"May" is one thing. SHOULD is another.

[smalll]

Saying America "may go to Hell" is one thing. It's predictive, it's empirical, it's almost content-free and value-neutral. But implying that, in one's own opnion, America SHOULD go to Hell, as Pastor Wright implied, with his "Goddamn America" and his "chickens come home to roost" (both enunciated with the relish and joy of a foodie with some oyster, caviar, or ceviche risotto in his upscale mouth) -- well, that's a whole new wax horse in a ball of a different feather.

The Obamatrons' strange new god seemed, earlier in this campaign, as a kind of deus ex machina -- an everyman emerging from randomosity: a half white-Kansan, half black-African, via Indonesia, via Hawaii, via Cali, via Chicago, etc. etc. etc. Someone who could quite plausibly be everything to everyone.

But at this point, the O-man is skewered like a roasting pig on the Wright/Obamarosa axis. Sure, he practices the higher triangulation. Sure, he's Mr. Generality. But when his own wife and his own 20-year-mentor/pastor and bringer-to-Jesus are revealed to have the hearts and minds of black separatists, he became unelectable in November. ESPECIALLY because he grew up as radically rootless young man (through no fault of his own) -- this half white/half Afican son of the Pacific Rim who made a free-will, self-conscious choice, when he chose to self-identify with the African-American community, who willed and chose to ally himself with its most essentialist and race-conscious elements. And that's so bad (electorally) because in some ways it makes so much sense. Barack Obama has the convert's zeal, in his case, not as a religious convert, but as a racial one. All perfectly understandable, all perfectly acceptable in a free man -- but not nearly so understandable or acceptable in a President, in the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. America -- the electorate as a whole -- and yes, they may not be young and "hot" -- they may not have gone to college -- they may not be able to regularly blow five dollars on a fancy cup of coffee, and maybe this world would be a better place if we were all young, hot, well-educated and "successful" -- but they ARE the majority.

I'm Just Sayin' -- :shrug:

[sandnsea]

1. I'm Just Ignorin'

:eyes:

[Breeze54]

2. What the HELL are you smoking?!

I've never liked 'skunk weed' myself!

It causes delusions! :crazy:

[cliffordu]

8. Sounds like Jimson weed, actually -

which is very dangerous, or so I've heard....

[FlyingSquirrel]

3. I haven't responded to the Wright thing at all

So I don't know, maybe this has been already said many times... but my interpretation of what Wright meant when he said "God Damn America" is, if America continues on its path, God will damn it.

[smalll]

5. That's plausible, except when you hear the way Wright said "goddamn" and "chickens coming home" --

it's clearly not in a warning or worrying spirit: it's in a spirit of joyful anticipation. The difference matters.

[cliffordu]

9. Ah, bullshit. He had been speaking in the past tense.

Grow up.

[FlyingSquirrel]

11. Perhaps it's a matter of misperception

I don't get joyful anticipation, except possibly in the sense that he is saying that the truly wicked will eventually get their punishment in the afterlife. The fact of the matter is, there are all different cultures in our world, even within the American culture, and they all say and mean things differently. There's so much room for misunderstanding between you and someone who lives a different life. Heck, there's even room for misunderstanding between you and someone who's lived a similar life. Too easy to make judgments, much more difficult to keep your mind open and try to truly understand.

[Breeze54]

13. Why is your screenname "small"?

Do you feel intimidated by people in general?

I have a son who was bullied in high school and he was 6' 1" at that time but he was
immature and (still is!) but didn't realize his own strength. He does now at 6' 4"!

And now he's realizing his 5' 3" Mom doesn't take any prisoners!! :P

Don't allow others to push you around!! You matter!! They DON'T!!! Got it?

:hug:

[mrreowwr_kittty]

4. Alerted. And off to Ignore goeth you.

[GarbagemanLB]

6. ...and yet since the Wright story broke he has soared past Hillary...I wonder why...

[FrenchieCat]

7. Sounds like these are your thoughts, correct?

Too bad you think this way, but since you do, sounds like you should just vote for McCain....that way, you don't have to project what you think your imagined majority thinks.

Thank God, the Founders of this country didn't stop to worry about what everybody "might" be thinking, or else they might have decided not to take action.

You are a defeatist...not a progressive and you are smalll.

I'll be ignoring you from this point on....and whomever Mr. and Mrs. America are (guess the typical white folks?) tell them I said bye.

[ecstatic]

10. "chose to ally himself with its most essentialist and race-conscious elements"

:eyes:

[southlandshari]

12. egads

[lligrd]

14. You Are AssUming That He Was Implying

You know what that makes you?

[bhikkhu]

15. Listen to the full sermons. You are wrong.

and "just sayin" is a poor excuse for posting crap without a bit of research. Listen to the sermons, or read here what has been abundantly written about them for context.

[vixengrl]

16. And if you're just saying, I'm just replying--

As opposed to letting this particular bit of smearishness sink, I think I want to hold it up as an example, if I may, of the sort of thing I really can't take about this primary garbage.

"This half white/half Afican(sic) son of the Pacific Rim"--should I take this to mean, from you, that you were referring to a miscegenated man? A foreign man? An American who somehow isn't? Does the fact that his lineage is blended, as are the lineages of many of us, what disturbs you? Or is it the fact that he has actually been exposed to life outside of these United States? What I am getting at is this--are you implying he's decided to be biracial on purpose? Because that would really take some doing. If you implying he has made an issue of it, than I seriously must suggest that you have misread racial politics in the the context of the history of this country--because it actually is not a *benefit* to many people to be judged based on their identity. When you say he could possibly be "everything to everyone" you are leaving out the real possibility of a "challenge to everything and everyone"--because he is different. Thank you for noticing.

But your particularly bugaboo is not Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate--but his pastor. And maybe his wife. You draw the distinction between Dr. King's potential "may go to hell", and Rev. Wright's "Goddamn America." It is what I believe could be called "A distinction without a difference". You prefer to call the idea that American "may go to hell"--"predictive, it's empirical, it's almost content-free--"

And what world do you live in? The words of Dr. King were many things to many people, but "content-free" is not any of them. A speech with that title would not be less. You were mislead. "Value-neutral." Where do you get an idea like "value-neutral"? The idea that a nation could reap a whirlwind from actively pursuing injustice is old, and extremely value-laden. "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just"--Thomas Jefferson,http://www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/000925.html .

When you talk about the "joy and relish" of Wright regarding God's justice kicking in on the United States for injustice, you aren't hearing the disappointment. The shame. The reality that this good nation, forged with great intentions and capable of so much, has let it's own citizens down, and has not always been a good world citizen. It is not--and he knows it's not, and people paying attention know it's not--a happy thing. And yet, you hear delight. I guess people can hear what they want. As for "chickens coming home to roost"--hear the echoes of Malcolm X if you want, and disregard the Ambassador who Wright was quoting. But the CIA even has a term for Chickens coming home to roost. It's called "Blowback"--and if there's a professional jargon for it, maybe it even happens.

You bring up Michelle Obama. She has a reason to be proud, because her husband may become President. That is more real to her, and her daughters, and many Americans, than a lot of the patriotic business people want to think. Maybe the promise of America is more real to her *now* than it was *before*. Hey, if he can do it--maybe it *is* true, the thing we were all taught in civics lessons. Maybe someday anybody might just--think about being president. And not think they are disqualified by identity.

But you are entitled to your impressions: "all perfectly acceptable in a free man". I just wanted you to know how vehemently it is possible for someone to disagree.