Philadelphia Feeling

The obama campaign did adress this issues about 1 yr ago when the stroy first broke (no one paid mcuh attention because he was down 20+ points in the polls).However; I still can not understand why anyone would attend a church with a pastor such as this. I recognize that the church does much good in the community and it is likely that his “quotes” are being taken out of context but I personally am saddened that Mr. Obama did not distance himeself form this preacher earlier. it wopuld be sad if the hop of a nation was destroyed due to the ignorance of one overly enthusiastic misguided preacher.

For this country to heal we would have to get rid of MSM. They are like the school yard bully if you want to be thier friend then you must do as they say but if they want you out of the game ther is not much you can do unless you grow bigger at some point.

Of course, now I get it. One has to go only to a church, where you only hear all the wornderful things about life. Joel Osteen anybody? But you have to get up an leave when another one start telling you things of what is wrong with America’s way of life. When the truth hits you just have to quit the congregation, that is what will make you a better person. Not!.
A strong speech is like a wake up call. Obama is probably well suited of what is wrong with America, he heard it he elaborated and he is working to bring that change to its core. America is confortable as it is, she doesn’t understand the opportunity that she has, and would like to believe that she is a country of an ancient culture, not a melting pot, she wants to believe that no matter what she did to others in wrongfull way, she will still be blessed. That because she is powerfull she can do anything and still get away with it. America isn’t perfect, the best product there is “democracy”, isn’t perfect. And the way the right wind talk, corporate America and the way GWB are leaving it upside down, it is undeniable that a change needs to be done. Who will be your man?

Lets remember that Obama did not say those statements of that of the Pastor. He the Pastor grew up in the Civil Rights era, where they had dogs turned on them, fire hoses, and the beatings they had to watch each day. I don’t agree with the statements, but lets remember that the Pastor grew up with racism and he is now exploiting the past. Obama is the future of a generation that has forgiven the past, therefore just let it rest. I do have to ask this question, “why when McCains’ and Clintons’ folks make racial statements it last a couple days?” Does the media want Obama to lynch the Pastor for all the anger and pain that he had to go through. Lets remember we do still live in White and Black America for those folks that had to go through the 40s’, 50s’, and 60s’.

Finally an American politician with courage! who dares to enter the minefield of the American race issue.
What a difference this man is going make when he is elected President. Here’s the opposite of business as usual, and I can’t wait to see the impact of Obama’s speech on our right under the surface still painfully divided country.
No man and therefore no politician has come without flaws. But I’m pretty sure that Obama will convince the larger part of Americans that in him we indeed, as the Kenendys have stressed, have found someone of JFK’s stature.

Let’s face it. If Obama has been conceiling more than the Wright issue. He has been conceiling his relationship with Tony Rezko, the disgrased business partner with whom he purchased property. Also, his close association and friendship with William C. Ayers, the self-proclaimed Pentagon terrorist.
So, no words from Obama will change my mind. If Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, my vote goes for McCain.

I am so sick of everyone making this a big issue. If you are that sick about it then you need to distance yourself from everyone around you who says thing you don’t agree with. This is crazy–the media is having a field day with this and you are feeding it. What about Hillary and Bills deep dark closet? Why aren’t the people around them being held accountable for all they say and do? I am a white woman in Iowa who says enough. It is not Obama dividing us or Hillary it is the media.

Sure there’s free speech in America. Absolutely.
Rev Wright is absoolutely free to prew his venom from the pulpit.
That doesn’t mean that someone who supported that kind of ministry for 20 years is fit to be President.
This has nothing to do with freedom of speech or freedom of religion.
This has to do with the political views and hatred preeched at Mr Obama’s church for 20 years and if that’s appropriate for a Presidential candidate.
Not if you want to WIN the white house.

When a white pastor said 9/11 was God’s curse on America for its homosexuals and baby-killers, he gets invited to the White House. When a black preacher said all the foreign policy mistakes and atrocities committed by America overseas caused 9/11, he’s lynched. This is a pastor that devoted some 30-40 years of his life to helping black inner city youths and inspired Obama to dare to HOPE to make a difference in public office. His life is now reduced to 30 seconds of his most incendiary sermons, negating his life’s work of building a Church that made such a positive impact on the community. This retired old guy is being torn down in order to further somebody’s political agenda and the country seems to go with it. In contrast to Ferraro, this is really killing the old pastor/mentor of Obama to hurt him. This is what finally convinces me that this type of politics are really beneath us all, and if the society doesn’t wake up to this, America deserves another 8 yrs like the past ones.

Wright’s speech is evidence of the racial divide in this country. I do not find his speech shocking. I dont know how many times I’ve heard this claim of “chickens coming home to roost.” And sorry! but there is a bit of wisdom to it.
Nonetheless, I think its obvious that Obama doesn’t embrace this kind of rhetoric. And in fact, if the racial divide upsets you, Obama is our best bet for healing. With a black father and a white mother– he chooses to embrace both cultures.
How about McCain’s supporter Reverand Haggee?
Hagee on Hurricane Katrina “All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that.” [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]
Nevermind his nutjob ideas about Israel and the need to go to war with Iran…..
Who is more dangerous??? Really?

The Wright issue is not about race. It is about poor judgment. It is about credibility.
He is playing the race card yet again by having a speech about race and politics. Notice it was the superdelegate who defended Wright personally saying there are much worse than him (another diversionary tactic) that said he needs to have this speech and talk about race.
He hinted the content will attempt to clarify Wright’s statements. Trying to justify hate speech by saying only black people can understand what to ignore is ludicrous. Those people hootin and hollerin were not ignoring the hate speech they were appluading it. This is what the superdelegate calls being lifted up? This is just another political ploy to draw attention away from the truth. There is so much wrong with the “racism” justification I cant begin to post it here.
I thought to myself maybe he just doesnt get it. Then I realized that would be yet another reason he keeps losing credibility. He is caught… he believes he is right to support hate speech as a motivator, he is trying to smooth talk and mesmerize people into buying that BS, he is using the same diversionary tactics he has always used.
We should be grateful the vetting has now revealed the truth to America and the world before it was too late. This man has poor judgment, no credibility, plays the race card whenever anyone questions his associations, and has some very dangerous associations and potential influence in his life. He has been groomed and lead down this path and possibly brainwashed into believing he is entitled. A separatist group shaped the life of an inspirational leader in history who was not vetted before he was elected.
Years ago, a country in turmoil with a failing post-war economy was mesmerized by a young leader’s speeches, he gave them hope and unity, he said “he who owns the youth owns the future”, he convinced them his ideas would lift them up and return the country to its rightful standing in the world with a prosperous economy, he was elected by a huge following without being vetted… the country was Germany… the leader was Adolf Hitler.

For a year, both pundits and ordinary voters have listened to Obama and seen in him the possibility that he can help heal the nation’s racial divide by being a mediator between the worlds of black and white. Now, however, at least some folks are upset with Obama for his membership in this church and his relationship to Wright. I am as offended by the Wright remarks as anyone, but we must keep in mind that for Obama to serve as an effective mediator, the black community must see him as someone who understands that world.
Recall that Obama has shown the ability to listen to, tolerate and befriend people whose views he radically disagrees with on the right as well as the left. So I do not find it difficult in the least to conclude that Obama could see great spiritual value in attending Trinity while thoroughly disagreeing with the more radical elements of Wright’s political ideology.

s.b. actually there are limits on free speech by law. There are some who believe that Wright is guilty of sedition and that may be why he left the country to avoid prosecution.
This is just more of Obama playing the race card. He claims to transcend racism but continually uses it whenever it is politically convenient. Continuing to try to draw our attention away from the fact he lied about not knowing about Wright’s views is an insult to all Americans.

I think that it was Mr. Obama who said that words matter I think he forcefully reminded Hillary Clinton of that fact in Wisconsin. Now is prepared to make a major address which will have its central thesis that it is only words that put into proper context that really matter. This also goes to his theory that it is not experience that matters as mush as it is ones judgment that matters. So what does it say about his judgment when he aligns himself with someone like Rev. Wright for 20 yrs and just now is made aware of his racist and hateful views? He is going to say that one’s entire life should not be judge on one mistake but that one mistake should be put into context of what one does over the course of their entire life. Is this not what Hillary Clinton is saying, that her whole political judgment should not be based on one mistake, her vote for the Iraq War! That she should be judge on her entire political life. Even as Mr. Obama makes his case that Rev. Wrights words should be put into context he will also be making the case for Hillary Clinton. Yes Mr. Obama is now painfully aware of how words matter!

russell – because that is not politically convenient to tell the truth. This speech will play the race card in a major way. He claims to transcend it but actually uses it as a tool to brainwash his followers and divert our attention from the real issues and the truth. I can only hope America has woken up and will not buy into these very same tactics used in history by another leader influenced by separatists.

I find the focus on this story both idiotic and disturbing. The real issues are ignored to pick apart the work of a man who lived through Civil Rights, served in the military, and still has the strength to work for the good of his community. Sure, he said some over the top things, but I still can’t figure out exactly how over the top they were because I’ve only seen a string of 30 second clips strung together. I’d love it if one of the so-called news stations thought it was worthwhile to actually provide a transcript of these sermons in their entirety. Without the context, I can’t decide if the man was preaching hate, or making some other point. I suspect it was not hate. I said, for example, “I am so angry at my husband for forgetting our anniversary — I want a divorce from this selfish jerk. But then I remember how much we love each other and how silly it is to fight.” Would taking a sound bite where I said I want a divorce have any relationship to the way I feel? The answer is no. This is why context is important.

Obama is trying to close the barn door after the horses have run out. Looking at the tapes of the Wright service, here you have a congreation giving high five’s, jumping out of their seat and praising the words of destruction on America and Whitey, now he is coming to talk unity and race.
His wife is not proud of being a American, her proudest moment is the fact that he husband won a few state and is the front running, so she instantly started to feel proud to be an American, if he was lagging behind would she have been proud, or would she be feeling its because Braack is black he cant get ahead?
All these ill feeling towards the system, all this hidden agendas that we get a glimpse off now and again from the Obama’s is rather unsettling. As a voter I do feel as if there is more to all this, something is just not coming across as correct, there are too many unanswered question with Obama and am sure after this famous speech we will all be no nearer to knowing anything about this man or really what he is about.

Obama is giving this speech today because of political expediency, not because he is a brave conciliator. His judgment is what is in question. Obama’s explanation that Pastor Wright is like an uncle, and you can’t disassociate yourself from your uncle is ridiculous. One is stuck with one’s family, that is true, the only member of your family that you choose is your spouse, and yes we all have family members with whom we do not agree 100% on political and social issues, and generally we tolerate each other at the occasional family events where we are together. BUT, Pastor Wright is not a member of Obama’s family, Obama chose him as his pastor, and he stayed with him for 20 years. If you give Obama the benefit of a doubt, and believe him that he was not in the pew when the remarks were made, you still have to question why in the world would he have dis-invited him to his announcement of his presidential campaign in 2007?? Once again, Obama has shown what poor judgment he has, with REZKO, WRIGHT, NAFTA…

“what else don’t we know….”
the man has written two books about his life; one of which was painfully honest and written long before entering professional politics.
people who say we don’t know enough are trying to not know enough. he’s put his life out there pretty well.
and when you consider the blatant refusal of McCain and ESPECIALLY Clinton to be open and transparent with the voters in the most basic way: tax returns (McCain and Clinton), Earmark requests…presidential library donors…First Lady schedules (Clinton), than the question journalists SHOULD be asking is:
What don’t we know about Sen. Clinton? Obama’s been much more transparent than her.
When will Hillary sit down for 3 hours to discuss the indicted (or imprisoned) people who have raised money for her over the years??

pp – i wont be watching it. I will peruse the transcript later as I do with Bush’s BS. I cant stand to watch either of them on TV or hear their voices. It makes me sick to my stomach, angry, and fearful of our future all at the same time. Why? Because they both double-talked their way along their political careers using religion as a shield. Both of them inexperienced and both heavily reliant on advisors. That means they are easily controlled by well oiled machines.
With Obama, the danger to America from within is much more of a concern… his associates support terrorism and genocide by race. I question his patriotism strongly.
I fear his ascension to power. We have a system of checks and balances to help prevent this. Campaigning and political endorsements by churches is prohibited by law. The wall between church and state in governing must be absolute. Sedition is against the law. The people need to allow the vetting to continue and the focus to remain on the judgment, credibility, experience, qualifications, and the records.

It does not matter if OBama is half white or not. He chose to continue to be a member of this church and its rhetocis for over 20 years. He choses to expose his young children to this rhetoric week after week to hear how the white man has brought them down. He choses to exercise poor judgement, which is a major trait he is focusing his campaign on. I for one am tired of being a white person in Amercia who has to listen week after week about how my race is keeping black people down, because my ancestors made poor decision. To this day, I am still seen by reflection of behaviors toward my race as responsible for their actions. Well, I denonce my ancestors, does that make it all better now?Because that is exactly what Obama will try to convey in his speech today. He willI denounce his reverend for his words which he does not always agree with but he will continue to support my church and faith (And don’t you believe that those types of preachings will come to a halt). This reverse racism is already embedded in him no matter what anyone says. You cannot be a contributing member of a church which spews such rhetoric for years and denounce them when you feel it will benefit you. His childrens minds are already poisoned, how can he possible change the worlds views on racism when he could not bring it upon himself to depart with it in the first place.

There is such a disturbing double standard happening here. Rev. Wright, Obama’s former pastor, said America had defied God by locking up 1/3 of black males and God should punish our country (“God damn America”). Obama has had a 20-year relationship with Rev. Wright, but he has not been involved in Obama’s campaign whatsoever. Meanwhile, John McCain is openly embracing the support of Rev. John Hagee, who, quite similarly, claimed that America already has been punished by God (through Hurricane Katrina) for tolerating homosexuality. McCain appears on stage with the man, cites his support on his website, etc. Why is this not a bigger problem for McCain? What’s the real difference between Wright’s words and Hagee’s? Any chance race has something to do with it?

Social views have always been a factor. We are after all human. The lessons of the past must be heeded. History has shown us that racism and sexism are wrong. We consider separatists to be hate groups and rightfully so. We must remember the mistakes of the past… genocide is wrong. The role of government is the protection if its citizens from harm by passing and enforcing laws. Social healing comes from social organizations as it should but we cannot control or regulate their teachings. Therefore, the separation of church and state must be absolute. Free speech is wonderful but laws of sedition must be enforced to protect our national security.
We can address racism and sexism with dialogue. Much work has been done to improve income disparities between the races and the genders.
The statistics show that sexism in this country is much more prevalent than racism. Black men and white men no longer have pay differences. The effects of affirmative action appear to be resulting in a reversed racial disparity and needs to be reviewed. Yet, after 30 years of so-called progress, women still have the same income disparity – 70 cents on the dollar. We have seen blatant sexism in the media, corporate America, and this campaign. Even the media assessed its own bias and admits to the gender-biased coverage it has provided.
If Clinton were to even “think” about holding a speech to address the issues of sexism in our society today, she would be accused of playing the gender card and would likely destroy her career. She would be presenting the facts to the people and opening a dialogue on how we can eliminate the discrimination to improve the lives of women and children of all races.
Gender-bias has had an impact on Clinton in this election. It has divided voters along gender lines. Yet, Clinton maintains her focus on the campaign issues that must be addressed for ALL races and genders: economy, defense, national security, immigration, healthcare, poverty, jobs, and education. She doesnt use the gender card as a way to try to brainwash other people into feeling guilt for wrongs committed against women in the past. She focuses on accomplishing things through hard work and focus. She doesnt need to tell you what she will do, she proves it.

Obama’s speech so far does nothing for me. This is another opportunity for him to spread the empty rhetorics!
He’s better ready to quit now!

Interesting how the Obama staff started to aplause after he began taling about Brown vs. Board of Education.
How pathetic!
I’m not convinced.

Good point. He is trying to distance himself from Uncle “Wright”.
I’m not buying this. He is no MLK!

Give it up Obama! You’re toast.

When things get tough we get more BS talk. Talk Talk Talk!!!! Sometimes I think he thinks he can justify anything with endless talking. You mr. Obama can’t win our hearts with talk alone. Try going back to your job and going something instead of talking!!!! You sir are no different than the rest of the phonies in Washington.

Obama is still blaming Ferraro for being racist…..what a hypocrite

CNN is trying to spin it with AfricanAmerican commentators saying that he answered all the questions……Obama accepted that he knew about Wright’s comments before but dint reject them because he agreed with those comments….so he has accepted that he lied on National TV

I wonder how long it will take the pollsters to produce valid results? I guess we will have to wait until after all the media spinning is done (good and bad)… and get results in a week?

We dont hold the germans of today responsible for Hitlers atrocities. He should not be holding the people of today responsible for the atrocities of its ancestors. Doing so keeps old wounds open and anger alive. This leads to separatist views and division. This is hardly a uniter philisophy that we need.

DCV – Ha! Did you just bread Godwin’s Law to bash Mr. O?
All this Clinton shilling gets pretty hard when you gotta do highwire style w/o a net and campaign propaganda to cut and paste into a post.
Don’t screw up.

This was not effective for me at all. I do not need an historical context. I know we have a constitution; I know about the framers. Far too much time was spent on this mood music. News for Sen. Obama, the framers would have protected Rev. Wright’s First Amendment rights, but would never have supported him as president. That has nothing to do with the color of your skin, but has everything to do with politics.
Juxtaposition of Geraldine Ferraro and Rev. Wright is ludicrous and distasteful, or was it Geraldine Ferraro and OJ? It all begins to merge after a while.

MattO.H. – I.0! – Dude let Marie and DCV do the HRC shilling. You ain’t helping. Just some friendly advice.

Commaner Guy
If you cant understand those words…it is your problem….dont condone racist victim behavior(Obama’s)

LET’S BE REAL! PLEASE BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!
EVERYONE on this blog have family members, associates (friends) that makes or have made racial statements that you laughed at or dealt with. YOU DID NOT REALLY DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM THAT PERSON! Even if you were the ONLY person that heard it. CATHOLICS have not distanced themselves from the SEXUAL IMMORALITIES OF THEIR PRIESTS, there are other ministers WHO HAVE HAD AFFAIRS in the denomiation churches and have not distanced themselves from the CHURCH. There were ministers after 9/11 and after Mr. Moore’s movie regarding the knowledge of 9/11. There were so many AMERICANS who spent their opinions of hatred toward American government and pastors such as Rod Parsley, John Hagee, Jeremiah Wright, etc., blasted America’s government and stated that AMerica is judged, damned because of either the sin or leadership at the helm of the country. They have called Bush the antichrist, racist, etc.. As a child that was brought up during the Civil Rights Movement, years after years, I have heard racial statements from my mother, father(who served his country in the US Army for 32 years) grandfather(who served the Caucasian as a cook travelling from one house to another), brothers (who served from 5 – 32 years in the US Armed Forces), sisters (who experienced hatred slurs from Caucasians while cleaning their houses and cooking in their businesses, aunts (who experienced hatred slurs from Caucasians while working in their businesses, uncles, nieces, nephews and neighbors and teachers, etc., have made statements reflecting their views, experiences, and hurts from what they have encounted from Caucasians. YOU MUST BE STUPID, IGNORANT AND BLIND IF THESE PEOPLE can easily push pass these experiences. Most have written them, most have harbored them in their hearts and lives have been altered. If this was Rod Parsley or John Hagee, it would not be intensified or blogged so much. All of the priests that committed the high level of SEXUAL IMMORALITY against CHILDREN WERE OF THE ANGLO-SAXON DECENT. Take that and run with it! GOD HAVE JUDGED AND WILL JUDGE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS!

Commander Guy
If you want to be cynical and unappreciative like Michelle Obama, or evasive like Obama I cant help you….after you will vote your conscience….the one thing among many that isnt straight.

marie – he has always been condescending and sexist… why should we expect him to change now?

I wonder how this will play with PA voters? Most of whom are white and middle class?

Hmm…So it’s OK to speak about race–as long as it’s a black person doing the talking?
I don’t think so Obama.

LoisT wrote:
“LET’S BE REAL! PLEASE BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!
EVERYONE on this blog have family members, associates (friends) that makes or have made racial statements that you laughed at or dealt with. YOU DID NOT REALLY DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM THAT PERSON!”
Lois,
First, I have NOTHING IN MY BACKGROUND THAT EVEN APPROACHES THE LEVEL OF HATE SPEWED BY REV. WRIGHT. IN FACT, I HAVE NEVER EVEN WITNESSED ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THAT VITRIOL.
Second, Rev. Wright is not Obama’s family. He has a family both black and white. If you read his books (I have only skimmed them), you will see that he never forgot, as he reminded us today. the words of his white gramdmother he deemed racist. Though it was his white mother and white grandparents who shouldered the full brunt of his upbringing, you rarely hear of a thank you. If you look further you will even see that he did not go to his mother’s bedside when she was dying. He muses that he did not know she was that sick. Hello. she was dying of ovarian cancer. That was no secret.
Upshot: Obama is a man of great oratorical gifts and many other talents. However, when I look at him I see a man still struggling with his racial identity; a man, in the words of his sister, Maya, who walks between two worlds; a man who harbors, but does not face, great resentment toward non-blacks. Thus, his loyalty and embracement of Rev Wright are understandable.

Jackson said “I think he bared his soul”… so he has to read wht his soul is off piece of paper about an issue that is supposedly one of struggle and great importance all his life and the most pivotal moment in his campaign? NAH… not buying it!

I knew this would be the speech. The people who are black haved suffered because of the older generations and ancestors; so all you white people should feel ashamed and guilty and be better people. You can do that if you elect ME. Because I am not a racist, I just know a lot of them. Thank you, Obama.

leigh, pittsburgh, totally agree with you re cnn and msnbc – have them on boycott for a month now. you are lucky that your local papers give you info – mine is just like msnbc. so i just read the sports page and come to the net for news. need to get around to cancelling the paper.
and, yes, the fawners are almost as bad as their golden boy. i used to be able to occasionally look at them for purposes of humor, but now can’t stand the sight of them. same for obama, just click away when he or one of his apologists come on the air.
i think we all know that if the media had covered obama in an objective way, he would’ve never gotten this far. and if they had covered him in the rabid way they cover hillary, he would’ve folded his tent long ago. but they have not and will not. and now that they’ve invested so much of their own “credibility” into him, they are stuck in a trap and have to continue praising him to the high heavens in a (futile) attempt to justify their own pandering.
i so miss the days of murrow, etc., but they are gone.
re obama and his speech, like so many who can’t stand the sight of him, i just read the transcript. predictable damage control stuff. not buying it. can’t undo 20 years with a speech.
mlk wasn’t doing his speeches to cover his own behind, he was doing them for the good of others – quite a different matter. loved mlk, cried when he was killed. same for bobby and john. obama is no mlk, bobby, or john.

I am with Dreamer. Truly. I am half black, but from the beginning I knew Obama was manipulating people with race and that NEVER ends well. I know. I did experience being called the N word and being physically attacked for it at age seven, when we moved into an all white neighborhood in 1969. So I know. I just can’t get past the fact that race became an issue because Obama CHOSE to make it so. Yes there is racism against black people, but I know now that the vast majority of white people, especially our generation and beyond are more open minded and willing to work out our differences. However, Obama, while preaching unity, called on and pointed to any race related issue possible, mostly to make accusations in order to win the Presidency. I will never trust him to unite the country when his tactics are so incredibly divisive.

I read on another bloggers post that John Kerry and Ted Kennedy were trying to win the Presidency they were never able to get, through having Obama as the candidate. Hmmmmm.

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”
“All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.”
“He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.”
“It is always more difficult to fight against faith than against knowledge.”
“The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.”
- Adolf Hitler

Tom J, may we hear specifics as to your opinion?

marie – from a speech making critique perspective, i agree.. he looked down and read most of the time yet Jackson claims he bared his soul? On an issue that was supposed to be such a large part of his life? Nothing from his heart? He has to read it off a piece of paper? his stump speeches with a promise of change and hope were better but they lacked substance… this was nothing more than damage control from a typical politician

I don’t know if we will learn anything else about Senator Obama. I hope we don’t learn it after he gets the nomination.

geevil writes:
Obama said that “we” are speculating that all white males will vote for McCain regardless of his policies.

GEEVIL writes:
“It is an insulting attempt to lay a guilt trip on white people.”

Commander Guy wrote:
“Marie – fair enough on the speech. To each her own. I thought it read well. And at least you ain’t callin up da little guy with the funny stache.”
No, I am not. However, I do see a similarity to Mussolini. He was a very popular politician, could move the masses, brought schools to remote mountain villages in Italy that had never enjoyed such privilege. Poor Italians who had emigrated to this country sent their gold jewelry to support such effot, not knowing of the monstrous acts to come. Not Hitler, but perhaps Mussolini who started out as a true socialist and sucked in the peasants.

Marie
Your post speaks for itself.