A Baptist pastor in Florida removed the American flag from the church's sanctuary because he thought members should be focused on the cross of Christ instead of on the flag.  

What happened?  He received veiled death threats both at church and at his home.

I want to see these remarks played at the top of the hour, every hour, on every 24/7 news channel from now until the Republican National Convention.

I want to see John McCain dogged - I mean DOGGED - about this until he gives a major speech and holds a major press conference to answer for this.

Pastor Hagee, whose endorsement McCain sought and accepted with great satisfaction, apologized today for calling the Catholic Church the 'great whore.'

Millions of Catholic voters - Democratic, Independent, and Republican - as well as other voters - need and deserve a full and thorough explanation from John McCain about these remarks.

I especially am interested to hear what Irish Catholics like Hannity and O'Reilly might say about this OUTRAGE.

Last night on MSNBC's election coverage the issue of McCain and his unreported gaffes came up. A legitimate point for anyone wondering why the media is so fixated on Reverend Wright but cannot bring themselves to give Pastor Hagee even a moment's notice.

They repeatedly ignore McCain's gaffes such as confusing Sunnis with Shi'ites and admiting "I Don't know much about the economy. I turn to my advisors." when the Economy is supposedly one of if not the top issue in the campaign.

Matthews and Russert (to their credit) are quite candid about the free pass that McCain has been given. Russert points out that it's a long race, though. He seems to imply that the media will become more critical of McCain at least on issues like the war and the economy.

I'll believe it when I see it, but for now this is a pretty great video:

While our nation is at war, American families are being forced out of their homes, and gas is inching towards four dollars a gallon, we have more important issues to talk about than Obama's ex-pastor. I was personally troubled by Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s warped view of the world, and I understand why many Americans were angered by his message, but it’s ridiculous to think the former pastor's sentiment is a representation of Barack Obama's values or judgment. We would be no more justified in criticizing the whole of Christianity for Reverend Wright's comments than pundits and rival campaigns have been in criticizing Obama for vitriol the former pastor spewed. This election is about war, the economy, healthcare and our global climate crises. It's time we focused on these issues instead of what Obama's outlandish ex-pastor said.

"Wisdom is a gift; you can't train for it, inherit it, learn it in a class, or earn it in the workplace--that access can foster the acquisition of knowledge, but not wisdom." - Toni Morrison

Shouldn't Dr. Maya Angelou be part of Hillary's dialog on race?

Some have wondered why there are blacks who consider Dr. Maya Angelou a 'traitor' to her black race. I don't know if I put her there just yet. But her past words create questions as to why she has not spoken up about her friend Hillary Clinton's need to inject racism and Reverend Jeremiah Wright into this campaign in the many ways Hillary has.

Here, she is speaking to the American Academy of Achievement in January, 1997. She covers many topics still relevant to today, so as you read through this interview, remember it's eleven years old.

It's as if she's predicting an Obama candidacy.

Can the media ever stop talking about how they can’t stop talking about how they can’t stop talking about Obama’s pastor?

Tonight on cable "news."

Last night the Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart devoted a large amount of their headline coverage to how the news media is devoting a large amount of their coverage to Reverend Jeremiah Wright day-in and day-out.

It's a pretty well done segment complete with priceless phrases like "Wright... who has been dominating cable news like a missing white girl." While some might wish the Daily Show would focus their attentions elsewhere I disagree - this is what the Daily Show is, a mockery of the news networks. This is precisely why the Daily Show exists - to call out the news media for their stupidity, obsession and shallow coverage.

I've been watching so much Wright nonsense on TV over the past week or so that I find this kind of spoofing very cathartic.

... where are they?

I hear the NYT is coming out with an article questioning the 'pass' that John McCain has gotten in him actively going after the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee and getting it. I've heard some of Hagee's sermons on TV, I must say I haven't heard the f-bomb yet, but this guy has more in common with Farrakhan in some respects. I can't believe the things he gets away with saying 'on TV'.

I think it is now fair game that some Dem leaning group or two, come up with McCain plus Hagee ads. Yes I agree it can potentially get nasty, but it may have to. For too often Dems have permitted Repugs unchecked to race bait and spread lies on public policy and other social issues during election seasons.

This isn't much of a diary entry but I enjoy sharing clips from the greatest news show on television (it kind of is). Last night the Daily Show had some very funny coverage of the Jeremiah Wright media frenzy and the comments he's been making over the past few days.

Jon Stewart also sits down for a more substantive Jimmy Carter interview than you would find on FOX, Larry King or ABC. Check it all out below and weigh in with some thoughts/reactions!

I see headlines today here about Obama throwing his pastor under the bus because he is being a bad association and the first thought that comes to my mind is my parents.

Earlier today Reverend Jeremiah Wright spoke at the Press Club where he touched on many different issues. The role of the black church, racism, Barack Obama, sound bites in the media etc. etc.

For those who had never seen Jeremiah Wright outside of his sound bites it was probably an interesting and eye-opening experience. The guy actually holds his own quite well, even when being asked some pretty hard questions about past statements and so forth.

I've decided to share the Question and Answer segment of the coverage to let everyone here see for themselves. While I may not agree with everything that Wright does, I respect him for his honesty and conviction. The only thing is that this will probably hurt Obama who I am supporting for President. Hmmm

Start here.

Trinity United Church Of Christ
info@tucc.org

This list ncludes some media contact information, because I've been hearing some want to let it be known how they feel about how the media has handled this issue. It is far from complete, of course. More a sample of what is out there.

The biggest offense in the Wright tapes - when played in longer segments than Fox or ABC (which supposedly played it before Fox or CNN) or any other outlet has played them - is no one has captured the sentiment around the words beyond the Noise Level. Wright is talking to a community that feels like America has left them behind - economically, politically, socially, demographically. As Jimmy Boegle put it, "Why do you think it's impossible to love your country, yet still be ashamed of it?" Which a poster on Reddit added "I remember Trent Lott saying something like "It's possible to support troops while opposing the president." Which are variations of exactly what Wright was saying in the 'God Damn America' speech. Using the quote of a Reagan appointee.

Surely Rev. Wright’s choice of words can be jarring, but I wonder why so many credible institutions have praised him over the years. In recent days two of Rev. Wright’s major speaking engagements were canceled due to safety concerns, one in which he was to receive an award. And at another that he did attend he was invited and respectfully welcomed by white clergy among others. I wonder why a man like Barack Obama, who clearly has the qualities of a great leader, and a level of integrity and authenticity I’ve not seen in a politician, ever, claims the reverand as a friend and mentor. There must be something more to Rev. Wright that I’m not yet aware of, but I’m interested in finding out before making an uninformed judgment as so many in our media have. Not many analysts, strategists or surrogates say that they have heard anything more than the famous soundbites and maybe a few of the words written in the church’s publication. I have. - I think it’s tragic to condemn someone to the point that they fear for their life and the lives of those around them because they spoke passionately about what they believe however wrong or offensive it may be.

Joe Scarborough just displayed a dazzling display of utter bullshit on Morning Joe.

I am completely saddened by the horrendous coverage of Rev. Wright’s sermon. Let me be clear. The tone used by Wright is vitriolic, non-inviting, and caustic. That said, most of what he said in the sermons are hard to stomach, however true. You must listen to the entire sermon in context. You can view some of the offending sermons at http://www.PoliticalTruths.info.

Originally posted at Howard-Empowered People

The latest from Hillary Clinton...

"You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

(Shakes head)

Oh, Hillary, what are we going to do with you? You have been saying for months that you're "ready on day one". But, you remember that saying about how "everything I needed to know, I learned in kindergarten"? I think maybe you were absent for a pretty important lesson...

Here is the church, and here is the steeple

Open the door and see all the people.

All the people, Hillary. Not just the pastor. Setting aside for a moment the concepts of forgiveness and redemption, and, oh, I don't know, choosing to stay with someone who's made a mistake of some sort, disagreeing with one's pastor is not necessarily reason enough to leave one's church home.

I just happened to be channel-surfing on my TiVo, which was still on Fox News after recording Billo earlier in the evening. I saw a little exchange between Sean Hannity and Republican former V.P. candidate Jack Kemp, talking about distinguishing between Barack Obama's views on race and those expressed by Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The folks at News Hounds noticed it, and I posted a transcript on my own blog, "The Third Path"; both have embeds of the YouTube video of part of the segment.

http://www.youtube.com/...

So, enough of Reverend Wright. Preachers tend to say things that piss people off, and with so many religions and so many beliefs, somebody is bound to get offended. However, if they so desire to examine Obama's life under a microscope to search for every imperfection in every person he's ever touched, associated with, or observed, then we can do the same with McCain.

Lets start with the words of his own pastor:

"No other ethnic group in the United States has been decimated more by abortion than the Afro-American community. The war being waged upon innocent captives in the womb is led by Planned Parenthood. The strategy?Convince the targeted community to accept their eugenic racist plan by selecting one from their ethnicity to promote it."

But there is more...