The Trains Ran on Time

I sat and shuddered. The chill ran up my spine at breakneck speed. It was a moment of satori.
Racism is cool again.
WTF? you're asking. Yup. It seems that a great deal of pundits, prognosticators and letters to the editor are all about the truth to power of Right Rev. Wright and how Obama needs to get a pass on this diatribe issue.
One pundit, a lovely lass from North Carolina stated that "smart, educated people" aren't paying any attention to this when they pull the lever. But there is no elitism here, hmmm?
Another pundit from Indiana was saying how this really doesn't matter in the long run because voters are concerned about the cost of gasoline.
It does not matter that this Right Rev. is a total fucking loon. I've got to admit, I do appreciate the guidance he gave at the National Press Club to those of us who wish to learn Arabic. Snappy expressions and proper pronunciation makes the whole world sing.
Then there was the whole Bell Curve kinda bullshit that he spewed. It would be parody if not for some of the supporters that came out from under their rocks (where they belong) and spewed even more vile rhetoric. For examples of what I'm talking about here, read some of the comments written in response to articles on the subject at hand. Check out some blogs.
It is scary out there.
Now I do not think that Obama is a radical Bell Curve kinda racist. That is the Right Rev's territory. However I think he threw the wrong person under the bus in Philly.
I think Obama has a bias from his life experience just like everybody else. His story is a great American story and it was a struggle that led to success. But his story also should be enough to refute the slapstick, conspiracy theory being bandied about by the Right Rev, his crowd and his ilk.
Obama does need to address this issue because it does matter. Racism is fucked up. It does not matter who is doing the hating. Fucked up. Period.
The man who was raised by his white grandmother and had no problem calling her onto the carpet for her "typical white" fear of black men, needs to call out the ranting, raving and anti-white conspiracy too.
I'll admit. It does bother me some that he was in attendance for all those years and found little to fault. It does bother me some that he claimed that he really didn't know this man was like that until the Right Rev dropped a stink bomb on him. It does bother me some that he brought his children to listen to this hatemonger.
What bothers me greatly is that all the while this talk about the Right Rev and his snappy banter being "taken out of context" was merely a piss-poor ruse. The Rev's soundbites were a pretty accurate portrayal of how he thinks and feels.
What bothers me most was the response of his congregants after the Right Rev says something completely Anti-American and blatantly racist. This is the behavior you'd expect to hear about in a neo-Nazi rally or a Klan march. Those folks think they're all about liberation too.
It was the hooting and hollering of those God-fearing citizens that made me angry. Anti-American political speech should not be met with roaring approval in a church. This is especially true when the comments are about how "the chickens have come home to roost" in that terrorist nation called America - the Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001.
What is worse - the scene of Palestinians in Gaza celebrating en masse on Sept. 11, 2001, or the scene from the pews facing Wright? That shithead has the right to free speech but associating with him should come with a cost.
If Obama wishes to unite Americans, he needs to throw assholes like that under the bus and then drive the damn bus himself.