Ghandi and Gaza???

I recently read an article that said something to the effect that the Palestinian Arabs are beginning to adopt a Ghandi like style of non-violent civil disobedience in confronting Israel, and that the Gaza flotilla was an example which showed how this type of confrontation was successful in winning International sympathy for their cause. The flaw in this assessment of the Gaza Flotilla is that it was not non-violent or Ghandiesque. Ghandi would not have attacked the Israeli sailors who landed on his boat with clubs and knives. Ghandi would not have shot rockets into Israel. Also, it is not the International Community that the Palestinians need to win over if they are really serious, but rather the Israeli people. Israel unilaterally removed the settlements in the Gaza Strip and withdrew as a first step in what was hoped to be the beginning of a separation that would allow the beginning of an independant Palestinian state. But the test failed. The Gazans elected a government (Hamas) that plainly states that it is committed to the destruction of Israel (the Jews) and backs up that statement with frequent rocket attacks across the border into Israel. Under those circumstances, how can anyone expect Israel not to react? Ehud Barak offered Arafat a peace plan that would have dismantled the settlements, given the Palestinian government a presence in Jerusalem, and was not so different than the Saudi Plan. But Arafat rejected it and instead reacted with the Intafada. Most of the Israeli public crave peace and security, but have elected a hard line government because the soft line hasn't worked so far. They would love to deal with a Ghandi, but Hamas would have to change drastically before it could qualify as a Ghandi. Remember, Israel really is a republic elected by its citizens. Show them a reason and a way to reach a settlement and a Palestine that is seriously willing and able to make such a settlement. Then the Israeli people will elect a government that will do it.

Israel's Existence

The recent remarks by the news commentator, Helen Thomas, that the Jews should leave "Palestine" illustrate why the people who hate Israel and Jews have prevented peace in the Middle East. In their view Israel has no right to exist. They might grudgingly accept Israel's presence as an anomaly because it is impossible to remove the Jews, but only with strict limitations and always with the understanding that Jewish sovereignty should be regarded as temporary. That is why in their view it is OK for Gaza to fire rockets into Israel, but it is evil for Israel to react. That is why the flotilla to break Israel's blockade of a country that makes war on Israel is regarded as a "humanitarian flotilla."
When Ms. Thomas was asked where the Jews of Israel should go, she said "back" to Europe. Back to Europe? Most Israeli Jews have never lived in Europe and are native born Israelis and/or descendants of refugees from Middle Eastern and African countries. And do you really think that those European, Middle Eastern, and African countries are ready to accept the Israeli Jews with open arms?
Israel has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to live side by side with an independant Palestinian Arab neighbor state. But the Clinton/Barak plan was rejected by Arafat and answered with a violent intifada. Israel's unilateral dismantling of the Gaza strip settlements and withdrawal from the Gaza strip was answered with the election of Hamas which has been firing rockets over the border into Israel. No wonder Israel has elected a right wing government. A decade ago the West Bank settlements were unpopular with most Israelis who would gladly have gotten rid of them to make peace. Now there seems to be no reason to get rid of them.
Israel's right to exist as a sovereign nation with a Jewish majority willing to accept as immigrants whomever they choose to accept and reject whomever they choose to reject is not because of the existence of a Jewish state there 2000 years ago or because of some biblical promise. It is because Israel exists now with a Jewish majority and a commitment to the Zionist promise of a country that will accept Jews from anywhere who choose to live there and has existed as such for 62 years since 1948. It is because the people of Israel have nowhere else to go.

One Can Envy the Young

One can envy the young,
Their futures before them,
Unfolding, uncertain, incomplete.
Let them envy the old,
Our ventures behind us,
Safe, secure, and replete.

Health Care Reform Person

I voted for Barack Obama, and I think he is doing a great job in the short time he has been president. I believe that there is a problem with the distribution of healthcare in the USA, and that problem needs fixing. Having said that, I have some concerns about the choosing of the person to lead us into health care reform. Senator Daschle seems like a nice guy, and probably would have been good at ramming whatever plan through Congress. Now that he is out of the picture, the television pundits are talking about various politicians as his replacement. President Obama chose a scientist rather than a politician to head the energy endeavor. Shouldn't he do the same for healthcare? Is it more important to choose a politician who can sheperd legislation through Congress, or to choose a healthcare person who is more likely to create a good plan? It is more important to have someone who can create a good product than someone who can sell the product.
Mr. President, I would like to make a suggestion to you. Oliver Goldsmith retired about 5 years ago from being the medical director of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. He successfully led one of the largest medical groups in the USA through difficult times, was active in organizing the Permanente Medical groups at a national level, is a great speaker, and has a good sense of humor. I think he could give us a good product.

Israel Must Defend Itself

I see in the news that hypocrites all over the world are denouncing Israel because of the Gaza war. They don't care that Hamas has been terrorizing the civilian population of Israel by shooting rockets over the border for years and recently stepped up the pace. Israel left Gaza as a start of the peace process, but Hamas rejects the peace process. They insist on one Palestine under their rule from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, in other words no Israel and no Two State Solution. What do they expect? Do they really think that the Israelis are going to voluntarily disappear for the convenience of Hamas. The plight of the civilians in Gaza is tragic just as is the plight of the Israelis who live near the border and have to live in bomb shelters. But who's fault is it? The surrounding Arab countries who regularly denounce every effort by Israel to survive are the very same countries that began the problem in 1948 by invading Israel/Palestine. At that time Israel declared its independance in its part of the U.N. partition and called on the Palestinian Arabs to do the same in their part. And when the war ended, Jordan and Egypt simply annexed the parts of Palestine that they had conquered. Where was the desire for an independent Palestine then? The tragedy is that for many years an approximate solution to the Israel/Palestine problem has evolved, and has become obvious to all rational people involved. I say approximate because there are details to be ironed out,but the rational people on both sides have actually been close for some time. The Clinton Plan which Ehud Barak offered to Yasser Arafat almost a decade ago when the good will between the Israeli and Palestinian people was at an all time high, and which Arafat rejected resulting in the Intifada, was very similar to the plan recently offered by the Saudi government. But Hamas rejects it, calling instead for the destruction of Israel. That plan involves returning to approximately the 1967 borders, the dismantling of most of the Israeli West Bank settlements, keeping the Israeli Jerusalem neighborhoods in what was once the West Bank in Israel, and allowing for some kind of Palestinian presence in East Jerusalem. There are differences in what and where the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem should be, but those things can be worked out. Israel also cannot allow the return of all Palestinian refugees to Israel. That would not work.
Hamas does not appear to be willing to accept the peace plan, but if they were only to stop shooting rockets into Israel, Israel would stop bombing them. They could simply remain a separate country from Palestine. Israel and Palestine on the West Bank could make a peace treaty without them, and things between Israel and Gaza could slowly evolve into some measure of normality.

Faith Based Soviet Union

The Soviet Union was a faith based government. Their faith was atheism. I believe that faith base was a contributing factor to their collapse. Because of that faith base, they made all other religions illegal and in so doing unnecessarily restricted the personal lives of their people. Had they been more pragmatic, less ideological, less concerned about pushing their ideas on everyone else, and had a true separation of church and state, the Soviet Union might still exist.

Which Party is Monetarily Responsible?

Listening to the Speeches at the Republican Convention, it is interesting to hear the old Republican mantra that they are for "lower taxes, less spending, and small government" as opposed to those Democrats who favor "high taxes, more spending, and big government." But this is so blatantly untrue. George Bush inherited a balanced budget and destroyed it. When it comes to spending, the Republicans are not shy about it. They just spend on different interests. In the past 8 years, the money we spent in Iraq makes any money spent on public welfare look like small change. And how did the Republicans spend so much without raising taxes? They borrowed the money. And who will pay this debt? You and I.

What is Best for Us as Jews

We Jews have historically fared best in communities that have enjoyed peace, quiet, and prosperity. In times of disruption and discontent, we have not fared so well. During the late Middle Ages and into the Renaissance times, my ancestors in the Kingdom of Poland were part of the fabric of that country, brought prosperity to Poland, and were able to live a better life than in most of the rest of Europe. That is why so many of us have an East European heritage. When the Polish Kingdom crumbled in the late 17th Century and ultimately was gobbled up by Russia, Prussia, and Austria in the 18th Century, the Jewish position deteriorated. We became unneccessary foreigners in the land which we had supported for centuries. We remained so in post World War I nationalist Poland and under communism in the Ukraine and Belarus which had once been the eastern part of the Polish Kingdom and were now part of the Soviet Union. These Jewish communities were ultimately annihilated by the holocaust brought by a Germany that was dissatisfied with the results of World War I and its aftermath, and which found the Jews a convenient scape goat.
Another example was the relative quiet that Jews enjoyed in the Islamic world of the Middle Ages when Islam enjoyed greater prosperity and enlightenment than Europe, and when Jews contributed greatly to that prosperity and enlightenment. In modern times with the decline of the Islamic world, Jews have become persona non grata. They say that the Israel-Palestine conflict is at the center of the problems in the Region. In other words, get rid of the Jews and everything will be just fine. Instead of embracing Israel and using its technical know how to develop their part of the world and to bring Islam back to what it once was, they have used it as a scape goat for their own shortcomings.
This brings us to our own country, the USA, where we Jews have fared well to a great extent because of our country's freedom and prosperity. Now in our present election, we must choose between 2 candidates for president. Both candidates have openly expressed support for Israel. Obama has the vision, intelligence, and leadership ability to bring normalcy to America and restore real prosperity. He also has at least a shot at bringing some measure of normalcy to the world including maybe the Middle East. Mc Cain, although he has a history of being a moderate Republican, since running for president, has abandoned moderation. He supports Bush's ill conceived and poorly managed adventure in Iraq which has allowed Al Queda to remain entrenched in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area. Even worse, he has chosen Sarah Palin as his vice president candidate. She is a radical rightist who has supported Pat Buchanan (an enemy of Israel and probably Jews in general). Her radical policies and ineptness would bring continued war and financial ruin to our country. Mc Cain has a history of multiple bouts of melanoma. Do we really want that crazy lady to be a heartbeat away from an ailing old president?

An Uncomfortable Moment

Did you see the look on Mc Cain's face when he introduced Palin? He really looked uncomfortable. I guess he needs her to pander to the "Religious" Right. She is out of sync with the original Centrist Mc Cain and in sync with the new Rightist Mc Cain. Perhaps Mc Cain is uncomfortable with the new Mc Cain although it is politically necessary. Obama is fortunate in being really a Centrist who has been painted a Leftist. The move to the Center is easy for him because he has always been there.

Separation of Church and State

I am against mixing politics and religion not so much for the effect of religion on politics as much as for the perversion of religion by politics. Belief in God is Man's way of giving meaning to what otherwise appears to be a chaotic ultimately tragic existence. What does that have to do with politics? Why should anyone care which religion anyone else uses to meet this need? People who mix religion and politics are usually using religion to promote some political or other secular goal.

Berkely Radio Station

I was driving in Northern California recently and picked up a radio station from Berkely. The program was a leftist discussion group. It sounded like the worst of Fox News upside down. There were 2 things about their discussion which I found interesting (and maybe a little scary).
1. They were all unhappy with both major candidates for president. While one considered Obama less offensive than Mc Cain, the other actually preferred to see Obama lose because he feared a minority candidate winning would have a calming effect on minorities and make them less likely to rise up. Are they in touch with real life? Obama is a Centrist with a slightly left tilt while Mc Cain is a Centrist with a slightly right tilt. They are the nominees because they represent what "the people" want, a rational pragmatic direction. The radical Left and Right represent only themselves. I favor Obama because he is smarter and more effective.
2. The other scary item was their rabid hatred of Israel. They seem oblivious to the facts that Israel is a multiracial Democracy where all citizens (including Israeli Arabs) have an equal vote surrounded by countries that at best tolerate Israel and at worst want to destroy it. They were concerned that if Iran were to nuke Israel ( a proposal that Iran's leader has proposed publicly) a retaliation would kill innocent Iranians. How antisemitic can one get? Like the lives of Israelis (mostly Jews) don't matter?

Wealth

Monetary wealth is spending less money than one earns. Poverty is spending more than one earns.

Time

I used to think that when I become old, I would have lots of time to take it easy and do hobbies and hang around. Actually I am just as busy as ever. I have increased my weekend to 3 days instead of 2, so now I am retired on Mondays. If I were to work less than 4 days a week, I don't think I would have any more free time. If I had another day off, the Great Time Eating Machine of Life would just eat it up. In other words the person with free time is the one who has the time when something has to be done. Also, the older one gets, the less time there is to accomplish whatever one wants to accomplish. I enjoy my work more now than when I was young. I have more confidence in what I do. The routine parts have become so routine, that I can concentrate more on the innovative.

Talking to the Enemy

It has been said that one needs to talk with one's enemies. Talking does not mean surrender or giving in to their demands. All things being equal I agree with that concept. But unfortunately things are not always equal. In the case of Hamas, we (and by we I mean my country America and its best Middle East ally Israel) should not at the present time talk to them. The reason is not just that they are our enemy. Not only do they not even acknowledge Israel's right to exist, are openly pledged to its destruction, and continue to attack Israel by shooting rockets over the border from Gaza, but they are at odds with Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah. Fatah is not exactly our best friend, but they under Abbas are at least willing to talk about peace. The problems are in the details and in the question of whether Mr. Abbas has the ability to enforce peace on his side. There was a real chance of peace just before the intifada, because the people on both sides were developing a sense of trust, but Yasser Arafat blew it all away with his intifada. Renewing that lost trust will not be easy but must eventually happen.
The reality is that now there are 2 Palestines, one on the West Bank under Fatah and the other in Gaza under Hamas. If everyone including Fatah could accept this reality and Abbas were no longer responsible for Gaza, then it would be easier for Israel and the West Bank to make the compromises necessary for peace. Gaza would remain the enemy, but perhaps if the Gazans see the fruits of peace that the West Bankers reap, they might realize what losers they have chosen in Hamas and get rid of them.

Do We Want a Smart President?

Barack Obama was the president of the Harvard Law Review when he was a law student at Harvard. John Mc Cain was 5th from the bottom of his class at Annapolis. So do we want our president to be a brilliant achiever (Obama) or mediocre (Mc Cain)?

Shame

Shame on you, Jeremiah Wright, and shame on your enablers like Jimmy Carter for soft pedaling and covering up for you as he did on the Larry King show. The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is close, and losing some of those independant voters (who see in Senator Obama a brilliant pragmatic leader who can truly represent all Americans) could deny our country an opportunity to be led by the potentially greatest president of our time. That would give you the opportunity to lay the blame for our loss on the rest of us instead of where it would belong (on you). Hopefully, Senator Obama's words today will convince everyone that Wright's divisiveness and bigotry are diametrically opposed to the policies of Obama.

XI. GOING HOME

Before I left for Korea, I had a feeling of apprehension, the first time so far from home in a strange land. And it's true, my first impressions of Korea were very much like looking at a picture in National Geographic. There were some places in the hills where I could really imagine Ghengis Khan riding across the horizon. But, strangely enough, when it came time to go home, I felt the same apprehension. Home was in a way now the unknown. I had not become a Korean. I had simply spent a year living in one of a group of little pieces of America scattered in many foreign countries. But it wasn't exactly the America from which I had come. It was an isolated island containing detached souls, detached in space, in time, in emotion, and in a sense of reality or a lack of that sense. I feared that perhaps I had changed so much that I could no longer attach myself to the real world in which I had once lived.
Also I wondered if home had changed. It had been a historical year from autumn of 1964 to autumn 1965. The Gulf of Tonken incident had occurred followed by the big build up of the army in Vietnam with a full scale war. In Korea it was just games, but I read in the Stars and Stripes (the military newspaper) about the war and about the protests at home. When I come home in my uniform will people stare at me? I thought to myself, "Why do you look at me that way? I wasn't in Vietnam? I was in Korea where there is no war. I'm a doctor. I was a preventive medicine officer over there. I inspected kitchens and toilets and visited venereal disease clinics in order to keep our soldiers, your sons and brothers, from getting sick. Well at least we did a good job with the toilets and kitchens. I never touched a gun the whole time I was there, not even on field maneuvers. The only gunshot wounds I ever saw were a guard who shot himself in the foot when he was placing a bullet in his rifle because he thought he heard a thief coming through the fence to steal an auto part from the motor pool and a lonely, depressed sergeant who shot himself in the head the day before Christmas."
I took the circuit around Southeast Asia on the way home. It was with mixed feelings. On the one hand I felt that I had to do it. Here I was on the other side of the world with leave time accumulated. I'd probably never get back again, so how could I miss the opportunity? Later, I would never forgive myself. On the other hand, it was a period of limbo. Leaving Korea was the end of a segment of my life. Coming home was not going to be just a return but rather the beginning of a new part of my life. Besides, sight seeing alone just isn't as much fun as with someone else, and I was anxious to see my family.
After spending one last night at the Green Door, I went off to Kimpo Airfield for the MATS flight to Japan. The lady at the Green Door offered to accompany me to the airport, but I declined. Somehow being sent off by the Green Door lady at the beginning of my trip and being picked up by my parents at the other end seemed inappropriate. Real life was beginning to set in.
I took a bus from the military air base in Japan to the civilian airport where I consulted a travel agent who booked me on a series of flights around Southeast Asia. I only spent a few days in each place. I wanted to see them, but I also wanted to go home. The first stop was Hong Kong. I saw all the regular sights like Tiger Balm Garden, the night clubs, and a hover craft ride across to Macau. There was a gambling casino on the boat, and there were Chinese ladies in fur coats hovered over the gambling tables who reminded me of fur coated ladies I had seen a decade earlier on a trip to Las Vegas with my family. I guess in those days fur coats were considered a sign of wealth and were worn even in hot weather. I had a suit made in Hong Kong. It was cheap compared to the U.S., but actually I had a suit made for me in a shop in Tongduchon in Korea that was half the price and lasted twice as long. The next stop was Bangkok, canals, glittery temples, spicy food, silk that didn't seem silky, a nice place to visit.
By the time I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I had seen a lot of interesting stuff, but I was thoroughly lonely. The airport was a modern marble or marble-like building. On the way into the city, the cab passed the civic center with very impressive modern buildings, then the downtown area, and then to a shabby street where the taxi abruptly stopped in front of my hotel. I had asked for second class hotels in order to save money. It had worked out OK in Bangkok where the hotel was simple but clean and comfortable, but not here. The lobby was dingy. There were large ceiling fans slowly turning. It looked like the setting for a B class 1940s movie. I expected to see Humphrey Bogart sitting with Peter Lorrie and Sidney Greenstreet in the corner. I asked the clerk at the desk, "You have air conditioning?"
"No. But we have a hotel next door which does."
"Let me stay there."
The hotel next door had an air conditioned room but was otherwise worse than the first. It was dingy, dirty, and had cockroaches in the bathroom. By now it had started to rain, so I decided to spend the night. The hotel clerk offered to obtain female companionship for me, "You want woman? Malay woman most beautiful. I bring room." But I declined. Early in the morning, I moved to a simple but clean and comfortable hotel located in the railroad station.
That day I decided to take a city tour. I was sitting in the tour bus when three young Americans joined the tour. One was a blond fellow with blue eyes. Another was a blue eyed blond girl. The third was a tall black girl with a plain face but a rather shapely figure. By listening to their conversation, I ascertained that the two blonds were boyfriend and girlfriend, and the black girl was a friend of the blond girl. Also, it turned out that the fellow was an army lieutenant stationed in Korea and the two girls worked in the Army Special Services canteen in the very same Camp Casey from which I had just come.
Aha! My opportunity. Camp Casey would be my entree to the conversation and then to snare the black girl away from her friends. The conversation went well, but when I asked her to dinner, she said she had made plans with her friends, but I was welcome to join them. They were going to have dinner at their hotel and then go to the Saturday Night Sunday Market. Not exactly what I had in mind, but then again it was really what I did want, namely companionship.
After dinner while the lieutenant and I were relieving ourselves in the men's room, the girls were invited to a party by two Indian guys in the lobby who thought the girls were alone. When the lieutenant and I arrived in the lobby, the Indians realized that the situation was not exactly what they had in mind, but being polite they nonetheless invited us all to the party. The girls and I were enthusiastic about going to a local party with local people, but the lieutenant had some reservations. Anyway we all piled into the Indians' small car and off we went jammed together.
It was a great party. The location was a dimly lit courtyard. A record player provided the music. There were guys in turbans and girls in saris dancing the jitterbug and the twist. The two girls and I were enthralled by the whole event, but after about half an hour, the lieutenant suggested that we had better leave or we would miss the Saturday Night Sunday Market. Actually, the real reason for his suggestion was that he noticed some of the Indians looking hungrily at the shapely black girl. I don't know if his caution was warranted or not. Maybe he was misreading it. Anyway, the Indians who brought us to the party graciously drove us over to the Saturday Night Sunday Market, dropped us off, and returned to their party. We walked around the market for a while. It was a big flea market but nothing unusual.
The evening ended innocently. The taxi dropped the three of them off at their hotel and then continued on to mine. We were making the circuit in opposite directions. The next morning, they were off to Bangkok and I to Singapore. I have never seen them since then and do not remember their names, but for that one day they were my close friends.
Singapore reminded me of Hong Kong, Chinese people, British influence, modern tall buildings, commercial. It was once part of Malaysia, but apparently Malaysia kicked it out of their country because the majority of Singaporeans are Chinese, and the majority of Malaysians are Malay. The Malays did it to reduce the influence of the more middle class and wealthy Chinese in their country. It's an old story, the plight of middle class ethnic minorities around the world throughout history. Actually, Malaysia's novel approach was more benign than most.
The next stop on my itinerary was Manila, but in the airport when it was time to leave, a voice on the loud speaker announced that the flight was now boarding for Saigon and Manila. Saigon? That's in Vietnam! The travel agent in Tokyo didn't say anything about Saigon. Don't they know there is a war going on there? Well too late now. The plane's boarding.
I was only in Vietnam about one hour. Looking out the window as the plane landed, one could see tents, tanks, big guns, all kinds of military things all over the place. As we filed out across the runway to the terminal, we were greeted by a pretty little ground hostess in a traditional tight brightly colored Vietnamese dress and a big burly sun tanned U.S. marine with a helmet and a sub-machine gun. In the terminal, there were the usual amenities for tourists like us, a gift shop and a coffee shop. Also there were armed guards all over the place. When we boarded the plane again we added a group of U.S. soldiers going home after the completion of their year over there. They were a boisterous group, shouting, joking, deliriously happy to return alive. There was a lady correspondent with them, a tall bony angular woman wearing jungle fatigues and a big cowboy hat. She was joking, shouting, and drinking with the soldiers like one of the boys, but she looked like the toughest one in the group.
Manila and Taipei were nice, but I really didn't fully appreciate them because by this time I was anxious to get home. I am told that I seemed different when I first arrived home, more stiff and military, but the next day I was back to being my old self. I never noticed the difference. I spent the rest of my army tour at Fort Sheridan outside Chicago. It was in beautiful location on Lake Michigan with old trees and old buildings, a quiet place, but close enough to go home on weekends. Fishberg visited once on his way home to New York. My mother remarked that he seemed like a nice young man. He was.

So this ends my book, Memories of My Year in Korea. I hope you enjoyed it. It was a collection of fictional stories based on events that I heard about and in some cases experienced. I hope you enjoyed it.

Passover Wish

Passover, the Jewish holiday which is coming up next week, tells the story of the freeing of the Hebrews from ancient Egypt. Therefore it celebrates freedom. So in keeping with the spirit of Passover, I would like to wish freedom for my 4 young grandchildren. Fortunately they have been born in the United States of America and therefore have been given political freedom. But I am talking about a different kind of freedom, an inner freedom, a freedom which can not be given to them but which they must give to themselves if they are to have it.
So I wish for you , my grandchildren, freedom
to read, to study, to work, and thereby to become your own person.
to make mistakes and accept the mistakes of others
to be compassionate
to embrace people of various races, religions, and backgrounds.
to see the best in people.
to be an optimist.
to see through the muck of convention and think your own thoughts.
to be a good citizen of our country, but but one who questions.
to enjoy Judaism as a way to make sense of life.
to avoid envy.
to see the humor in life because life is either funny or tragic, and funny is the better choice.

The UCC Leaders and the Press

I hope and expect that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.
Last night leaders of the United Church of Christ appeared on television to respond to the recent flap concerning certain remarks of Rev Jeremiah Wright. Unlike Senator Obama who distanced himself graciously from Rev Wright's remarks which were diametrically opposed to the views of Senator Obama, the church leaders supported Rev Wright saying something to the effect that he is a very vigorous speaker. Instead they lashed out at the press. While it is true that the right wing of the press and some of the supporters of Hillary Clinton used Rev Wright's remarks, the mainstream press actually showed great restraint and balance. The church leaders are planning a "sacred discussion" (whatever that means) of the matter as opposed to the press's discussions. It sounds like they want to talk and the rest of us are supposed to listen quietly.
By fanning the flames, the church leaders are undermining Senator Obama to promote their own interests. They are Hillary Clinton's last hope.

Concerning Rev Jeremiah Wright

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I voted for Senator Obama in the Democratic primary and intend to vote for him in the election in November.
I am unhappy with the remarks of Rev Jeremiah Wright (the retired pastor of the church which Senator Obama attends) in which Rev Wright insulted America and claimed a justification of the 9-11 invasion of our country by terrorists. He condemned America's ally, the State of Israel, calling it racist, and urged an economic boycott of Israel. He has supported Louis Farrakhan, an avowed anti-Semite. He also insulted my fellow citizens of Italian descent.
I am first an American, second a Jew, and third a Zionist. On all three counts, it would seem that Rev Wright does not like me. So I don't have to like him. His ideas, at least the ones I have heard, are contrary to those of Senator Obama's, as the senator stated in his speech. I believe Senator Obama was too kind to Rev Wright in saying that there is more to him. Rev Wright has not reciprocated that kindness with an apology or explanation of what he has said.
I must speak out against Rev Wright's comments because of my admiration for Senator Obama, and because I want to see him as the next president of our country. As for the notion that Israel is racist, the Israeli people are much more racially diverse than the Palestinian Arabs. Israel has taken in and made Israeli citizens of thousands of refugees from Africa, not only the Black Jews of Ethiopia, but also hundreds of Black Moslem Darfurians who escaped persecution and genocide by the Sudanese Arabs.
I support Senator Obama because he is the most capable candidate to fight terrorism and to develop alternate energy sources to get us away from our dependence on foreign oil which supplies revenue for the terrorists. Perhaps the reason Rev Wright has not come out of hiding to explain himself is that he really does not want Senator Obama to become president. It would disprove what he has said and make him irrelevant.