The vitriol in some of these letters is mind-boggling. Gotta be hard to take after a while. Hang in there.

That said . . .

The fact that the US has committed atrocities in the past (native Americans, Hiroshima) does not give one the right to commit atrocities against Americans in NYC. Does this even have to be said?!

The great promise of America is just that - a promise. There is a reason the US constitution is the most copied constitution in the world. The fundamentals are powerful. Individualism. Equality. Representative - open - government. Free speech. These ideals have been successfully used by the disenfranchised throughout history to gain freedom. The downfall of the slavery system did not start with the Civil War, but with the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" which introduced the slave experience to a broad audience that instinctually condemned it.

There is certainly more work to be done - and the history of America is often not pretty - but ignoring the successes does not represent reality. We have come a long way, and that is a good thing.

I heard part of the Moyers interview - and also heard for the first time (not read) the "God damn America" speech. Wright clearly seemed to be trying to "sell" himself in the former - but in the latter - wow. I mean, wow. I'm not partial to that kind of loud rhetorical sermon, but I was really turned off.

Wright was Obama's mentor. The man who helped him get "cred" in Chicago. Obama knew exactly what this guy stood and stands for. Wright married Obama, baptized his children, and was the source of the title of his book. He's not just a casual acquaintance. So, it matters.

I would like for some of the Wright defenders to defend his lies about AIDS and also racist and sexist remarks?

"Oh, and for that post on how great Wright is, you totally missed my point. See, this is how it goes. Obama said Wright suffered from horrific racism his whole life (poor, hungry, no good schooling, no choices in life, beaten down but good) so who are we to judge him. I pointed out that he had a sweet life and was gifted and made good. See, my point is that they are both liars. See, you missed my point."

Can you kindly point out where Obama said that?

Obama sat in the auspices of Jermiah who spoke today of his own. I noticed in Jermiah's speech a self dictated sermen of what he thinks is right and what he thinks is wrong with the entire man power and race. He said Muslims are right in what they believe and basically he spoke to accept every tribe and cult - no matter how wrong they would be from the modern ways of reformed lifestyle - as if they are all allright. Well I have a problem with that. If Mohamed Gisney lived today by his sword as he converted millions if Indians to accept Muslim religion (all way back when!), then Obama listened to all this, and it is this friendlyness Obama is swirling around to win the minds of the millions of us, which is totally wrong. Obama can distance from all Jermiah says but it is hard for me to accept he never listened to him when he sat in Jermiah's church for twenty years.

I will not vote for Obama.

"I can change what my country does. I cannot change what some other country does. Thus, I focus on what I can change."

Hear, hear. As a fellow proud member of the Blame America First Crowd, I concur.

I've never quite understood why, just because other countries behave unjustly, we should therefore behave unjustly because, hey, it's a dog-eat-dog world. Better to exploit them before they exploit you.

I mean, I guess I understand it, it's a central premise to conservatism and there's a certain short-term pragmatism to it, but I don't see how that gets us to creating the long-term, sustainable peace we all claim to want.

It's a paranoid, fear-motived ideology and I frankly want no part of being governed be fear.

"That being said I am SICK AND TIRED of liberals in this country ignoring the misdeeds all over the world ESPECIALLY those done by countries populated and run by people of color. THE WORST deeds, the WORST atrocities, the WORST crimes against humans are done in countries where the primary color is not white, and this is the damn truth."

Listen you racist lunatic - if you were anything but a hate crazed troll and were at all in touch with reality, you'd realize your assertion is so dishonest and absurd - what liberal media exists is decidedly global. Misdeeds all over the world are more than noticed and discussed - in the actual context rather than equating color with savagery. The issue being like atrocities in any country - one group with power harming the other. Skin has little to do with it.

Like most bigots when cornered, you jump issues. Having been exposed as ugly and closed minded and incapable of admitting your viewpoint is at all wrong - you instead start pointing at bad things all those brown people do and scream its the worst.

sadtexasbigot, there's no hope for you.

The Wright speech has been playing all night all of it repeated 3 or more times. Rick Sanchez tried to bring in talking heads on screen and telephone which he did, but the bad news is that they had not seen or heard the speech. New rule: no talking heads allowed on CNN unless they actually watch CNN .. that should reduce the pool to about 2.

The speech is great ... anyone critical of it is actually pure and simple a bigot ... can't wait for Ms Walsh' next article to prove my point.

(how about a rule that no one can post on Salon without reading the articles ... that would remove mot of the letters here ... and maybe give Ms Walsh writers black as well)