Catholic Priest Defends Rev. Wright and Puts FoxNews Reporter On the Spot

Check out Fr. Michael Pfleger's duel with a naive FoxNews reporter YouTube The young reporter, trying to defend Bill O'Reilly, is clearly outclassed by the priest. The reporter reminds me of some young men who occasionally visit my blog- dropping words and phrases like bombs-hoping to counter my opinions.

FoxNews, as you no doubt have already learned, is all about using words as weapons, painting people and groups with broad strokes, branding them, categorizing them, and subsequently dismissing them. It is quite the adolescent thing to do, yet many people seemingly never advance beyond this stage of development. Father Pfleger calls the reporter on this very tactic again and again, frustrating him and disarming him such that, in the end, the reporter is completely defenseless.

Of course, my use of the term 'reporter' is generous. Clearly the man had an agenda and was not interested in an alternative interpretation of Reverend Wright's comments.

I note that the Republican Party of North Carolina in typical race-bait fashion, is running a political ad featuring the pastor. Jesse Helms would be proud. Racism is alive and festering in the land of the free and home of the brave.

Anti-Carter Letters to Editor Smell Fishy

Three anti-Jimmy Carter letters to the editor appeared today in The Blade. Each condemned his efforts to work with the Palestinians in securing their rights in theMiddle East.. A letter by Rollind W. Romanoff began with "good old boy" Jimmy Carter and his radical Muslim buddies." One by Jay Lehr says Carter "lost full access to the intelligence that brought him to a leadership position." The third, authored by Joshua Ball begins, "Am I crazy for believing that former President Jimmy Carter is a few peanuts short of a Snickers bar for meeting with Hamas officials?"

I wonder if these three men got 'writing tips' from the American Zionist Movement, an organization dedicated to " motivate American Jews to accept the Zionist principles that the
Jews the world over is one people, united by a common history, heritage, and destiny, with Israel as the center of Jewish life everywhere and to foster Zionist and Jewish ideals among Jews in the United States and engage in activities on behalf of the Zionist Movement in the
United States."

I'm betting that the three authors are members of this group and receive regular writing tips from the AZM to promote their agenda in the letters to the editor.

Why Does McCain Get a Pass on Preacher?

John McCain was asked yesterday about the endorsement he received from pastor John Hagee and, in typical McCain style, he dismissed it and would not answer subsequent questions on that topic. He frequently does that- it has become a trademark of his.

Odd that McCain brought up Obama's pastor, though. Apparently it's OK to do that, but the reverse is not. The reason the Hagee issue was raised is because McCain had just finished a tour of the Katrina effects in New Orleans. Hagee, you recall, said this about the hurricane:

"Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans" for planning "a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came."

Odd stuff. Odd person.

Interesting how most Americans know about Rev. Wright but little about Rev. Hagee.

Racism is Alive and Ugly Here in America

When I was a child, my mother had a 'colored girl' clean for her on Fridays. In fact, quite a few 'cleaning ladies' would pass by our house early in the morning doing the cleaning in our lily white neighborhood. Although She was in her 30's, I called her by her first name. She couldn't use the family's cloth towels to dry her hands: my mother told her to use the paper towels.

That was many years ago but not a whole lot has changed in our society. We still are bigoted. Race really matters. Obama faces a wide chasm to the presidency. In Pennsylvania, MSNBC reported that 19% of the voters thought 'race was an issue.'

Former Virginia governor, Douglas Wilder, the first elected black governor, said about the Obama candidacy, "Let's not kid ourselves again, the issue of race will not disappear; but I don't think it will predominate." Wilder said he isn't surprised that Obama has run behind Hillary Clinton among white voters in some states. Obama has faced more "ingrained difficulty'' as a black candidate than Clinton has as a woman, Wilder said.

'Ingrained difficulty' is a pleasant way of saying that many whites won't vote for him due to his higher level of melanin. Bigots: unable to consider 'them' as equals. How many covert bigots are there in this nation? Quite a few, I'd imagine. Wilder, coincidentally, had a 10 point 'lead' in the polls on election day but won by a half-percent.

The 'Bradley effect' is a term that may be replaced by the 'Obama effect' this year. Tom Bradley ran for governor of California in the 1980s and had high poll numbers and even high exit poll numbers. Yet he lost because Californians lied about voting for a black man.

How far have we progressed from Bradley and Wilder? Not far at all. Dopey and racist Americans would rather see another 4-years of Bush/Cheney than elect a black man. A 'colored man.'

Cheney Moving Forward with Iran Threat

Interpress Service has this headline: Petraeus Promotion Frees Cheney to Threaten Iran Author Gareth Porter opens his piece with this:


WASHINGTON - The nomination of Gen. David Petraeus to be the new head of the Central Command not only ensures that he will be available to defend the George W. Bush administration’s policies toward Iran and Iraq at least through the end of Bush’s term and possibly even beyond, it also gives Vice President Dick Cheney greater freedom of action to exploit the option of an air attack against Iran during the administration’s final months.

We knew it was in the works; now we are seeing more of the plan.

The fools!

POLYGAMY REVISITED

Over the last week we have been reading, watching,
and seeing a news story out of Texas concerning
polygamy. The stories have focused on a polygamist
religious sect, FLDS, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus
Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The charges are
that a 16 year old girl was beaten and forced to be
a wife of an adult man. This anonymous phone call
enabled the State of Texas social services to swoop
down on the private property of a known and recogzined
religious compound. At least it did not become another
Waco! Footage has shown armed militia and armored
vehicles in abundance.

Anthropological studies show that polygamy has been
common in societies throughout human existence. It is
recorded in the Bible. Martin Luther wrote in favor
of it. Many nations and cultures encouraged it for
increasing the birth rate and providing for social
stability.

The Republican presidential nomination cycle with the
candidacy of Mitt Romney increased awarness of polygamy
with the attacks he had to undergo because he is a
Mormon or a member of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter
Day Saints. The main way US Christian groups attacked
Mormonism was through its practice of polygamy, even
though the Mormon Church forbids it, which had been a
cardinal tenet of religious belief coming from the
founders, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, who claimed
to have had direct revelations from God on the practice
of polygamy. In other words, polygamy was divinely
inspired for the original Mormon faith. Later, as Utah
petitioned to be admitted as a state, US Christians
demanded admission be based on renunciation of polygamy.
Mormonism was equated with barbarism.A new revelation was
received and polygamy was removed as a cardinal tenet of the
Mormon faith. It was, though, sort of slight of hand. Mitt
Romney's run for the presidency opened the polygamy issue again.

Main line christian churches, catholic included, are no longer
the persecutors of Mormonism. Rather, the persecutors today
are the so righeous fundamentalist evangelicals who lead the
attack. They are very anti-Mormon and live in States that have
anti-Mormon laws on the books, but have only rarely been
enforced. The laws, however, are on the books and can be used
at the descretion of the State. Texas is one of those States.

The ACLU opposes the anti-polygamy action by the State of Texas.
Interestingly, so does the Libertarian Party. They take the
position that it is not the government's responsibility to
regulate marriage. Finally, the christian right has incorporated
a prohibition against polygamy in their ballyhooed Federal
Marriage Amendment to the Constitution.

Pennsylvania blue-collar whites back Clinton heavier than usual

"Pennsylvania blue-collar whites back Clinton heavier than usual" is the headline in the Toledo Blade this morning. What does this say about the American voter? Clinton won support from 2 out of 3 whites without college degrees and about the same number of whites from families earning under $50,000 a year, according to preliminary figures from exit polls.

Gun owners, people who attend church at least weekly, and rural residents were all supporting Mrs. Clinton by margins of about 6 in 10 in Pennsylvania.

More rural voters named Mrs. Clinton than Mr. Obama as the candidate who was in touch with people like them.

Overall, 6 in 10 whites were supporting Mrs. Clinton - a slightly stronger showing than usual. Pennsylvania's numerous Catholics and union members were also leaning heavily toward Mrs. Clinton.

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OK, that's the data; now, what does it indicate? Were these 'blue-collar whites' offended by Obama's 'bitter' remark? I think so. For the past 8 years, propaganda has had an increasing hold on the psyche of the American voters. Single words and cleverly constructed phrases were able to put Bush/Cheney in the White House. 'Compassionate conservative' comes to mind. Of course, there was a bevy of phrases doled out to sell the war to the citizens. Recall 'Freedom Fries'? Just think of the recent ABC debate question about the tin American flag lapel pin.

These blue-collar whites are an interesting lot and easily bamboozled. What more damage can they do in the November election? Vote for John McCain to 'keep us safe from the terrorists!'

FORWARD

This post is written in response to the post M-R made
yesterday. Buckle-Up, M-R...We cannot be consummed by
discouragement and disillusionment. I was momentarily
taken back with one word you used, "vent". Over the past
24 hours your statement has been continually with me and
caused much reflection on many of your posts and on many
of your comments to my comments. I have been frustrated
mentally about your apparent unwillingness to deeply
discuss and help define a positive way forward.Your use
of the word "vent" though helps me to understand what your
position is today and what it has been yesterday. I want
to suggest we become futurists. That means to me that to
some degree "venting" has to be given the heave-ho.
"venting" conjures up an escape mechanism. It describes a
way to let steam out of a compressed chamber before it explodes;
it was the westward movement of the US which let the malcontents,
"strike for the tall timber". There is a vent above the kitchen
stove. It seems to me "venting" when applied to humans is more
emotional. It's a way of expressing our anger and then continuing
on as before. I know mentally that is not you. I have even
expressed it as striking out for Costa Rica, Canada, and lately
leaving for Austria. I think, however, we both realize that we
are bound by tradition and family to cast our bucket down where
we are.

You wrote, "the revolution won't happen here in America." Lets
remember that the Founding Fathers were told the same. They were
opposed by 66% of British Colonial America and the most powerful
military establishment the world had seen to that time and even
beyond. "Revolutions" occur when the middle-class joins and supports
the intelligentsia(I see that sentiment in M-D's remarks on the
situation in France.) We need to keep in mind that the shortest nerve
in the human body is that nerve which runs from the hip pocket or the
purse to the brain! Do you not think that Washington and the Founding
Fathers were not "underwhelmed by the lack of outrage"? Yet, they
went on. Washington didn't even know at times if any one would show
up to fight that it was so dire.

I want to encourage you and others to stop wringing our hands, saying
woe is us, there is no way to turn this around. "Venting", while
important, needs to be coupled with a way out, a plan of action. We
need to define the real issue(s) and a strategy to create the
"revolution at the ballot box". We need to organize and find other
like people. I think that I have the theoretical framework of such a
program. However, I am a voice crying in the wilderness. We need to
get off our pallet, pick it up, and try to make a difference. We're
not ready to cash our chips in yet. A thesis of a return to true
Constituional government is a necessity. I hear your discouragement in
the word "vent". I understand it. We need to understand, however,
that discouragement is encouraged by the ruling authorities, the establishment,
the elites. The encouragement of discouragement defeats those who
want to change the system. It is to dissuade those who want to create a
'more perfect union.' For the religious among us, it is said that
discouragement is the primary weapon of the devil. On the otherhand, we
should think of that famous portrait of Washington Crossing the Delaware
with his rag-tag, barefoot soldiers to take on the professional Hessian
army. Who won? Another remainder is that early protest song in the late
50s or early 60s where a ram needed water to live, but there was a dam in
the way...to paraphrase the lyrics, "that silly ole ram butting a dam, oops
they goes another million kilowatt dam." Just might be our time to rise and
shine.....

Trojan Horse: Bush Admin Coaches Iraq 'Military Analysts

Of course you can believe it; why not? From the administration that began the war with lies comes this new revelation: U.S. military groomed TV military analysts.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Many U.S. military analysts used as commentators on Iraq by television networks have been groomed by the Pentagon, leaving some feeling they were manipulated to report favorably on the Bush administration, The New York Times said in Sunday editions.

A Times report examining ties between the Bush administration and former senior officers who acted as paid TV analysts said they got private briefings, trips and access to classified intelligence meant to influence their comments.

"Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks," the newspaper said.

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Duped once again. Bamboozled by Bush/Cheney. The imperial presidency moves forward.

Not Much Else to Talk About

I received this beginning paragraph of the Lee Iococca book in my email today:

"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course." Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America! , not the damned "Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out!"

And he goes on. I read the book more than two years ago. And many others on the same topic.

I post my outrage here almost daily. It's a vent for me, but, really, I think I've said it all. Like Iococca, I'm underwhelmed by the lack of outrage.

Few people care any more. We've become mindless dolts interested mostly in being entertained and overeating.

Judas Priest! What an ugly nation we've become.

Who the hell cares any more!