Freshsexuallout the double standard in the media concerning so-called "crazy" ministers and the accountability of candidates to those who support them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/opinion/04rich.html?ref=opinionAre we really to believe that neither Mr. McCain nor his camp knew anything then about Mr. Hagee’s views? This particular YouTube video — far from the only one — was posted on Jan. 1, nearly two months before the Hagee-McCain press conference. Mr. Hagee appears on multiple religious networks, including twice daily on the largest, Trinity Broadcasting, which reaches 75 million homes. Any 12-year-old with a laptop could have vetted this preacher in 30 seconds, tops.
Since then, Mr. McCain has been shocked to learn that his clerical ally has made many other outrageous statements. Mr. Hagee, it’s true, did not blame the American government for concocting AIDS. But he did say that God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins, particularly a scheduled “homosexual parade there on the Monday that Katrina came.”
Mr. Hagee did’t make that claim in obscure circumstances, either. He broadcast it on one of America’s most widely heard radio programs, “Fresh Air” on NPR, back in September 2006. He reaffirmed it in a radio interview less than two weeks ago. Only after a reporter asked Mr. McCain about this Katrina homily on April 24 did the candidate brand it as “nonsense” and the preacher retract it.
At tbe end of this thoughtful column, Rich has this to say...
Anyone who does the math knows that America is on track to become a white-minority nation in three to four decades. Yet if there’s any coherent message to be gleaned from the hypocrisy whipped up by Hurricane Jeremiah, it’s that this nation’s perennially promised candid conversation on race has yet to begin.
What I take away from all of this is that the US is almost, almost ready to address racial divides in an "adult" manner, if you will. The rise in younger voters who are not threatened by Race and/or personal Sexual Preference is about to eclipse the generation that was against segregation and for closeting those among us who find no comfort and certainly less joy in practicing the traditional missionary position. Those of us who are boomer's, recall the optimistic speeches of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, to say the least. But more important, boomer's are having to come to grips with well hidden personal prejudice by being forced to embrace the acceptance of a more liberated society when their children come out of the closet or fall in love with someone with a different skin hue. They are stuck in the middle.
I think what is happening now is more of the children of the children of racists and homophobes are voting and offset the steady block of voters represented by the so-called greatest generation.
Will it be enough to have a decided impact on the 2008 election as those younger folks who are excited about the possibility of a new political alignment flock to the polls to vote for Obama? Or will this be the last stand for those who base voting decisions purely on race or sexual orientation?
Anyway, this is just a very, very broad stroke look at what I see is the potential outcomes of this very pivotal election. If we win, democrats I mean, not just HRS or Obama, I see a whole new political landscape where democrats are in the majority for the foreseeable future. Maybe some of those so-called pipe dreams or aspirations of those of us who were once and always since derided as naive hippies will finally come to pass.
And when it does, I will gladly dance on the grave of Jerry Falwell and then offer a prayer for his troubled soul.
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