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FOCUS:
 Special
Reports
9-11
Meta Index September 11 2001
CLONING
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_A-Z.Gif's_
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EDUCATION News:
20080904
 Sarah
Palin -  History
-  Sports
-  Journalism
-  Television
-  Idaho
-  Alaska
-  2008
Election
"Republican
vice presidential nominee Palin changes colleges 6 times in 6 years."
... "Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin seems to have switched
colleges at least six times in six years, including two stints at the University
of Idaho before graduating from there in 1987." ... "She majored in journalism
with an emphasis in broadcast news." ... "Despite her journalism degree,
she does not appear to have worked for the college newspaper or campus
television station, school officials said. She worked briefly as a sportscaster
for KTUU in Anchorage [Alaska] after she graduated college." -By
Nicholas K. Geranios -LAtimes
20080829
 John
McCain - Sarah
Palin -  Science
-  Education
-  Politics
-  Law
- History
- 2008
Election - Alaska
-  Tennessee
"McCain's
VP Wants Creationism Taught in School." ... "[2008
Election] Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin wants creationism
taught in science classes." ... "In a 2006 gubernatorial debate, the soon-to-be
governor of Alaska said of evolution and creation education, "Teach both.
You know, don't be afraid of education. Healthy debate is so important,
and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.""
... "Asked by the Anchorage
Daily News whether she believed in evolution, Palin declined to
answer, but said that "I don't think there should be a prohibition against
debate if it comes up in class."" ... ""I'm not going to pretend I know
how all this came to be," she said." ... "The battle between evolution
and creationism -- specifically, Christian creationism -- in U.S. classrooms
dates back to the 1925 Scopes trial, when a Tennessee court banned the
teaching of evolution. Since then, state and federal courts have repeatedly
rejected so-called creation science in public schools, calling it religion
rather than science." ... "The latest courtroom defeat came in the 2005
Kitzmiller
v. Dover case, when the superficially religion-neutral theory of intelligent
design was classified as religious creationism. The Supreme Court ruled
in 1987 that teaching creationism violated the separation of church and
state." ... "Nevertheless, pro-creationism education initiatives driven
by Christian conservatives have flourished, and defenders of evolution
-- and, more broadly, scientific integrity -- worry that Palin's pick will
give momentum to this church-over-state push." ... ""It's unfortunate McCain
would pick someone who shares those particular anti-science views, but
it's not a surprise," said Barbara Forrest, a Southeastern Lousiana University
philosophy professor and prominent critic of creationist science. "She's
a choice that pleases the religious right. And the religious right has
been the chief force against teaching evolution."" -By
Brandon Keim -Wired
20080618
Special
Report - Noteworthy
-  US
- Guantanamo
Bay -  Cuba
-  Military
-  Intelligence
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Prison
-  Investigation
- Legal
- Rights
- Religious
-  Terrorism
- School
- Politics
"Guantanamo
Bay detainees investigation." ... "An eight-month
McClatchy investigation of the detention system created after the [September]
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has found that the [United States] U.S. imprisoned
innocent men, subjected them to abuse, stripped them of their legal rights
and allowed Islamic militants to turn the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba into a school for jihad."
"
-McClatchyDC.com
20080611
 Barack
Obama - John
McCain -  Money
- Politics
-  Workers
-  Retirees
-  Homeowners
- Students
-  Farmers
-  Families
- US_Debt
- Law
-  Illinois
-  Arizona
- 2008
Election
"A
Preliminary Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans."
[Full
Report PDF] ... "Senator [from Illinois and 2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama would permanently extend certain provisions
of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts primarily affecting taxpayers with incomes
under $250,000; increase the maximum rate on capital gains and qualified
dividends; and enact new and expanded targeted tax breaks for workers,
retirees, homeowners, savers, students, and new farmers. Senator [from
Arizona and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain
proposes to extend permanently the AMT "patch" that has prevented most
individuals and families with incomes below $200,000 from being affected
by the tax, and in our interpretation of his proposal, Senator Obama would
do the same." ... "Although both candidates have at times stressed fiscal
responsibility, their specific non-health tax proposals would reduce tax
revenues by $3.7 trillion (McCain) and $2.7 trillion (Obama) over the next
10 years, or approximately 10 and 7 percent of the revenues scheduled for
collection under current law, respectively. Furthermore, as in the case
of [Republican] President Bush's tax cuts, the true cost of McCain's policies
may be masked by phase-ins and sunsets (scheduled expiration dates) that
reduce the estimated revenue costs. If his policies were fully phased in
and permanent, the ten-year cost would rise to $4.1 trillion, or about
11 percent of total revenues." -TaxPolicyCenter.org
20080602
Education
- Consumer
- Poor
-  People
-  Oregon
-  Calif
-  Federal
"Student
Loans Start to Bypass 2-Year Colleges." ... "Some
of the nation’s biggest banks have closed their doors to students at community
colleges, for-profit universities and other less competitive institutions,
even as they continue to extend federally backed loans to students at the
nation’s top universities." ... "Citibank has been among the most aggressive
in paring the list of colleges it serves. JPMorgan Chase, PNC and SunTrust
say they have not dropped whole categories, but are cutting colleges as
well. Some less-selective four-year colleges, like Eastern Oregon University
[Oregon] and William Jessup University in Rocklin, Calif. [California],
say they have been summarily dropped by some lenders." ... "The practice
suggests that if the credit crisis and the ensuing turmoil in the student
loan business persist, some of the nation’s neediest students will be hurt
the most. The difficulty borrowing may deter them from attending school
or prompt them to take a semester off. When they get student loans, they
will wind up with less attractive terms and may run a greater risk of default
if they have to switch lenders in the middle of their college years." ...
"Tuition and loan amounts can be quite small at community colleges. But
these institutions, which are a stepping stone to other educational programs
or to better jobs, often draw students from the lower rungs of the economic
ladder. More than 6.2 million of the nation’s 14.8 million undergraduates
— over 40 percent — attend community colleges. According to the most recent
data from the College Board, about a third of their graduates took out
loans, a majority of them federally guaranteed." ... "“If we put too many
hurdles in their way to get a loan, they’ll take a third job or use a credit
card,” said Jacqueline K. Bradley, assistant dean for financial aid at
Mendocino College in California. “That almost guarantees that they won’t
be as successful in their college career.”" (1, 2)
-By Jonathan
D. Glater -NYTimes
20080524
-
Obama
- McCain
- Money
- Politics
- Legislation
- Veterans
- 2008
Election - "Obama
criticizes McCain on veterans' benefits." ... "[2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama told veterans
Saturday that he can't understand why Republican [2008 Election Presidential
Candidate] John McCain opposes legislation that would provide college scholarships
to people who have served in the U.S. [United States] military." ... ""Now,
let me be clear: No one can dispute John McCain's love for this country
or his concern for veterans. But here's what I don't understand. I don't
understand why John McCain would side with [Republican President] George
Bush and oppose our plan to make college more affordable for our veterans,"
the Democratic presidential candidate said. "George Bush and John McCain
may think our plan is too generous. I could not disagree more.""
-AP via -MSNBC
20080523
-
McCain
- Obama
-
 Clinton
- Veterans
- Education
- Money
- Legislation
- 2008
Election - California
- "McCain
misses vote on a new GI Bill, scorns criticism from Obama."
... "Support for the troops returned as an issue to the presidential campaign
yesterday with harsh words from both sides." ... "The Democratic National
Committee accused [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John
McCain of being AWOL [Absent WithOut Leave] from the Senate vote yesterday
for a new GI Bill to provide better education benefits for returning veterans.
McCain was in California on a campaign and fund-raising trip, while both
Democratic [2008 Election Presidential] contenders, Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama, left the campaign trail to vote for the bill, which passed
by a veto-proof 75-to-22 majority." ... "On the Senate floor, Obama questioned
why McCain opposed the bill. "I can't believe why he believes it is too
generous to our veterans," Obama said. "There are many issues that lend
themselves to partisan posturing, but giving our veterans the chance to
go to college should not be one of them." ... "The bill, which [Republican]
President Bush has threatened to veto, would pay tuition and other expenses
at a four-year public university for anyone who has served at least three
years since the 2001 terrorist attacks." -By Foon
Rhee -BostonGlobe
20080514
-
John
McCain - Hillary
Clinton - Barack
Obama - US-
 Iraq
-  Afghanistan
- Military
- People
- Money
- Legislation
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Ariz
- Ill
-  NY
- "McCain,
Military Oppose Expanding GI Bill." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain,
R-Ariz. [Republican-Arizona], the presumptive Republican presidential nominee,
seemed to give a thumbs down to bipartisan legislation that would greatly
expand educational benefits for members of the military returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan under the GI Bill." ... "Both [2008 Election] Democratic
presidential candidates — Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill. [Democratic-Illinois],
and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. [Democratic-New York], — have signed on as
co-sponsors, and the bill has gained bipartisan support from 54 senators
on Capitol Hill in addition to [Virginia Democratic Senator Jim] Webb.
A vote on the proposal is expected before the summer." ... "But the bill,
which would dramatically increase educational compensation for American
troops, has run into some unexpected resistance, both at the Pentagon and
now from McCain, who has remained silent on the issue, saying he had not
studied the bill close enough." ... "Pressure had mounted on McCain to
support the bill — a veterans group, which backs the legislation, delivered
a petition to McCain's Senate office, signed by 30,000 veterans." ... "[Matt]
Flavin joined the military out of patriotism shortly after 9/11, went to
Officer Candidate School and, over the next five years, served tours in
Bosnia, Afghanistan and with Naval special forces in Iraq." ... "While
he did not join the military specifically to get benefits from the GI Bill
and does not think most troops do, Flavin supports the legislation." ...
""We owe them something," Flavin said of his comrades. "They've given life,
limb, everything there is to give. The people who bore the most pain and
suffering are the people who could use these benefits."" (1, 2,
3)
-By Z. Byron Wolf with contributions by Bret Hovell
-ABCNEWS.com
20080507
-
Secret
- Government
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Illegal
-
 Surveillance
- Investigation
-  Internet
- Archive
-  Library
-  Electronic
- Civil
Liberties - Brewster_Kahle
- Censorship
- San
Francisco - California
- Student
-  Health
- Consumer
-  Telephone
- Electronic
- Data
- National
Security Letter - "FBI
Targets Internet Archive With Secret 'National Security Letter', Loses."
... "The Internet Archive, a project to create a digital library of the
web for posterity, successfully fought a secret government Patriot Act
order for records about one of its patrons and won the right to make the
order public, civil liberties groups announced Wednesday morning." ...
"On November 26, 2007, the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] served
a controversial National
Security Letter (.pdf) on the Internet
Archive's founder Brewster Kahle, asking for records about one of the
library's registered users, asking for the user's name, address and activity
on the site." ... "The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Internet Archive's
lawyers, fought the NSL [National Security Letter], challenging its constitutionality
in a December 14 complaint
(.pdf) to a federal court in San Francisco [California]. The FBI agreed
on April 21 to withdraw the letter and unseal the court case, making some
of the documents available to the public." ... "The Patriot Act greatly
expanded the reach of NSLs, which are subpoenas for documents such as billing
records and telephone records that the FBI can issue in terrorism investigations
without a judge's approval. Nearly all NSLs come with gag orders forbidding
the recipient from ever speaking of the subpoena, except to a lawyer."
... "Brewster Kahle called the gag order "horrendous," saying he couldn't
talk about the case with his board members, wife or staff, but said that
his stand was part of a time-honored tradition of librarians protecting
the rights of their patrons." ... ""This is an unqualified success that
will help other recipients understand that you can push back on these,"
Kahle said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday morning." ...
"Though FBI guidelines on using NSLs warned of overusing them, two Congressionally
ordered audits revealed that the FBI had issued hundreds of illegal requests
for student health records, telephone records and credit reports. The reports
also found that the FBI had issued hundreds of thousands of NSLs since
2001, but failed to track their use. In a letter to Congress last week,
the FBI admitted it can only estimate how many NSLs it has issued." -By
Ryan Singel -Wired
20080418
-
Barack
Obama - United
States - Social
Security - Health
Care - Housing
- Markets
- Public
Schools - Poverty
- Race
-
 Global
-  Climate
- Law
- Politics
- 2008
Election - "[Robert
Reich:] Obama for President." ... "I believe that
Barack Obama should be elected President of the United States." ... "Although
Hillary Clinton has offered solid and sensible policy proposals, Obama's
strike me as even more so. His plans for reforming Social Security and
health care have a better chance of succeeding. His approaches to the housing
crisis and the failures of our financial markets are sounder than hers.
His ideas for improving our public schools and confronting the problems
of poverty and inequality are more coherent and compelling. He has put
forward the more enlightened foreign policy and the more thoughtful plan
for controlling global warming." ... "He also presents the best chance
of creating a new politics in which citizens become active participants
rather than cynical spectators. He has energized many who had given up
on politics. He has engaged young people to an extent not seen in decades.
He has spoken about the most difficult problems our society faces, such
as race, without spinning or simplifying. He has rightly identified the
armies of lawyers and lobbyists that have commandeered our democracy, and
pointed the way toward taking it back." ... "Finally, he offers the best
hope of transcending the boundaries of class, race, and nationality that
have divided us. His life history exemplifies this, as do his writings
and his record of public service. For these same reasons, he offers the
best possibility of restoring America's moral authority in the world."
-By Robert
Reich
20080417
-
-
- Media
- Politics
- Corporate
- Network
- 2008
Election -
-
-
-
- Torture
- 
- Human
Rights -
- Consumer
- 
- 
- Safety
- 
-
-
- Death
Penalty - "Okay,
Now I'm Bitter." [Mary Mapes on what
DISNEY/ABC didn't cover in the 2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate debate in Pennsylvania with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama]
... "In Iraq, we've seen a rebound in suicide bombings and gotten the disquieting
information that Iraqi soldiers have been fleeing the battlefield in frightening
numbers." ... "Americans learned that detailed discussions of torture techniques
had been held in the [Republican President] White House -- our White House
-- and President Bush revealed that he knew this and approved." ... "[Home]
Foreclosure rates have spiked to frightening levels." ... "U.S. [United
States] shoppers were told that food prices in this country are rising
at a higher pace than at any time in the past 17 years." ... "The airline
industry floundered through dreadful days of groundings, amidst safety
concerns, economic ailments and passenger anger." ... "Oil prices are setting
new records almost every day and $4 a gallon gas is coming soon to a service
station near you." ... "The anguish over China's human rights record and
its handling of Tibet turned the Olympic torch relay into a cross between
Spain's Running of the Bulls and 3rd grade keep-away." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain, acting like a mean old
man trying to chase those pesky voters off his lawn, refused to endorse
a new GI bill that would help those currently serving our country get a
college education." ... "The Supreme Court issued a fractured opinion on
the death penalty that for the first time in years raises the real possibility
of a national debate on the value and morality of the ultimate punishment."
... "And we are in the middle of what is clearly the most important, most
consequential election of my lifetime -- and I'm no spring chicken." ...
"Instead, I sat in front of my TV open-mouthed, listening to a hodgepodge
of juvenile questions about flag jewelry, the possibility of a "dream"
ticket, elderly radicals, Charlie Gibson's personal tax concerns and ministers
who emote too much. What, no time for a question about Cindy McCain's purloined
pork chop recipe?" -By Mary Mapes
-HuffingtonPost.com
20080410
-
John
McCain - Health
- History
- Senior
- Politics
- Parents
-
 Women
- Education
- Science
- Money
- 2008
Election -  WVa
- "Dean:
McCain's Age Worries Voters: DNC Chair Cites Health,
'Old-Fashioned' Views." ... "Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard
Dean said Thursday that swing voters participating in focus groups commissioned
by the D.N.C. [Democratic National Committee] bring up [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate] John McCain's age unprompted." ... ""We didn't
bring it up, but they volunteered it," said Dean who explained that voters
have two concerns about McCain's age. "One was a health concern, the other
was, and this is really interesting . . . that his views are old-fashioned.""
... "At the age of 72, McCain would be the oldest newly elected president
in U.S. [United States] history if inaugurated in 2009." ... "Referring
to what Dean characterized as the party's most conservative focus group
in Charleston, W. Va. [West Virginia], the DNC chairman said "the women
in that group were shocked that [McCain] believed health insurance shouldn't
cover birth control pills and they were shocked about his belief in abstinence
only education."" (1, 2)
-By Teddy Davis and Mike Elmore
-ABCNEWS.com
20080409
-
Immigration
- Politics
-
 Texas
- School
- "Athens
School 'Attack' Proven To Be False, Girl To Be Charged."
... "Charges are being filed against 13 year old Melanie Bowers by Athens
ISD [Independent School District] through the Henderson County District
Attorney's office for filing a false report, said AISD officials today."
... "Bowers claimed earlier this week that she was beaten and threatened
- with killing and rape, no less - by a group of students at Athens ISD
last Friday, for creating a protest sign saying, "If you love our nation,
stop illegal immigration."" ... "After Melanie's accusations, administrators
reviewed school survellience videotape of the incident - which, instead
of showing students beating or attacking her, showed Bowers scratching
herself on her arms, face, and neck, and walking through the halls of the
school calmly long after she claimed the incident happened." ... "After
Melanie's parents were presented with that information and the video, the
school confronted Melanie, and she admitted that she made the story up."
-KLTV.com
20080403
-
John
McCain -
 Chuck
Hagel - Military
- Money
-  Account
- Law
- Politics
-  Virginia
-  Nebraska
- US
- Iraq
- Op-Ed
- 2008
Election - "McCain
Is AWOL On New GI Bill." ... "In November 2007, Sens.
[Virginia Democratic Senator] Jim Webb and [Nebraska Republican Senator]
Chuck Hagel penned an op-ed in the New York Times advocating a reformed
G.I. Bill that would provide Iraq war veterans with greater educational
opportunities." ... "The idea, which was first introduced in January 2007,
was at once ambitious and benign. Adjust the current landmark law -- which
requires members of the armed services to pay $1,200 in order to participate
-- to better account for spikes in tuition and living expenses. Not only
would there be a greater incentive for those considering enlistment, but
the American economy would be bolstered by an influx of educated veterans."
... ""We must put together the right formula that will demonstrate our
respect for those who have stepped forward to serve in these difficult
times," wrote Webb and Hagel. "First-class service to country deserves
first-class appreciation."" ... "Flash-forward several months and Webb
and Hagel's vision (after months of consideration) is on the cusp of codification.
The 21st Century G.I. Bill may be included in the language of the next
Iraq war supplemental. And while, if considered separately, it could require
60 votes for passage, more than 50 Senators -- including many Republicans
-- have already signed on as co-sponsors." ... "And yet, surprisingly,
one of those Senators who has not yet offered his support is [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain." -By
Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
-
Medical
- Database
- Abortion
- Science
-
 Literature
- Family
- Education
- Government
-  Search
Engine - Funding
-  Maryland
- US
- International
- Politics
- "U.S.
Funded Health Search Engine Blocks 'Abortion'." ...
"A U.S. [United States] government-funded medical information site that
bills
itself as the world's largest database on reproductive health has quietly
begun to block searches on the word "abortion," concealing nearly 25,000
search results." ... "Called Popline,
the search site is run by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health in Maryland. It's funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development,
or USAID, the federal office in charge of providing foreign aid, including
health care funding, to developing nations." ... "The massive database
indexes a broad range of reproductive health literature, including titles
like "Previous abortion and the risk of low birth weight and preterm births,"
and "Abortion in the United States: Incidence and access to services, 2005.""
... "But on Thursday, a search on "abortion" was producing only the message
"No records found by latest query."" ... "Stephen Goldstein, a spokesman
for Johns Hopkins, said he wasn't aware of the censorship, and couldn't
immediately comment. " -By Sarah Lai Stirland
-Wired
20080401
-
John
McCain - Money
- Private
School - Virginia
- Press
- 2008
Election - ""I
Hope Attendance Here Was Not Compulsory"." ... "On
the second day of his week-long bio tour, [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] John McCain visited his alma mater, Episcopal High School
[a private school in Alexandria, Virginia], to speak today about the importance
of education in the formation of a person's character." ... "The boldest
inquiry came from junior Katelyn Halldorson, who asked what exactly
the senator was doing at her school." ... ""I think judging by the amount
of press representatives here and also by the integration of your previous
political endorsements in your earlier personal narrative, we can see that
this isn't completely absent – er political motivation isn't completely
absent," she said. "Yet we were told that this isn't a political event.
So what exactly is your purpose in being here – not that I don't appreciate
the opportunity, but I'd just like some clarification."" ... ""I knew I
should have cut this thing off. This meeting is over," McCain joked, before
launching into a long description of his biography tour...." ... "McCain
concluded the visit by saying, "I hope that attendance here was not compulsory…I
apologize if you were unwillingly in attendance here."" ... "According
to one EHS [Episcopal High School] staff member, attendance was required,
although it was unclear what the punishment would have been if a student
had refused to show." ... "The DNC [Democratic National Committee] noted
that McCain's alma mater now costs $38K [$38,000.00] annually. The Dems
also mention in a memo sent to reporters that McCain's voucher plan would
only cover $2K a year. “Apparently, John McCain’s biography tour includes
bragging about his own education, but not his 26 years as a Washington
Republican putting tax cuts for the rich ahead of efforts to ensure every
student a quality education,” says DNC spokesman Damien LaVera in
a statement." -By Adam Aigner-Treworgy
-NationalJournal
-
Girls
-
 Fashion
- Politics
- Companies-  North
Carolina - Students
- Faith
- "Modesty
is the new black for girls tired of racy clothes:
Teen groups teach the value of covering up." ... "In Charlotte [North Carolina]
and across the country, young girls, their mothers and even clothing companies
are covering up." ... "Teens and parents fighting over what is appropriate
is nothing new. But now, girl-centric groups are working to arm girls with
the awareness and self-confidence to say no to the sexy." ... "And in Charlotte,
more than 65 high-school students are participating in Pure Fashion, an
international faith-based program that recognizes "true beauty."" ... "It
was started in 1999 by a lay Catholic group, and has chapters in more than
25 cities, including Raleigh [North Carolina's capital]." -By
Rachel Sutherland -Charlotte.com
20080328
-
Barack
Obama - Professor
- Law
- Illinois- 2008
Election - "University
of Chicago: Obama was a 'professor'." ... "The University
of Chicago [Chicago, Illinois] said Friday [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate] Barack Obama accurately described himself as a onetime law professor
at the school, despite the fact his formal title was "Senior Lecturer.""
... ""From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama
served as a professor in the Law School," the statement said." ... ""He
was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to
2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers
are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded
as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track," it also said."
-By Alexander Mooney and Peter Hamby
-CNN
20080318
-
Barack
Obama
- Christian
- American
- Race
- Politics
- History
- 2008
Election -
 Israel
- Military
- Terrorism
- Economy
- Health-Care
- Climate
- Housing
- Poor
- People
- Scholarships
- Family
- "A
More Perfect Union." ... [Partial text of Barack
Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union". Read full
text of speech or  Watch
speech.] "[Barack Obama:] I have already condemned, in unequivocal
terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy.
For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally
fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I
ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while
I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political
views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from
your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed." ...
"But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply
controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak
out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted
view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that
elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with
America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily
in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from
the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam." ... "As such, Reverend
Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time
when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together
to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a
falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating
climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian,
but rather problems that confront us all." ... "Given my background, my
politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those
for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself
with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another
church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the
snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television
and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures
being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react
in much the same way[.]" ... "But the truth is, that isn't all that I know
of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped
introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations
to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a
man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured
at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who
for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's
work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy,
providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and
reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS." ... "In my first book,
Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at
Trinity:" ... ""People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap
and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the
rafters....And in that single note - hope! - I heard something else; at
the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city,
I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories
of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den,
Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories - of survival, and freedom,
and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our
blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day,
seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations
and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique
and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the
stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need
to feel shame about...memories that all people might study and cherish
- and with which we could start to rebuild."" ... "That has been my experience
at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country,
Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the
welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black
churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes
bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting
that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full
the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance,
the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias
that make up the black experience in America." ... "And this helps explain,
perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be,
he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my
wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him
have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat
whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect.
He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the
community that he has served diligently for so many years." -By
BarackObama.com
-read full
text of Barack Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union" via
HavenWorks.com
20080219
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