Oh, and as to choosing not to read what you refer to (if you must have reasons), is because I'm currently reading a book I have to teach on Wednesday, so I'm otherwise engaged. And in general, I prefer to speak to people directly rather than being referred to the arguments of others.

I don't expect eloquence, just sincerity, so please don't hesitate to speak on my account just for that reason.

the boorish Kate the Hate Baiter, the curdled yoplait, and the self important plantation cracker, phillips: you klan kids have the whole spectrum, or rectum, covered, from white to whiter. It's a please to drop by and see you consistency- rather like a one year old's diaper after a heapin' helpin' of chili. It will do my aging heart good to see you have to watch a coon take the oath office. Billary is still down 156 pledged delegates and she's outa ammo- not unlike those deadly Bosnian snipers, speaking of diaper-loads. Liars, bigots, lunchbucket lynchmobs, and cuntfederates weepy-eyed for the days before that tall inexperienced dude from illinois wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. your posts show what comes from sitting around drinking bad bourbon (a redundancy- it's all horse piss) and singing Stephen Foster songs. doo dah yourselves into a racist dither all ya want. the numbers are not going away, but Billary will be. She'll win Penn by less than ten points, followed directly by Obama winning NC by more than ten points. Net result: her sorry ass will still be just as far behind with no track left on De Camptown Racists, five posts long, oh doo dah dey. Here's pissin' on the stars and bars. love tommy

Just suck on that bong and keep that Clinton thing goin' on...

Please, Tom, I appreciate you have strong feelings regarding Kate, but may I ask, for now, that you desist from gratuitous attacks for the duration of our exchange?

If possible. Thanks!

It's official. You're off your tree.

Good stuff, sir (or madam).

Now please, for the love of God, cut it the hell out.

Please?

(I am enjoying the verse, btw.)

Edited by "Larry C. Johnson":

Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management.

Well, I can tell you why this particular Salon reader in not interested in the opinions of Mr. Johnson: he sounds like part of the problem, not part of the solution.

don't forget to inhale.

Certainly. the only strong feeling I have is nausea. Carry on.

(Maybe get yourself some camomile tea, meanwhile.)

it's only metaphorical nausea, brought on by too many crackers. I do like chamomile, though. thanks tom

And I was only suggesting metaphorical tea!

:)

I did read the link and the posts afterwards and I still don't get why this is such a "telling" piece about how all these people are beginning to mistrust Obama.

My perspective on this is that these people were never going to vote for Obama in the first place and now they're just finding what they are considering justifications as to why not to. I also find it laughable that Bud says the "Wright Scandal" isn't about race. That so-called scandal is all about race! White preachers preach hate and intolerance all of the time but they are never called on it or played in loops hour after hour on the news. You have to be an ostrich to say it isn't about race.

When I first saw the news clips on the Reverend I immediately thought "oh dear, this is going to kill Obama." Not because it would change my vote, but because I knew that the "typical white person" would immediately feel that their fear of the "angry black man" would be justified by these video clips. And once I started reading the comments on various websites I realized how right my first impression was on this.

Face it, whether you like it or not, but the "typical white person" does have a lingering fear of blacks, especially those in power. To the poster on that link who was offended for being called a typical white person when they "fought hate all their life" why would they assume Obama meant them? After all, they are not the typical white person, right?

The typical white person is racist, even if its just a little bit so. Its how many of us were raised. Most typical white people have not had any real interactions with blacks or other newer ethnic groups in this country. Heck, I remember my parents making a big deal about having Jewish neighbors when we moved across state, because the jews in Pittsburgh largely lived in one section of town. We didn't even have blacks in our schools, it was such a largely segregated community. Western PA still remains a very racist and segregated area.

Look, I don't claim to understand the black experience but I have exclusively dated black men for the last ten years so I have been able to get a closer look at how some people perceive racial differences. Middle class blacks don't live any differently than middle class whites yet some of my white friends still think there must be a big "cultural" difference when dating another race and have used this reasoning as to why they have never considered it an option.

In reality there isn't other than how some "typical white people" perceive you. Thats it. No one is celebrating Kwanza. Their houses look just like the typical white person's inside. There is no big cultural difference! Yet whites who have never experienced this keep insisting there must be some huge difference that would make inter-racial dating a challenge, especially when it comes to the all important "thinking of the children." If the typical white person wasn't racist, then inter-racial dating wouldn't be a big deal, and it still is in most of the country outside of larger metro areas. Granted, its getting more common but still considered a taboo to many.

The only challenge is dealing with other's bigoted ideas. Thats it. And yes, I've encountered some black opposition to my choices. But in general its more white people who feel need to comment, whether jokingly or seriously about my choices. For some people this isn't a small hurdle to climb. My parents were basically threatening to dis-own me even though they couldn't bring themselves to get to know my boyfriend.

So yeah, for my mother to be a Barack supporter is a huge deal to me, considering the things she's said to me in the past about my then boyfriend. Barack really does have the ability to transcend race and I don't believe he has to apologize for something that someone else has said. Its like people believe thats all the Reverend ever talked about. If he only talked about "white hatred" and America's flaws, wouldn't we be seeing more news clips than the same ones being played over and over again? Could it just be that he did have other things to preach about instead and this is why Barack chooses to remain his friend? Are you saying you have no friends who don't think exactly like you do?

Sorry, but I didn't find the link that intellectually stimulating. It only preaches to the choir that never sang with Obama in the first place.