Arizona State Snubs President Obama

Maybe you're up on the hoopla surrounding Arizon State University's decision not to give it's 2009 commencement speaker, PRESIDENT Barack Obama an honorary degree - stating that he's not yet accomplished enough.

huh? seriously...isn't being the PRESIDENT enough of an accomplishment?

Anyway, check out the clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Foolishness to the 4th power.

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House Negro

Honestly, I have to say that I'm not so much disturbed by Barack Obama being called a house negro from somebody halfway around the world. The race baiting and name calling is inevitable. Sticks and stones will be hurled from many different directions.

What bothers me about this is that our forensic scientists can find a carpet fiber in the middle of a field and trace it back to a van that's 10 feet under water and the driver who murdered a stray cat four years earlier and buried it in the back yard. WHY IS IT that we keep getting videos from Al-Qaida, yet no one can seem to track down a 7 foot diabetic Muslim in the hills of Afghanistan? Isn't he ordering insulin from somewhere? You mean to tell me they're hanging out in caves, with a Sony camcorder and the Adobe editing suite, making videos and transmitting them to Al Jazeera tv without a trace? Come on. OnStar can unlock a car from space, but we're supposed to believe that these dudes are undetectable.

Smells like camel poop to me. I thought this article from Newsweek.com was interesting.

Once You Go Barack...

This afternoon on the radio, I heard some rumblings about an offensive Barack Obama Assassination exhibit that was in New York across the street from the New York Times entrance. I did a little investigating and if you haven't heard or seen it here's what it's all about:

[On June 4th] A Boston-born performance artist, Yazmany Arboleda, tried to set up a provocative art exhibition in a vacant storefront on West 40th St. in Midtown Manhattan with the title, “The Assassination of Hillary Clinton/The Assassination of Barack Obama,” in neatly stenciled letters on the plate glass windows at street level. By 9:30 a.m., New York City police detectives and Secret Service agents had shut down the exhibition, and building workers had quickly covered over the inflammatory title with large sheets of brown paper and blue masking tape. The gallery is across the street from the southern entrance to The New York Times building.

Arboleda, who is 27, said in an interview: “It’s art. It’s not supposed to be harmful. It’s about character assassination — about how Obama and Hillary have been portrayed by the media.” He added, “It’s about the media.” “The exhibition is supposed to be about character assassination. It’s philosophical and metaphorical.” (source)

Check it out. What do you think about "art" imitating life?

The Assassination of Barack Obama

The Assassination of Hillary Clinton

Who Knew that Catholic Priests Cussed in Church?

I would have turned Catholic long ago if I would have known that they cuss and get you out of church in 20 minutes! I'm just playing, but seriously, Rev. Michael Pfleger delivered a sermon at Barack Obama's church (Trinity United Church of Christ) in Chicago on Sunday and boy, did he have a lot on his mind! They must have some "make you act a fool" mist that they spray on that microphone.

Pfleger is a Catholic priest at predominately black St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's southwest side. Commenting on the campaign, Pfleger very candidly spoke on the subject of 'white entitlement', using Sen. Hillary Clinton as his example. He said Clinton's eyes welled with tears before the New Hampshire primary because she felt "entitled" to the Democratic nomination and because "there's a black man stealing my show." He then went on to parody Clinton, sobbing and wiping his face with a handkerchief.

"She wasn't the only one crying," he said. "There was a whole lot of white people crying." (source)

What will be interesting is to see how the media handles this as opposed to the handling of Rev. Wright. Why? Because Pfleger is white and Wright is black. They referred to Wright in headlines as a 'preacher', never as Dr. Wright. I wonder if they will take the same tone of belittling and disrespect with Father Pfleger and if they will set out to personally attack him like they did Wright. Just watch and listen.

Watch the video below for yourself.


Of course, you know the rest - Clinton denounced. Obama condemned. Pfleger apologized.

I predict Obama will make his exodus from Trinity in 5...4...3...2...

Obama '08 Monkey T-Shirt - UPDATE

In Marietta, Ga, the owner of Mulligan's Bar and Grill is selling an Obama '08 t-shirt with the likeness of Curious George, the monkey, on it. The owner claims that the shirt was not meant to be seen as a racial reference. He said he did it because he saw a resemblance between Barack Obama and Curious George.

According to AJC.com,
Rick Blake, a spokesman for publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which owns the Curious George image, said Wednesday that the company didn't authorize the use of the character's image, but hasn't been in touch with anybody selling or manufacturing the shirts.

"We find it offensive and obviously utterly out of keeping with the value Curious George represents," Blake said. "We're monitoring the situation and weighing our options with respect to legal action."

Marietta bar owner Mike Norman has said he got the T-shirts from someone in Arkansas. He started selling them at his bar -- known for the provocative, ultra-conservative political slogans often posted on signs out front -- in April but said he has no plans to mass market them.

Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey. "We're not living in the (19)40's," he said. "Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears -- he looks just like Curious George."

You make the call. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Obama vs. Wright: Divide and Conquer

"...I HAVE OUTLINED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENCES AMONG THE SLAVES; AND I TAKE THESE DIFFERENCES AND MAKE THEM BIGGER. I USE FEAR, DISTRUST AND ENVY FOR CONTROL PURPOSES. ...DISTRUST IS STRONGER THAN TRUST AND ENVY STRONGER THAN ADULATION, RESPECT OR ADMIRATION. The Black slaves after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for HUNDREDS of years, maybe THOUSANDS. Don’t forget, you must pitch the OLD black male vs. the YOUNG black male, and the YOUNG black male against the OLD black male.

...BEING A FOOL IS ONE OF THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF ANY INCIDENTS TO THE MAINTENANCE OF THE SLAVERY SYSTEM."

Excerpts from the "Willie Lynch letter: The Making of a Slave".

I got a call while I was out at lunch from my girlfriend Tiffany. Sounding alarmed and excited, she wanted to know if I was watching CNN. She mentioned that she was in a restaurant or something and could see the picture but not hear the what was being said. Barak Obama was on and the words she was reading did not sound so good. As I turned on CNN for myself, I was in total shock at the words splattered across the screen. Barak Obama was standing at a podium at a press conference, visibly ticked-off, disclaiming everything (see Obama 'outraged' by Wright's remarks article at CNN.com) that Rev. Jeremiah Wright said yesterday during the National Press Club appearance.

Obama took questions from the press and was clear to brand Wright's appearance before the National Press Club yesterday (see video here) as a "performance" saying "yesterday was a bunch of rants not grounded in truth." "It was a show of disrespect to me...she [Michelle] was similarly angered." Obama also stated that everything that Rev. Wright said contradicts who he is and what he believes and that Wright didn't show consideration for him or his campaign.

Now, the question that the media has posed for weeks is how will Rev. Wright affect Barak Obama's electability? Prior to today, I would have said that it wouldn't have had much of an effect, but now I'm not so sure. Is Barak getting caught playing politics? Is Rev. Wright insensitive to Barak's campaign and speaking out at the wrong time? Should Barak have stood strong in defense of his pastor? Should Wright have backed out of the spotlight to let Obama shine?

The bible says that a house divided against itself cannot stand. The Willie Lynch letter (whether fictional or not) proves that division can be institutionalized and used for generations to control people. I believe that we are in the midst of watching that theory try to play itself out. Pitting old black man against the young black man and the young black man against the old black man. Now, we are taking sides. We either agree with the old black man or the young black man. We are deciding to vote for Obama or against him based on whether or not we perceive that he is standing up for his "house". We have watched the media create a frenzy around Rev. Wright and Obama. They have injected distrust and anger, fears and vocabulary words that most of us have now incorporated into our normal lexicon. We are now standing on two sides. Divided by our desire to see history made and our desire to make a sound decision that will impact our generations. Divided by our desire to hear Obama stand up for Rev. Wright and our knowing that he has to play the political game. Divided by the feeling that Barak sold Wright out for political gain and that Wright sold Obama out for the purpose of pontification.

Karl Rove recently published an article giving some "advice" to Barak Obama and I hate to say I saw it coming, but his #2 pointer was:

When you get into trouble, pick one, simple explanation. And stay with it. Take the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. You said you weren't sitting in church when he said those ugly things. Two days later, you excused him, saying his comments didn't give "a well-rounded portrait" of him. Two days after that, you condemned his statements as "not only wrong but divisive" but still couldn't "disavow him" any more than you could your grandmother. Ten days later, you implied if Wright hadn't retired, you might have left his church. It would have been better to say from the start that Wright's words were wrong and offensive and you should have spoken out earlier. The applause would have been deafening.

Is Obama buckling under the pressure to conform to Washington politics? I wonder if we will see his campaign strategy conform to Rove's advice. I'll be watching closely. You should too.

These recent developments beg us to revisit the question, "What is the Prize?"

Public Enemy #1

I have to admit that before today, I had never purposed to read one of Dr. Martin Luther King's speeches. The "I Have a Dream Speech" runs every year in January and again in February for Black History Month. People of various backgrounds - conservative, liberal, black, white, male, female - all seemly have acquiesced to the notion that MLK is the greatest example of a black American to have ever lived. I'm amused when I read comments on blogs and hear media pundits exclaiming that MLK was a great American and that he taught love and tolerance. He was never divisive or anti-American.

The idea here is to contrast Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the profound pastor who has recently been thrust into the international spotlight (not of his own choice), with Dr. Martin Luther King who is the "American standard" by which the black church and black preachers are to be measured.

In reading an article in Time.com (excerpt below), my thirst for knowing more about MLK heightened.

Many Americans who were shocked by the clips of Wright's sermons have only known a Disney-fied version of the black church. We know about the good music,
but don't listen to the lyrics of pain and suffering. We praise the rousing preaching without paying attention to the words. Civil rights leaders have become aging wise men revered for their inspirational sayings, not radical activists who preached truth to power. "There is so much more going on in black churches than gospel music," says Emilie Townes, professor of African American religion at Yale Divinity School.

The poster boy of the reimagined black church is Martin Luther King, Jr. "King said America suffered from a 'congenital disease' and that disease is racism," notes Eddie Glaude, Princeton professor of religion. He says that King's speech against the Vietnam War, delivered at Riverside Church in April 1967, was not a feel-good speech. "It was a passionate cry to speak to these enormous problems that were linked to America's imperialism and militarism, and what he saw as the evils of capitalism." By that point int his career, King had been banned from Lyndon Johnson's White House. The New York Times condemned his speech, running an editorial calling it "Dr. King's Error." And Barry Goldwater said King "bordered a little bit on treason."

Everybody wants to have the race conversation, but no one wants to hear what's being said. Rev. Wright has been nothing if not consistent in his cry for unification despite our differences in race, faith, education, social class, or political preference. The media is on a daily mission to parse out certain statements that Rev. Wright has made and spin them into a series of whacked-out, hate-spewing, race-baiting rants of an angry black man stuck in a 1960s mentality. He has become the poster child for everything that's wrong in America. Rev. Jeremiah Wright is public enemy #1. This has nothing to do with Barack Obama. It has everything to do with the a sense of entitlement that tells certain people that they have a valid voice and that others who do not meet the media's approval or makes the status quo uncomfortable need to disappear or be exiled to outer darkness.

This episode in our history is riveting, stimulating, and infuriating all at the same time. The lack of objective reporting in the media is being revealed and exposed like never before. The accessibility of the internet is allowing us to seek out the truth for ourselves and make our own intelligent decisions. The media would have you believe that "mainstream America" is so outraged over Rev. Wright's remarks and ready to burn him at the stake, but I believe that is the furthest from the truth. They want us to think that he is wrong and they are right. They want us to believe that he is an elitist who is dividing this great nation and that poor and disenfranchised blacks now have an excuse to be uneducated, angry, and violent because Wright is stirring the pot. They would have you believe that he is a media hungry, arrogant, anti-Christian heretic. They are afraid that this intelligent, black, scholar who speaks 5 languages has 2 masters degrees and has influence beyond their control - will raise blacks and whites to a higher level of consciousness. Don't allow television to brainwash you into thinking that the FoxNews and CNN analysts are right and everyone else is wrong.

It's time to turn the tables on the media. Talk about it, blog about it, email about it, comment about it. Go on CNN.com, FoxNews.com, MSNBC.com, Time.com and any other site you come across and let your voices be heard. Gone are the days of objective journalism. There is no such thing as fair and balanced. Turn the tables on the media who is pushing their agenda on you and PUSH BACK! The time for silence is over. This is a call for change.

The Time is WRIGHT!

To quote CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, "an unbelievable speech!" The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. delivered in Detroit at the NAACP's Freedom Fund Dinner. (read CNN article here)

See the speech in its entirety in four parts here.

I have heard many people, black and white, ponder why Rev. Jeremiah Wright did not just slink away into the shadows and disappear for the sake of Barack Obama's campaign. The assumption is that he should be so ashamed and live in isolation and condemnation for remarks that were taken out of context. Oh, how they miscalculated and underestimated this Man of God.

My friend Daniel and I were trading text messages as his address to the NAACP was progressing and Daniel mentioned that he liked the mix of "Christ and justice." My response was that it was not a mix. One cannot exist without the other. Rev. Wright's voice has been exposed to the world for an express purpose. The bible says that if hell and satan's demons had known who Jesus was, they would have never crucified him. I venture to say that if FoxNews, and the media lynch mob who propagated their agenda against Obama by continually blowing up sound bites, had known who Jeremiah Wright was, they would have NEVER given him the platform that he has been catapulted to today.

The time is right for Jeremiah Wright. He has the ears of the world hanging on his every word. The theme of his speech was that African Americans are "different, not deficient" and that a change is gonna come. It was funny, it was serious, it was responsible, it was honest, it was enlightening, it was thought provoking, and it was convicting. Barack Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech on race in America may have been been a spark, but Rev. Wright's speech was a like fire from heaven.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright Speaks

After much character assassination and condemnation by the media, Rev. Jeremiah Wright has finally emerged and is ready to talk. In an interview with PBS that will air Friday, Wright expressed frustration with how his sermons had been portrayed by the news media and critics of Obama's White House bid. (source)

“I felt it was unfair,” he told PBS' Bill Moyers according to released excerpts. “I felt it was unjust. I felt it was untrue. I felt that those who were doing that, were doing it for some very devious reasons.” Speaking to PBS, Wright did not recant his past sermons. "The persons who have heard the entire sermon understand the communication perfectly," he said.

"The message that is being communicated by the sound bites is exactly what those pushing those sound bites want to communicate," he said, adding later, “I think they wanted to communicate that I am unpatriotic, that I am un-American, that I am filled with hate speech, that I have a cult at Trinity United Church of Christ — and by the way, guess who goes to his church, hint, hint, hint? That’s what they wanted to communicate.”

Wright also said he has never discussed politics with Obama. “He goes out as a politician and says what he has to say as a politician. I continue to be a pastor who speaks to the people of God about the things of God.”

I don't know about you, but I am tired of hearing about this. Apparently, this is the only ammunition that anyone has on Obama and most of it was manufactured and sensationalized for dramatic effect. Here are several reasons why this is not important:

1. gas costs $4/gal

2. teenagers have STDs, are planning bombings and attacks, and beating each other up on video

3. people are losing their homes to foreclosure

4. jobs are shutting down or laying off

5. rice is being rationed at Sams and Costco

6. 8-year olds are being abused and working in slave sweatshops to produce shrimp

We seriously need to start boycotting the news organizations for keeping this mess alive. Enough is enough.

Open Letter To Mortimer B. Zuckerman of U.S. News & World Report

After reading an article written in the opinion column of today's U.S. News & World Report, I decided to write the author a letter giving a more balanced perspective on the ongoing Rev. Wright controversy. The article didn't give the option of commenting, so I had to send a letter thru the 'Contact Us' link. Hopefully he'll get it and read it. In the meantime, I thought I'd share. Sorry it's long, but I think it's worth the read.

------------------

Hi - this letter is to Mortimer Zuckerman. I just finished reading the article published today "Obama's Double Standard on Reverend Wright" and although it is a very well written piece, I have concerns about some of the pointed and inflammatory descriptions included.

You mentioned that Rev. Wright's sermons were "hate-filled, paranoid, and anti-American." May I offer you a different perspective to ponder? The bible tells us in Hebrews 12:6 that "...whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth." What good is a father who never corrects his son or never points out the things that the child is doing wrong so that they can be corrected? We have to be frank and admit that America has done some despicable things in the name of democracy. Many nations and people have suffered at our hands, yet we take a stand of arrogance as if America has been the shining example of honesty and integrity in the world. We all know that is just not so. Because Rev. Wright or anyone else is honest about our country's sins, does that make them anti-American? Open rebuke is actually a greater form of love that one who sits by and says nothing.

Jesus was not a popular man in his country. He used incendiary and inflammatory speech. He was divisive and was probably accused of being hate-filled, paranoid, and anti-Jerusalem. Yet, last week our nation celebrated his death, burial, and resurrection as Holy Week. He is the one most of us follow as our example of living a perfect life. He was hated and subsequently executed because they accused him of being a heretic and a blasphemer. Consequently, he was the greatest lover of his country. He loved Jerusalem, but spoke out against it because they were doing wrong things and wanted to correct the error of their ways.

I'm not in any way suggesting that Rev. Wright is Jesus. I'm not intimately familiar with the doctrine of his church. That's not the point. The point is, is it possible that Rev. Wright loves America?

Yes, he is a flawed man just like the rest of us, but just because he speaks publicly about the injustices that America has committed, does that really make him anti-American? In any of his sermons, did he ever tell his congregation not to love their fellow American or to commit violence towards someone who wronged them, or to hold grudges and refuse to forgive? Did he ever tell them to hate the government, white people, Asians, Latinos, etc.? Is it fair to call him paranoid? Didn't American settlers nearly wipe out the Native American population for the sole purpose of taking their land? Didn't the American government allow black men to be unknowingly injected with syphilis as an experiment? Didn't America take black slaves, strip them of their names, dignity, and heritage all in the name of free enterprise? Based on history, is it really so far fetched to suggest that the government invented AIDS? I'm not saying that it's true, but even Pat Buchanan suggested that HIV/AIDS was punishment for homosexuality. Both positions sound very plausible or very ignorant depending on your life experience and which side of the ditch you stand.

When people say things that hurt us, we often interpret that as them hating us. I can remember being scorned or chastised as a child and feeling like my parents hated me. As I matured, I understood that they didn't hate me at all. Actually, they loved me so much more than the people who said nothing while I did the wrong thing. The fact of the matter is, the truth hurts. If we all had to justify our lives and relationships based on a few :30 second sound bites taken out of context, we all would be cut off from society and banished into solitude. You and I both have said stupid things over the course of our lives, but that doesn't make us hate mongers, or paranoid, or anti-American. It makes us human beings who at any given point in time may say something that we believe is true, but others strongly take issue with.

If Sen. Obama's judgement is to be questioned based on his 20 year relationship with Rev. Wright (whom we know of solely from those clips which only represent snapshots in time as opposed to the totality of his 40 year career in ministry), then can't we also question Sen. Clinton's judgement for remaining married to her husband for over 30 years? And we all saw the clips on the news of his lapse in judgement. She could have chosen to divorce him and the whole world would have backed her up, just like Sen. Obama could have made the choice to leave his church, but neither of them chose that option. I submit to you that Sen. Clinton made a choice of her own free will to remain committed to her husband based on her historical knowledge and understanding of who he really is and not based on his moments of reprehensible, sinful, bad judgement. Why is it incomprehensible and unacceptable that Sen. Obama made the same choice?

I hope that someone in the media will be have enough backbone to look past emotions and knee-jerk reactions and really examine what Rev. Wright has said in context. This whole business of mass marketing fear and profiting off of half-truths is getting old. America is better than that.

"Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." - Proverbs 27:5-6

Whites Gone Wild

In case you've been MIA like I have for the past few days, you may not have noticed that after hearing clips (taken out of context) of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons rebuking the less than honorable actions of America and of Barack Obama's speech on race last Tuesday, White folks are MAD! We all have seen those Girls Gone Wild commercials with the girls showing all their business, well white folks are lifting their shirts up all over the TV and they don't care who's watching. I've been reading articles and blog comments and I'm almost amazed at how brazen people are with their negative opinions of Black America. ...I said ALMOST amazed.

It's funny to see how people who have an ingrained sense of entitlement react to being criticized or having their dirty deeds aired. Check out this blog entry by Pat Buchanan "A Brief for Whitey". He is so p.o.'ed about a negro having the audacity to suggest that white America is not the savior of blacks. Black folk better be thankful for being brought to this country as slaves, for being given food stamps and welfare, Section 8, Medicaid, and soup kitchens (I'm not making this up...read his blog). Rev. Wright needs to kiss the ground in thanksgiving of the wonderful privileges and advantages of being an American (bow and kiss the ground...isn't that worship Mr. Buchanan?). Wow.

The irony of all this is that at first they were implying that Barack is a Muslim. Now, they have quickly abandoned that theory and allowed him to be a Christian, but not just a good Christian like them...oh noooo. He's a bad black Christian. They have beef with Barack Obama for staying in his church for 20 years. They want to believe that Barack secretly agrees with everything his pastor said and that he has a burning hatred for this country. They don't care that they have to insult every black church in the nation in order to substantiate their point. Nope. They are white, they are right, and how dare anybody suggest otherwise?! God bless America!

Can I let you in on a little secret Pat? The Christ whom you claim to follow was not considered a friend of his nation. He didn't flow with the status quo. He stood out on controversial issues. He made incendiary and inflammatory statements about the government and it's leaders....yet, you have called yourself a follower of Christ for how long now? Forgive me, maybe your church doesn't read that part of the bible. I guess you're one of those Christians who only adhere to the parts of the bible that validates your agenda.

Not all white people agree with the ignorance of Pat Buchanan. There are many who repudiate that foolishness, just as not all black people embrace the brutal truth of Rev. Wright's messages. But I tell you one thing. Pandora's box has been opened and the conversation about race is now happening all around us.

The race conversation will not be televised. It will take place in homes, churches and on jobs. It will take place in boardrooms and courtrooms, in classrooms and on playgrounds. On the golf course and on the basketball court. Unfortunately, what we have to realize is that this dialogue won't be pleasant to the ears. A lot of feelings will be hurt (black & white) and a lot of toes will get stepped on. In order for a wound to properly heal, you must first get to the root of the problem. There may be bacteria and the stench of infection. There may initially be pus. It may be ugly, uncomfortable, or itch a lot. It's not a pretty process, but eventually after the worst part is over, the wound starts to heal and only memory will serve as a reminder of the pain.

The ugliness that we hear right now, however unpleasant, is absolutely necessary. In order for this conversation to progress and prosper, we have to allow people room to be imperfect, to misunderstand, and to misinterpret. We have to be big enough to forgive and humble enough to admit our own shortcomings. We have to take into account a person's life experiences and not dismiss them as less important than our own. We have to expose, and then we have to cover. But, most of all we have to listen and after we have heard and understood...we have to Change.

Yes We Can.

Controversy with Barak Obama and His Pastor

I was just thinking about this whole situation with Barak Obama and his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, (read here) and it suddenly occurred to me that this scenario is slightly familiar. As this is Holy Week, there is no doubt that you will see countless reenactments of the cruxifiction, the passion, the journey, or whatever you want to call it. I watched a couple of stories last night on the Travel Channel and the History Channel. It's that time of year when we reflect on Jesus' journey leading up to Easter Sunday.

Allow me to draw a similarity here. Jesus was a revolutionary. He was highly controversial and his statements brought an incredible measure of offence to the establishment and the powers that be; hence, their plot to kill him. He was not a friend of the political system nor the governmental structure. He was not embraced by mainstream Jerusalem as a patriot or regarded as a gifted teacher or theologian. As a matter of fact, they hated and despised him. Called him a heretic and a blasphemer. He was so outrageous that the whole nation wanted him crucified.

One of the most notable points in the recantation of Jesus' journey to cruxifiction is the moment where Peter, one of his closest and most long standing followers, chooses to deny him. Three times. We all know the story. Jesus told Peter that he would deny him, Peter said no way Lord, never. Jesus told him that he would do it three times before the cock crowed. Well, not only did Peter deny him, but he cursed (denounced and rejected) knowing him. After Peter realized what he had done, he was broken. He had to go and get himself together, but he eventually became one of the great leaders of the church and author of at least two books of the bible.

What's my point? Glad you asked. Ecclesiastes 1:9 states that there is no new thing under the sun. Character assassination for political gain is not a new thing. The Church being attacked is not a new thing. Spiritual leaders being controversial and making unpopular statements is not a new thing. Preachers offending politicians and heads of state is not a new thing. Followers denying and distancing themselves from their leaders out of fear or for personal gain is not a new thing. Fast forward 2,008 years.

Am I comparing Rev. Wright to Jesus? Not in the sense of his doctrine or teachings. I haven't heard one message that he's taught. He could be right on or way off. Doesn't matter...that's not my point.

My point is, there will ALWAYS be a separation between church and state. The church is supposed to carry out the mission of telling the truth, even when it's unpopular or politically incorrect. For those followers who claim allegiance to the kingdom of God and operate in the political or governmental system, it causes them to walk on thin ice. Many get away for years with having private beliefs and a public agenda. I believe that's what may have prompted Peter's adamant public denial of Christ. Maybe he had political aspirations too. Maybe he was concerned about the financial implications on his fishing business if he were publicly connected to a revolutionary. He knew that his leader was a controversial figure. He walked with him, heard him teach, fellowshipped with him, all the while harboring a secret fear that this relationship could come back to haunt him. Jesus already knew this. That's why he had the foresight to tell Peter exactly what he would do when put in that situation, even though Peter didn't want to believe him.

I wonder if Rev. Wright had that same conversation with Barak Obama. "Barak, before this campaign is over, you will have to deny me."

Did Barak do the right thing? I don't know. Did Peter do the right thing? He did what he felt like he had to do. His leader already knew that he would have to do it and then prepared him for it. Was Jesus betrayed, wounded or offended by Peter's actions? No. He was already prepared for it. He understood who he was called to be and who Peter was called to be. Jesus knew his mission and he knew Peter's mission.

He understood that in order for one to live, the other had to die.