Buchanan to Black Folks: "Where's the Love?"

Pat Buchanan is at it again.... This time, he's reminding Black Americans how lucky they are to be in America:

In a March 21 post on his website, Buchanan is attempting to respond to Sen. Obama's landmark race speech. In wondering aloud how Sen. Obama would respond to the Rev. Wright controversy, Buchanan tears into the Senator's strategy:

"Its the same old con, the same old shakedown that black hustlers have been running since the Kerner Commission blamed the riots in Harlem, Watts, Newark, Detroit and a hundred other cities on, as Nixon put it, “everybody but the rioters themselves.”

That's just a warm up... it gets better. The post goes on:

"First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known...

"...no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ’60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream..."

Are you SERIOUS???!!!!

While no one will argue against America's greatness (I for one am going nowhere!!!), its galling that Buchanan thinks that African Americans still have not demonstrated enough "gratitude" for the privilege of being treated like second-class citizens for the vast majority of their presence in America. More gratitude for subsistence programs? More gratitude for programs instead of real opportunity? Please.

He then goes on to suggest that the "Silent Majority" (read: Angry white people) needs to be heard, and that they are angry that Blacks do not acknowledge that America has been good to them and that White Americans have bent over backwards for Black people to make up for past injustices.

Finally, he hits on two platinum issues of racial fear: Reverse discrimination and Black on white crime.

Buchanan didn't get it when he worked for Nixon, and today he still does not get it. Black people are proud to be Americans -- they just want to be treated as full citizens. Black people have demonstrated "gratitude" by serving faithfully and honorably in every armed conflict involving the United States; by demonstrating grace and pride in the face of hatred, anger and bigotry; by advancing within systems that did not want them, excelling and advancing the cause of inclusion for Blacks and others who seek that which every American is entitled: The opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

Anger and pain are evident (and real) on both sides. However, insulting Blacks by insinuating they should be more appreciative for what they've "received" is dishonest at best, inflammatory at worst and threaten to entrench further the misunderstanding and mistrust between the races.

Buchanan blasts Rev. Wright as a bigot and a racist, someone unfit to occupy a space in the public square as a so-called leader.

If Buchanan does not see his comments in the same light, then he is the one who is obtuse.

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I will agree with you on the fact that Pat Buchanan is wrong on many items.

First of all, the “600,000” blacks he talks about, who came here as slaves did not ask to come. I won’t even mention the millions who died on the trans Atlantic voyage to the new world. Not much to be grateful for here…

Secondly, the “…’60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs…” were not designed to help blacks. As a matter of fact, most of those on these programs were white. And as far as welfare specifically, it became nothing more than a generational curse on the black community. Sorry, nothing here to be grateful for either.

The truth is that at our inception we committed a great sin by not abolishing slavery. The price for that sin was the blood of over 500,000 American boys during the civil war, most of them white. But our stupidity did not stop there. Because we did not learn our lesson; we chose to continue treating an entire race of people as less than human for 100 more years through Jim Crowe laws, lynching and voter intimidation. That equates to over 400 years of oppression against black folks. A few handout programs over a couple of decades that benefited whites more than blacks does not make up for that.

The truth is that nothing will. No program, no reparation, no apology will ever make up for what has happened to those brought to this country in chains. But that does not mean that we cannot overcome it. As a matter of fact, we already have in many ways.

I am a part of the first generation to grow up after the passage of the 1964 civil rights act. I grew up equal under the law. I was not told that I could not use the same bathroom, drink from the same fountain, eat at the same restaurant or go to the same school as whites. This is not to say that the playing field is completely level. But to say that we are still being treated like second class citizens is a major overstatement.

Do you deny that black Americans are the most educated, prosperous and free of all peoples of African decent? You can’t, because we are!

Do you deny the statistics quoted by Buchanan on black on white crime?

“Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?”

You can’t because they are true. And Buchanan doesn’t even get into the statistics on white-on-black crime vs. black-on-black crime.

I believe Pat Buchanan to be full of himself and on many issues his perspective is stupid at best, racist at worst. But there are times when he does make good points. And he is right when he points out that liberal black leaders spend far too much time blaming “Whitey” for what ails black Americans and not enough time talking about the opportunities available for blacks today that have not been there in the past. They should focus a little more on the blessings of being black in America, rather than always pointing out the curses.

Hate from the Pulpit

Senator Barak Obama’s quest for the presidency has been in major turmoil over the last few weeks. These problems have stemmed from controversial comments made by his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. These statements were made from the pulpit of his church which Obama attended for over 20 years. For those of you who have not heard these comments, let me just say that they were incendiary, anti-American, racist and needless to say, not very Christ-like. (Click Here to see the video)

But the fact that Jeremiah Wright would make such hateful comments doesn’t surprise me at all. The truth is, he is not the only “Man of God” that has chosen to use his platform to advance an agenda that has nothing to do with God.

Just this week the San Francisco Chronicle wrote about sermon delivered by a Rev. Amos Brown on Easter Sunday. According to the Chronicle:

The Rev. Amos Brown's Easter sermon at the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco didn't have much to do with Jesus' crucifixion or resurrection from the dead and instead covered everything from skyrocketing gas prices and the subprime mortgage crisis to race relations in the United States and presidential politics.

During his fiery Sunday morning speech, he called President Bush a "one-eyed man," told the predominantly African American congregation that the country is as segregated now as it was 50 years ago and said "America is running on fumes right now ... we are on the wrong road."

So, instead of using the occasion to recognize the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; Rev. Brown chose to berate the President of the United States, and declare the recent criticism of Obama to be a conspiracy hatched by white America. I must have missed that part of the Easter Story…

Like the Pharasis in Jesus’s time, Jeremiah Wright and Amos Brown have taken to perverting their roles as Shepards, leading their congregants not to Christ, but to a modern day “Black Nationalism” that is based in hatred and mistrust of America; White America, specifically.

Now this is not to say that these men are not entitled to express their opinions. But God holds those who represent him to a higher standard.

I will not go as far as saying the Barak Obama agrees with all of his pastor’s views. But I do believe that his decision to sit under the teachings of a man who possesses such heartfelt views does raise legitimate questions about his judgment.

And his lack of judgment in the selection of his pastor should serve as an indication of how he will go about selecting his advisors, should he become president.

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Craig, you know we had Pastor Brown as a featured speaker for the NAACP Prayer Breakfast in 2004, so we were able to experience him first hand. Is is opinionated? Yes. Is he controversial? Yes. Is he someone people listen to? Undoubtedly.

My point? Pastors have a sacred duty to provide for the spiritual welfare of their congregants. They are responsible for teaching, nurturing and growing souls and assisting people in their spiritual walk. Some pastors have even taken on an expanded role, helping people find their way in an increasingly complex world.

AIDS, poverty, homosexuality, abortion, discrimination, failed leadership - these are all issues that impact churchgoers, and churchgoers are searching for some direction. In the absence of objective information in the secular world, they look to their pastors. I would also argue that God's word calls us to not only pay attention to the spiritual world, but also the natural world.

I will not selectively criticize pastoral leaders for taking the opportunity to speak on real-world issues when a larger audience is paying attention. I wasn't in the room when Pastor Brown spoke (really, I wasn't!). Maybe Pastor Brown could have used a Christ-centered lense when making the point to call attention to the troubles of America. But I think its important that pastors - especially those preaching to congregations facing significant challenges - that they address the whole person.

Pastors utilizing "Black Nationalism" or "Black Liberation Theology" to reach disaffected audience members are trying to reach their audience where they are at(BTW, I doubt that the two pastors you mentioned adhere to Black Nationalist theology in any real sense). The fact is that mistrust exists on both sides of the racial divide, and these pastors are putting into stark relief the issues that are impacting the men and women in their congregations. The point is to get people past mistrust and to a place where they are ready to stand up and take responsibility for themselves. Neither man has advocated violence; neither has advocated rebellion against the government; and neither has called for seperatism from White America.

Your claim that pastors like Brown and Wright are not leading their congregations to Christ is short sighted and inaccurate. You are not sitting up in either of their churches on a weekly basis to form such an opinion. Maybe they could have both used more tact in presenting the case, but I am not prepared to cast them into hell for leading their congregations.

'A More Perfect Union': An Address for the Ages

For those of you who somehow missed it, yesterday's address (it was more than a speech) by presidential hopeful Barack Obama was - by any objective measure - historic.

Sen. Obama addressed head-on not only his relationship with controversial Pastor Jeremiah Wright, but the Address may also serve as a first step to a more honest public dialogue - the creation of a space where we can honestly address a topic at the heart of our deepest fears as a society: race.

What do I mean? Obama was able to validate and make real the concerns of both whites and blacks with regard to race fears - the fear whites have of displacement and reverse-discrimination; the fears blacks (and other people of color) have of continued oppression and exploitation.

It was his validation of white fear, however, which I believe was the most important element of his Address. Obama stated:

"Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.


"Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation..."

White's have been loath to articulate themselves on this issue as clearly as this man of African and Kansan descent did yesterday morning, for fear of condemnation. By not merely dismissing these fears, but rather by acknowledging and validating them, he has opened a door of dialogue... a chance for Americans - particularly white ones - to feel empowered to address the issue honestly.

To his critics, Sen. Obama's Address may not have effectively distanced him from Pastor Wright, nor aided his campaign to win the Democratic nomination. Pundits are already lining up to pigeonhole him, to reduce him to the company he keeps. Barack Obama, to many, is just another 'race candidate', effectively dooming him to the Jacksonian margins as the 'candidate who can't'.


Senator Obama's campaign is more than that. It is helping all of us somehow feel better about our imperfect selves. His words remind us that we are all flawed, imperfect human beings, and that we sometimes love people whom others despise, and that our fears - which we may express as racialized anger - are actually misplaced. If we can honestly get past that, then I will count his candidacy a success - no matter the outcome.
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And address for the ages? Pft….No even close! You are right about a few things though.

First of all, Obama did the best job he could have possibly done in addressing the Jeremiah Wright issue. If this had been his explanation from the get go, the fall out would not have been as bad. But because his first response was “I was never at church when he said these things.” And “He never expressed these views to me.” This follow up explanation rang a little hollow to me.

Secondly, he did bring up the very legitimate gripes that many white Americans have with the portrayal of them as an oppressive people who have all benefited directly from slavery and the oppression of black people. My only question is, how many in the black community simply dismissed it as “white rage” and declared that “They are just in denial”.

David,

Maybe he is making you and the rest of the Obamaniacs “feel better about your imperfect selves”. But I am still looking past the spin for some substance.

'Tropical Thunder': Is it a Minstrel Show? Or Is It Simply Funny?

I've received dozens of emails from friends who are concerned about the new Ben Stiller movie, 'Tropical Thunder'. In my latest installment of "Ask an Articulate Black Guy", I try to help them determine if the movie is actually funny, or if something is not quite right...

The movie is a satirical spoof on Hollywood's perverted love affair with war movies - and with itself. The person at the heart of the controversy is Robert Downey Jr. (no surprise there!!!). The character played by Downey Jr. is that of a megalomaniac white actor taking on a role originally written for a black actor, and rather than re-write the part, he employs method acting and becomes a black guy. THAT is the satire... the film centers on a group of pompous actors making the most expensive Vietnam war movie ever made.

Entertainment Weekly noted Ben Stiller as saying... "he was 'trying to push it as far as you can within reality,' with the intent of satirising over-the-top actors, not African-Americans."

The movie is a spoof not on blacks, but on the movie industry in general - especially pompous actors. I've included a link to the trailer above - it's actually pretty funny!

So, for all of you out there wondering if its okay to go see the movie because you do not want to appear either racist or to be contributing to the exploitation of black actors - you are hereby given permission to go view the film guilt-free.

After all, its a comedy, folks!

DISCLAIMER: Yes, the effort at satire is risky, especially with the P.C. police out looking for anything remotely touching the race issue. However, I am giving Stiller and Downey Jr. the benefit of the doubt - unless the movie falls flat on its face, in which case I hope they burn in hell for all eternity for their transgressions...

Finally, Please note: No black actors where harmed in the making of this blog post.

Guilty by Association?

You had to know that I was going to post this!

Now I am not going to spend a lot of time trying to tie this guy to Barak Obama or insinuate that he thinks this way as well. There are enough pundits out there doing this. But I will raise the question about whether one should question his judgment when it comes to following a man who would preach such hate.

And before you get started….By any objective standard, this is hate speech. If you doubt it, ask yourself this question, “If a white pastor were saying the same thing about black people, would you consider it hate speech?” Barak Obama himself has worked to distance himself from his pastor’s comments by comparing his former “Man of God” to a crazy uncle with whom he does not always agree.

Well maybe you can’t choose your family. But you can chose with whom you chose to associate. And you most certainly can choose your pastor. Clearly, Mr. Obama chose this man to be his pastor; the man who married him to his wife, dedicated his children and was his spiritual teacher 20 years. One has to wonder how much his views line up with his pastor’s views and whether someone with that mindset should be president.

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I was similarly concerned with the words of Pastor Wright. However, I wanted to wait until Sen. Obama delivered his "Race Speech" to see what his further explanation was going to be regarding this mess. I believe that Obama did a good job explaining - or at least placing into context - his relationship with the man, and his beliefs regarding the role and impact of race in America.

Now Craig, you know me. I am probably the most politically-incorrect person you know and I am not as sensitive as most on this issue. I think in many ways we are all too sensitive to what people say and not what they mean. Regarding the words of Pastor Wright, I've heard worse coming from pulpits right here in Sacramento - against liberalism, homosexuality and other such issues that do not play well on the Political Right. I have heard worse spewed against Republicans and so-called conservatives in some quarters around here as well.... :)

Do I agree with the pastor's choice words? Of course not!!! That said, I do understand the anger and pessimism that is behind the meaning of the words uttered by Pastor Wright. Those words are incendiary, but the ideas behind them are at the foundation of the challenge facing our nation that, as Sen. Obama has pointed out, if left unaddressed we stand to continue losing ground as a nation.

I don't know if Pastor Wright is racist, but I believe his remarks to be offensive to many Americans. But I also believe that someone can sit in that man's church, listen to those ideas (not from the Word but from the pastor's opinion) and go out and believe and support ideas which are directly opposite to those preached in the pulpit. I've done it. And I believe that Sen. Obama, given his background, experience and personal history is also someone who's able to do it. Sen. Obama has made clear where he stands regarding the words of his pastor, and on the challenge of overcoming the racial divide in this country. I do not believe there is anyone in position to question his commitment to that cause. Guilty by Association - I think not!

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“I've heard worse coming from pulpits right here in Sacramento - against liberalism, homosexuality and other such issues that do not play well on the Political Right."

David, I demand that you defend this statement! Who have you heard? What did they say? Was it consistent with the Word?

I am willing to bet that you cannot come up with anything because, like most liberals, you just assumed it to have happened.

And as far as Wright being racist, let me ask you this… What would you say of a white man who pastored a church who’s statement of faith included the following:

“We are a congregation which is Unashamedly White and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the White religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an European people, and remain "true to our native land," … We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a White worship service and ministries which address the White Community.”

You, Jessie Jackson, Al Shaprton the rest of the NAACP leadership would not stop until the doors of this racist church were shut for good. Not only would you call the pastor a racist, you would also declare anyone who attended the church to be racist as well.

TELL ME I'M WRONG?

Is racism a factor in Democratic race for the nomination

As Obama rolls to an easy victory in the Mississippi primary (61%-37%) one can’t help but notice the racial divide in the party of tolerance and racial equality. 70% of white democrats chose Hillary, while 90% of black voters supported Obama.

According the Associated Press:


CONTEST POLARIZED BY RACE

In the Democratic race, Mississippi voters were strongly polarized by race, even more than in most other states that voted this year. Seventy percent of whites voted for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, while 92 percent of blacks voted for Sen. Barack Obama. Clinton won among both white women, a group she normally carries, and white men, a key swing group in this campaign. Clinton won the votes of 68 percent of white men, one of her best showings to date. About half of the voters in the Democratic primary were black.

A quarter of whites said race was important to their votes, and they voted overwhelmingly for Clinton. Thirty-seven percent of blacks said race was important to their votes and nearly all voted for Obama.

25% of white voters said race was an important factor and they almost all voted for Hillary… a white woman- no racism here! And 37% of blacks voters said that race was an important factor in who they voted for… a black man… no racism here either!

Has Obamania infected the Main Stream Media?

Before the "You are being mean to Barak!" comments start flowing from youObamaniacs, let me say that this is posted in fun. Because it is funny!

But on a more serious note: It is hard to deny the love affair that the main stream media has with him. But as with their once heated romance with John McCain, the media loves to build people up only to eventually tear them down again. But hey, don't they say that "All is fair in love and war."

Huckabee: More of Miracle Guy

Just a bit of GOP humor I thought you would appreciate.