Wright at Detroit NAACP Dinner

Letter to the Editor of the Detroit News

In re: What's right thing for Wright to say? (Detroit News, Friday April 25, 2008)

Dear Editor:

 

Reverend Wright's critics do not understand spiritual leadership.

Here is the Prophet Micah's condemnation of the corrupt leadership of the house of Israel from chapter 3 of the Book of Micah:

1. And I said: Hearken now, you heads of Jacob and officers of the house of Israel! Is it not incumbent upon you to know the judgment?

2. Those who hate good and love evil-who rob their skin from upon them and their flesh from upon their bones,

3. and who ate the flesh of My people and flayed their skin from upon them, and opened their bones and broke them, as in a pot, and like meat within a cauldron

4. then they shall cry out to the Lord, but He shall not respond to them; and He shall hide His countenance from them at that time, as they wrought evil with their works.

5. So said the Lord concerning the prophets who mislead my people, who bite with their teeth and herald peace, but concerning whomever does not give into their mouth, they prepare war.

6. Therefore, it shall be night for you because of the vision, and it shall be dark for you because of the divination, and the sun shall set on the prophets, and the day shall be darkened about them.

7. And the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners shall be disgraced, and they shall all cover their upper lips, for it is not a statement of God.

8. But I am truly full of strength from the spirit of the Lord and justice and might, to tell Jacob his transgression and Israel his sin.

9. Hearken now to this, you heads of the house of Jacob and you rulers of the house of Israel, who condemn justice and pervert all that is straight.

10. Each one builds Zion with blood and Jerusalem with injustice.

11. Its heads judge for bribes, and its priests teach for a price; and its prophets divine for money, and they rely on the Lord, saying, "Is not the Lord in our midst? No evil shall befall us."

12. Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the Temple Mount like the high places of a forest.

What does Reverend Wright do that the ancient Prophets did not?

 

Why didn't ADL national director Abraham Foxman merit media attention for his accusations against Americans in his book entitled The Deadliest Lies (p. 29):

But the fact that millions of Americans do accept the bigot's point of view [about the Jew's concern for Israel] -- in some cases without thinking about it very much or being particularly conscious of it -- inevitably creates a certain tension surrounding discussions of U.S. policy toward Israel and the Middle East.

Do broadcast and print journalists assume they are not among those millions of Americans that Foxman claims to be anti-Semitic?

 

Are they having some sort of defensive guilt reaction to Reverend Wright's sermons?

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Joachim Martillo

Boston, MA

 

Original Feature Article

 

Friday, April 25, 2008 What's right thing for Wright to say? View full size Comments on this Sunday's scheduled keynote speaker to the Detroit NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former minister to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama: View full size Rev. Horace Sheffield III, pastor of New Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit: My biggest hope is that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright doesn't do or say anything that would lend itself to hurting Barack Obamas's bid for the White House. I support the NAACP's decision to invite Wright and hope he will be discuss conditions that are hurting us in America -- whether it be African-Americans, the poor or any people who are marginalized. View full size Rev. Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Grand Rapids: The Detroit NAACP has every right to invite a speaker of its choosing. But what Wright says in Detroit will reflect for good or ill on the NAACP as the sponsoring group. Three possibilities emerge: Wright would offer another installment of his Marxist-tinged, divisive rhetoric and further widen the racial divide and embarrass his congregant, Barack Obama. Wright -- evoking the "elephant in the room" phenomenon -- might pretend (and invite his listeners to pretend) that there was no recent unpleasantness, thus eroding the moral authority of the NAACP. Wright might offer a heartfelt apology to the nation for his offensive language, limited vision and the unChristian tone of his homiletical pyrotechnics. He could repent, seek forgiveness and promote the racial healing our nation needs. It will be instructive no matter what path he chooses. View full size Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, head of the Islamic House of Worship in Dearborn Heights: Rev. Jeremiah Wright is a shining light, bringing dignity and integrity to our nation. His voice represents the mission of Jesus and the call for freedom and justice. This voice of truth and peace has become a victim of hateful media harassment. The Zionist Organization of America didn't apologize for the huge betrayal of our national security when Ben-Ami Kadish allegedly passed classified U.S. nuclear weaponry documents to Israel. Yet it insolently tried to pressure the Rev. Wendell Anthony to cancel his invitation to dialogue with Wright. This is hypocritical and disgusting. Wright has already proved his love and loyalty to our country in his many years of military service and in three decades of community leadership. He is not one of those church leaders who sold their souls to politics with no service to the image and moral salvation of this nation. View full size Rabbi Aaron Bergman, director of Jewish studies at Frankel Jewish Academy of Metropolitan Detroit: The Rev. Jeremiah Wright served his country admirably in the military. He has been a vigilant fighter for the rights of African-Americans and has shown unusual sensitivity to those struggling with HIV/AIDS and those in the gay community. He has also been a demagogue who has said America should not be blessed, but damned. He has blamed America for 9/11 without showing sympathy for the victims or their families. It is one thing to criticize the government, but it is quite another to accuse all Americans of being racists. There is a long way to go before we eradicate racism and other great wrongs, but Wright's comments only discourage those who do want to make things better. The NAACP may honor whomever it wishes. I hope, though, that other powerful voices at the dinner will call for a true love of all people and a desire for fairness for everyone. Please e-mail your comments to letters@detnews.com.

Find this article at: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080425/OPINION01/804250308

 

 

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