It appears that many people in American political discourse are incapable of getting beyond Senator Barrack Obama’s former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Despite the exhaustive analysis presented by Obama in his hallmark speech, the focus on Rev. Wright has not subsided. He has been compared to the devil, to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and even to terrorists like Osama bin Laden.

The only point of agreement seems to be that Rev. Jeremiah Wright is bad. But is he news? Is he bad news?

It seems impossible to put the Rev. in proportion or in any context. Is it because many are so ignorant of the context and the proportion of the hate the Reverend spewed? Could those who refuse to find the context and the right proportion be falling into the same pit of ignorance and paranoia that dragged Wright to where we met him?

First, Rev. Wright is no KKK.

In case you have forgotten, KKK lynched and killed unaccounted number of black people in America . They burn crosses on lawns of black people to scare them away. They bombed and killed civil right activists. KKK does not hate America . They hate black people.

There is no way of minimizing KKK murderous history to the point that you can compare Wright to the KKK. And while painting Wright as the devil incarnate, it is important to be accurate in portraying who he was and where he came from.

For instance, you hardly hear anyone mention that he was a former Marine. While being a Marine does not exonerate his preaching, it does matter if we want to genuinely understand who he was and how he degenerated into what he became. Skipping that aspect of his life is disingenuous. It also would not allow us to ask that vital question: what made someone who once fought for his country to turn around and hate it?

Wright preached hate. But his preaching that was most damaging was that of blame- for example, blaming the United States for bringing AIDS into Black communities. For when Wright based his liberation theology on blame he disarmed his followers from exerting what has been called the best revenge of it all – success.

But then again, you have to understand that Wright’s position did no emerge out of a vacuum. We could say he was ignorant and paranoid, but we have to understand his viewpoint in the context of what the United States had done in the past to his people – the Tuskegee experiment is a good example.

For those who do not know, or have conveniently forgotten, or those who will choose to qualify such hideous past with a brush-off like “while…” The Tuskegee experiment was conducted on 399 poor, uneducated, black men who were lured into the hospital by the promise of free health care and were told they were being treated of “Bad Blood” when they had syphilis.

The doctors wanted these men dead because it was the autopsy on their corpses that the doctors were interested in. The usefulness of these men was to provide answers to medical inquiry on what syphilis does to humans. These 399 men died painful deaths -but not before inflicting the disease on their wives and their unborn children.

If a whistle blower did not reveal this experiment in 1972, it could possibly have continued.

This is the context under which Wright was speaking to his congregation- the same congregation that is very much aware of how the U.S. government had treated blacks in the past and had no assurance that such treatment had stopped. So saying that the U.S. created AIDS to kill blacks may be preposterous to you and me, but it is not to people like Rev. Wright. No matter how screwed up it sounded, the Wrights of America believe so with reasons.

Some “find it bizarre that the man used the name of God while doing the work of the Devil.” Pray, tell me how you will describe Jerry Falwell, the other man of God who said that God brought about 9/11 on America because America legalized abortion and was permitting gay marriage. He continued to be sought by the Republican Party and John McCain was proud to be endorsed by him and to speak at his university.

Rev. Rod Parsley, McCain’s spiritual leader, believes that America exists to fight and destroy Islam. He called Islam “anti-Christ religion” that came into place from a “demon spirit.” Rev. Parsley wants America to be run as a government of priests, theocracy.

Another Reverend who endorsed McCain and whose endorsement McCain was proud of, Reverend John Hagee called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore." The man of God referred to all Muslims as members of the devil’s army who would join their formations at the onset of Armageddon.

Another prominent Republican Rev., Rev. Pat. Robertson said that Hurricane Katrina was God’s way of expressing His anger at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for selecting Ellen Degeneres to host the 2005 Emmy Awards. ‘By choosing an avowed lesbian for this national event, these Hollywood elites have clearly invited God’s wrath,’ Robertson said on ‘The 700 Club.’ Is it any surprise that the Almighty chose to strike at Miss Degeneres’ hometown?’

Rev. Robertson also reminded his listeners that last time Degeneres hosted the Emmys, in 2001, the September 11 terrorism attacks took place shortly before the ceremony.

I mentioned these examples not to minimize the rants of Rev. Wright or to suggest that other Reverends that support other candidates are saying similar things. I mentioned them to help us put things in context and within its true proportion.

When Rev. Wright says “God damn America ” reasonable people, even some in his church, know that God does not take orders from Wright. Only the unreasonable are frightened by words of mouth from mere mortals none of whom knows the number of gates that lead to heaven.

Historically, churches have not created love and kindness. The Nazis, the slave owners of America , the KKK have all been practicing Christians. In the words of God is where they found justification for their actions.

Wright is bad. But he is not news.

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Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo is the author of Children of A Retired God

Robot  Villager

# 1 But then again, you have to understand that Wright’s position did no em...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 27.03.2008 02:55

Ani  Villager

# 2 Good Stuff! Posted by Ani| 27.03.2008 08:23

tonsoyo  Villager

# 3 Nice one Rudy! Posted by tonsoyo| 27.03.2008 09:16

Jagunlabi  Villager

# 4 Historically, churches have not created love and kindness. The Nazis, the slave owners of America, the KKK have all been practicing Christians. In the words of God is where they found justification for their actions. In as much as i do not agree with everything said by the preachers you mentioned(though on most point, we see eye to eye). To equate the Church with the Nazis, KKK and by extension, christainity with every work of evil is to stretch the truth a bit. Yes crime, as been committed in the name of God, both Christain , Moslem and other faith, the problem is not inherent in these faith, as much man using it to perpertrate his own selfish desires. Posted by Jagunlabi| 27.03.2008 09:47

draftman  Villager

# 5 Rev. Wright is mostly right, the experience in the US creates this sentiment. I also agreed church have not being the kindness and loveable place, unless you're giving your tithe on time. Sunday morning is the most segregated time. The most terrible crime in history were committed by xtians i.e. Slavery, Apatheid, Holocaust, Indian Killings, etc... During these times all the churches stay silent and enjoying the fruit of injustice. Xtianity has been a religion of lies & opression, your xtian masters lie then & lie now. Don't support your opression propanganda and spreding of their faith not got faith. Posted by draftman| 27.03.2008 10:36

JAGA-JAGA  Villager

# 6 Thanks Rudy for this write up. I'm always amused when American opinion leaders get agitated at the slightest comment from a blackman. I would like to ask them one question: Is Rev Jeremiah Wright not an American? If Wright says God damn America, then he is also included. There shouldn't be any problems at all. One thing is certain God does not operate in vain. So those who feel they have committed enough crime against humanity should be the ones who worry about the consequences of their action before the almighty God. It is like the case of mentioning dry bones and the aged ones get uncomfortable. In addition, Rev. Pat Robertson also alluded to the illness of former Isreali prime minister Ariel Sharon who is still in state of coma to date as being stricken by God for agreeing to the withdrawal of Israeli occupation of the GAZA strip. The Israeli government and the people of Israel have not cruxified Robertson for this remark. Methinks, that Wright should be left alone. If you believe in God as the Americans national pledge indicates "in God we trust" why border with the preaching of Rev. WRIGHT. Unless there is some other undertone to all this flare up. It is unwarranted, period. Posted by JAGA-JAGA| 27.03.2008 12:00

abdulmumin  Villager

# 7 Thanks Rudolf for this brilliant piece. I just looked up the Tuskegee experiment on the web and I am horrified? This enough is sufficient reason to jaundice the views of Rev. Wright. America for all its greatness remains a racist society, period. Posted by abdulmumin| 27.03.2008 12:36

Onyeachonam-Okwu  JJC

# 8 Rev. Rod Parsley, McCain’s spiritual leader, believes that America exists to fight and destroy Islam. He called Islam “anti-Christ religion” that came into place from a “demon spirit.” Rev. Parsley wants America to be run as a government of priests, theocracy. Mazi: As nnwa igbo, you shouldn't you be in agreement with the sentiments of Rev. Rod Parsley. Shouldn't every Igbo become enthusiastic in supporting America as it is taking the fight to the heart of Islam. Isn't Islam our supreme headache and our intractable nightmare? Have we forgotten? I am in total agreement with Rev. Parsley as far as murderous Islam is sitting pretty north of Igboland like the 800 lb gorilla. The problem with Ndigbo, is that they come to America and join the liberal party, they forget our "pool yourself up from you bootstrap' ideology that was and still is indigenous in Igboland. We mimic alien liberal culture and forget to bring ours to the forefront. I am not voting for Obama for two reasons, first, he has the most liberal voting record in congress, and second he might go easy on his father's people, the murderous Islamic jihadists. Posted by Onyeachonam-Okwu| 27.03.2008 16:58

udokaamah  Villager

# 9 This article fatally missed the point. Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an issue not because of him, but because of his 20 year association with a heretofore relatively unknown politician who has a real shot at being the President of the United States. Barack Obama is not guilty because of his association with Rev Wright. Barack Obama is responsible because of his association with Rev Wright. And that is why this discourse is very important. Barack consistently touts his credentials as being able to heal the "racial wounds of America", while at the same time financially supporting Rev Wright, a fringe element in the religious left. A man that traveled to Libya to meet with Qaddafi in the company of Louis Farrakhan the leader of the Nation of Islam (an association with a similar ideology as Ku Klux Klan). Only last year, Rev Wright presented Louis Farrakhan with a lifetime achievement award calling him a "man of integrity and honesty and one of the 20th and 21st century greats of the African American religion experience". Barack applauded that ceremony. At another level, Michelle Obama refers to America as an "outright mean nation". That is very unfortunate because America afforded Michelle and Barack Obama opportunities that white and black America consider elite. Michelle went to Stanford for her undergraduate degree and got her law degree from Harvard, the very best America offers. Yet she is not "proud" being an American. The association a presidential candidate keeps is vital in helping the electorate understand the candidates value system. In 2000 while George W. Bush was running for the Oval office he spoke at Bob Dole University (owned by Jerry Falwell). The backlash was brutal. That is significant because Bush does not financially support Jerry Falwell or attend his church. On the other hand, Barck Obama gave more than $22,000 to Rev Wright last year and has been a member of his church for more than 20 years. To most people 20 years is the longest record on Barack Obama's resume. It not only contradicts everything he has avowed in this campaign, it stinks of bigotry and race baiting. Posted by udokaamah| 27.03.2008 18:04

hisambassador  JJC

# 10 Thanks a million Onyeachonamokwu and Udokaamah for expressing the minds of a few but growing number of Nigerian-Americans like me who have seen through the devil’s smokescreen which the Democratic Party and its anti-Christian ideology represent. Posted by hisambassador| 28.03.2008 17:12

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