In honor of Martin Luther King Jr
Posted on January 21st, 2008 by catalyst into the Politics categoryI give you the modern day, Martin Luther King Jr. My hero and yours,
Barack Obama!
(Oh yeah, I'm not giving up. If JP and JoeBib can write 8000 words on the meaning of Matthew 8. Then I can spend a few words discussing Obama!)
Here is a great story from Obama's speach at Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Atlanta!
There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organizes for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She’s been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and the other day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.
And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.
She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.
She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.
So Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.”
I really encourage you to read the whole thing. Even if you don't agree with his policies, you have to admit, he is inspiring!
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January 21st, 2008 at 12:38 pm
he is inspiring
January 21st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
What a sick perversion. Why do you hate black people?
January 21st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Well you can be sure of one thing. Barak Obama will never be invited to speak at CBC.
January 21st, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Heck, I wouldn’t let Obama in my house because of his ties to the mob and his promoting homosexuality in the MLK Church!
Of all things!
BTW - I doubt if anyone from the CBC would ever be invited in my house either!
January 21st, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Yeah catalyst, this Obama guy is super liberal. For example, he thinks abortion is OK. I mean pin a rose on his nose for voting against the Iraq war, but I think that 1.3 million abortions a year in the US is too many. Where are you on this one?
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:59 am
Cat, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but can we be real for a second?
Obama makes an impassioned speech about fixing social injustice and spends a lot of time talking about fixing health care and “change”. That story about Ashley is moving, but it is simply a political trick to make you feel good about supporting him as a candidate for change.
The problem is, he gives no answers on how to change the system, specifically health care. He spends no time convincing us how he intends to fix it and give poor girls like Ashley a decent meal and health care for dying single Moms. His web site is sketchy on how he wants to pay for MANDATORY national health care, and the only thing I can see is that he wants to force employers to pay for it. Increasing the cost of doing business is such a great idea! (right) Even if that is implemented, taxes will have to be raised to offset the shortfall.
Listen, I don’t mind if you find someone inspiring, but speeches about poor girls with dying Moms is not going to convince me to support a candidate. Have fun with your man crush, but I’d rather listen to a candidate who talked about what he actually intends to *DO*.
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Cat, I knew Shonta’, Reggie and Donnell’s influence would rub off on you someday!
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:10 am
anyone notice that politicians always promise to make things better but rarely anything happens during their term….maybe i just dont notice it, but it seems like everyone promises cheaper this, and cheaper that, but thigs get more and more expensive….
January 23rd, 2008 at 7:43 am
I disagree with Obama’s stance on abortion. But you’ll notice that George W. Bush hasn’t eliminated abortion either. And Bush did invade a country that didn’t attack us and in the process killed reportedly 500,000 innocent Iraqis. So, I’m not so sure that a Republican vote is a Pro-life vote.
His mob-ties are unproven. And I have gone on record stating I don’t think homosexuality is a sin.
This is a fair criticism. You’re right, he doesn’t talk alot about specifics. But I’m not exactly sure what politician is talking about what they’re specifically going to do. They all speak in rather ambigious rhetoric.
Heh. Well, you know. White people have done a pretty good job screwing up this country. I figure, it’s time to give black people a chance. Let’s see if they can do better.
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:50 am
Be strong Cat — I got your back.
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
i don’t mean to be an ass, but please stop misspelling the word speech. Its not speach.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Well, daycruz… “I” is supposed to be capitalized, and “It’s” should have an apostrophe.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Too late.
Correcting someone’s spelling on a blog is the definition of an ass. Look it up, it’s in the dictionary.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:43 am
The spelling issues don’t bother me. I always liked Mark Twain.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:00 am
I’m sorry man, that word spelled that way just bothers the crap out of me. I’m being serious though, when I say I didn’t want to be rude. You understand, right?
“speach”?
Twice!?
January 24th, 2008 at 8:09 am
You don’t think homosexuality is a sin? Please send me a link to your previous responses to this, or repost please.
Are you a homosexual?
January 24th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I’ve had this argument multiple times, and I forget where the links are. Ultimately though, I’m not trying to change your mind. It’s just something I’ve decided over the last couple of years. I am no longer persuaded by the verses in the Bible condemning homosexuality (and yes, they exist) like I am not persuaded by the verses that tell woman to stay silent in church or promote stoning disobedient children.
Nope. I love girls.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Even better, look around your church and remember that gluttony is classified right alongside homosexuality. Now judge, i just dare ya.
–p
January 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Patrick,
Where is that in scripture where gluttony is classified as a sin right alongside of homosexuality?
I must have missed that one…
Thanks
January 30th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Sin is sin! point blank. Whether gluttony or Homosexuality. That is why we all deserve to go to hell. We put sin in different categories of extremes, but all deserve death. God looks at sin as sin, no matter what. None of us are perfect, that is why we all need the blood of Jesus. He washed us clean! We should all be thankful and not condeming. It is His love and grace that will cause people to place their eyes on Him, not our condemnation of what they are doing. Bottom line is, is that you deserve hell as much as a homosexual if you lie, cheat, steal, gossip, etc. but if you believe that Jesus died for you, we don’t have to live in that condemnation. The problem is, is that most of us don’t truly believe it, we actually live in condemnation, so we can’t share that true love with anyone else. Jesus died for homosexuals just as He died for me in my sin. I do believe that it is a sin, but we must show them the love of Christ and not condemnation.
As for this modern day Martin Luther King statement…Please! There is no such thing in American politics today. No one stands for what that man stood for. Noone! He was a devout man of God and to compare Obama to Dr. Martin Luther King is very disgraceful to Dr. King. Democrats and republicans alike are way too political these days. It is rare that someone actually speaks with such integrity and passion and honesty - straight from the heart - as Dr. King.
January 30th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I gotta agree with you. Obama may be very liberal and may not have all the answers, but no presidential candidate since JFK has been able to speak and inspire people the way he does. To me it’s not about policies or programs. The President is helpless to act if Congress does not support him or her. I mean think about it people, did Clinton or Bush really do that much for America besides teach us that “oral sex is not really sex” and “war is bad”? No, we need a President that can invoke action, inspire people to get up off their lazy asses and do something, motivate individuals to make America a better place. Regan came close and Obama has all the right tools. Lets just hope that some radical racist bastard does not give Obama the same fate as JFK.