Rev. Wright Pulled His Punches

[pbca]

Rev. Wright apparently upset some white people with his comments on the US, but really - if you know your history and are capable of critical thinking: Rev. Wright was being very kind and pulling his punches to a massive degree.

The US likes to think of itself as progressive and in term like 'leader of the free world' and the 'freest country in the world. But the US is actually one of the least progressive countries, at least out of developed western nations, it always has been. It was the last of these countries to abolish slavery, the last to give women the vote, the last to allow unions and enact serious labour laws (including child labour) and it still has the weakest labour laws in the G8. It is the only developed western nation that still allows the death penalty, the only one where abortion is still a debate, the only one to not offer national health care and at the current rate it appears it will be the last to grant equality to gays.

The US is certainly the most warlike nation - it's just simple math: Going back to 1776 if you include the indian wars, civil war, undeclared wars etc., the US has been involved in more wars than Germany, England, Russia, China, Japan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq combined (the US would lead this by alot!) It is true that the US helped it's allies in WWII but it is not true that the US won these wars single handedly and in both cases the US entered years after the start of the war and only after it's own economic interests were threatened. There was no altruistic rush to save their friends.

It was also the US (or at least powerful businessmen and politicos in the US) that learned you can have slaves, as long as you don't call them slaves, and you can have colonies as long as you don't call them colonies. They have supported proxy wars, armed and funded terrorist groups, and propped up brutal dictators the world over. They have done this primarily to protect trade deals that were lopsided in favor of the US, to protect cheap access to other peoples resources, to insure US export markets and access to cheap (even slave) labour.

Seen in this context, Rev. Wrights comments were mild, even timid and if there is such a thing as Karma the US is in big, big trouble.

[UALRBSofL]

1. There are issues with Wright I disagree

The AIDS issue and the one I'm most upset was the Clinton/Lewinski scandal.

[dkf]

2. Pah, the Clinton/Lewinski scandal was an absolute disgrace and embarassment to this country.

Bill was an idiot. As is Spitzer and McGreevey and Larry Craig and Mark Foley.

The AIDS thing is ridiculous. I don't see how anyone could say AIDS targets blacks.