Barack Obama has officially resigned his membership from Trinity United Church of Christ.  It was the proper thing to do, but he should have done it many, many years ago for the Wright - I mean right - reasons rather than political expediency.

Tonight I’ll tie in a current event with a couple of great country classics.

Last year the U.S. Senate began to probe the finances of six televangelists.  This week they sent out letters to two more.

So, first we have Hank Williams Jr.’s American Dream, which includes the following lyrics:

There are some preachers on TV, with a suit and a tie and a vest

They want you to send your money to the lord, but they give you their address

Cause all of your donations, are completely tax free

God bless you all but most of all send your money

Charlie Daniels’ Long Haired Country Boy also touches on the venerable TV preacher:

Preacher man talkin’ on the TV,

He’s a-puttin’ down the rock ‘n’ roll.

He wants me to send a donation,’Cos he’s worried about my soul.

He said: “Jesus walked on the water,”And I know that is true,

But sometimes I think that preacher man,

Would like to do a little walkin’, too.

I like how the host introduced him as “funky” Charlie Daniels.

The story of Barack Obama’s inflammatory preacher, Dr. Jeremiah Wright, and, uhhh, colorful church have been making the rounds in recent months.  Until now they have received scant attention from the mainstream news media.  But now there’s video!

I can honestly say that is the first time I’ve ever seen or heard of a preacher taking the Lord’s name in vain in the pulpit.

Here is the description of Obama’s church, Trinity United Church of Christ, from it’s own website:

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian… Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain “true to our native land,” the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

Insert the word “white” everywhere you see “black” in that description and imagine how the media would react if a Republican went to the church.

Obama has written a column condemning “the statements that have been the subject of this controversy.”  Personally, I think the condemnation comes far too late to have any meaning.

The fact that he attended - and continues to attend - this church for twenty years shows that Obama does not really repudiate the words we hear coming from Dr. Wright’s mouth.  One would have to believe that the sermons in the video are isolated incidents.  This is highly unlikely based on the reactions of those in the audience.  They weren’t reacting with shock when this preacher said things that were completely uncharacteristic.  They clearly were not surprised and were actually enthusiastically supportive.  Even if Obama just happened to never hear one of those sermons in person surely one of his fellow church goers would approach him and say, “Gosh Barack, you should have heard the crazy things Wright preached about.”  Quite simply, Obama cannot credibly proclaim ignorance of the content and themes of his preachers sermons.

I think Obama’s long term membership in the church, all the while led by Dr. Wright, undermines his claim that he has good judgment.  Wright’s sermons - at least the portions contained in the videos are quite odious.  The church’s race based values are no less detestable.  Why would Obama stay in the church so long?  Why would he let Wright preside over his wedding?

Let me expand by offering a personal anecdote.  I grew up in a Southern Baptist church.  After my wife and I got married we discussed where we wanted to worship and we mutually decided to join a different denomination.  We both disagreed with the church’s stated views on women.  We believe that women are just as capable of delivering a sermon as men.  More so, neither of us agree that “a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband.”  Now those are just personal belief differences we have with the official Baptist message.  Those positions taking by the Baptists are FAR less offensive than those taken by Obama’s church.  Just the same, we chose to join a denomination more compatible with our views.  Why couldn’t Obama have done the same?  The church you belong to says a lot about what you believe.  It doesn’t mean you believe everything the church leadership does, but in Obama’s case you have to be skeptical because he would have to disavow a considerable amount of the church’s official beliefs to fall below a reasonable threshold.

I think Obama has set himself up for some VERY effective attack ads in the future.  He said:

The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation.

I’m just guessing, but I think we’re going to hear about quite a few additional controversial sermons and comments.  Unless Obama was a very infrequent church goer I think it is highly likely that someone will recall seeing him at specific sermons.  Then he’ll have some ’splaining to do.

At first I was a bit curious about why McCain’s campaign would be putting forth effort to get this story in the media at this time, but I think it is a fantastic strategic move.  This story could have the strength to knee cap Obama.  So why do it now?  Because if McCain can tip the balance in the Democrat race in favor of Clinton he can effectively fracture the party, weakening it for the general election.  At this point Obama’s lead among pledged delegates is quite solid and he is even gaining ground among the super delegates.  Clinton will not be able to win without blood being spilled and feelings hurt.  Will the black vote, which Democrats have long taken for granted and are voting for Obama in force, be disenfranchised by the perception that Clinton stole the nomination from Obama?  What about all those young, eager voters who’ve brought the well documented energy to the Democrat primaries?  Will their zeal be tempered?  Will they even bother campaigning and voting for Clinton?  Will the Democrat donors “spend out” trying to shepherd their preferred candidate through the primary?  Those are all good questions with unpleasant answers for the Democrats.  Prolonging the Democrat race and weakening Obama now only helps McCain.

Obama might make it through the primary.  I still think the party will move surreptitiously to stymie Clinton due to the harm her victory might cause them.  One thing is for sure: this isn’t the last we’ve heard of Dr. Jeremiah Wright.

From the AP:

A teenager was arrested after a leader of the Church of Satan turned over to the FBI an e-mail the high school student had written to the sect in which he threatened to kill his grandparents, authorities said.

First of all, since when is there a Church of Satan?  I would think the leader would be excommunicated now for doing a good deed.

Andrew Culver, 18, told police the e-mail detailing his intention to kill his grandparents and steal their money and car was a joke, said Bazetta Township Police Chief Charles Sayers.

According to police, Culver wrote he had access to an arsenal of weapons and wanted to “kill in the name of our unholy lord Satan.”

Yeah, funny joke.  Maybe he should stick to the ones where a rabbi and a priest walk into a bar.

[Peter Gilmore, the high priest of the New York City-based Church of Satan,] said members of his group are atheists who believe Satan is a symbol of freedom, not evil. “To the Satanist, he is his own God,” reads a statement on the group’s Web site from Gilmore.

Uhhh…  What a load of hogwash.  But thanks for doing the right thing anyway.

The headline on the Drudge Report for much of the day today was a Mike Huckabee quote from 1998 where he stated that we need to “take this nation back for Christ.”  Presumably this is part of the predictable attack cycle that closely follows a rise in the polls.  But, “attacks” like this are more likely to lock up the primary in Huckabee’s favor than to damage him.

Last time I checked there were a whole lot of Christians in this country - more accurately, a whole lot of voting Christians.  A core tenet of the religion is proselytizing, so Huckabee’s profession that we would be better off if there were more Christians in the U.S. is in keeping with the religion’s goals and beliefs.

The article is more noteworthy for this quote in my opinion:

“I’m often asked why taxes are so high and government is so big. It’s because the faith we have in local churches has become so small. If we’d been doing what we should have — giving a dime from every dollar to help the widows, the orphans and the poor — we now wouldn’t be giving nearly 50 cents of every dollar to a government that’s doing … what we should have been doing all along.”

Many people have become confused and think that government is a substitute for humanity.  Over the years many have chosen to abandon their obligation to their fellow man in favor of allowing the government to handle the problem.  Power hungry bureaucrats are all too eager to oblige and promulgate dependency.  As taxes increase it becomes even more difficult for the remaining good Samaritans to give.  People become cold to the plight of others and presume that their care falls within the government’s domain.  To some extent it is a chicken/egg argument.

The desire to have the government redistribute income seems sound.  Economies of scale.  Larger collection pool.  Utopia.  The ultimate, fatal problem is that government is incapable of charity.  If I sacrifice some of my own time or money to help a person through rough times that person will thank me and be genuinely appreciative.  That person will strive to avoid falling back into a position of need out of shame for having to rely on my good will and sacrifice.  If the government does the same that person expects it, depends on it, and will make little effort to spare taxpayers of future similar costs.  However altruistic the intentions of the government workers may be, only individuals acting of their own volition are capable of charity.

Recall the following lines from the Hank Williams, Jr. song entitled “The American Dream”:

There are some preachers on TV, with a suit and a tie and a vest

They want you to send your money to the lord, but they give you their address

Cause all of your donations, are completely tax free

God bless you all but most of all send your money 

Now read this story:

An Atlanta megachurch took in $69 million in 2006, according to a financial statement the church’s minister released in response to a Senate investigation into him and five other well-known televangelists.

The Rev. Creflo Dollar disclosed the World Changers Church International’s financial information to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but said the money he spends is his own.

Dollar said his income comes from personal investments, including businesses and real estate ventures. But the church gave him a Rolls Royce, which he mainly uses for special occasions, he said.

Keep sending the money folks.

Within the last week I’ve read at least two more instances of people seeing something they don’t like and automatically attributing it to global warming.  Leaf colors in New England not as bold - must be global warming.  Wildfires in California - must be global warming.

It’s not science.  It’s religion.  Religions allow believers to attribute every inexplicable event to a higher power without the burden of proof.  Is there any difference with global warming?

As if religious fanatics needed another reason to hate the Harry Potter books…

The head master of the little wizard school in the series is gay.

Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.

After reading briefly from the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds “true love.”

“Dumbledore is gay,” the author responded to gasps and applause.

I don’t buy into the anti-Potter stuff just because I read my fair share of fantasy style books involving supernatural characters when I was a kid.  I consider myself a fairly well adjusted member of society - well, as well adjusted as an engineer can be.  It’s called fiction.  No big deal.

I’ve actually read one of the Potter books, the first one, as a deal I stuck with my wife to get her to read the FairTax book.  I can see why kids like it, but it didn’t do it for me.

Insert your own one liner.

Taken from the side of I-65 N just south of Exit 365 and the Tennessee border.

Dan at Between the Links has written a couple of posts about the reaction to a proposed Muslim worship center in Hoover.  Apparently some residents are not too excited about the idea.  At first they hid their opposition behind traffic concerns, but now it seems that their real concern is apparent: Islam.

My only question: can you blame them?

The vast majority of organized, occasionally well executed, terrorist attacks are conducted by Muslims.  It’s not that they happen to be Muslim by circumstance - the attacks are carried out in the name of their religion.  One could easily investigate attacks before 9/11, which as you might remember was carried out by Muslims.  But just looking at attacks and other atrocities since 9/11 shows that Islam is anything but a religion of peace.  The Madrid, Spain train bombing.  The bombing of The Tube in London.  Two half assed attempted “car bombs” last week in the UK.  Iraq.  Afghanistan.  Somalia.  Darfur.

Of course the media all but refuses to admit that all of the people associated with the most recent car bombs are Muslims.  The preferred way of framing it is to say they come from diverse backgrounds.  The media attempts to strain to find commonality between them, while ignoring the most glaringly obvious similarity.  They’re all Muslims!  James Taranto did a great job identifying some of the media foolishness.  Even the Prime Minister of Britain has refused to associate their religion with their crimes.  One thing you may not have been told about the attempted bombing in Piccadilly Circus is that the bomb was strategically placed outside of a club holding a “ladies night” in order to kill as many women as possible.  Such is the treatment of women in the peaceful religion of Islam.

Britain has been dealing with the effects of having a Muslim community that has established pockets of Sharia law within the island nation.  So-called “honor killings,” which are anything but honorable, are on the rise there and are the focus of increased investigation after a recent murder.

Are all Muslims extremists?  No.  But there are a whole lot of Muslims and even a vanishingly small percentage is still a significant quantity of people.  It has been shown that the extremists often meet and organize through their local mosques.  So, is it any surprise that folks in Hoover would be less than excited about a new Muslim “worship center” in their fair city?  The only real surprise is that any of them would have the temerity to speak against the project in today’s PC environment.