Just for the record:
Getting back to Wright, I'd like to know what you think is so terrible about anything he has said? He seems to be saying three things, basically. One, the US is run by rich white people. Two, there's still a lot of discrimination against black people in this country. Three, black people, therefore, need to stick together, and need to rely on themselves to get ahead. I don't think we can reasonably argue that points one and two are false, and I don't see anything wrong with point three. Would I say it's a positive and important thing to rail about points one and two in the way Wright is seen doing on those tapes? No. But I do know, from reading some of Wright's other words, and from the testimony of white congregants in that church, that he isn't just about that. siliconinvestor.com
"By the end of the experiment, 28 of the men had died directly of syphilis, 100 were dead of related complications, 40 of their wives had been infected, and 19 of their children had been born with congenital syphilis. " infoplease.com The gov't did this, without a doubt. It did not end until the 70's. They lied about it. How is it such a stretch to think they've done similar experiments with AIDS? siliconinvestor.com
You are definitely not trying to see the world from his vantage point. I thought McDuffie's point was a very good one. Given the Tuskegee experiment, it's a very short leap to Wright's conclusion. Personally, I don't find conspiracy theories terribly helpful. Except when they are, like Watergate. But I can certainly see an argument for Wright's point. siliconinvestor.com
You have to be flat out stupid to believe that AIDS was purposely created in a lab. Ever read about germ warfare? Things can go terribly wrong when trying to devise new ways to kill folks. (Not saying at all that AIDS was the result of germ warfare research, but once again, the notion is not so far-fetched.) siliconinvestor.com
save for the part about AIDS-which is whacky Actually it's not all that wacky - probably the least wacky of the stuff he said ! <g> Message 24493011
There are many Americans who do want to kill black people, and I have read that Americans gave Native Americans blankets infected with smallpox. Message 24493308
Let me urge everyone on Dale's thread to read the following item and/or go to the link. This is from the United Church of Christ's official website and is a defense of Chicago's TRINITY United Church of Christ. It's a terrific statement and one you can keep in your repertoire of counter arguments with friends. I'm impressed. If we still lived in Chicago, I would certainly attend a time or two. Message 24408130
Obama's church, The TRINITY United Church of Christ in Chicago, issued a statement today defending its pastor. Well worth reading carefully. My bolding. A very, very impressive church. -------------- Obama's Church: Pillorying Wright An Assault Upon African-American Culture Message 24409056
All one needs to do is watch how being a supporter of Obama on this board requires finding a way to minimize the evil of Wright.
Do some homework, Bob, rather than simply throw posting bombs. Give us some sense that you've looked reasonably closely at Wright's work, his sermons and what he's done with the TRINITY United Church of Christ. Then come back and make the case that nets out to your judgment of him as evil. Just read the sermon that Allen posted a link to. Read Obama's book and see how it is different from your very narrowly based stereotype of Wright. In short, do some homework and make your arguments. Message 24430256
If I believed that Rev. Wright's sermons were all as full of invective as the ones that we've seen on YouTube, and that Barack Obama had sat and listened to that kind of thing every week for twenty years, I might reach some of the same conclusions you have reached. But I have dug a bit more deeply. I've seen dozens of other sermons by Wright that can only be classified as mainstream Christian. I've read the words of and seen interviews with both black and white parishioners of TRINITY, who all say that the few sermons that have caused all the fuss aren't representative of the whole. Message 24541406 |