Deception 101 and Smokescreen 201 April 30, 2008
Posted by reformedville in : culture, Government , 2commentsThe whole Jeremiah Wright , Barack Obama, and Trinity United Church of Christ story seems to have been a mixture of Deception 101 and Smokescreen 201. I was one of the first non-Obamaites to cry foul on this story and faulted the MSM for their lack of follow-up on a story they had a year ago.
On March 21st, I stated ” Dr. Jeremiah Wright told us a year ago who shaped his worldview and his theology. If any of the “news people” had bothered to simply check out who Dr. Wright named there would be no real shock at the rhetoric of Dr. Wright. Mind you, “no shock” does not equal agreement with a statement, rather it means you understand a state of an existence of a theology being taught in our seminaries and in some churches. ”.
Dr. Jeremiah Wright was upfront and honest in his interview with Fox News a year ago about who influenced his theological perspective. I do not agree with either liberation theology or black liberation theology, but that is neither here nor there. In this country we have a freedom to worship God any way we please and if he wants to imbibe a liberation or a social gospel, or New Age , or believe in Kobol, or whatever, that is his right as a citizen.
The only explanation that is really necessary is to other Christians to clarify the theology may be different than you believe, which is what I did on March 20.
Most of us heard the soundbites of Wright’s “America’s chickens are coming home to roost” sermon, but when you listen to it in context it does not portray him in the same way. Here is the Chickens Coming Home to roost soundbite, followed by the sermons context. video
Now here is the clip of Wright asking should we sing God Bless America, no no, no ..that was played over and over. It is followed by another outtake of the sermon . Most will still probably be offended by this , but you must understand the larger point here.
This is a social perspective of the plight of many people who were oppressed at a point in our history and that black liberation theology addresses. I certainly would not claim that all black churches are like Trinity, but I do not see where folks should be so “culture shocked” Here is the sound bite of God Bless America? no, no no and the sermons context it was given in. video
I have been troubled by the media willingness to dissect and play soundbites of sermons because to me it borders on the church being intruded upon and inspected by the state. I am not willing for political gain or any purpose to “go there”.
This is why you need a church that is free to be critical of the state, it’s government and society—but what we have seen lately is branding of pastors of all types , and citizens who disagree with the government as out of the main stream, dangerous, radical or conspiracy theorists. Do I agree with Wright’s take? I agree with his right to preach free of government interference and the general publics opinion. I agree that Pat Robertson, Dr. Dobson , and the entire televangelist crowd have the same rights, though I do not agree with many of them either. And I agree he has a right to criticize the government and be held responsible for that criticism to be factual by his congregation-not the government or the news media.
These clips were taken out of context, but worse were taken out of a sermon and then are holding a pastor to account in the public square for his views. Sorry, not only he, but every American has a right to be genuinely irate. Everyone yells seperation of state but the silence is deafening here. The state has no business censoring or monitoring sermons-none-nada-zilch!
I have also watched in dismay over the past months how people feel it is unpatriotic to say that our actions overseas have no consequences. The actions of the CIA from 1950 on in Iran, to the support of the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan in fighting Russia, propping up Sadaam Hussein with biological and chemical weapons to fight Iran in the 80’s all came to putting trust and empowering people who were…..terrorists working on our behalf for our conuntries benefit. These all had consequences.
Ron Paul was all but tarred and feathered for suggesting our actions had consequences and people inferred he was not a patriot. You have to see a disturbing pattern in the packaging of the news amd what we now accept as legitimate. It is as if questioning the government is bad and a conspiracy theory rather than normal and legitimate. The government must provide answers to us.
Wright throws Obama under the bus
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright at the National Press Club event Monday, which was organized by Reynolds.
Errol Lewis feels that the recent Jeremiah Wright Media event was done to hurt Mr. Obama ((video)
“The Rev. Jeremiah Wright couldn’t have done more damage to Barack Obama’s campaign if he had tried. And you have to wonder if that’s just what one friend of Wright wanted.
Shortly before he rose to deliver his rambling, angry, sarcastic remarks at the National Press Club Monday, Wright sat next to, and chatted with, Barbara Reynolds.
A former editorial board member at USA Today, she runs something called Reynolds News Services and teaches ministry at the Howard University School of Divinity. (She is an ordained minister).
It also turns out that Reynolds - introduced Monday as a member of the National Press Club “who organized” the event - is an enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter.
On a blog linked to her Web site- www.reynoldsnews.com- Reynolds said in a February post: “My vote for Hillary in the Maryland primary was my way of saying thank you” to Clinton and her husband for the successes of Bill Clinton’s presidency.
The same post criticized Obama’s “Audacity of Hope” theme: “Hope by definition is not based on facts,” wrote Reynolds. It is an emotional expectation. Things hoped for may or may not come. But help based on experience trumps hope every time.”
In another blog entry, Reynolds gives an ever-sharper critique of Obama: “It is a sad testimony that to protect his credentials as a unifier above the fray, the senator is fueling the media characterization that Rev. Dr. Wright is some retiring old uncle in the church basement.”
I don’t know if Reynolds’ eagerness to help Wright stage a disastrous news conference with the national media was a way of trying to help Clinton - my queries to Reynolds by phone and e-mail weren’t returned yesterday - but it’s safe to say she didn’t see any conflict between promoting Wright and supporting Clinton.
It’s hard to exaggerate how bad the actual news conference was. Wright, steeped in an honorable, fiery tradition of Bible-based social criticism, cheapened his arguments and his movement by mugging for the cameras, rolling his eyes, heaping scorn on his critics and acting as if nobody in the room was learned enough to ask him a question.
Wright has, unquestionably, been caricatured and vilified unfairly. The feeding programs, prison outreach and other social services he has built over more than 30 years are commendable, and his reading of the Judeo-Christian tradition as an epic story of people trying to escape slavery is far more right than wrong - and not something to be caricatured or compressed into a 10-second sound bite.
But Wright should have known - and his friend and ally Reynolds, a media professional, surely knew - that bickering with the press can only harm Wright and, by extension, Obama. “
Things we should be judging Obama about:
Truthfulness. Or lack thereof:
Before you go feeling too sorry for Barack though you must realize he has had a few of his own “chickens coming home to roost”
For instance : video
And this is a new type of candidate? I don’t think so, he repeats over and over the 100 year remark, willing to play on peoples fear-something he feels is a disqualifier. And has no problem that the DNC is doing the same: video
Obama knew by February 25 these were out of context yet he and the DNC continue .
“I don’t just want to end the war. I want to end the mindset that got us into war,” Barack Obama says. “End the politics of fear. And using 9/11 to scare up votes.” It is nice to see that Obama is, after all, just another old-style politician. For a second, I was worried he was something new.
By the “politics of fear,” Barack Obama simply means “national security.” It is unnecessary to worry about such issues because, you know, it’s not like 3,000 of our friends were slaughtered a few years ago or anything. What is most ironic, however, is that the same Obama who complains about those who “scare up votes” is himself a leading contender for the politics of fear prize.
Now we see how the media has attempted to distort or pull a March surprise on us with old news and we know it is nothing but business as ususal by them-Deception 101.
But I also mentioned Smokescreen 201
There was a smokescreen put out this year that Democratic candidates would stress their faith, and go after the “evangelical vote” . The smokescreen began when at the beginning of his campaign he went out to Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church and the evangelical community was outraged
Most evangelicals and Catholics view abortion simply as state sanctioned murder. It is a matter of faith and a violation of their faith. But if you listened to Baracks campaign up until March he was being touted as a Christian and many evangelicals were takling notice; most unaware of his stand.
What are Barack’s stand on abortion?
|
-NARAL voting record, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org Jan 1, 2008
-The Improbable Quest, by John K. Wilson, p.147-148 Oct 30, 2007
-Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (S.403); vote number 2006-216 on July 25, 2006
-SB 1661: April 4, 2002 |
100% NARAL RatingWith the pass he had been receiving by the MSM everyone was focused on hope and change and new and not looking at what was his achilles heel among evangelicals.
Barack Obama Forms Catholic Advisory Council to Make Pro-Life Inroads
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is expected to announce the formation of a Catholic Advisory Council today that he will likely use to try to make inroads among pro-life Catholic voters..
Senator Bob Casey and former Congressman Tim Roemer will participate in the Friday afternoon conference call to announce the formation of the advisory group. (link)
That is just pure deception and a smoke screen. New type of politics? It is playing people.
Now many people can make the claim (and walk a tightrope) that they are for other peoples rights to have a abortion but against it when it comes to their own personal circumstances, or in a limited circumstance situation. But Obama is for it for reasons of birth control and irresponsible choices as well, and to try to play he is a friend of those who view abortion as murder is a lie. (video)
Caveat emptor