106. K Girl - I am very well aware of Black history, thank you. If you took time out to study world history, you would know that (some)Africans were not the only people who endured slavery. It was a culture of this world that lasted thousands of years. The Monguls (spelling?) owned slaves, Great Britain had slaves, Egypt had slaves (and the Egyptians were black), just to name a few. Indentured Servitude was a form of white slavery. Slavery was abolished in America with the outcome of the Civil War, which many WHITE people died fighting. Many white people put their lives on the line helping slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Only the most affluent, rich white people owned slaves, and neither myself, nor anyone in my geneology, ever owned or sold anyone. All African Americans born today, including you, K Girl, have the same constitutional rights as myself or anyone else in this Country. What you choose do do with your life and your rights is up to you. With that said, I know there continues to be racist people in America, but they are from both sides of the aisle, black and white, and this country will never be able to move forward on this issue until that fact is recognized.
To Captain Negative - The separation between Church and State prevents Churches from politically endorsing candidates. They can lose their tax exempt status, even be forced to lose their Church status, by doing so. Reverend Wright crossed this legal line when he made it clear from the pulpit that Obama was his chosen candidate, not Hillary Clinton. To be fair, there have only been two churches in the last 20 years that have been charged with this violation, both were white conservative churches opposing Democrat presidential candidates. You should read up and learn about our constitution, sir.
-"Democrat Dave"

Dave at 10:59AM on Mar 24th 2008

107. If people viewed the entire mess with a bit of logic, they would realize that neither Obama nor McCain is responsible for ANY of the comments made by Wright, Hagee, Robertson, etc. The media and the Clintons have used this in a desperate effort to quell Obama's popularity. What mystifies me is that the media have turned into such SHARKS, they keep circling long after there's nothing in the water to eat. And by the way, Obama's pastor has every right to be upset at the treatment blacks still get in this country. I have several black friends and each one has recounted to me instances of being discriminated against because of skin color. They are educated, cultured people who have suffered. Listen to Harry Belafonte sometime; he's still working to end to prejudice, so it's out there still. The very word used to describe Obama's mixed race is "Mulatto" which in Spanish means "mule." One woman on TV called Obama a "Halfrican." How low down is that? I use the word "multicultural" to say "mixed race." Obama is not "black;" his mother was Caucasian, his father was African. It's time we had a decent word to describe persons of mixed race, and it's time we stopped saying that someone is "black" just because they are 1/2 or less.

fempatriot at 10:56AM on Mar 24th 2008

108.
Gee, k girl...how long were you a slave? Were you injured in that war for your freedom? I wonder how tough Michelle Obama had it while she languished at Princeton University for all those years!

You're right, k girl, I feel soooo sorry for you people (yes, YOU PEOPLE) and your current struggles. My god! Will whitey NEVER let up on the oppression of black people? Good god! So many examples of blacks who just can't seem to make it in this white-ruled society...why there's Barack and Michelle Obama, as well as more than 300 black millionaires created just by the McDonald's Corporation alone...and then there's Oprah, Tiger, Denzel, Wynton, BET founder Bob Johnson, Spike Lee, Dennis Kimbro, Michael Jordan, Sean Jean Combs, Tony Morrison...and on and on!

Your lament, k girl, just doesn't ring the slightest bit true anymore. Tell it to the hard-scrapple working people of the United States to see just how much sympathy you'll receive.

Stop whining about a history that you never endured.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ooooo....so you named a few well off black people. do you really think this is the reality?? if you do then you aren't as smart as you try to be on this board. you have no idea of the struggle of blacks in this country and I'm not talking about Oprah,....i'm talking about the average black person walking down the street that has to deal with day to day racism from white people like you who look down your nose at anybody who doesn't look like you. if somebody offered you all the money in the world to be black you would jump off a cliff first and why???? because you know what YOU think of black people and im sure you would want no part of that.

Why? at 11:18AM on Mar 24th 2008

109. And Bill Clinton prayed with Jesse Jackson after his affair with Monica. Now who is anymore racist than Jesse or Al Sharpton? Who cares. These pastors are only men and probably have very little influence on anyone except the few that will be a racist or war monger no matter what. Give it a rest!!!!

Linda at 11:21AM on Mar 24th 2008

110. Obama Hillary McCain All are INSANE!

Chandler Yergin at 11:26AM on Mar 24th 2008

111. Stank sure has a funny sense of equivalence. Nothing's more sad than someone who knows he's wrong, desperately reaching to hate-site hit-pieces to try to turn an issue into "yeah, but you're worse".

You better hope Obama runs out the clock before the lapdog media wakes up.

BirdmanJones at 11:31AM on Mar 24th 2008

112. This is Fred's post from DD's blog:

"Anyone who comments on Wright's 9/11 sermon without watching the WHOLE sermon is simply ignorant. How long will it take for the press to catch on that he was quoted ENTIRELY out of context? More of the sermon is now available on YouTube, and you will learn that Wright was actually arguing AGAINST that line of thinking. He was quoting someone else. Do some research and watch the clip.

Fred at 10:52PM on Mar 23rd 2008"
----------------------------------------------
How about it, folks. Are a few sound bites all it takes for you to make these outrageous statements? Your judgment is suspect.

Reading the bullshit posted on this blog amazes me with its lies and bigotry.

I despise Bush, but I never resorted to the crap I'm reading from Paul and Okane and Regina and some of the other idiots.

Sad sad sad.

Linda at 11:54AM on Mar 24th 2008

113. "The separation between Church and State prevents Churches from politically endorsing candidates."
-------------------------------------------
No. You totally do not understand the concepts of separation of church and state, free speech, tax exempt status for churches. The pastor can say any damn this he or she wants to in the pulpit. That is free speech. What they cannot do is financially support candidates from the church's coffers. That would jeopardize tax-exempt status.

Separation of church and state refers to government and religion not treading on each others toes.

Linda at 11:59AM on Mar 24th 2008

114. Did Mcains set in the pews of these pastors churches for 20 years? You are comparing apples to oranges. Did McCain site these pastors as his mentors? NO! he didn't. Once again you have covered a story with your liberal bias slant.

eric at 12:28PM on Mar 24th 2008

115. The last time i checked...trailer parks are full of poor struggling white people (thus the term "white trash") stop it with the woe is me whitey keeping the black folk down. give me a break!

eric at 12:34PM on Mar 24th 2008

116. Given a choice, I'd go with Obama's pastor. That guy only hates white people; McCain's pastor won't be happy until a Middle East war sucks in the rest of the world, bringing on Armageddon and the Second Coming. Good luck with that, Rec. Hagee.

WackyWade at 12:44PM on Mar 24th 2008

117. What did McCain promise Jerry Falwel and his Hagee lunatic, to gain their endorsements? I hope it's not the passage of a Constitutional amendment, requiring all of us to shout "JAY sus!" at the top of our lungs.

WackyWade at 12:46PM on Mar 24th 2008

118. The so-called "right wing" ministerial comments are just bigotted and racist, Wright's comment are being painted as "anti-american", which, of course, is a sin of a different magnitude, as is any implication that the U.S. could possibly be "wrong" about anything, for instance, the believe that "pre-emptive" war, some Hitler also espoused, is O.K., even though it turned out the "threat to national security" a.k.a. "WMD's" turned out to be a lie. Apparently it is O.K to epouse hate (and both sides of the field are participating on that front) but only offensive when deemed "anti-american". Perhaps a "house committee on un-american activities" would help to straighten this out? In the meantime, 4,000 (U.S.) dead hasn't lessened the thirst for war... as it has been said, America is not at war, the U.S. military is at war, America is at the mall. Perhaps if Bush or his colleages had actually been in a war, they may have thought differently...

phil at 12:52PM on Mar 24th 2008

119. I have a great idea.

You know how Dinesh D'Souza is always wanting to debate athiests, right? Well, Cenk is an athiest. It could be good v. evil (you choose which), Lib v. Con.

They can have a debate and then the loser MUST take their blog off aol. It's a win/win for everybody since getting rid of either one of them would be a favor to the readers.

The only reason it may not work is because Dinesh believes he wins every single debate, so we would have to have an impartial judge.

I would volunteer but I am pretty sure I would call it a draw and they both lose.

Davidg at 1:10PM on Mar 24th 2008

120. # 88, Dave...Don't you know by now that if you ever dare criticize ANY ethnic group or race then you are a bigot and a racist? Even if that criticizm is sometimes warranted. Also, when certain people cannot make a point without using profanity...as is being done by that person quite a bit lately...any point he makes become nil. Simply put...Obama was being disingenuous by claiming to be unaware of the more 'heated'sermons of the wrong Rev Wright....his pastor of 20 years. Now he admits to knowing about them but not quite sitting in on the sermons. Yeah right...till we see the next videotape. Whatever endorsements McCain is receiving from far-right fundamentalist preachers is not from his "spiritual advisor/mentor." No comparison!

April at 1:30PM on Mar 24th 2008