Oh boy, another post on race. On Monday, Richmond Times-Dispatch writer Michael Paul Williams
tackled the controversy over Obama's ex-pastor Jeremiah Wright, and actually had the balls to equate Wright to Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr. I'm pretty sure that Jesus and MLK preached unity and love for people of all races, while Wright was consumed by hatred and bile. Michael Paul Williams is the T-D's voice of the African-American community, and I occasionally read him to gain some insight on that perspective, but this time I'm floored.
I'm left wondering why it's necessary for one man to have to explain or defend another man's words -- particularly a man most of us hadn't heard of until recently.
Why? We hold candidates for President, the highest office in the country, to a higher standard. We vet them thoroughly, and in this case "another man" happened to be a close spiritual adviser. I agree that Obama has handled the issue well, but don't think that the attention was unwarranted. I wonder if Williams and other African-Americans would be so forgiving if it were found that Bush or Cheney attended a church for the past 20 years that preached wild conspiracy theories about minorities?
America, for so long, denied black Americans fundamental rights. We have made enormous progress. But it appears some people still balk at hearing our anger and reject certain ugly truths about our nation.
Tactically slather on the liberal guilt, then try to claim that Wright was just preaching alternate truths. I'm not buying it. I think that it is perfectly acceptable to criticize policy, fight for a bigger voice in government, and expose the corruption and racism that still exist. I don't think it is acceptable to peddle divisive theories with no basis in fact, like the "HIV was invented by the government" doozy. My family is Catholic, and if I ever hear our priest spew such lazy internet garbage my children will no longer attend that church.
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