My mind is always on several different things. I thought I’d ramble on about a few of those things here…
To begin, I must discuss yet another annoying church sign. Now, you know I have Asperger’s, and my world tends to be simplified and literal. So it was with dismay that I read the following: “My neighbor is anyone who needs me”. Hum—that really leaves out quite a few folks. Those who don’t think or know they need [your] help, for starters. And what about the people in need that you don’t know about? If you don’t know they are in need, are they still in need? Okay, clearly I’m making a pun in relation to the old question about the tree falling in the forest. But seriously, that sign is so simplified. As I understand it, Jesus told us that anyone and everyone is our neighbor—regardless of that person’s circumstances (or ‘needs’).
And continuing with the religious theme, I must ask, why is Obama so mad? He all but severed ties with his old friend Jeremiah Wright (the same friend he told the world last month that he could not disown) because of Wright’s speech given to the National Press Club. Okay, so Wright is a bit weird. He is a bit too self-confident, and could use a healthy dose of humble pie. But, really, aside from his conspiracy-theory ideas about AIDS (which aren’t even his ideas), what did he say that wasn’t true? Oh, maybe that is the problem—that what said was true. Despite what Obama wants to imply, we are not a society that has moved beyond race and gender issues. Not so, you say? Well, just recall what out-of-touch John McCain said recently: women don’t make more money because they lack the education credentials of men. Oh really? But, back to Obama. Is he upset that Wright pointed to the so-called golden rule? He simply said that America couldn’t act like a terrorist and expect to be free of terrorist attacks upon her. Is he wrong? I don’t think so—our nation doesn’t always act in a responsible, peace making way when dealing with other nations. We bully, attempt to change the political make-up of countries, support embargos, and drop bombs without any concern over whether or not our intelligence is accurate. Wright is correct—we cannot operate in this way and expect to be free from violence in our own cities. And while Wright dispenses his words with a smile that suggests you are the fool (not him), he really hasn’t said anything that I haven’t heard to be true of the black experience in America. Throughout his speech, he reminded us of the legacy of slavery (an issue which I think too many Americans are guilty of not knowing or caring about), the virtues of being different (God obviously likes different things—look at all the flowers and birds, etc.), and the need for reconciliation in our country.
So Obama, quit whining! Spend your time trying to unite the American people and get yourself elected!
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