destroyed.

President Obama has had possibly,  the greatest opportunity of any Chief Executive who has ever occupied the White House to make a positive and profound difference in the black community and by extension, in America at large.

He could have worked to reduce black on black crime.  He could  have  championed  the right of black children to attend schools of their choice.   Instead, for those in Washington, DC at least, he killed their best shot: the voucher program.  He could have lobbied for programs to strengthen the traditional family unit.  He could have encouraged and supported initiatives to help people climb out of poverty and re-integrate with the larger community.  He could have increased job opportunities for African-Americans.  He could have lead the black community in turning the page from an inter-generational sense of victimization, to new levels of economic self sufficiency and achievement.

He could have done all of these things and divided nobody.  Instead, he did none of these things and divided everyone..

Perhaps it should really be:  Curang, Curang Mr. Obama – Curang, Curang.

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A House Divided – Part 2 of 3

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….Recently, Mrs. Obama gave the commencement speech for the 2015 graduating class of Tuskegee University.  She warned the young graduates about the world they would soon encounter, saying in part:

“…They  [presumably White Americans]  will make assumptions about who they think you are based on their limited notion of the world.  And my husband and I know how frustrating that experience can be.  We’ve both felt the sting of those daily slights throughout our entire lives — the folks who crossed the street in fear of their safety; the clerks who kept a close eye on us in all those department stores; the people at formal events who assumed we were the “help” — and those who have questioned our intelligence, our honesty, even our love of this country. 

“And I know that these little indignities are obviously nothing compared to what folks across the country are dealing with every single day — those nagging worries that you’re going to get stopped or pulled over [by the police] for absolutely no reason; the fear that your job application will be overlooked because of the way your name sounds; the agony of sending your kids to schools that may no longer be separate, but are far from equal; the realization that no matter how far you rise in life, how hard you work to be a good person, a good parent, a good citizen — for some folks, it will never be enough.  (Applause.)”

I wonder if the history books will reflect that children from low income neighborhoods didn’t have to attend those separate but unequal schools.  They were sentenced to those schools by an Obama Administration that almost immediately after Inauguration Day, got rid of school vouchers in Washington, DC. (U.S. News & World Report online, Obama Wrong on D.C. School Vouchers and Hypocritical, Just Like Congress, by Peter Roff, located at:  http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/peter-roff/2009/04/22/obama-wrong-on-dc-school-vouchers-and-hypocritical-just-like-congress) 

I wonder how the disenfranchised children of Washington, DC and the Tuskegee graduates will perceive and react to life’s inevitable challenges and setbacks?  Will they ignore race, see things objectively, accept them with grace, continue to compete and climb the ladders of success; or, will they cling to the words of the First Lady, seeing a bigot behind every adverse event and passing  those perceptions of prejudice and hatred to still another generation?  Sadly, or luckily – I don’t know – we cannot look 20 years into the future to see what those not so small seeds of hatred will have produced over time.

As discussed in Part 1 of 3 last Friday, as a white man, I experienced the same type of  traffic stop in the 60s, that former Attorney General Holder claims to have experienced as a college student.  I couldn’t claim it was race-based. But, I can tell you that my so-called “white privilege” didn’t help one iota!

Does the First Lady really expect us to believe that she and Barack were mistaken for being “the help” at “formal events?”  Does the President really expect us to believe that white restaurant patrons throw keys at him, while he is waiting for the valet?  Well, according to guidelines published at University of California, under University President Janet Napolitano (you remember – Obama’s first Director of Homeland Security!), if we were students or faculty members at University of California, we’d have to believe it, because  “Denying the experiences of students by questioning the credibility/validity of their stories” is a “microaggression.”  I suppose that questioning a story told by the First Lady would then qualify as a MACROAGGRESSION.  …just sayin’

Other so-called “microaggressions” in the UC world now include saying that:

  • “America is the land of Opportunity”
  • “There is only one race: the human race”
  • “I believe the most qualified person should get the job”
  • “Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough”
  • “California professors instructed not to say ‘America is the land of opportunity’” by JOSH HEDTKE – UCLA JUNE 10, 2015 http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/22839/

And, so  the drumbeat of divisiveness, painting pictures of hopelessness and a disdain for all things American doesn’t stop at the edge of the Tuskegee University campus, or the 10 University of California Campuses.

 

To be Continued…

9 Worshipers Killed in Church Massacre – Political Leaders Respond

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Out of respect for the nine people murdered in Charleston, South Carolina’s Emanuel A.M.E. Church during last Wednesday night’s bible study, I am holding Part 2 of our 3 part series – A House Divided –until next Friday, June 26th.

Most politicians and many others have weighed in on this horrific crime.  Here are some of their comments.  As you read them, consider their substance and tone – whether or not they have sincerely expressed their feelings, or if they have politicized the event.  With these things in mind, which – if any – of the comments quoted here rises in you estimation, to the level of being “Presidential,”  Rank them in order from most (1) to least (6) “Presidential.”  We’ll tell you who was quoted and how you received their message.

A.______ “We have to have a candid national conversation about race, and about discrimination, prejudice, hatred. The people who do this kind of dastardly, horrible act are a very small percentage. But unfortunately public discourse is sometimes hotter and more negative than it should be, which can, in my opinion, trigger people who is less than stable to do something like this.”

“I think we have to speak out against it. Like, for example, a recent entry into the (    ) presidential campaign said some very inflammatory things about Mexicans. Everybody should stand up and say that’s not acceptable. You know you don’t talk like that on talk radio. You don’t talk like that on the kind of political campaigns. I think he is emblematic. So I want people to understand, it’s not just him, it’s about everybody. The second thing is guns. Let’s just cut to the chase – it’s guns.”

 

B.______“A church is called a sanctuary because it’s a place of refuge and respite from the earthly and connects us to the heavenly. The Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. became a scene of unspeakable carnage because an evil person violated the sanctuary where earth and heaven meet and turned it into a place where earth and hell meet. No civilized person can react except with revulsion to such a senseless, cowardly, and despicable act. And for it to happen in one of America’s truly great and gentile cities adds to the horror. All Americans join in the condemnation of this act, but for Christians, such horror is especially painful because a holy place for peace and prayer has been infected and desecrated by demonic violence. The prayers that were interrupted by a mass murderer will be continued by a grieving nation.”

 

C.______  “The tragic and senseless murders that occurred in the sanctuary of Emanuel AME Church were the acts of pure evil.  To kill in a place of peace and in the House of the Lord is revolting and cowardly.  My wife (   ) and I extend our deepest sympathies to the victims of this despicable horror.  We pray for the victims and for their families to find peace, solace, and comfort during this difficult time.  And we pray for law enforcement and the entire Charleston community as they come together through the ties that bind them together.”

 

D._____ “( )and I know several members of Emanuel AME Church. We knew their pastor, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who, along with eight others, gathered in prayer and fellow ship and was murdered last night, and to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families and their community doesn’t say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness and the anger that we feel.

“Any death of this sort is a tragedy. Any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. There is something particularly heartbreaking about a death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace, in a place of worship.

“Mother Emanuel is, in fact, more than a church. This is a place of worship that was founded by African Americans seeking liberty. This is a church that was burned to the ground because its worshipers worked to end slavery.

“When there were laws banning all-black church gatherings, they conducted church services in secret. When there was a nonviolent movement to bring our country in closer line with our highest ideals, some of our brightest leaders spoke and led marches from this church’s steps.

“This is a sacred place in the history of Charleston and in the history of America.”

 

E.______ “The tragic shootings in Charleston, South Carolina yesterday are a manifestation of the evil that has gripped our society.   Many of us have allowed the purveyors of hatred and division to create conflict between the races, the genders, religious groups, age groups and income groups. The Bible says that a house divided against itself cannot stand. With external jihadist forces trying to destroy us, why would we aid them by engaging in self-destructive behaviors stimulated by hate?

“We must remember that we are a pluralistic society with many components and many beliefs. If we are to live together peacefully and with prosperity, we must learn the true meaning of tolerance, and that it goes in both directions.

“I join with millions of Americans in praying for comfort for the families who lost loved ones in that tragedy. Someone close to me lost relatives last night in that tragedy. We all lose when senseless tragedies like this remove vibrant lives from our midst. May God give us the ability to rise above hatred and join hands and recognize that our strength is in our unity and love heals all wounds.”

 

F.______ “This morning we are all trying to make sense of this senseless act. This is pure evil. It’s infuriating. Mankind’s capacity for evil is horrific.

“I’m enraged by this ungodly act and my heart breaks for these families. I hurt for them.

“To happen in a place of worship is unconscionable. They were opening their hearts to God and lifting their concerns up to Him.

“Every American needs to take a few minutes today, and in the days to come, to pray for the families of those murdered last night. They all need the comfort and peace only God can provide and we should all pray they will find it.

“We also need to ask everyone who might know this suspect to have the courage to come forward and help the police apprehend him. Justice must be done and this killer must face the consequences of his awful actions. This monster needs to hunted down and brought to justice.”

 

Quotes cited from:

Hot Air.com, Foxnation.com and Washington Post.com

 

Dividing America – Establishing a Common Enemy – Reason #89

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Dividing America – Establishing a Common Enemy

In a political party that has come unleashed since the election of Barack Obama, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) provides still another example of the over the top lies of Democrats, made with a straight-face.  We all know that we should not use Hitler analogies.  Still, it is wise to understand history and to recognize when an all-out effort is underway to give the illusion of a common, dangerous enemy, as Hitler did with the Reichstag fire in 1933.  These are the words of Congresswoman Waters in 2012.

“On Immigration policy and reform they [Republicans]  are on the wrong side of the track… They would have you believe that if they get into office, they are going to make sure that they are going to get rid of everyone in our society who was not born in America.  They’re not about civil and human rights.”[i]

The words here, are Water’s and not Obama’s.  Yet, there is a striking similarity to this and the phrases uttered by Obama about Hispanic parents being harassed when they take their kids out for ice cream and the need for Hispanic voters to “punish our enemies.”  Either this over the top rhetoric is hardwired into Democrats, or they are taking cues from – and marching in lockstep with their leader.

[i] Rep. Maxine Waters, (D-CA), (Feb. 15, 2012), Fox News Web-site, Rep. GOP Will Get Rid Of All People Not Born In U.S. Waters: GOP Will Get Rid Of All People Not Born In U.S., retrieved February 19, 2012 from http://nation.foxnews.com/maxine-waters/2012/02/15/rep-waters-gop-will-get-rid-all-people-not-born-us

Did Obama Describe an American Gestapo? – Reason #66

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Did Obama Describe an American Gestapo?

On July 2, 2008, during a rally in Colorado Springs, then Senator Obama made one of the most startling statements ever heard from a Presidential candidate.  Obama told the American public:

“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set.  We’ve got to have a Civilian National Security Force that’s just as powerful – just as strong – just as well funded.” [i]

FactCheck.org soundly ridiculed Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), after Broun responded to Obama’s comment, saying “It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he’s [Obama’s] the one who proposed this national security force. … That’s exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it’s exactly what the Soviet Union did.”[ii]

How does any person, news, or other organization of any kind justify ridiculing anyone questioning such a bizarre announcement from a sitting Senator and would-be President of the United States?  The ridiculing of Rep. Broun was no less dangerous than the Obama statement itself.

            [i] Brooks Jackson, (November 11, 2008), FactCheck.org website, Is Obama planning a Gestapo-like “civilian national security force”? retrieved February 17, 2011 from http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/is_obama_planning_a_gestapo-like_civilian_national.html

            [ii] Brooks Jackson, (November 11, 2008), FactCheck.org website, Is Obama planning a Gestapo-like “civilian national security force”? retrieved February 17, 2011 from http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/is_obama_planning_a_gestapo-like_civilian_national.html

Ready to Gift Your Job?” – Reason #53

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Freedom of Speech a Distraction

Mark Lloyd, often dubbed the “Diversity Czar,” is actually Obama’s Chief Diversity Officer, Associate General Counsel, Federal Communications Commission.  In his book, Prologue to a Farce, Lloyd makes a comment that may not place him so far from Obama’s Regulatory Czar, Cass Sunstein.

“At the very least, blind references to freedom of speech or the press serve as a DISTRACTION from the critical examination of other communications policies.”[i]

He also has some disturbing views of interracial relationships and affirmative action in America, that make his appointment as “Diversity Czar” somewhat troubling.  In one statement, the “Diversity Czar” tells us that – at least in his eyes:

“There are few things I think, more frightening in the American mind than dark skin black men.  Here I am.” [ii]

As to Affirmative Action, Lloyd tells us that:

“…we have really, truly, good  white people in important positions – and the fact of the matter is, that there is a limited number of those positions – and unless we are conscious of the need to have more people of color – gays, other people in those positions – we will not change the problem.  We’re in a position where you have to say ‘Who is going to step down, so someone else can have power?’”[iii]

Is this the Obama administration’s interpretation of equal opportunity, or is this simply a sugar coated approach to class warfare?

[i] Mark Lloyd, Prologue to a Farce: Communication and Democracy in America, (Chicago, 2006, University of Illinois Press), 20

[ii] Mark Lloyd, (May, 2005), Conference on Media Reform: Racial Justice, audio sound bites posted by Breitbart TV web-site, FCC ‘Diversity Czar’: Few Things Frighten Americans More Than ‘Dark Skin Black Men’, retrieved March 2, 2011 from http://www.breitbart.tv/fcc-%E2%80%98diversity-czar%E2%80%99-few-things-frighten-americans-more-than-%E2%80%98dark-skin-black-men%E2%80%99/

[iii] Ibid

 

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Is This What Maxine Waters Offers America? – Reason #51

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Waters: Republicans are Demons

While Nation of Islam leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan, once referred to Obama as the Messiah,[i]we never expected a member of Congress to claim the opposite of leading Republicans.  But, once again, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has defied all expectations, in noting that:

“We’ve got to take back the House.  I saw pictures of Boehner and Kantor on our screens.  Don’t ever let me see again in life, those Republicans in our Hall, on our screens, talking about anything.  These are Demons! These are Legislators who are destroying this Country…”[ii]

It’s interesting to consider the backlash had such a statement been made by any member of the Republican Party against Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid, not to mention against any black member of Congress.

Welcome to the Obama era.

[i] Minister Louis Farrakhan, (Oct 9, 2008), quoted in World Net Daily web-site, Farrakhan on Obama: ‘The Messiah is absolutely speaking’, retrieved February 19, 2012 from http://www.wnd.com/2008/10/77539/

[ii] Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), Breitbart TV web-site, Maxine Waters: Don’t Let GOP ‘Demons’ In ‘Our Hall’, retrieved February 19, 2012 from http://www.breitbart.tv/maxine-waters-dont-let-gop-demons-in-our-hall/

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Racial Code or Race Card – Reason #50

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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Hears Racial Code

Following are the words of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), ardent Obama supporter and a Democrat not afraid to play the race card when it buys ink or air time.  Here, she attacks GOP Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich as a racist.

“Let me say that the code words are, as far as I’m concerned words that generate and signify race.   You recall, Martin, that comments made by someone other than the president when he was a candidate in 2008, caused him to make a significant speech on race to say “Race is a factor in the United States, but I work and will represent all people.” Here we have Newt Gingrich, taking the opposite road, if you will. It’s I will use race to divide.

“I will call the president the food stamp president, obviously not knowing that food stamps are utilized by our soldiers, utilized by Caucasians in a higher percentage than both African-Americans and Latinos. Food stamps are for people in need.  Food stamps are for children.

“But, these code words are dividing us – telling us that a janitor who makes $37,000 a year would be in a better position to give his job up so that the children of the poor in New York, I think he used the example, the school district predominantly Latino and African-American can pick up a broom and work.  So, we know that those children and children from other places as well, should have an opportunity to be an astronaut, mathematician, a scientist – and absolutely, we’re not against work.   These children want work. They’re fighting for summer jobs. But, that is a code word to, if you will, portray poor children and poor school districts that they have seen no one work legitimately; that they don’t have a work ethic and these janitors are overpaid unionized workers who don’t have family and not making $37,000 a year.

“I think Mr. Newt Gingrich should be ashamed of himself and we should not want to win at any cost. Let’s bring the country together. Let’s not destroy Mr. Obama. Let’s talk about helping the American people.”[i]

Of course, there is always more than one way to look at words, actions, and intentions.  The filter used by Congresswoman Jackson Lee is incorrect, an obstacle to lasting solutions and still another useless racial trigger.  She points out that “food stamps are…utilized by Caucasians in a higher percentage than both African-Americans and Latinos…” This is true on its face, but represents a very selective manipulation of statistics – one that serves nobody.  It would be more productive for Jackson Lee to base her words and actions on reality, rather than racial defensiveness.  The general population of the United States, according to the U.S. Census, is broken down in part, as follows:  White non Hispanic, 63.7%; Black, 12.6%; Latino, 16.3%.[ii]  In terms of reliance on Food Stamps however, a 2005 study revealed that among rural recipients, 53% were white non Hispanic and 27% black.  Among urban recipients, 34% were white non Hispanic and 35% black.[iii]  This means two things: First, as a percentage of food stamp recipients, whites comprise the majority of rural recipients and only one percent less than blacks as urban recipients.  In this respect, Jackson Lee is 100% correct.  Unfortunately, this would suggest the need to apportion the bulk of our dedicated financial and other resources at programs that would assist white food stamp recipients in becoming less reliant on government assistance – a very wasteful approach, when the same statistics are properly interpreted.

The second thing these statistics tell us then, is this:  As they relate to their percentage of representation in the overall population, whites are underrepresented as Food Stamp recipients, by nearly 11% (rural), or 30% (urban), while blacks – based on their participation in the overall population – are over represented as food stamp recipients by 214% and 278%, respectively.  Ignoring, or defensively manipulating these statistics for political correctness, or racial defensiveness does not help blacks out of this difficult problem.

Additionally, Rep. Jackson Lee ignores the fact that Gingrich’s own daughter worked as a janitor during her teens – making his comments very unlikely to have been racially motivated.  Nobody wins with this type of rhetoric – a style of choice for Democrats since Obama became President.

[i] Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), (Jan 20, 2012), interview with MSNBC’s Martin Bashir, GOP wants new Congressional session to be a referendum on Obama, retrieved January 21, 2012 from http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc-live-with-bashir/46075255#46075255

[ii] U.S. Census Bureau State and County Quick Facts, U.S. Census Bureau web-site, retrieved January 22, 2012 from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html

[iii] Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, (2005), referenced in article by Noel Sheppard, (May 15, 2011), NewsBusters web-site, David Gregory Accuses Gingrich of Racism for Calling Obama a ‘Food Stamp President’, retrieved January 22, 2012 from http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/05/15/david-gregory-accuses-gingrich-being-racist-calling-obama-food-stamp-

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How Does Obama See America – Whites – Cops? – Reason #49

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Whites, Cops and Black Theology

While Obama has been very effective in politically distancing himself from Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the man – it is not so easy to distance his behavior and expressed beliefs from the teachings of Wright and of James H. Cone’s Black Liberation Theology.  Remember the statement attributed to Obama’s friend “Marcus” in his first book Dreams from My Father?

“They had no reason to stop me.  No reason ‘cept I was walking in a white neighborhood.  Made me spread-eagle against the car.  One of ‘em pulled out his piece.  I didn’t let ‘em scare me, though.  That’s what gets these storm troopers off, seeing fear in a black man.” [i]

Recall Obama’s view of the slave trade?

“…the moment white men, themselves spurred on by their own fears of inconsequence, had landed on Africa’s shores, bringing with them their guns and blind hunger, to drag away the conquered in chains.” [ii]

Here are the words of James H. Cone, on whose Black Liberation Theology, Jeremiah Wright based his Church teachings – teachings embraced by Obama for at least 16 years of his life:

“….blacks are beaten at will by policemen as a means of protecting the latter’s ego superiority as well as that of the larger white middle class.”[iii]

[i] Ibid, 101

[ii] Ibid,  277

[iii] James H. Cone, (Maryknoll, NY, 1989, Orbis Books), Black Theology & Black Power, 25

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Black Liberation Theology and Obama – What’s Behind the Words?

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Obama and Black Liberation Theology

As with nearly everything else, Obama has been given a free pass on his associations and what they might mean to America – with him in the White House.  He freely admits sitting in the pews of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s church for more than 16 years, but somehow claims to have missed the Pastor’s most hateful, America bashing sermons.  While the odds against that claim being true are statistically astronomical, perhaps the even bigger point here, is the influence of James H. Cone on Wright’s day-to-day operation of the church.

Says Brad O’Leary, author of The Audacity of Deceit, “Wright denounces ‘Colored Preachers’ who don’t subscribe to Black Liberation Theology (of James H. Cone) as people who:”

“…hate themselves, who hate black people, who desperately want to be white and who write and say stupid things in public to make ‘Masa’ feel safer.”

Obama – attributing the words to the character “Rafiq,” tells us in Dreams from My Father, that:

“…they [blacks with whom Obama was working] spend half they lives worrying about what white folks think.  Start blaming themselves for the shit they see every day, thinking they can’t do no better till the white man decides they all right.”[i]

The person credited with this statement was reportedly explaining to Obama how he would be dead if not for Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

James H. Cone, on whose Black Liberation Theology, Wright’s church was based,  is credited with statements such as:

“While it is true that blacks do hate whites, black hatred is not racism.”[i]

But, it is Obama himself who makes perhaps the most revealing and frightening statement of all:

“I wondered whether…a black politics that suppressed rage toward whites generally, or one that failed to elevate race loyalty above all else, was a politics inadequate to the task.”[i]

Apparently, Obama did take away something of Jeremiah Wright and James H. Cone during thos 832+ Sundays he spent listening to Wright’s less offensive sermons.

[i] Ibid,199

[i] James H. Cone, Black Theology and Black Power, (New York, 1997, Harper & Row), 15

(Excerpt from 203 Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama)

[i] Barack Obama, Dreams From my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, 1st pbk Edition, (New York, 2004, Three Rivers Press), 197

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