though it's essentially another chickenhawk hunt

and Lawrence Korb is not exactly a left wing pinko

you can also find this on www.counterpunch.org



Factor military duty into criticism

By Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss
April 3, 2008

In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.

In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.)

The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.

What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated.  


While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.

Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?

After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America's biggest cities.

This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.

Since these comments became public we have heard criticisms, condemnations, denouncements and rejections of his comments and him.

We've seen on television, in a seemingly endless loop, sound bites of a select few of Rev. Wright's many sermons.

Some of the Wright's comments are inexcusable and inappropriate and should be condemned, but in calling him "unpatriotic," let us not forget that this is a man who gave up six of the most productive years of his life to serve his country.

How many of Wright's detractors, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly to name but a few, volunteered for service, and did so under the often tumultuous circumstances of a newly integrated armed forces and a society in the midst of a civil rights struggle? Not many.

While words do count, so do actions.

Let us not forget that, for whatever Rev. Wright may have said over the last 30 years, he has demonstrated his patriotism.

Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss are, respectively, Navy and Marine Corps veterans. They work at The Center For American Progress. Korb served as assistant secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration.



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Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

the seminary?

Also, the writer uses too much moral relativism in attempting to compare Wright's character to other’s.

there is an old riddle:

How do you make God laugh?

Just say "I have a plan."

The journey of life is...

Seriously, BSD, I've probably know somewhat more African-Americans than the average extremely vanilla guy, and I tell you in all honesty, the frustration/anger and what appears to be loopy paranoia and irrationality which runs through Wright's reported statements is more common than you might imagine.  [Sometimes i wonder if i'm being put on]. I  try to challenge these views with the coworkers i'm friendliest with, but it's a total waste of a lost cause, it's like trying to convert Doctor Gonzo to my view of the Middle East.  

-- Modified on 4/18/2008 10:19:51 PM

GO FUCK YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've got a truckload of yellow ribbons for you, for the low low price of $29.95.   Each.

You really need these ribbons.   Joey with the shotgun can explain.

and history cannot be undone.  When it's out of the box, it's done; and there are consequences.

So the necessary corollary is that Wright is not the negative one here, you are; and you cannot claim to judge him when your actions, and the actions of your leaders, cannot match your, or their own words.

IOW, put your fucking money where your fucking mouth is.  Or STFU.

but people like RUG are ALL mouth, and they sure ain't listening.

There were few Black Panther (can't recall the names) who served in Vietnam gallantly but they turned against the society. Does it mean they should be forgiven?

What matters is how the young man grew up to be a man. If grows up to be a bigot and a racist, he is bigot and a racist and should be viewed as such. If the young man grows and becomes a criminal, h/she is a criminal.

Heard this crap before and it is nothing absurd logic being used to hide the real man.

Just like Obambi saying his words to San Francisco doesn't matter but his Hope and Change words matter. Statements made to ones friends and family matters more because it is what the person really believes and everything else said on campaign rally is said to get your support.

As far as Wright is concerned, he did an honorable thing and what he believed in as a young man. Wright did he believed in as an adult and a pastor and that is bottom line. Everything else is hog wash.

If Wright is patriotic, then is he fit to be president? Would you vote for him? Maybe being in the service and therefore patriotic is NOT all that matters. Lincoln wasn't in the Army. Was he unpatriotic?

It's obvious people change as they get older, some for the better, some for the worse. A good man at 18 can be Adolf Hitler at 30. He served his country faithfully in WW I.

We are what we listen to. We're all influenced by what we hear, and how often we hear it. If your crew keeps telling you "we're getting screwed", you'll come to believe it and act accordingly--pissed off. That is one of the problems with listening to Jessie and Al. Wright got in with other grievance mongers and started turning some cash. Soon he'll live in a gated 98% white community.

Rush, Sean, Cheney, Bill O'bnoxious, etc, none were in the service, so they're not patriotic. BHO and Hill weren't either, right? So, vote McCain?

Obama spent 20 yrs minimum running with a crew that spouts the America sucks line. Obama could be a great citizen, or he could have been powerfully influenced by the people he ran with: Ayers, Michelle Mama Obama, Wright, the IL Fair Housing gang, the lefty activist crowd, etc. You want to elect a guy who might believe his minister/mentor/father figure when he says the country is rotten to the core? Maybe Obama has been brainwashed into the Manuchurian Candidate.

You want to take the chance?

Now let me put in terms that can be understood by Jack/Willie/Multi-Man: OH YEAH! FUCK YOU TOO!!!FUCK YOU FUCKING FUCKER! FUCK! POOPY ASS!

Free thought and expression, and indignation to racism and hypocrisy = BAD  

 If our founding forefathers were Republican Neocons we’d still be British colonies.

They make a whole lot more money by being controversial.

(1) Do as I say, not as I do.

(2)  Don't do the math.

Now those are only 2 commandments, because I don't think you can handle 10.  But maybe you can handle 2.

But yeah, if you want to admire draft dodgers and deserters, because you think their judgment is good, knock yourself out.  I'm not gonna convince you otherwise.   If you like them because they're people you can relate to, by all means, make them your leaders.  Then when things get fucked up, you can blame some Mexican, eh?

We hire politicians (and clergy, and shrinks) because we aren't satisfied with the way things are going.  And none of them are going to get hired telling us there is nothing wrong.

The real question here is which of them cause more trouble than they are worth - which of them earn their pay, and which do not.

Of course YMMV.   But just for starters, how much credibility would you give a fellow who needs help to remember he was a serious drunk, as in convicted, and refuses to release his records that would help him remember if he was a deserter, and goes looking for bin Laden in Iraq, when he knows goddamned well he's in Pakistan?

What do you think about that?  I think that fellow is not ready for prime time - not even after 2 terms - and I think people who defend him are deranged.

Just saying!

What racism? If you don't agree with Wright? The problem is you don't know what racism is. Most on the left think it means when someone disgrees with their simpleminded bullshit.


Iconoclast, my ass. There has not been a liberal iconoclast since Lenny Bruce died. The right is where the iconoclasts are today. An iconoclast today is someone who speaks against the cultural elites, and not the just the government. You're in with Rob Reiner, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Babs Streisand, NBC, ABC, CBS. Some iconoclast.  

A good example of a liberal iconoclast? Bill Maher, an angry, frustrated little man who spews against Catholics. Easy stuff. If he had ANY balls he'd say some mean shit about Islam.

Don't hold your breath.

IF Maher REALLY had balls to spare, he's spew against Judiasm.  Just once?  But he likes his career and his considerable creature comfortsd, and he undoubyedly knows better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMuNlQ8svQI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhLZN2G81yk

Wright has stood up for America, and he rates criticizing.  Cheney is a devious asshole who never stops thinking of ways to destroy Americans.  

There's really no contest, and there shouldn't be any question here.

that matters.