"The Jeremiah Wright controversy and the hoopla surrounding it tell me that the realities of African-American history and culture are not really American. The African-American story is not an American story. That African-Americans are downright un-American and have to prove, according to people like Peggy Noonan, how American we are, when the white candidates have already had their Americanness vetted simply for having white skin."

Well put, and so true.

This ain't gonna be easy, Ché. If we want to live in an America we can respect, we're going to have to fight them for it, and in this instance, that means standing up for those parts of Reverend Wright's characterization of America which we know to be true.

I don't believe white people cooked up AIDS to maintain their dominion over Africa and Africans, but then I also don't believe that GWB planned 9/11. What I do believe is that most Americans didn't give a shit about AIDS as long as it was a scourge restricted to gay men and black drug users. I also believe that the World Trade Center was as legitimate a military target as Dresden was, or Sabra and Shatila.

On the other hand, I don't believe that anyone in the World Trade Center on 9/11 was complicit in the crimes for which 9/11 was designed to be the punishment. They were innocent, and if the word murder means anything, they were murdered. In that, however, they were not unique, nor were their murderers the only ones who should concern us.

We know how this is supposed to work. Say what you know to be true, and don't stop saying it ever. If Reverend Wright merits a defense, defend him. Fuck the people who think that they can embarrass the truth into silence.

Your post leads me to something. When I went to my in-laws last weekend for my Fil's 76th BD party, I was again shocked to hear, as I have increasingly heard for years, bits of right-wing cant coming out of my In-laws mouths. These are Depression era, FDR Democrats, and not those who became "alrightnik-billies" (that's too obscure, let's just say they worked, and hard all their lives)

What happened to them?

Than I realised something awful. At their age, with their vision and hearing TV is more real to them them the world around them. They can always see the people on Tv perfectly, hell, the heads of the talking-heads on the new TV are bigger than real life, with these big screens, and you can always turn the sound up, and up, and up. So you will hear Chris Mathews, when you can't hear your own kids "cause I can hear the TV fine, there is nothing wrong with my hearing"

So added to the authourity of the TV is the fact that now, it's the only thing they can see and hear clearly. These are not bad people, but they are steeping in a right-wing stew which is erasing the realities of a lifetime.

As for Moosehall, I've told my wife more than once that in my house, I have the biggest, loudest head. Anybody on TV is bigger than me, I'm stompin' the screen.

http://nytimes.com/2008/04/30/opinion/30wed1.html

It was the most forthright repudiation of an out-of-control supporter that we can remember. We would like to say that it will finally take the racial charge out of this campaign. We’re not that naïve.

It is an injustice, a legacy of the racist threads of this nation’s history, but prominent African-Americans are regularly called upon to explain or repudiate what other black Americans have to say, while white public figures are rarely, if ever, handed that burden.

Senator John McCain has continued to embrace a prominent white supporter, Pastor John Hagee, whose bigotry matches that of Mr. Wright. Mr. McCain has not tried hard enough to stop a race-baiting commercial — complete with video of Mr. Wright — that is being run against Mr. Obama in North Carolina.

If Mr. Obama is the Democratic presidential nominee, we fear that there will be many more such commercials. And Mr. Obama will have to repudiate Mr. Wright’s outbursts many more times.

- - NYTimes editorial board, 4/30/08

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24369365/

'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for Monday, April 28

MATTHEWS: Let me give you the problem, a way of putting it in perhaps literary terms. It‘s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Just a minute. Who was the bad guy? Dr. Jekyll was the good guy.

Mr. Hyde was the bad guy, right?

LIZZA: I will trust you on that. I don‘t...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: I think so.

So, every time you have a problem with Barack, because you don‘t really know him and he seems a little foreign to you, you think of—you think of him as both these guys. They‘re different faces of the same guy.

Jeremiah Wright, to a lot of people, is Barack Obama. They have become the same Chicago character running for president.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: One is the good doctor. The other one is the monster that shows up at night.

LIZZA: Look, I think there‘s a danger of that happening.

But, as a journalist—or, as journalists, I think it‘s our responsibility to make it clear.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: OK, carve it apart. Separate the two. Try.

from the "Hardball with Chris Matthews" show on MSNBC TV

"The Jeremiah Wright controversy and the hoopla surrounding it tell me that the realities of African-American history and culture are not really American. The African-American story is not an American story. That African-Americans are downright un-American and have to prove, according to people like Peggy Noonan, how American we are, when the white candidates have already had their Americanness vetted simply for having white skin."

Great comment—no sarcasm html missing.

Actually shooting missiles into Pakistan (and killing folks, but that's their problem for being there in the first place, rith?) without official Pakistani permission is already SOP for the spooks & other freaks running around in those border areas. Do they give a shit about the repercussions? I rather doubt it. "According to the principles of jus ad bellum, as codified in the U.N. charter, one nation can attack another only in self-defense. That doesn't mean you can launch a full-scale attack in response to a tiny incursion." But since when does the U.S., or Israel, give a rat's ass about international law?? In other words, if a law doesn't work in your advantage, screw it. If it does work in your advantage, scream bloody murder . . . .

I guess Obama is just adhering the status quo.

http://www.slate.com/id/2134396/