For example, during 1912 in Forsyth County, Georgia, "more than a thousand people - 97 percent of the county's black population - were driven out over a period of about two months. They owned 1,900 acres of farmland, nearly all of which they were forced to sell or abandon. The county's five black churches were burned." [Elliot Jaspin, Buried in the Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America, p. 4]. Such racial cleansings occurred repeatedly from the period of Reconstruction up to the 1920s.
Thus, as you can see Mr. Hannity, even this brief introduction to "Racism 101" -- which has yet to address the Cracker-inspired Affirmative Action for whites and "symbolic racism" that would prevail in America during the second half of the twentieth century -- would provide solid justification for Rev. Wright's words: "God Damn America."
Moreover, were Americans to watch the actual sermon containing Rev. Wright's seemingly unpatriotic and inflammatory words, they would find that he was contrasting the unwavering love and justice of God against the immorality of governments - governments from the days of the Roman Empire to the present-day United States of America. What Christian would dispute that?
Thus, Rev. Wright talked about the injustices suffered by African-American slaves prior to Abraham Lincoln. Then, he added: "But I stop by to tell you tonight that governments change."
Rev. Wright then contrasted the good U.S governments of Harry Truman and Bill Clinton with the poor government of George W. Bush, but only to deliver his main point: "Where governments change, God doesn't change."
At that point, Rev. Wright asked his congregation to turn to Malachi 3:6, which reads: "For I am the Lord, and I change not." He then proceeded to interpret that passage as follows: "God was against slavery on yesterday, and God, who does not change, is still against slavery today. God was a God of love yesterday, and God who does not change is still a God of love today. God was a God of justice on yesterday, and God who does not change, is still a God of justice today."
Noting, "governments fail," Rev. Wright then proclaimed the failures of the Roman, British, Russian, Japanese and German empires -- before returning his attention to America's failures:
"And the United States of America government, when it came to treating her citizens of Indian [Native American] descent, she failed. She put them on reservations."
"When it came to putting her citizens of Japanese descent fairly, she failed. She put them in internment prison camps."
"When it came to putting the citizens of African descent fairly, America failed. She put them in chains. The government put them on slave quarters. Put them on auction blocks. Put them in cotton fields. Put them in inferior schools. Put them in substandard housing. Put them in scientific experiments. Put them in the lower paying jobs. Put them outside the equal protection of the law. Kept them out of their racist bastions of higher education, and locked them into positions of hopelessness and helplessness."
"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three strike law and then wants us to sing God Bless America. Naw, naw, naw. Not God Bless America. God Damn America! That's in the Bible. For killing innocent people. God Damn America for treating us citizens as less than human. God Damn America as long as she tries to act like she is God and she is Supreme."
"The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent."
So, Mr. Hannity, does Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermon sound more reasonable to you, now that you've read Part One of my "Racism 101," and now that you've read his words in context?
I must confess that I doubt God gives a damn about the fate of any country. But most Christians, including the Christians in Rev. Wright's church and all of America's Christian Zionists, believe God does. In fact, many Christians believe that God will damn America if it fails to defend Israel. Thus, applying these widespread Christian beliefs, I fail to see what's so objectionable about Rev. Wright's sermon?
That being the case, I suggest, Mr. Hannity, that you dispense with your hate mongering against Rev. Wright and, by extension, Senator Obama.
And you, Senator Clinton, should know better than to equate Rev. Wright's comments with those of Don Imus. I suggest you read Lawrence Blum's book, I'm Not a Racist, But…, especially his thoughts about the "moral asymmetries in racism."
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