Saturday, March 15, 2008

The Minister

Its funny what personal dislike and a lack of options will lead a person. Like many others, I need some type of external stimulus to stave off the agitation of banal tranquility. Given my disdain for the FM frequency that has existed since the days of a activator purchasing O’Shea Jackson proclaiming his listeners should "Turn Off the Radio". I immediately turned to the AM side of the dial hoping to enable my fixation for talk radio, sports or otherwise. One twist to monolithic sports entity know as ESPN station gave me college basketball play by play, a quick turn away to the 980 frequency immersed me into the same description of two college teams it would take a implanted microchip to make me care about. Desperately trying to escape silence, while thinking college basketball isn’t what it used to be, I chose to conclude my sojourn on the first station that beamed with clarity, which happened to be 630AM.

As the society mandated commercials came to a end with one proclaiming the benefits of a company known as "Life Lock" which I had read something about last year stating they where frauds, I heard a sound. I know that sound. but from where? EIB radio network…hey that’s familiar ….its "The Rush Limbaugh Show"…damn intercollegiate basketball..

While sometimes an entertaining insight into the thoughts and talking points of the ardent right, often the listening of conservative talk radio is akin to bull riding. The object remains to see how long you can hang on, but instead of literally falling off angry prodded animal, the utterances of host and guest often craft thoughts of seeking refuge by smashing your head through a pane of glass.

At the risk of subjecting myself to action hero scrapes on my forehead I decided to listen to "EL Rushbo" and see what he had to say. Topic of the day, Barack Obama’s minister, and his incendiary, unbelievable, racist comments. Boy I’ll tell you the fact that the Right Wing Smear Machine has yet to appear on "Modern Marvels" is a travesty.

After a elongated intro seemingly designed to sell more product, some proven to be fraduluent. the shows producer finally qued up keenly selected audio portions of Rev. Jeremiah Wright sermons over a broad spread of time. As the familiar excitable oratory known to be symboblic of Black preachers blared through the speakers I waited to be shocked and amazed.

It never happened.

From what I could gather while desperately searching for parking, a few themes definitively rang out from the pulpit.

9/11 Was The Chickens Coming Home to Roost/ What We have done

Jesus Was Black…

Rich and Powerful White People run things for the Most Part

Hmm okay…

As we approach the end of the first decade of the new millennium, it should be aware to everyone that the feelings of dislike and even hate for America are not born out of spontaneous generation. The "they hate us because of are freedom" mantra is very 2002 and reaches a Gucci Mane level of ignorance when applied to discourse. The death of any innocent human being is a tragedy, but that doesn’t give logical pretense to ignore or fabricate the rational behind their murder.

Wright with skillful verbal dexterity, invoked American practices from Israel, Vietnam, Japan and Iraq, painfully inversing the numbers game we often play, with the deified 3,000 souls lost during 9/11 with the millions who perished at the hands of American action.

Blowback is as much a tangible consequence as it is respected concept. Many of of those who swear to protect or kill you will tell you the same let alone your own common sense.

Admitting culpability or even guilt is never a easy thing to do on any level. Until we as a land muster up the strength to admit our own faults, and compassion to regard foreign life with at least a modicum of the esteem we regard our own with, tragedies partly of our own doing will continue to occur with sadly accelerated frequency.

"Listen He’s Blaming America For 9/11 !!!!!!"

New Clip "Jesus was a Black Man wanting change he was different from the Romans, who where Italian meaning they where white, so they didn’t like him, which is the same reason some here in America have a problem with Barack today!!!!!!!!."

To be honest, I could care less what color Jesus was. When El feroz recently proclaimed Jesus was Mexican after a drubbing. I had to laugh because his view stated Jesus was of a race that didn’t even exist during his time. All conversation about the color of the supposed son of God is inherently divisive, yet the default assumption that he was white is enough to give any psychologist a lifetime of work.

So when somebody you like, listens and respects another individual who thinks Jesus was black., you haft to take a step back from your fondness him or her because..

How could Jesus be black?

For some its just preposterous, for others somehow such a position is racist.

The question of why would be telling if answered.

How could you let your kids be christened by a man would say such racist things.????

The last clip featured a loud proclamation that rich White people held sway over the decision making in our land……

Hmmm

Last time I checked rich White people held signigigant influence over the decisions made in this land affecting non white people and the numerical majority of non rich and influential White people.

While listening to a parade of callers pull out their verbal pens to co sign the belief that Obama’s reverend was a American hating racist, including the ubiquitous "Hello I’m a African American, and I also find Obama’s reverend to be racist" guy, the thought of "I’m glad Obama would subject himself to some one who held such views"

No matter what either side of the political spectrum wants you or even themselves to believe Barack Obama is a moderate democrat, encompassing all of the positives and negatives that label entails no matter your political ideology. Contrary to anyone’s belief or false predictions if he makes it to inauguration day, Barack will not be raising any black fist up.

While I have major issues with religion(The Black Church in Particular) and the insidious intermingling of religion and politics, I find it positive that someone who believes we should take some form of accountability for our actions throughout the world has some level of communication with the man that may become or future leader.

This is not stating he is beholden to Wrights musings, any wise persons thought is nothing more than the amalgamation of varying opinions melded with their own final stance. But the ability to listen, to hear certain view points, while in agreement or not is a skill some unfortunately never attain.

To have Wrights voice no matter how strong or overblown in its meagerness, circulating with those of a cadre of advisors some of whom who would favor a continued American militaristic stance, is a good thing.

Over blowing statements, and having any critical analysis of your nations policy being deemed Anti American is not..

(No window panes where broken during the listening of The Rush Limbaugh Show)