lest you think I've lost my mind, I don't agree with all of Obama's policies and beliefs, but I do heartily agree with the following excerpt from Zane's article in today's News and Observer:
...Wright, for example, is not the first person to link U.S. foreign policy to the Sept. 11 attacks. And his view that America is a deeply racist nation "controlled by rich people" is expressed routinely in the halls of our universities, in the pages of leading liberal magazines and on the streets of our cities....
That others share Wright's views does not make them wise or right. But it should stop us from pretending that his views are only his. That he speaks for no one but himself. That by denouncing him, we're done with his complaints..."
It startles me that people continuously want to brand Obama with the socialist, racist label, while ignoring that Hillary's policies and views are exactly the same. It also amazes me that people act as if Obama's former pastor (he resigned the church a few years ago) is the first to express such views. Does the name Dixie Chicks ring a bell? I remember after 9/11 talking with friends who are teaching in China, and their horror at total strangers walking up to them on the streets and making such comments as, "I'm glad that happened to America. The big giant is finally getting what it deserves." and other such comments. And when I look at certain situations in China, there is a slight validity to their comments. I remember reading my cousin's comments as he traveled with his Marine Unit through Egypt, preparing to enter Iraq. He talked of the looks of hatred, of people spitting towards their ship, and children running alongside shaking their fists. Did we have governmental approval to be there? Certainly. But just because governments sanctify and allow certain things to happen, doesn't mean the citizens of that country are in agreement with it. And I think that's the crux of the whole matter. People in countries who dream of having our opportunities of free speech cannot fathom that its citizens do not have the freedom to change things. Many of my Chinese students thought I could pick up the phone and call the president of the US and tell him whatever I thought. That one always made me laugh, but it's the resounding truth of how powerful the notion of free speech truly is. People think we can change the world with it. And maybe we can. Maybe that's why the Rev. Wright's speeches have so many Americans outraged, just like the Dixie Chicks did years ago.
Perhaps this is why we were always taught in theology class to start with the book of John, "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God."
And that leads me to my voting dilemma. I disagree, strongly I might add, with both Democratic candidates. I don't like McCain, either. But Obama, as much as I disagree with him, from what I've observed the last three years, has been unwavering in his policies, votes, and actions. Just as I endorse Bush because he's not a push-over, Obama presents that same steadfastness. Steadfastly wrong, perhaps, but steadfast nonetheless. And I think that is one of his attractions among young voters: we're looking for hope and steadfastness.
...Wright, for example, is not the first person to link U.S. foreign policy to the Sept. 11 attacks. And his view that America is a deeply racist nation "controlled by rich people" is expressed routinely in the halls of our universities, in the pages of leading liberal magazines and on the streets of our cities....
That others share Wright's views does not make them wise or right. But it should stop us from pretending that his views are only his. That he speaks for no one but himself. That by denouncing him, we're done with his complaints..."
It startles me that people continuously want to brand Obama with the socialist, racist label, while ignoring that Hillary's policies and views are exactly the same. It also amazes me that people act as if Obama's former pastor (he resigned the church a few years ago) is the first to express such views. Does the name Dixie Chicks ring a bell? I remember after 9/11 talking with friends who are teaching in China, and their horror at total strangers walking up to them on the streets and making such comments as, "I'm glad that happened to America. The big giant is finally getting what it deserves." and other such comments. And when I look at certain situations in China, there is a slight validity to their comments. I remember reading my cousin's comments as he traveled with his Marine Unit through Egypt, preparing to enter Iraq. He talked of the looks of hatred, of people spitting towards their ship, and children running alongside shaking their fists. Did we have governmental approval to be there? Certainly. But just because governments sanctify and allow certain things to happen, doesn't mean the citizens of that country are in agreement with it. And I think that's the crux of the whole matter. People in countries who dream of having our opportunities of free speech cannot fathom that its citizens do not have the freedom to change things. Many of my Chinese students thought I could pick up the phone and call the president of the US and tell him whatever I thought. That one always made me laugh, but it's the resounding truth of how powerful the notion of free speech truly is. People think we can change the world with it. And maybe we can. Maybe that's why the Rev. Wright's speeches have so many Americans outraged, just like the Dixie Chicks did years ago.
Perhaps this is why we were always taught in theology class to start with the book of John, "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God."
And that leads me to my voting dilemma. I disagree, strongly I might add, with both Democratic candidates. I don't like McCain, either. But Obama, as much as I disagree with him, from what I've observed the last three years, has been unwavering in his policies, votes, and actions. Just as I endorse Bush because he's not a push-over, Obama presents that same steadfastness. Steadfastly wrong, perhaps, but steadfast nonetheless. And I think that is one of his attractions among young voters: we're looking for hope and steadfastness.
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