________________________________
Sent: 3/17/2008 12:33:49 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Letter to NY Times Reporter from Rev. Dr. J.
Wright (READ IT!) Send it to others
March 11, 2007
Jodi Kantor
The New York Times
9 West 43rd Street
New York,
New York 10036-3959
Dear Jodi:
Thank you for engaging in one of the biggest
misrepresentations of the truth I have ever seen in sixty-five years
<http://skepticalbrotha.wordpress.com/2007/03/06/obama-disses-his-pastor
/> . You sat and shared with me for two hours. You told me you were
doing a "Spiritual Biography" of Senator Barack Obama. For two hours, I
shared with you how I thought he was the most principled individual in
public service that I have ever met.
For two hours, I talked with you about how idealistic he
was. For two hours I shared with you what a genuine human being he was.
I told you how incredible he was as a man who was an African American in
public service, and as a man who refused to announce his candidacy for
President until Carol Moseley Braun indicated one way or the other
whether or not she was going to run.
I told you what a dreamer he was. I told you how
idealistic he was. We talked about how refreshing it would be for
someone who knew about Islam to be in the Oval Office. Your own question
to me was, Didn't I think it would be incredible to have somebody in the
Oval Office who not only knew about Muslims, but had living and
breathing Muslims in his own family? I told you how important it would
be to have a man who not only knew the difference between Shiites and
Sunnis prior to 9/11/01 in the Oval Office, but also how important it
would be to have a man who knew what Sufism was; a man who understood
that there were different branches of Judaism; a man who knew the
difference between Hasidic Jews, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews and
Reformed Jews; and a man who was a devout Christian, but who did not
prejudge others because they believed something other than what he
believed.
I talked about how rare it was to meet a man whose
Christianity was not just "in word only." I talked about Barack being a
person who lived his faith and did not argue his faith. I talked about
Barack as a person who did not draw doctrinal lines in the sand nor
consign other people to hell if they did not believe what he believed.
Out of a two-hour conversation with you about Barack's
spiritual journey and my protesting to you that I had not shaped him nor
formed him, that I had not mentored him or made him the man he was, even
though I would love to take that credit, you did not print any of that.
When I told you, using one of your own Jewish stories from the Hebrew
Bible as to how God asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?," that
Barack was like that when I met him. Barack had it "in his hand." Barack
had in his grasp a uniqueness in terms of his spiritual development that
one is hard put to find in the 21st century, and you did not print that.
As I was just starting to say a moment ago, Jodi, out of
two hours of conversation I spent approximately five to seven minutes on
Barack's taking advice from one of his trusted campaign people and
deeming it unwise to make me the media spotlight on the day of his
announcing his candidacy for the Presidency and what do you print? You
and your editor proceeded to present to the general public a snippet, a
printed "sound byte" and a titillating and tantalizing article about his
disinviting me to the Invocation on the day of his announcing his
candidacy.
I have never been exposed to that kind of duplicitous
behavior before, and I want to write you publicly to let you know that I
do not approve of it and will not be party to any further smearing of
the name, the reputation, the integrity or the character of perhaps this
nation's first (and maybe even only) honest candidate offering himself
for public service as the person to occupy the Oval Office.
Your editor is a sensationalist. For you to even mention
that makes me doubt your credibility, and I am looking forward to see
how you are going to butcher what else I had to say concerning Senator
Obama's "Spiritual Biography." Our Conference Minister, the Reverend
Jane Fisler Hoffman, a white woman who belongs to a Black church that
Hannity of "Hannity and Colmes" is trying to trash, set the record
straight for you in terms of who I am and in terms of who we are as the
church to which Barack has belonged for over twenty years.
The president of our denomination, the Reverend John
Thomas, has offered to try to help you clarify in your confused head
what Trinity Church is even though you spent the entire weekend with us
setting me up to interview me for what turned out to be a smear of the
Senator; and yet The New York Times continues to roll on making the
truth what it wants to be the truth. I do not remember reading in your
article that Barack had apologized for listening to that bad information
and bad advice. Did I miss it? Or did your editor cut it out? Either
way, you do not have to worry about hearing anything else from me for
you to edit or "spin" because you are more interested in journalism than
in truth.
Forgive me for having a momentary lapse. I forgot that
The New York Times was leading the bandwagon in trumpeting why it is we
should have gone into an illegal war. The New York Times became George
Bush and the Republican Party's national "blog." The New York Times
played a role in the outing of Valerie Plame. I do not know why I
thought The New York Times had actually repented and was going to
exhibit a different kind of behavior.
Maybe it was my faith in the Jewish Holy Day of
Roshashana. Maybe it was my being caught up in the euphoria of the
Season of Lent; but whatever it is or was, I was sadly mistaken. There
is no repentance on the part of The New York Times. There is no
integrity when it comes to The Times. You should do well with that
paper, Jodi. You looked me straight in my face and told me a lie!
Sincerely and respectfully yours,
Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. ,
<http://www.tucc.org/upload/tuccbulletin_mar18.pdf>
Senior Pastor
Trinity United Church of Christ
This information may contain information that is privileged,
confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are
not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure,
photocopying or distribution of these contents is unauthorized and
prohibited. If you have received this in error, please notify the sender
immediately and destroy all copies.
________________________________
It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms and advice on AOL Money &
Finance. <http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001>
________________________________
Shed those extra pounds with MSN and The Biggest Loser! Learn more.
<http://biggestloser.msn.com/>
Treasury Circular 230 Disclosure: To the extent this communication contains any statement regarding federal taxes,
that statement was not written or intended to be used, and it cannot be used, by any person (i) as a basis for avoiding
federal tax penalties that may be imposed on that person, or (ii) to promote, market or recommend to another party
any transaction or matter addressed herein.
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information in this email may be confidential and/or privileged. This email is
intended to be reviewed by only the individual or organization named above. If you are not the intended recipient or an
authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, dissemination or copying
of this email and its attachments, if any, or the information contained herein is prohibited. If you have received this
email in error, please immediately notify the sender by return email and delete this email from your system.
Thank You.
|
