Look! Up in the sky...it's a bird...it's a plane! Yes! It's SuperDelegates!

...strange visitors from another generation and time who came to America with powers and abilities far beyond the popular vote. SuperDelegates, who can change the course of the democratic process, overturn the will of the people with a single vote; and who, disguised as leaders in the Democratic Party, members of Congress, governors, Speaker of the House, former presidential candidates, and Senate Majority Leader, fight the ever ending battle of waffling, riding the fence, to put McCain in the White House.

In "combing" the web, I've tried to find the real "history and rationale" of the Democratic Party's Electoral College known as the Super Delegate. Of course, it's not easy to do so - because very few folks really want to scribe about the debacle known as the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago (Viet Nam, Chicago Seven, the Weathermen, etc) or the sordid maneuver used to ensure that Kennedy would not get the 1980 nomination against incumbent Jimmy Carter - hence the onslaught of the Reagan Years. So, to connect the dots - you have to know the reported history and then remember (for those of us who can) or read about the origins of the SuperDelegate in the Democratic Party.

After the 68 Convention, from which Humphrey emerged as the nominee largely due - I believe -to Bobby Kennedy's assassination, the DNC made changes in its delegate selection process. This change was based on McGovern-Fraser Commission in an effort to change the composition of the convention with less control by party leaders and more responsive to the votes cast during the campaign for the nomination. But, the leadership didn't like that because they - guess what - believed that these changes had unduly diminished the role of party leaders and elected officials which weakened the tickets of McGovern and Carter. So, they changed the rules.

So, in 1982, the SuperDelegate was created by a commission chaired by former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt. Implemented in 1984, SuperDelegates accounted for only 14% of the "electorate". Today, the SuperDelegates account for nearly 20% (that's Wikipedia talking here -cause by my calculation they account for over 40% - but math has never been my strong suit) thus, having the real ability and capability to "wheel and deal" with our vote regardless of the will of the people!

First they were only state party chairs, vice chairs, governors, big city mayors, and democratic members of Congress who were allowed up to 60% of its membership to fill the remaining seats. In 1984 only state party chair and vice chairs were guaranteed SuperDelegate status. Four years later, Congress was allowed 80% of its membership (wonder how much the population grew between 84 and 88 or anticipated to grow by the 1990 census). Oh yeah, ALL DNC members and ALL Democratic governors were automatically given SuperDelegate status. And if that wasn't enough, they gave the benign Distinguished Party Leader status (Super SuperDelegate) to former DNC chairs (added 1996), Senate minority leaders (added 2000), and then in 1996, ALL Democratic members of Congress were given Super Delegate status. Hell, I might even be a SuperDelegate!

O.K, so we now have 842 SuperDelegates. A total of 2024 pledged and unpledged real delegates and SuperDelegates is needed to get the nomination. Now when I do the calculation (math's not my strong suit, remember) it looks to me like the SuperDelegates' vote counts for 40% of the total necessary to win the nomination. Surely, not what Du Bois had in mind when talking about the "Talented 10th".

So, what ever happened to democracy? What ever happened to "truth, justice, and the American way"? Oh yeah, I forgot - that was the tag line for a comic strip and tv show in the "good ole days".

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP

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Thank you so much for visiting Sojourner’s Place! I hope you will consider this place as “your home away from home”, as you will always be welcomed.

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Just finished reading a post over at BlackVoices.com in the "Black Spin" section of that site. Now here's the deal! According to Alexis Stodghill's blog post entitled Clinton Bashes Rev. Wright, Worships with Nazis, Senator Clinton attends type of "church" that is described as "an organization cultivated in an open quest for power with a controversial history, an un-Democratic modus operendi and ties to destructive political regimes".

D**N! Sound just like her - doesn't it? Stodgill goes on to report that Jeff Sharlet speaks specifically to these facts in the soon to be released "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power". Now when this book comes out, it will be very difficult to peg Sharlet as a quack. The contributing editor for Harper's and Rolling Stone, his work has also appeared in the Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Columbia Journalism Review, Oxford American and others.

And if that's not bad enough, Huffington Post columnist and best selling author, Barbara Ehrenreich is blogging about this to and says: In the 1940s, The Family reached out to former and not-so-former Nazis, and its fascination with that exemplary leader, Adolph Hitler, has continued, along with ties to a whole bestiary of murderous thugs. Ehrenreich further states that: Furthermore, the Family takes credit for some of Clinton's rightward legislative tendencies, including her support for a law guaranteeing "religious freedom" in the workplace, such as for pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions and police officers who refuse to guard abortion clinics.

Now trust me Sojourners, this story will hit...and it will hit big! When it does, and as I commented on Stodghill's post: First she'll [Hillary] deny it...then she'll say she miss-spoke...then she'll say that she's since left the church...and finally, Chelsea will say it's "none of your business" cause that's the "Clinton Way".

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

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O.K., so we've all seen this picture of Bill and Rev. Wright during the White House Breakfast...and no doubt we all agree with Donna Brazile's reminder to the Clinton's that Rev. Wright did not abandon them in their time of need during the Lewinski, Starr and impeachment days...and of course, the Clintons rightly indicated that he's (Bill) has taken thousands of pictures with people...but tell me this:

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Your Vote Is Much Too Important to Take for Granted!

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In support of this Day of Blogging for Voter Justice, it is important that we recognize that the "democratic" process in this Country is once again threatened. Eight years ago, the U.S. Presidency was determined by not the voters - but the Supreme Court. Despite the fact that Al Gore was the winner of the popular vote, the Supreme Court's decision nullified that vote and put George the 2nd into the White House. That nullification, catapulted this Nation into a downward spiral that - for the last 8 years - has left us in constant fear of attack, a recession, misgivings, and mistrust. We MUST NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN!

It is time for the Democrats to move onward and forward. It is clear that there is only one candidate who will have more pledged delegates, won more states, and won the popular vote by the time we reach Denver. There is NO way that Senator Clinton can win this nomination without the Super Delegates. We cannot allow the Super Delegates to be given the authority to determine the Democratic Nominee in the absence of and disregard for the WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

Senator Obama leads in pledged delegates and has a lead of over 700,000 in the popular vote. Senator Obama should land in Denver, Co as the "presumptive" nominee of the Democratic Party. Therefore, Sojourner's Place joins with others throughout the blogsphere, Afrosphere, and other media in calling for Senator Clinton to concede the Democratic Nomination to Senator Obama.

If you agree:
1. Sign the petition
2. EMAIL, CALL, OR MAIL or mail your statement to the DNC to ensure that your voice will be heard!
Democratic National Committee
430 S. Capitol St.
SE Washington, DC 20003
202-863-8000
3. Contact Senator Clinton
4. Contact your State Senators or State Representatives
5. Contact the Pledged (Obama; Clinton) and UnCommitted State and Governmental Super Delegates

Act now! Don't let them steal your vote! THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP

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The truth is out! Huffington Post's Stan Steiner has not only uncovered the truth but has provided the evidence to prove it! It seems that the infamous 9/11 sermon delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Wright was actually inspired by the a former US Ambassador. According to both Stein and Wright, Ambassador Peck was interviewed by FOX NEWS in which HE talks about "America's chickens coming home to roost". And, when you see the video - it is quite evident that the words now attributed to Wright were actually the words of Ambassador Peck. In fact Wright calls this a "footnote" in his sermon!

What really galls me in all of this, is that FOX News is well aware of this - but they have buried the truth and knowingly taken Wright's sermon completely out of context and the other networks have followed right behind them. Just like the Pied Piper. Whatever happened to truth in journalism?

Oh yeah...Peck is the former US Ambassador to Iraq! What a coincidence!

I urge everyone reading this post to send an email - anything - to all of the major networks demanding that they report and not bury it. And most importantly, DEMAND THAT FOX NEWS REPORT FAIR AND BALANCED NEWS AND NOT LIES!

Let's flood them with emails and comments until they do the right thing! and start with Fox News: foxnewsonline@foxnews.com!

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP
> > >SjP's truth continues

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Wow! What a morning! All before noon (in my neck of the woods), we've learned of Richardson's Obama endorsement; of breaches to both Clinton's and McCain's passports; of Rev. Wright's attendance at a Clinton White House Prayer Meeting (but we knew that didn't we?), Huckabee's defense of Obama and Rev. Wright; and just in from the Huffington Post - that one Fox News Anchor walked off the set and Wallace "railed" the network for Obama Bashing! And that's not all! Also from Huffington Post, McCain's spiritual advisors accuses the US of enabling Black genocide!

Richardson's endorsement comes as a real blow to Team Clinton! Try as they might, it is very difficult for Team Clinton to discount - as they are trying to do - this all important endorsement. He's Hispanic - a Govenor - a former presidential candidate (that makes 3 if I'm not mistaken)- AND Secretary of Energy and US Ambassador to the United Nations under Clinton. This is a real blow...and another super delegate for Obama!

The passport fiasco is interesting - almost comical. Can't make it appear that only Obama's passport was breached. So we throw in Clinton's and McCain's. But, Condi said she was sorry, so I guess that's that.

Huckabee said on MSNBC on Sunday: As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, "That's a terrible statement," I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think that you have to cut some slack. And I'm going to be probably the only conservative in America who's going to say something like this,..."We've got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, "You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can't sit out there with everyone else. There's a separate waiting room in the doctor's office. Here's where you sit on the bus." And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had a more, more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.

Brian Kilmeade of Fox News walked off the set this morning after a dispute with his co-hosts Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy. His exit occurred as a result of the "typical white person" comment Obama made about HIS grandmother. Kilmeade argued that the remark needed to be taken in context and eventually got so p-oed that he walked off set. Then Chris Wallace came on the show and "railed against Fox and Friends for what he called "Obama-bashing." WOW! Fox News isn't reporting this news! HA!

Rod Parsley, McCain spiritual advisor, in his advocacy to end abortion in this Country, claims the Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger "detested black people" and as such blacks were one of her primary targets. He states: If I were call for the sterilization or the elimination of an entire segment of society, I'd be labeled a racists or a murderer, or at very best a Nazi," says Parsley. "That every single year, millions of our tax dollars are funding a national organization built upon that very goal -- their target: African Americans. That's right, the death toll: nearly fifteen hundred African Americans a day. The shocking truth of black genocide.

Not sure I can take too much more breaking news on the politcal front today! But something tells me that there is and will be MUCH MORE TO COME. About to write another post broken by Huffington Post regarding the white US Ambassador who inspired the Wright's 9/11 sermon after he saw him on Fox News the night before!

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Black and Missing but not Forgotten: Found Dead: 3 Georgia Children and Father

A Georgia father [Eddie Harrington] who allegedly kidnapped his three children earlier this month has killed himself and the toddlers, authorities confirmed to ABC News.The bodies were found in a rural industrial park area outside Columbus, Ga., where the family lived.Please keep their mother, Agena Battle, in your thoughts and prayers. I can't even imagine her suffering.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP

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The Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, released the following statement on March 17 on the rhetoric of preaching, in light of recent news coverage of Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., and Chicago's Trinity UCC.

What Kind of Prophet? Reflections on the Rhetoric of Preaching in Light of Recent News Coverage of Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.and Trinity United Church of Christ

Over the weekend members of our church and others have been subjected to the relentless airing of two or three brief video clips of sermons by the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ for thirty-six years and, for over half of those years, pastor of Senator Barack Obama and his family. These video clips, and news stories about them, have been served up with frenzied and heated commentary by media personalities expressing shock that such language and sentiments could be uttered from the pulpit.

One is tempted to ask whether these commentators ever listen to the overcharged rhetoric of their own opinion shows. Even more to the point is to wonder whether they have a working knowledge of the history of preaching in the United States from the unrelentingly grim language of New England election day sermons to the fiery rhetoric of the Black church prophetic tradition. Maybe they prefer the false prophets with their happy homilies in Jeremiah who say to the people: "You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you true peace in this place." To which God responds, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. . . . By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed," (Jeremiah 14.14-15). The Biblical Jeremiah was coarse and provocative. Faithfulness, not respectability was the order of the day then. And now?

What's really going on here? First, it may state the obvious to point out that these television and radio shows have very little interest in Trinity Church or Jeremiah Wright. Those who sifted through hours of sermons searching for a few lurid phrases and those who have aired them repeatedly have only one intention. It is to wound a presidential candidate. In the process a congregation that does exceptional ministry and a pastor who has given his life to shape those ministries is caricatured and demonized. You don't have to be an Obama supporter to be alarmed at this. Will Clinton's United Methodist Church be next? Or McCain's Episcopal Church? Wouldn't we have been just as alarmed had it been Huckabee's Southern Baptist Church, or Romney's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?

Many of us would prefer to avoid the stark and startling language Pastor Wright used in these clips. But what was his real crime? He is condemned for using a mild "obscenity" in reference to the United States. This week we mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, a war conceived in deception and prosecuted in foolish arrogance. Nearly four thousand cherished Americans have been killed, countless more wounded, and tens of thousands of Iraqis slaughtered. Where is the real obscenity here? True patriotism requires a degree of self-criticism, even self-judgment that may not always be easy or genteel. Pastor Wright's judgment may be starker and more sweeping than many of us are prepared to accept. But is the soul of our nation served any better by the polite prayers and gentle admonitions that have gone without a real hearing for these five years while the dying and destruction continues?

We might like to think that racism is a thing of the past, that Martin Luther King's harmonious multi-racial vision, articulated in his speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 and then struck down by an assassin's bullet in Memphis in 1968, has somehow been resurrected and now reigns throughout the land. Significant progress has been made. A black man is a legitimate candidate for President of the United States. A black woman serves as Secretary of State. The accomplishments are profound. But on the gritty streets of Chicago's south side where Trinity has planted itself, race continues to play favorites in failing urban school systems, unresponsive health care systems, crumbling infrastructure, and meager economic development. Are we to pretend all is well because much is, in fact, better than it used to be? Is it racist to name the racial divides that continue to afflict our nation, and to do so loudly? How ironic that a pastor and congregation which, for forty-five years, has cast its lot with a predominantly white denomination, participating fully in its wider church life and contributing generously to it, would be accused of racial exclusion and a failure to reach for racial reconciliation.

The gospel narrative of Palm Sunday's entrance into Jerusalem concludes with the overturning of the money changers' tables in the Temple courtyard. Here wealth and power and greed were challenged for the way the poor were oppressed to the point of exclusion from a share in the religious practices of the Temple. Today we watch as the gap between the obscenely wealthy and the obscenely poor widens. More and more of our neighbors are relegated to minimal health care or to no health care at all. Foreclosures destroy families while unscrupulous lenders seek bailouts from regulators who turned a blind eye to the impending crisis. Should the preacher today respond to this with only a whisper and a sigh?

Is Pastor Wright to be ridiculed and condemned for refusing to play the court prophet, blessing land and sovereign while pledging allegiance to our preoccupation with wealth and our fascination with weapons? In the United Church of Christ we honor diversity. For nearly four centuries we have respected dissent and have struggled to maintain the freedom of the pulpit. Not every pastor in the United Church of Christ will want to share Pastor Wright's rhetoric or his politics. Not every member will rise to shout "Amen!" But I trust we will all struggle in our own way to resist the lure of respectable religion that seeks to displace evangelical faith. For what this nation needs is not so much polite piety as the rough and radical word of the prophet calling us to repentance. And, as we struggle with that ancient calling, I pray we will be shrewd enough to name the hypocrisy of those who decry the mixing of religion and politics in order to serve their own political ends.

Here's what Wikipedia has to says. The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination principally in the United States, generally considered within the Reformed tradition, and formed in 1957 by the union of two denominations, the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches.

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Sojourner's Place calls all readers to participate in the Day of Blogging for Voter Justice on March 25 to tell the Democratic National Committee and Senator Clinton to concede the nomination to Senator Barrack Obama. This Day of Blogging, organized by The Afrosphere Action Coalition and its Coordinating Committee members (Frincis L. Holland, Wayne Hicks, Daz Wilson and Yobachi Boswell), will serve as a collective voice of thousands if not millions to the DNC to NOT overturn the expressed will of the voters. Stealing the vote is not acceptable or tolerable!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! MARCH 25, 2008: DAY OF BLOGGING FOR VOTER JUSTICE! Join in this effort...show your blogging and voting power!

Also, please sign the petition initiated by Michael Fisher and Francis L. Holland, Esq. in consultation with the Afrospear. Don't have a blog. Then EMAIL, CALL, OR MAIL or mail your statement to the DNC to ensure that your voice will be heard!

The Democratic National Committee:

Mailing Address: Democratic National Committee430 S. Capitol St. SEWashington, DC 20003
Main Phone Number: 202-863-8000
For their email form, go here

For Hillary Clinton’s contact information, go here

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Innocent. And in solitary for 35 years. Take action to achieve justice for the Angola 3.

Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox have have endured 35 years of solitary confinement after being framed in a murder that everyone now knows they didn't commit—locked up for daring to speak out against inhumane conditions in Angola, Louisiana State Penitentiary. They now spend every day in a 6x9 foot cell on the site of a former plantation.

As with the Jena 6, we're seeing another example of Louisiana's sense of justice—unfair and unaccountable—and funded by our tax dollars. Please ColorOfChange.org in demanding a full and fair investigation into the case of the Angola 3 and the Louisiana Prison system.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP
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The article below comes from the Huffington Post. Written by Frank Schaeffer one of the founders of the Religious Right. FINALLY THE TRUTH FROM SOMEONE OTHER THAN US!

When Senator Obama's preacher thundered about racism and injustice Obama suffered smear-by-association. But when my late father -- Religious Right leader Francis Schaeffer -- denounced America and even called for the violent overthrow of the US government, he was invited to lunch with presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush, Sr.

Every Sunday thousands of right wing white preachers (following in my father's footsteps) rail against America's sins from tens of thousands of pulpits. They tell us that America is complicit in the "murder of the unborn," has become "Sodom" by coddling gays, and that our public schools are sinful places full of evolutionists and sex educators hell-bent on corrupting children. They say, as my dad often did, that we are, "under the judgment of God." They call America evil and warn of immanent destruction. By comparison Obama's minister's shouted "controversial" comments were mild. All he said was that God should damn America for our racism and violence and that no one had ever used the N-word about Hillary Clinton.

Dad and I were amongst the founders of the Religious right. In the 1970s and 1980s, while Dad and I crisscrossed America denouncing our nation's sins instead of getting in trouble we became darlings of the Republican Party. (This was while I was my father's sidekick before I dropped out of the evangelical movement altogether.) We were rewarded for our "stand" by people such as Congressman Jack Kemp, the Fords, Reagan and the Bush family. The top Republican leadership depended on preachers and agitators like us to energize their rank and file. No one called us un-American.

Consider a few passages from my father's immensely influential America-bashing book A Christian Manifesto. It sailed under the radar of the major media who, back when it was published in 1980, were not paying particular attention to best-selling religious books. Nevertheless it sold more than a million copies.

Here's Dad writing in his chapter on civil disobedience:

If there is a legitimate reason for the use of force [against the US government]... then at a certain point force is justifiable.

And this:

In the United States the materialistic, humanistic world view is being taught exclusively in most state schools... There is an obvious parallel between this and the situation in Russia [the USSR]. And we really must not be blind to the fact that indeed in the public schools in the United States all religious influence is as forcibly forbidden as in the Soviet Union....

Then this:

There does come a time when force, even physical force, is appropriate... A true Christian in Hitler's Germany and in the occupied countries should have defied the false and counterfeit state. This brings us to a current issue that is crucial for the future of the church in the United States, the issue of abortion... It is time we consciously realize that when any office commands what is contrary to God's law it abrogates it's authority. And our loyalty to the God who gave this law then requires that we make the appropriate response in that situation...

Was any conservative political leader associated with Dad running for cover? Far from it. Dad was a frequent guest of the Kemps, had lunch with the Fords, stayed in the White House as their guest, he met with Reagan, helped Dr. C. Everett Koop become Surgeon General. (I went on the 700 Club several times to generate support for Koop).

Dad became a hero to the evangelical community and a leading political instigator. When Dad died in 1984 everyone from Reagan to Kemp to Billy Graham lamented his passing publicly as the loss of a great American. Not one Republican leader was ever asked to denounce my dad or distanced himself from Dad's statements.

Take Dad's words and put them in the mouth of Obama's preacher (or in the mouth of any black American preacher) and people would be accusing that preacher of treason. Yet when we of the white Religious Right denounced America white conservative Americans and top political leaders, called our words "godly" and "prophetic" and a "call to repentance."

We Republican agitators of the mid 1970s to the late 1980s were genuinely anti-American in the same spirit that later Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson (both followers of my father) were anti-American when they said God had removed his blessing from America on 9/11, because America accepted gays. Falwell and Robertson recanted but we never did.

My dad's books denouncing America and comparing the USA to Hitler are still best sellers in the "respectable" evangelical community and he's still hailed as a prophet by many Republican leaders. When Mike Huckabee was recently asked by Katie Couric to name one book he'd take with him to a desert island, besides the Bible, he named Dad's Whatever Happened to the Human Race? a book where Dad also compared America to Hitler's Germany.

The hypocrisy of the right denouncing Obama, because of his minister's words, is staggering. They are the same people who argue for the right to "bear arms" as "insurance" to limit government power. They are the same people that (in the early 1980s roared and cheered when I called down damnation on America as "fallen away from God" at their national meetings where I was keynote speaker, including the annual meeting of the ultraconservative Southern Baptist convention, and the religious broadcasters that I addressed.

Today we have a marriage of convenience between the right wing fundamentalists who hate Obama, and the "progressive" Clintons who are playing the race card through their own smear machine. As Jane Smiley writes in the Huffington Post "[The Clinton's] are, indeed, now part of the 'vast right wing conspiracy.'

Both the far right Republicans and the stop-at-nothing Clintons are using the "scandal" of Obama's preacher to undermine the first black American candidate with a serious shot at the presidency. Funny thing is, the racist Clinton/Far Right smear machine proves that Obama's minister had a valid point. There is plenty to yell about these days.

Frank Schaeffer is a writer and author of "CRAZY FOR GOD-How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP
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...nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And in as much as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.

Abraham Lincoln, September 1858. Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln_on_slavery#_note-10

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Oh my! I don't know about you - but right now I'm so mad I could just scream! What ever happened to the separation of church and state? Why is it necessary for Barack to continuously denounce the teachings, preachings, and ideals of Black religious leaders? Why do the rules always change for us? I am just so tired of the hypocrisy that is America?

And was Rev. Wright lying? Did Hilary get a gender and race change? Did she grow up as anything other than a white, middle-class, privileged white girl in suburbia? Does she know anything about growing up Black in America? All of this just sickens me and makes me mad as hell! There are those who are so afraid that Barack will win not only the Democratic nomination for President but the election itself that they will stop at nothing to stop his momentum! Its not just the Republicans - its also Democrats, as well. Makes you wonder if Carl Rove is on Team Clinton's payroll.

Anyway - here are just a few comments or views of "renowned spiritual leaders" I found with a simple google search. Racist? Well, if it walks like a duck, looks liked a duck, and QUACKS like a duck - then guess what? Its a damn duck!

Jerry Falwell:
"If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being."

"God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve."

Blamed civil libertarians, feminists, homosexuals, and abortion rights supporters for the terrorist attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

"God gave us what we deserved".

"I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!"

"AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."

"The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country."

Opposed releasing Nelson Mandela from jail and said that the African National Congress was a communist front organisation that needed to be confronted by Christian people.

Said the Antichrist is probably alive today and is a male Jew, and that the second coming of Christ probably will be within 10 years. Falwell later said his comments were not anti-Semitic. "I hope she's the candidate, because nothing will energize my (constituency) like Hillary Clinton," Falwell said.

"If Lucifer ran, he wouldn't." Pat Robertson: Agreed with Falwell for the 9/11 terrorist attack. Called for the assassination of Venezuelan President, Hugo Sanchez.

John Hagee:

"The Roman Catholic Church ,which was supposed to carry the light of the gospel, plunged the world into the dark ages."

"When Hitler signed a treaty with the Vatican in Rome, he said "I am only continuing the work of the Catholic Church." ...I've included a comparison of the historical record of church policy and Nazi policy. "

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP
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The Center for Disease Control released estimates that 26% of U.S. young women between 14 and 19 is infected with at least one of the most common STDs. What that means is that 3,200,000 teenage girls have HPV, chlamydia, herpes, and or trichinosis .

According to the study's principal investigator, Sara Forhan, M.D., M.P.H., African-American teenage girls were most severely affected. Nearly half of the young African-American women - 48% - or 1,536,000 were infected with an STD, compared to 20 percent of young white women.

“High STD infection rates among young women, particularly young African-American women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk,” said John M. Douglas, Jr., M.D., director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “STD screening and early treatment can prevent some of the most devastating effects of untreated STDs.”

CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for sexually active women under the age of 25. CDC also recommends that girls and women between the ages of 11 and 26 who have not been vaccinated or who have not completed the full series of shots be fully vaccinated against HPV.

The study of STDs among teenage girls is one of several presented today at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference that highlights the significant burden of STDs among girls and women, and identifies creative prevention strategies for reducing the toll of STDs in the United States.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

SjP
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The George W Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning stages. You'll want to be the first at your major corporation to make a contribution to this great man's legacy.

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I just had to share this! Maybe I'm doing something right! Thanks so much for the nomination and vote of confidence

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

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This morning, I had a very interesting, strange and inspiring experience. On my way to perform my civic duty (I’ll talk about that in a future post) I encountered an elderly man attempting to cross the street with a walker. Just prior to my approaching him, I heard him ask a woman for assistance. Blurting out something in what I considered in a tone both rude and disrespectful, the woman quickly scurried away leaving him to fend for himself.

Obviously afraid to cross the street during its downtown morning rush – I offered to help the Elder. As one would expect, he was extremely grateful and we began our two block walk to his destination. During that walk, I learned that he was a retired CPA, had suffered a stroke about a year ago, and that his doctor – a woman – suspected that he would have to continue to use the walker for at least another six months. The Elder is the father of three; two sons, both engineers and a real estate agent daughter.

This elder spoke to me about many things during our walk including Islam and its tenants regarding the importance of woman and mothers and the need to respect one another. He spoke of how ants will help each other to survive in their world in the absence of competition. He said that only humans feel the need for competition, degradation, and humiliation against one another creating divides, hatred, and the inability to coexist.

Reaching his destination, I knew that he would have to climb about 4 concrete steps. I remained at the bottom of the steps and helped him to steady himself by holding onto the railing. Once steadied, I took is walker to the landing and then returned to the Elder to assist him up the stairs. The doorman – who was watching all of this – then, assisted him into the business establishment. Before saying our farewells, the Elder said to me, “I asked God to send someone to help me cross that street. And he sent you. He sent you – the nice lady with a pretty smile – a lady who is now my daughter.” The Elder then kissed my hand and blessed me with a good and prosperous life. I thanked him, claimed the blessing, and proceeded to my destination to perform my civic duty.

Everything happens for a reason. And while I may have been placed at the right time and place to help the Elder cross the street, I sincerely believe that this unknown Elder was placed at that spot to safely cross ME to a destination yet unknown.

BEST POSTS OF THE **YEAR** 2008 Honoree

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

holla back! SjP

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The email has been sent out by the Dallas South blog to members of the NABJforum and others. It addresses Minister Louis Farrakhan's interview in Trumpet by managing editor Rhoda McKinney-Jones. The Trumpet was formerly-owned by the Trinity United Church of Christ. Trinity's Pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who retires this month is Barack Obama’s spiritual leader. Wonder how far the pundits against Obama will hide this?

February 29, 2008

We all know that Tim Russert attempted to “swift boat” Senator Barack Obama (and Clinton for that matter) in last Tuesday’s debate. Russert decided to take the debate off the issues and turn it into a muckraking session.

Russert asked Obama about comments made by Minister Louis Farrakhan as well as comments about Min. Farrakhan that he attributed to Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I received an email this morning with information from the Managing Editor of Trumpet Newsmagazine. Her message clarifies the bad information that’s been out there as well as the bad information Russert gave during the debate.

To whom it may concern:

I write to bring some journalistic clarity to what has become a widespread inaccuracy. My name is Rhoda McKinney Jones, managing editor of the Trumpet Newsmagazine, and the author of the Minister Louis Farrakhan article in our November/December issue.

Over the last few weeks, I have watched in disbelief as seasoned journalists and not-so-well-intentioned bloggers have attributed to Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ, the last three words of my first person, introductory piece on Minister Farrakhan.

Those words are now familiar to you, especially after Tuesday night’s debate and Tim Russert’s use of them—“truly epitomized greatness.” Dr. Wright, never said, wrote or uttered those words. Those words are mine and mine alone. Whether one agrees with my assessment is not the issue or the reason I was prompted to correct the record.

As a well-trained journalist, I know the most basic fact checking would have revealed the truth. Next time, when attempting to sully a presidential candidate by discrediting his church and its renowned, religious leader, let’s get the facts straight.

Rhoda McKinney Jones

Managing Editor, Trumpet Newsmagazine
Graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Spelman College

What follows is an excerpt from the article written by Rhoda McKinney Jones for Trumpet Newsmagazine:

Because of the Minister’s influence in the African American community, Trumpet Newsmagazine honors him this winter at its Sounds of the Shore gala with an Empowerment Award. It seemed a fitting tribute for a storied life well lived. And as our brief interview drew to a close and he thanked me for taking the time to talk to him, I could not help but think, the Minister, the man with whom I had been so casually speaking, truly epitomized greatness.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.

holla back! SjP

> > >SjP's truth continues

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