Apparently the preacher told the truth about the religious right and they were not too pleased about it. They blame Obama for controlling the man's speech and giving him a secret sermon to talk about the right and their intolerance for others.
"The sermon at the service, delivered by Dr. Luis Leon, an Episcopal pastor who delivered the benediction at Mr. Obama's second inauguration, took a turn for the political when the pastor decried those who wax nostalgic about the way things once were.
"I hear all the time the expression 'the good old days'," Leon said. "Well, the good old days, we forget they have been good for some, but they weren't good for everybody.
"You can't go back, you can't live in the past," he added. "It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling people back...for Blacks to be back in the back of the bus, for women to be back in the kitchen, for gays to be in the closet and for immigrants to be on their side of the border."
"What you and I understand," Leon said, "is that when Jesus says, 'You can't hang onto me,' he says, 'You know it's not about the past, it's not about the before, it's not about the way things were, but about the way things can be in the now.'"
The reaction from the idiots on the right was swift. Now the White House is facing questions. Why? Even if what the preacher said was wrong (which it wasn't), what does his sermon have to do with this White House? This is the same preacher who ministered to other presidents over the years, including republican ones. And yet we are hearing from republicans that this particular president actually "inspires racism." (That was not a joke. A popular republican actually said that.) I hope that when reflecting on president Obama's eight years in office, they will actually see the irony of that statement.
Still, this is all so sad. In the age of Obama all white men are victims. They find themselves having to defend their whiteness, or they complain about being left out. Being white in America has gotten to be such a drag, lately.
Finally, a big shout out to my girl Nordette for turning me on to this story and keeping it alive.
If it wasn't for black bloggers like Nordette stories like this would not get told or get as much shine as they should.
Don't worry Nordette, as soon as the rest of the main stream media picks up on it Rev. Al and company will be around. It just takes them all a little longer to catch up.
Let us hope that there is justice for the family of Brian Harris when this is all over.
