The top two stories for the last few days have been the economy and Reverend J. Wright's comments, and how far his restraining order should be from Barack Obama. As I read Russell's Blog about our elders saying crazy things in his defense, I stopped to think for a minute. Yes, in most cases old people say crazy things, but sometimes they are like children, honest and blunt. What Reverend Wright said wasn't wrong, it was shocking. It's shocking to have one reality after another placed in front of you. Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Wright said the attacks were a consequence of violent American policies. Four years later, Wright suggested that the attacks were retribution for America's racism." Ok, I wouldn't go as far as saying that. Retribution of 9/11 was because America is racist (our international invasions have always been economically based) but I do agree that they were policy based.
We were attacked because we have bases on their holy land. That is a fact. It hurts, I know. Your teachers failed to tell you about a little incident that occurred at the U.S. embassy in Iran. A large movement of mainly students, retaliating at our CIA-funded coup in 1953 that overthrew the Shah, held 52 U.S. diplomats hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981.
We've been meddling with the bee hive for years, and then question why it stung us. Really? You didn't see that coming with the bombing of our embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Beirut, Lebanon and even just recently in Belgrade. Not to mention consulates, and the that other attack on the Twin Towers in 1994. I'm in no way saying that civilians deserved the retaliation, we did not implement the policies that have punished us.
Reverend Wright has been quoted saying we are part of "...an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons." Also true. A recent study just released, says that 1 in 100 people in America are behind bars. That silly number 1# foam finger finally stands for something, incarceration.
"We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki. And we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye," Wright said. Guess what? We did. And when I say 'we', I think I mean it in the same sense the Reverend did, with our flag. We are so quick to pull away from being a part of the 'we' of America when getting scolded, but second guess everyone else's patriotism in that same 'we.' The 'we' I'm referring to is our American flag. It represented every single citizen under this constitution when it was placed on the moon, and it represented all of us when the bomb that carried it killed thousands. Like a marriage, in good times and bad.
Again, let me state, this is not a defense for Revered Wright, some of the things he says are worth questioning. Let's just take a second to make sure we put him on blast for the right things. Ignoring those issues to make a big deal out being embarrassed by facts of our history, and to spare us the uncomfortable talks isn't going to solve our problems.
My Mom is a Christian fanatic. Roman Catholic to the bone. Every other religion to her is a cult, including sectors of Christianity that call themselves Evangelical, Baptists, Christians, and Jehovah Witnesses. To her, you are all protestants. "Protested the original works" or something or other that she says. I never paid much attention to brainwashing in Sunday School. Should I denounce my mother if I am half atheist?
-Danielle Abreu