I LOVE Rev. Wright! He is absolutely, totally correct..

[scarletwoman]

Please watch Bill Moyers Journal -- his interview with Rev. Wright that's being broadcast tonight.

I wish I could vote for Wright for president. He is so right on. A beautiful truth-teller, an honest soul.

Thank you, Bill Moyers! This is wonderful. Wright is an amazing intellect. It makes my heart so happy to hear someone like this given a chance to speak!

sw

[L. Coyote]

1. And, be sure to compare this minister to Rush Limbaugh, Bush's Brain on Drugs.

[midnight]

62. It would really important to do now. Especially since Rush is

promoting terrorism at the Democratic convention.

[scarletwoman]

80. Why? That suggestion makes no sense to me.

I was awestruck by the exceptionally high quality of the discourse I was witnessing last night, so I waxed enthusiastic about it in a post.

I would never compare an honorable and highly intelligent man like Wright to Limbaugh -- a seeping pustule on the body politic.

sw

[tomg]

2. That interview was superb.

How about Moyers and Wright running together. Either one at the top. I felt the same way that you did. This is the kind of real discussion that we need: intelligent, forthright, completely honest.

[speakclearly]

141. I am warning everybody now.

This latest dust up with Rev. Wright is all coordinated by the Obama campaign staff! Don't be concerend it will hurt Obama!

Obama tried for the "It was all a mischaracterization of Rev. Wright. He's a nice guy. I won't denounce him." That didn't sell. His internal polling and focus groups showed that the public was not buying the story since Obama had been a loyal church member for 20 years. Obama was losing ground. And it would hurt him in November!

Obama needed to find a "quick exit". But how do you denounce Wright when you have already refused to do so????? Well, you need Wright to say something even more outrageous and then denounce that. As Obama's loyal counselor, mentor and Pastor who presided over his wedding and the baptism of his children, Rev. Wright was willing. So Pastor Jeremiah came out of hiding (where he had passed up some honorary awards) and calls a series of press conferences and issues some more outrageous comments.

Obama now denounces the "latest statements". He then denounces Sharpton (he is in on the story). Then Obama calls a press conference to "answer the questions about Rev. Wright".

Obama merely wants to dispose of the Rev. Wright issue by denouncing him. But he needed a new provocation in order to justify it. And Wright did him a favor and gave him the opening. And undoubtedly they planned it together!

Gingrich is the funny one in all of this. He is asking, "Is Rev. Wright trying to undermine Obama"? Of course not! the Pastor is doing Obama a favor. Obama gets to dispose of Wright six months before the election and then refuse to discuss it till after the election. Then who do you think will be holding the bible when he is sworn in?

Obama has the nomination locked. This is the final move to prepare for the general election. How else could Obama unload the "Rev. Wright scandal" from around his neck? He had to have a premise! So he asked Wright to fall on his sword, and Jeremiah complied!

[Karenina]

142. Things that make ya go

Hmmmmm... :freak:

[Forkboy]

3. It was an awesome interview.

His detractors look more and more insipid by the day.

[butterfly77]

81. You notice that the rightwing Hannity didn't talk about it because...

right now they are going over it for the pieces they will TRY to use for their lies. It won't work because a lot of people already looked at videos of his speeches. I heard one of these commentators say that they will begin using the weatherunderground lies.

[blm]

95. I loved it - he's no different than us - - but nicer,,,heh.

.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. I said that in some post some time back, and a couple of whackos attacked me, as if Wright were the

devil himself.

I suppose the attackers were Hillary supporters. ;-)

[aquart]

7. The devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape.

Particularly when he knows in advance that he's being interviewed.

[scarletwoman]

9. Oh good grief! "the devil"?!?! Is this the Middle Ages?

There's no such thing as "the devil", there's only human ego, indulging its lowest impulses.

Rev. Wright calls on us to honor our highest selves. Plus, he's obviously a heavyweight thinker.

A very admirable human being.

sw

[mopinko]

19. ye shall know them by their fruits.

caring for the sick, the poor, the young, the aged. yeah, sure, the devil.

[Forkboy]

41. LOL....step away from the bong.

[Nostradammit]

45. You have said some hysterically funny things here

but none funnier than that one!


Catch the devil unawares and he's all, like, flabbergasted.

[Number23]

47. hahahaha!!!

Catch the devil unawares and he's all, like, flabbergasted.

*Choke* Oh my Goodness. That was my laugh for the day there....

[Nostradammit]

93. -

:thumbsup:

[annabanana]

5. I certainly hope that millions were watching.

But I fear that most will be listening to what the idiots say in the morning.

[scarletwoman]

16. *sigh* -- I suppose you're correct. How disheartening!

This country is SO far away from being able to have an honest self-assessment.

[AZ Criminal JD]

145. Are you calling Obama an idiot?

[juno jones]

6. Bill Moyers is a theologian himself, albeit of the liberal baptist type,

and I suspect Wright's credentials in the world of liberal Chiristianity are possibly of quite good standing. In fact, seems that Wright perhaps has justifiable cause to cry 'slander'. Moyers had him on his show for a damn good reason. Moyers has probably known of Wright for years, or perhaps even knows him personally.

Bill Moyers is what I would call an Adult. He is showing us that there is no damn monster behind the door.

[goclark]

52. Right!

[JerseygirlCT]

75. They actually belong to the same denomination: UCC nt

[juno jones]

96. Well, then that totally make s sense.

Maybe Moyers was raised a baptist, I remember him talking about it once and thinking how cool he was for being a baptist. But then again, James Earl Carter is a hellava Baptist, so they are not all scary fundies.

[JerseygirlCT]

98. No, they're not. Though the Southern Baptist Convention seems

to want to move that direction with a vengeance. Thus Jimmy Carter's leaving it.

We've got a few Baptist churches in my town. Two I wouldn't want much to do with as my church - way too out there for me. But the other, not at all part of the SBC, well having met their pastor a few times, and some of their members - they seem quite normal and sane, indeed. Theologically, we don't really agree, but that doesn't matter in this context at all.

[Double T]

8. SOME people will believe ANYTHING they are told.

Later they will find out NONE of it was true. Would NEVER trust ANYTHING wright or obama said.

[warren pease]

38. Why, pray tell, would that be? n/t

[Tangerine LaBamba]

10. An impressive man, that Wright

The more he talked, the better I liked him, and I started off with no opinion of him, none at all.

His academic credentials are impressive - a University of Chicago graduate degree taken under Martin Marty. That's about as good as it gets.

Bill Moyers is always excellent. He has always been the paragon. Tonight, he and the Reverend Wright were an hour of remarkable intelligence, experience, and wisdom.

[scarletwoman]

13. It was definitely one of the most edifying hours of TV I've seen in YEARS.

It was everything that we really NEED to have brought into the national consciousness. I was SO impressed!

...he and the Reverend Wright were an hour of remarkable intelligence, experience, and wisdom.

You said it perfectly.

Thank you,
sw

[juno jones]

14. Love your sig line.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Orwellian_Ghost]

11. Thanks

There was a snippet on DemNow! this AM.

K&R

[Kurovski]

12. K&R.

:kick:

[annm4peace]

15. What a Beautiful Interview

I felt like I was watching such two wise men. How Refreshing.

Too much to saw, but how unfortunate for those who did not watch the interview.

I think I will to those who speak ill of Rev Wright, that I can not talk to them unless they watch the WHOLE interview.

[scarletwoman]

18. Damn straight! I don't want to hear another negative word about Rev. Wright.

If someone can't get what he's saying, then they are just too dense or too delusional to be worth paying any attention to.

sw

[PoiBoy]

17. Podcast available here...

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

follow the link to the podcast and subscribe for free...

:hi:

[scarletwoman]

20. Much appreciated!

Thank you for posting the link!

:hi:

[budedis]

21. The Reverend WRIGHT is RIGHT !

And Bill Moyers is surely one of the most brilliant humans alive. He will not ever run for president, but can he be part of the next progressive administration ?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. I was impressed, too, and anyone who doesn't get what he was saying

has been listening to too much corporate media.

[scarletwoman]

25. I was truly amazed -- so much intelligence and integrity packed into that interview!

And how sad knowing that so few people will have watched it, compared to all the people who will suckle at the teat of corporate infotainment.

[ColbertWatcher]

23. Agreed.

What little I know about this man, I found out on the internets.

This post will be interrupted for "A Short Story"
After hearing about Barack Obama having this "minister" who delivered this incendiary sermon, I knew Wikiality.com had to have a page for this late-breaking news story.

So, I decided we would make a page so people could make their own jokes about how "frightening" this preacher was. I intended to use a real photo of the church, and make it so people could "write" their own sermons on the sign out front. (I assumed the church had one of those signs I had seen on many other churches.)

I asked google to find me a picture and it couldn't find anything. I decided I had to go to the horse's mouth (so to speak) and went directly to Trinity Church of Christ, Chicago!

Okay. The picture on the home page was too small. Now, I am going to have to wander around the site to find something. I'm clicking and clicking and finding nothing.

However, what I did find was a page called "Ministries", which I click hoping to find something I can use.

But, what I do find, is a church that reaches out to so many different people--every member possible in their community. More than what the GOP-controlled media had dared discuss: gays, single parents, prisoners, people who are living with HIV/AIDS, seniors, cancer survivors/patients and students at every level.

I never did find a picture, but those few minutes I spent wandering aimlessly through their webpage let me see a man the GOP-controlled media was never going to show.

We bring you back to this regularly scheduled post

P.S. I still did try to make a joke (through exaggeration) about how "dangerous" this man was.

[truth2power]

50. Thank you, Colbert, for posting the link to the Church website...

I had decided that my first task this morning would be to try to find a contact #, something, where I could express my gratitude to Rev. Wright for his appearance on Bill Moyers' show last night. You've saved me the trouble in that regard.

I called the number on the website and briefly talked to someone. From what I could determine, from the background noise, their phones must be ringing off the hook. I plan to write a letter to Rev. Wright, expressing my gratitude for his efforts.

Furthermore, I would like to ask those on this thread who have been saying ignorant things about Rev. Wright, whether they actually watched Moyers last night, and more importantly, did they take the time to actually listen to his entire sermon in question.

Yesterday evening, for the first time, I Googled and listened to the entire 40 minute sermon. I can say, unequivocally, that there is nothing of substance in that sermon with which I disagree.

Those who persist in calling Rev. Wright a hate-monger either have an agenda, or are too cognitively-challenged to understand what he was saying.

I don't know why I should even be surprised that the hate-mongers are out in force, trying to slime the characters of Rev. Wright, and, by association, Sen. Obama. I know better.

[scarletwoman]

59. Oh wow! What a wonderful post! Thank you, thank you!

Those who persist in calling Rev. Wright a hate-monger either have an agenda, or are too cognitively-challenged to understand what he was saying.

That is beautifully said!
sw

[truth2power]

63. Aw! Thanks..

:)

[scarletwoman]

67. You do some fine writing around here. I feel honored that you wrote in my thread.

Thank you again.

:toast:
sw

[mirrera]

24. He was wonderful. Talk about two equals...

Bill Moyers and Reverand Wright together are deep territory. Unfortunately it is a bit elitist to expect people to be able to think critically.
They were not drinking shots of Crown Royal, I am not sure if they are like me! :sarcasm:

[tekisui]

26. Rev. Wright is Right!

[Lady-Damai]

27. This interview completely changed my opinion.......

The sound bites of the whole GOD DAMN AMERICA had really left a bad feeling in my heart. I like many ppl didn't go look for the whole sermon online. I allowed the media to influence me. It kinda makes me tear up a little. I always felt that the media could never turn me into a brainless sheep. I believe in seeing the actual truth on both sides. Rev. Wright is a very wise and brilliant man. I feel sad how the media destroyed his position at his church. I'm also sad how so-called Christians wanted to bomb his church. Everything he said tonight was correct. He points out how it was a WHITE MAN on FAUX NEWS who said God is damning America after 9/11. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

I'm always confused how many Americans feel American government has done no harm throughout this earth. America was built on the genocide of a whole race. Did you really think karma was not going to come back and bite you on the ass? In order to escape wrath of past wrong doings...you have to stop pushing negativity in this country. Rev. Wright shares the feelings of many ppl in every continent about America. I would not go so far to vote for him for president. But, I think all these blows Barack Obama is getting is a test. God is testing him. I'm not trying to be preachy. In life we all go through hard life tests which makes us stronger at the end.

Rev. Wright interview was great. But...again McClintonites will make this interview spin until you hurl.

[truth2power]

56. I would highly recommend that you Google and watch/listen to

Rev. Wright's sermon. It's about 40 minutes long.

Like you, I hadn't taken the time to listen to it. But I found it to be extraordinary.

He uses the bible verse, "Jesus wept" to explain how one can confuse God and Government. When he says "God damn America, that's not the entire sentence. He says, (maybe I don't have this exactly) but something to the effect that God Damn America if they confuse the two.

I think what he's talking about is Idolatry, which is a sin. This super-patriotism is a kind of idolatry, IMO.

Those who castigate him are being deliberately obtuse.

[aikoaiko]

65. this part?

The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three strike law and then wants us to sing God Bless America. Naw, naw, naw. Not God Bless America. God Damn America! That's in the Bible. For killing innocent people. God Damn America for treating us citizens as less than human. God Damn America as long as she tries to act like she is God and she is Supreme.

[scarletwoman]

66. "Thou Shalt Have No Gods Before Me." That's what Wright is referencing. It's totally right on

in that context. It's one of the Ten Commandments, which is one of the essential foundations of his religion.

sw

[aikoaiko]

68. you think America(ns) should put religion before the interests of America(ns)?

?

[scarletwoman]

71. Whooaa there, way to TOTALLY miss the point!

I suspect that you are missing the point as a conscious choice, so I'll leave you be where you are.

[aikoaiko]

74. yes and no

Its his repetitive "governments fail, god does not" that really concerns me.

[scarletwoman]

79. Why would it concern you? All he's saying is that there are eternal principles that transcend

and outlast temporal institutions. Which is really quite self-evident, it seems to me.

[RamboLiberal]

97. Wright was saying the opposite

Jesus IMHO said it well. "Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's and unto God what is Gods."

Unfortunely there are too many who want to intertwine the two and think God and America are intertwined and that we are God's chosen people. But many are blind to that yet damn others for their intertwining of state and religious fealty.

We desparately need to keep church and state separate and we need to get politics and religion separate. I'm so sick of both sides pandering to religion. Except for the issue with JFK and Catholicism I didn't remember faith and religion being such an issue till the Repukes started this crap back in the 80's and it coming to fruition in the 90's and this decade.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

150. But you can have other, equal gods.

It just says "no gods before me" not "No gods equal to me".

According to Mark Twain in Letters From the Earth.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

151. But you can have other, equal gods.

It just says "no gods before me" not "No gods equal to me".

According to Mark Twain in Letters From the Earth.

[truth2power]

130. Yes, that last is what I was referring to..

When we elevate that which is not divine to the status of God, then we are practicing idolatry, IMHO.

It's not about confusing separation of church and state, but about worshiping government as God. That's what I take from it, anyway.

[PDJane]

28. Thank you for posting this.

I don't watch television.

I have had a severe head injury, and the teevee tends to do awful things to my sensory perceptions.

If, however, there were more on the tube like that interview, I would watch. That interview was fantastic, as most of moyer's stuff is. I'm glad most of his interviews are on podcast, because it's wonderful to watch him in action.

It's a wonderful change, and it gives me hope.

[timtom]

49. I don't watch television, either.

And, while I never had a severe head injury (psychedelics notwithstanding) the teevee tends to do awful things to my critical thinking skills.

Cheers.

[scarletwoman]

54. You're very welcome!

Moyers' interview with Wright was one of the most outstanding things I've EVER seen on television in my 58 years. I know that sounds like hyperbole, but I've been sincerely trying to remember when I've ever seen so much truth and heart and intelligence packed into 55 minutes as I did last night.

Two of the most grown-up and enlightened people alive today having a quiet, reasoned, intelligent discussion that went to the heart of the great malformation in the collective U.S.ian psyche -- for me it was like witnessing the opening of a higher plane. Transcendent.

Thank you for your comment.

:hug:
sw

[LuckyLib]

29. The interview was one of those few hours of television that actually engages the viewer.

The MSM "clip" of Rev Wright gave the impression of a nut-case hopped up on crack. The context provided by a thoughtful journalistic interview revealed a very different picture.

[Blue_Tires]

30. k+r

[mnhtnbb]

31. Fabulous interview.

[bvar22]

32. K&R

Positive, uplifting, empowering, thoughtful, intelligent, courageous, spiritual, challenging, REAL .......
I feel privileged to have witnessed this interview.

Yes, Virginia, there IS intelligence on Planet Earth.

Obama is fortunate to have had this man as his pastor,
and I am fortunate to be able to vote for Obama.

[scarletwoman]

34. Thank you! That's a beautiful description!

It really was a transcendent piece of television, just amazing!

To hear so much unadulterated truth in a single conversation -- what a rare event!

Thank you very much for your comment!

:hi:
sw

[DUgosh]

33. Wright appeared to be a clear thinking humble man of God

Not at all like pompous John Hagee. They are the antithesis of one another.

[Swamp Rat]

35. k&r

"I see him as just a leftie version of Pat Robertson, James Dobson, etc."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5690523&mesg_id=5690523

[scarletwoman]

36. Oh good grief!

Posts like that are so damn depressing. Two-dimensional thinking is going to doom us -- peoples GOT to get to multi-dimensional.

The biggest challenge of our lives right now is to somehow inspire enough people to wake up in time to avert major planetary catastrophe.

:loveya:
sw

[Forkboy]

42. His detractors look dumber by the minute.

They are unthinking cowards for the most part, wrapped in the flag as they suck on their thumbs.

[leftynyc]

129. I'm neither a coward nor a flag waver

My beef with Rev Wright is that he and his church saw fit to honor louis farrakhan. That pig of a racemonger has insulted Jews and Judaism countless times and I have no use for him. You want to worship at the feet of such a man, knock yourself out. But do try and get your head out of your ass long enough to know not everyone has reason to feel the same way you do.

[EFerrari]

51. Gobsmacking. n/t

[scarletwoman]

55. That kind of false dichotomy thinking will be the ruin of humanity if more people don't

get their heads pulled out of their asses pretty damn soon.

People have been programmed into thinking that duality is the ultimate reality. Free humanity is doomed unless enough of us go multidimensional -- and soon.

:loveya: Swampy!
sw

[Swamp Rat]

110. We gotta go 'multispectral'

:hi::hug:

[scarletwoman]

113. Oh man, brings me back to 1968! I'm partial to fractals, myself...

[truth2power]

57. Cripes, Swamp Rat! Don't scare me like that...

At first I thought that was your comment.

I know you better than that. :)

[FightingIrish]

37. God Damn America

Now that we have heard Jeremiah Wright’s sermons in context and learned what he really stands for, why isn’t the absolute dishonesty of the way his words were twisted against Obama the lead story just as the lies were for weeks. The corporate media will not take NPR’s lead in demanding the truth be heard. They will continue showing the seemingly damning video clips. They have made a decent servant of mankind an icon of hatred. If you don’t believe this typifies the dishonesty that Clinton politics are all about, you are probably ready for four more years of deceit. When I see how readily the voters bought this crap, I’m tempted to say, “God damn America.” I guess I just did.

[midnight]

64. We are constantly fighting distortion. Time to re-balance the

media. We not only need to demand visibility in our elections, but our media needs to have "by law" equal time for re-rebuttal

[Matariki]

39. That was a really great interview

I posted a link to the entire video in another thread. In case people missed it on PBS or don't have a television.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3209988

[scarletwoman]

40. Thank you for posting the link!

Much appreciated!

sw

[Matariki]

43. I wanted to put the link in a post at the top of a thread - so it would be easy to find

didn't think it would cause a 'controversy' LOL

anyway - *everyone* in the US should watch that interview. everyone at DU would be a start.

[L. Coyote]

44. VIDEO on DU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x124168

[Kitty Herder]

46. I'm not Christian, but I would totally go to a church where Reverand Wright was pastor.

It would be great to go to church and hear such insightful, intelligent, prophetic words of truth.
All I've ever heard in a church was pablum. The same pablum every week.

It was a beautiful interview.

It breaks my heart to know what the media has done to this compassionate, brilliant man who has done so much for his community.

Edited to add: Obama's association with this great man makes me think more of him, not less.

[1776Forever]

48. I feel that way too - if I lived near Chicago I would attend his church!

The one thing that stands out to me is when he said that the men on top of the slave ship that said prayers and the people in the bottom deck, the slaves, were saying prayers too, but they both saw things in their own paradigm! That was when I knew that he was trying to get white people to understand where he was coming from. It hit home with me as I have always been able to do that since childhood and hope more people can in the future and see that his comments are coming from his perceptive. I think he is very intelligent and charismatic person!

:pals:

[CTyankee]

53. Please don't take this wrong, but we are watching a slow dance of death for Obama's

campaign every time the Wright story surfaces.

Wright himself speaks many truths. His sermon was distorted by the media. I totally agree. But even Obama has condemned some of Wright's statements.

I have lived long enough and suffered through enough presidential campaigns in which good, honest men of integrity were crucified and our cause and everything we held dear destroyed when the media and the Republicans were allowed to frame the debate for the country. That is happening now with this story.

I sense the outrage here and it makes me sad. I remember being outraged that my country seemed to care more about Tom Eagleton's electric shock therapy than about the Vietnam War. If he had leveled with McGovern about his mental illnesses he would not have been put on the ticket in the first place. Harsh? Yes, but it was a factor in McGovern's defeat.

It's almost as if the Republicans have this stuff ahead of time and wait til just the right moment to drop it as a bombshell on the public. We're in a daze.

The WRight story will not go away as I had hoped. It's even driving Democrats apart in a way I thought I'd never see. I'm sorry, but I am depressed about the story, not outraged.

[scarletwoman]

58. I wish you would get that I don't give a damn about Obama in regard to this.

My OP was intended to be solely about Wright and Moyers.

I want to hear grown-up people speaking the truth, I don't care how it "plays" or how it effects someone's political campaign.

I just to want to praise an event in which the truth was spoken, and praise the people who spoke the truth.

I hold no illusions -- I know damn well that truth is generally widely reviled, mocked or ignored in our country. Nothing demonstrates this quite as starkly as political campaigns.

There's a much deeper political level than electoral politics. If we are to survive as a nation of free people, we are going to have to understand this and work from there.

sw

[Matariki]

69. wow - a big 'amen!' to everything you just said. n/t

[scarletwoman]

70. Thank you. I really appreciate it, I'm very glad to have you in this thread. (nt)

[CTyankee]

86. You expressed yourself very well and I did not disagree entirely with your assessment.

However, I make the assumption that people are here at DU because they are Democrats and therefore have more than a passing interest in events that shape the fortunes of Democrats.

I was simply looking at the Wright story from another perspective...

[scarletwoman]

91. I'm glad that we do not disagree entirely.

I guess I would say that from my perspective, if truth-telling is damaging to the fortunes of Democrats, then why should I care about them?

sw

[CTyankee]

92. I have been asking myself the same question for the past few days.

I'm 68 and have been a life-long Democrat. It is a depressing thing to see this stuff played out in election after election. I was discussing this with another life long Democrat my age and he said "God is a Republican." I was shocked! Then he gave me a wry smile and said "He must be because we can't win elections!" I guess you could say we both have lived too long and seen too much not to feel this way...

[goclark]

126. Speal Rev. Wright `you have a Right to speak in America

and you have a right to have all your words played and interrupt Larry King's corny show.

Seems like Rev. Wright was able to get Prime Time. That has not happened since the Chimp said. "Missiom Accomplished."

:bounce:

Let them spin all they want to, and let the chips fall where they may.

All day long they get the chance to say every crazy thing and waste "precious air time."For two days sstraight, Rev. Wright has been King of the Airways. :bounce:

I wouldn't be at all surprised if OBAMA knew exactly what he was going to say and gave the goahead.

The good Rev. Wright preached tonight!

[scarletwoman]

127. Chalk up a rare victory for the forces of TRUTH!

"King of the Airways" I love it!

:bounce:

[truth2power]

60. CT, if I might take issue with one small statement...

You said, "But even Obama has condemned some of Wright's statements."

Moyers asked him about that. His response was that Obama was speaking as a politician and he (Rev. Wright) is speaking as a clergyman. I think that shows Wright's intellect, because it effectively laid to rest what Obama said.

The right-wing whackos are trying to frame this issue in a "Have you stopped beating your wife?" context. Wright's answer was a skillful response.

[CTyankee]

87. Yes, I know that statement and frankly it bothers me.

It is almost saying that Obama is playing a game with the voters with a wink and a nudge.

Look, Obama has built his campaign around his message of hope and changing the old rules of politics. I have read "The Audacity of Hope" and I listen carefully to his speeches. That statement by Wright doesn't jibe with the message of the man that I read/heard.

[JerseygirlCT]

76. I do understand. I share some of your fears. What I *don't* understand

however, is how we allow Wright to become such an issue, while McCain once again embraced Hagee?

And that received nary a blip in the MSM. Nothing. Oh ho hum.

I'd like to see us fighting back here. Make them OWN those bigoted statements. Question them hard about the implications of those supposedly shared beliefs. Demand they speak out on the issues.

McCain is being canny by demurring to speak about religion, saying he thinks that's a private matter. I'm thinking it's a convenient position for him to take. Allows him to kowtow to people like Robertson and Hagee, while appearing to be just a private guy - the strong silent type.

Bah to that. Own it, McCain. Or disavow it. Or at least explain it.

But we're not demanding he do that, because we're too busy fending off attacks from inside our own party about Rev. Wright!

[CTyankee]

89. It's not that I don't agree with you. In fact, this is what is depressing me the most.

Our media can't or won't be fair. It's a given. We rant and rave and complain and then we lose elections. Look at what we did when John Kerry got Swiftboated. We were furious and complained that the press was not doing its job properly. We lost the election. Then some us us -- not all -- blamed John Kerry for his own Swiftboating! Said we needed someone not so vulnerable next time. We Dems have now been kicked in the ass by the WRight affair. Of course it's unfair, but it has happened again.

Well, thanks for listening, I know I'm raining on the parade. Sorry...

[JerseygirlCT]

99. It's ok

Better to get it out and then keep on keeping on.

I get the feeling that Obama is a good learner. I'm pretty darned sure that he learned a few things from watching what was done to Kerry up close and personal. And perhaps continues to learn from the campaign thus far. He also seems able to fight back strongly without losing his cool - that could be a big advantage against McCain, with his out of control temper. Nothing makes a hothead hotter than someone with far more self-control!

At least, that's my hope.

[CTyankee]

118. The NY TImes opinion section was hopeful today. Frank Rich in particular.

So I am feeling a little better about our prospects for the fall.

My guess is that Hillary will win Indiana. I base this on the fact that it is very white and conservative, plus if the current poll numbers hold up it works in her favor. They are about evenly split but 10% are "undecided" and prior to this that group has gone to Hillary. I hope that doesn't mean that these are people who won't admit that they won't vote for a black man, because that is just too depressing a thought. I don't even want to be in the same party with people like that...

[Jennicut]

123. Don't worry CT Yankee. This fellow nutmegger believes people in general are sick of the swiftboating

Its not going to work anymore. Obama is still doing well in matchups against McCain. I hate when others blame John Kerry. Its like blaming Al Gore for losing an election that he actually won! The media sucks, yes that is true. But people can see through the media. So much has changed in 8 years, 4 years. Bush really helped actually by getting Katrina so wrong and taking the economy and having the war drag on. Dems will prevail because of the economy.

[CTyankee]

125. Thanks, Jennicut! I appreciate your thoughts.

OK, I'm going to hope for that again now. I had hoped before but this primary battle was getting me down. Now I'm inspired a little bit!

Where are you located in CT? I'm in New Haven and I love it here. It is so great living in a very blue, progressive, culture laden city!

[Jennicut]

128. I live in Terryville. I think I "talked" to you once before. I love fellow CT people here.

Terryville is near Bristol which is more near route 8 in the northwest part of the state. I grew up in Cheshire though, which is near Hamden.

[butterfly77]

83. No, its not going away and he isn't either...

I guess some think that he is suppose to stay hidden away somewhere for the rest of his life. He is not going away because he will be at the NAACP conference tommorrow and he will be meeting with the press club this upcoming week.

I don't think that he should shut up because the rightwing will try to define him. It is better for him to get this out now. I will be waiting to see how Hillary and Bill will try to define him seeing that Bill called on him in his time of need...

[CTyankee]

90. He has a perfect right to his views and to promote them strongly wherever he likes.

He obviously feels that what he has to say is important for the general public to know. That is not my issue here. Rev. Wright does not influence my vote one iota. I will work for Obama and vote for Obama and encourage people to vote for him if he is our candidate.

Not only the right wing, but the MSM have already had the opportunity to define Wright. I have a sinking feeling though that I have seen this drama played out in past elections. It's depressing me a lot. I hope what you say is true, that it is good that it comes now and not in the fall campaign. I'll try to hold onto that hope.

[scarletwoman]

61. Yes, I am kicking my own thread. Please chime in and tell me how crass I am to do so.

:)

[countryjake]

152. How crass!

Wish I could recommend this thread, but I can't, so I'll just kick it!

I saw that excellent discussion and I agree with your comments about it, here.

And I, too, damn America, practically daily.

Wonderful May Day today!

Peace

[SalviaBlue]

72. I love Rev. Wright too.

I totally agree with him. He is preaching what I have thought from Day 1 (9/11/01). He is sane. We need more leaders to speak like him.

[scarletwoman]

73. Thank you! "He is sane." He certainly is.

It is sad that we live in such an insane nation that an outbreak of sanity on the public airwaves is such a novelty.

sw

[varelse]

77. Thank you for posting the link to this interview

I've forwarded it to some interested parties (family, friends and co-workers who are progressive).

[lonestarnot]

78. I saw it and I too think the Rev. is a good man. People just don't like hearing God damn.

LOL

[Terri S]

82. I had researched Rev. Wright when the whole slime-fest started

so I knew much of what I saw last night. Back then I wrote every media outlet I knew of about their despicable behavior.

After watching last night I wrote them all again. I think we all need to get in their faces about what passes for 'journalism' these days and the appalling harm it causes.

My latest letter...

Last night, Bill Moyers aired an interview on PBS that he did with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. That interview showed why Mr. Moyers is still one of the last truly respectable journalists in the business and how your network, along with all the others, were more concerned with destroying a man's character than informing the public.

If your network had any integrity, this interview would be played in its entirety to counter the grave injustice you've caused Rev. Wright, and by association, his church and Senator Obama. By taking sound-bites out of context to spin a false perception, you have demeaned an intelligent, thoughtful, and honorable man. Because you were more intent on creating sensationalized headlines than disseminating a full and unbiased report, Rev. Wright, and members of his church have actually received death threats. Certainly your network can't be held responsible for the hatred and actions of other people, but you most certainly can be held responsible for manipulating information so as to feed into those hatreds. Every one of you should be held responsible for your failure to look beyond the manipulated image portrayed of Jeremiah Wright and for reporting that image instead of the full measure of the man. You have failed in your responsibility to the public and you have willingly contributed to the character assassination of honorable people.

I am asking your network to counter the incessant repeating of a false and manipulated caricature of Rev. Wright by playing Mr. Moyers' interview prominently on your stations. Surely if you had days and days of time to devote to the politics of personal destruction, you can make the time to try and earn back your reputations as a responsible Fourth Estate. At the very least, you owe Rev. Wright and your viewing public a huge apology.

I, personally, don't believe any of you have that respectability left. Please prove me wrong.

[scarletwoman]

88. That's a wonderfully well-written letter!

I think it would be a service to many if you posted it as a stand-alone OP; you've made such excellent points, and done so succinctly.

Thank you,
sw

[Uncle Joe]

84. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, scarletwoman.

[Karenina]

94. Yo, SW

:yourock:

[scarletwoman]

101. Yo, Karenina!

:loveya:

[scarletwoman]

100. Thanks for the k&r! It's been an interesting thread. (nt)

[uppityperson]

85. Thanks for posting this, will listen to it.

Having not heard him, just heard of him, would like to hear what he has to say. Thank you.

[coriolis]

102. He's still, like every other preacher, a huckster selling a nonexistent product to

gullible idiots. If he believes his own preachments, he's an idiot, if he doesn't he's a charlatan. Take your pick.

[scarletwoman]

104. Did you actually listen to the interview?

He is a man of principle who speaks for social justice. I don't see that as hucksterism.

sw

[coriolis]

106. His interest in social justice would disappear like a fart in a tornado

if it didn't create significant wealth...for him.

[scarletwoman]

107. Just a hunch, but I sort of suspect that you simply hate religion, and by extension,

anyone who's involved in religion. My apologies if I'm wrong, but that's the impression I'm getting.

sw

[coriolis]

108. Oh dear, I thought I had always been perfectly clear: I hate religion and anything

attached to it!

Religion is the only true evil!

Hope it's clear now. :D

[scarletwoman]

109. I'm none too fond, myself. However, I think it's rather intellectually dishonest to cast aspersions

on Rev. Wright based solely on your prejudice against his vocation. If you did not see the interview with Bill Moyers last night, then you are basing your opinion of Wright on strictly your own prejudices, and not on his actual character.

sw

[coriolis]

117. But his vocation is precisely the point. Would you find it inappropriate for me to criticize

a burglar because of -his- profession?
:eyes:

[scarletwoman]

121. So is Bill Moyers a "huckster", too? He must be by your definition, since he's an ordained minister.

Your blind prejudice seems to have rendered you incapable of making a rational analysis of the actual issues that were brought up in this interview.

[AZ Criminal JD]

103. You must not be an Obama supporter then

Obama has disavowed Wright's comments.

[scarletwoman]

105. I'm a Wright supporter. (nt)

[EFerrari]

111. This thread is not about Obama. n/t

[scarletwoman]

112. Thank you. It seems to be an exceedingly difficult concept for some people to grasp. (nt)

[EFerrari]

116. Wright reminds me of my very favorite teachers.

And I've watched that interview, by now, many times.

I can't believe how narrow minded and anti-intellectual we've become. Anyone that exhibits independent thought is a natural target anymore, suspect and reflexively reviled -- no matter how long a career of public service. I don't even recognize this country sometimes.

[scarletwoman]

119. The corporate media says, "Look over there!" And the Pavlovian conditioned populace

all turn their heads.

The corporate media says, "This is an outrage!" And the populace obediently becomes outraged -- including a huge chunk of DU, I've noticed to my constant dismay.

Independent thought is very dangerous to the System.

:hi:
sw

[EFerrari]

120. Hey you -- I was trying to remember how long it took DU

to push back against this ugliness. Do you remember?

I remember on the second day one "outraged" poster complaining that Rev. Wright was some DUers' best friend. lol

I wonder if there's any way to go back and piece it out.

Lovely thread, sw. :hi:

[scarletwoman]

122. Sorry, I can't really help you there. I stayed away from DU for a week once the Wright thing erupted

I've still got battle scars from the Ward Churchill mob-outrage that tell me when it's going to rain. ;)

I'm sure an "advanced" search of the archives using "Wright" as the key word would yield many pages-worth of threads rich in vitriol and hysteria, though.

Thanks for the compliment on the thread -- it was totally impulsive. I was watching the interview thinking, "Hey, I LOVE this guy!", so I just went ahead and posted it. :D

:hi:
sw

[malaise]

133. But but but

Nora from GEM$NBC said he's not humble enough - he has no right to defend himself. Only Rush can be arrogant. Get a grip please :sarcasm:

[2rth2pwr]

149. I can't believe Obama tossed this guy to the wolves.

[Generic Other]

114. I was impressed by his intellect, eloquence and passion

Not a wild raving dangerous radical as he has been painted. A man who speaks thwe truth to power. A pox on the media and others for attacking such a man.

[scarletwoman]

115. "A pox on the media and others for attacking such a man." Damn straight. (nt)

[mbee]

124. He was just so unlike the descriptions coming

from the r/wing media. Hopefully, Obama's own swiftboat team will give them a taste of their own medicine. I can only hope!

[hisownpetard]

131. I agree, sw - I was completely absorbed in that intelligent exchange of ideas between two

educated and intellectually curious men who are interested in enlightened discussion.
What a pleasure!I
As erudite as Bill Moyers is, he was inquisitive when Rev. Wright used the word 'hermenuetics,' as was I, never having heard that word.
After the interview, I looked it up and had a light-bulb moment.
In that regard, I'd like to re-post a comment I made at the time on another thread. Although I know your OP is about Moyers and Rev. Wright,
the following is an epiphany I had in my own thought process, so I hope you don't mind me sharing it.
------

EUREKA! The definition of 'hermaneutics' describes Obama's unique ability to see both
sides of an issue and be an impartial listener:

*"Essentially, hermeneutics involves *cultivating the ability to understand things from somebody else's
point of view, and to appreciate the cultural and social forces that may have influenced their outlook."*

That is exactly what Obama was trying to do when he said he could understand the residual anger of some older African-Americans,
and he could understand the 'bitterness' of some middle-class white people who've lost jobs, etc.

It all makes sense.
Rev. Wright is an eminently intelligent and accomplished scholar who (ironically, given the public perception of him that's developed
in recent weeks) apparently deserves a lot of credit for teaching Barack Obama TOLERANCE and increasing the depth of his understanding.

Amazing.
-------

Thanks for this thread, sw. An enthusiastic K&R!

Susan

[scarletwoman]

135. You're welcome! And I love hearing about epiphanies!

I wish Rev. Wright could teach the whole country TOLERANCE.

:hug:
sw

[bobthedrummer]

132. Yep. I've heard many a similar sermon from many others-discredited for truths being told. Kick.

[scarletwoman]

134. Thank you for the kick! Funny how much people HATE being told the truth. (nt)

[Karenina]

136. They can't handle it!

Hands over ears, "LA LA LA I WON'T HEAR IT!"

[scarletwoman]

137. LOL!

However, I seem to be losing my very last shreds of patience for that horseshit...

If I go missing, I hope you'll search for my tomb.

:P
sw

[Karenina]

138. I'll hide you in my attic!

;-)

[scarletwoman]

139. Hah! And I would do the same for you!

:hug:

[AZ Criminal JD]

147. Obama couldn't handle it

[bobthedrummer]

140. Especially the hypocrites that say they love the truth-which is another big lie, scarletwoman.

:hi:

[scarletwoman]

143. People are all for "truth" only so far as it doesn't make them feel uncomfortable.

I'm fed up with coddling the uninformed and the denialists. I'm like, "quit whining and get a damn clue".

:loveya:
sw

[AZ Criminal JD]

144. Including Obama apparently

[HughMoran]

146. I like him too

He has made me take a second look at Obama. If his preacher was a firebrand speaking truth-to-power, then perhaps Obama is holding back on us a bit.

[2rth2pwr]

148. How dare Obama toss this fine man overboard?