Should McCain disown his pastor as well?

In the spirit of EQUAL debate. I submit this following article taken from the "THINK PROGRESS" website. You can click onto the link to see the entire article for yourselves. Feel free to comment.
Peace & Thoughts
Chicago Jedi '08
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McCain ‘Very Honored’ By Support Of Pastor Preaching ‘End-Time Confrontation With Iran’»
Yesterday, hard-line conservative Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, endorsed John McCain. Hagee said that McCain “is a man of principle, [who] does not stand boldly on both sides of any issue.” McCain, who had been courting the endorsement for over a year, said that he was “very honored by Pastor John Hagee’s endorsement.”

Demonstrating how wildly out of the American religious and political mainstream Hagee’s views are, McCain’s acceptance of Hagee’s endorsement was condemned today by conservative William Donohue, president of the Catholic League. Calling Hagee a “bigot,” Donahue said the right-wing pastor has waged “an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church” by “calling it ‘The Great Whore,’ an ‘apostate church,’ the ‘anti-Christ,’ and a ‘false cult system.’”

Hagee holds many other radical beliefs. In a 2006 address to CUFI, Hagee declared:

The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God’s plan for both Israel and the West… a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ.

Speaking to the 2007 AIPAC conference, Hagee compared supporters of a two-state solution in the Middle East to Nazis. Hagee also echoed right-wing Israeli politician Binyamin Netanyahu, telling the audience that “Iran is Germany and Ahmadinejad is the new Hitler.”

Paging Tim Russert: Someone should ask John McCain if, unlike Hagee, he supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and whether he believes that a military strike against Iran would “fulfill God’s plan for…a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation” as Hagee does.

UPDATE: Faith in Public Life has more.

UPDATE II: Hagee’s tv show, “John Hagee Today,” is also broadcast on Cornerstone Television. In 1999, McCain wrote to the FCC on behalf of campaign contributor Lowell “Bud” Paxson, urging a deal that would have made $17.5 million for Cornerstone.

KAPPA ALPHA PSI receives negative press

On April 4, 2008, at a Los Angeles event commemorating the assassination of Martin Luther King, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity incorporated gave Israeli-American Daphna Ziman its Tom Bradley Award for community service. During the presentation, the keynote speaker, Reverend Eric Lee, gave what was perceived as a personal attack on Ms. Ziman about Jewish/Black relations an ever hot topic. View for yourselves and comment.
Chicago Jedi

Rev. Eric Lee's Anti-Semitism: A Personal Story

Rev. Eric Lee

In search of the Past through the present

Presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama recently gave a speech on race in America as it related to our need as a country to understand each other and through that dialog find a common space in which to discuss our differences. The Senator from Illinois has been given grand credit for even attempting to tackle such a tabooed topic, especially in the midst of a presidential campaign. The politically correct thing to do would have been for him to ignore it or to say something common such as things have gotten better or some other disingenuous form of the truth.

The fact of the matter is race has and does matter in the sub-consciousness of us all. It's not necessarily a bad thing because we are all different in culture and upbringings and those differences are what make us a melting pot. It's those differences, which guarantee this country remain one of the best.

Recently, a young Black man by the name of David A. Wilson began the search of his ancestry through North Carolina. What he found was not only the place where his great grandparents were held as slaves but the direct descendant of those slave owners, David B. Wilson. What developed in this documentary was the relationship between, what Dr. King touted as, the coming together of former slaves and former slave masters sitting down at the table of brotherhood. David A, has a bright future in the journalism field. In my opinion that is a grand accomplishment as well as a welcomed departure from rapping and sports stories for black students.

Following the documentary, MSNBC's Brian Williams hosted a panel at one of the historically black colleges, Howard University where the panelists such as Eric Dyson, Tom Joyner, Rev. DeForest Soaries, activist and ex-BET/MTV producer, Kevin Powell and others discussed race. It was a discussion worth its weight in gold. Re-broadcasts will be aired all this month.

This documentary will by no means solve the race problem in America but it is hopeful that it will spark the dialog. If you've never seen it you should, your CHILDREN SHOULD. It is definitely an eye-opening experience.

We should all view this insightful piece and more importantly DISCUSS it with others.
click the link OR coopy/paste it into your address browser to check it out for yourselves (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23746891#23746891)

Peace and a new direction,
Chicago Jedi

The TOP FIVE

There are always things in our lives we wish we had the answers to. These are the things most of the civilized world never had to ponder because they weren't issues. Where has the common sense gone? If you feel you have some to add, send them in the comment section.

1. If YOU knew the popular rap group who touted; "Shoot that MF in the head, blah, blah, blah..." was just a group who made an entertainment song and was not meant to be taken literally, why don't YOUR kids know that too?

2. When will the young urbanite's T-shirt color change from white?

3. Where has "individuality" gone and how can we get her back?

4. When will reading become cool again?

5. If it wasn't okay for you to do it when you were a kid, why is it okay for your kids to do it now?

The Challenge

This is a new time in our world. We've got a new POSITIVE Presidential Candidate and we've got a new groove goin' on. Things are looking up on that front yet we are still bogged down by the sins of the past manifested in Iraq and gas prices as high as giraffe P%$*Y!!! So, what do we do? I submit, that is the challenge.

What do we do? Well, I'm sure there is no one answer, which will cure that ill. What I do know is we won't get there by doing the same old things we've been doing. We can't get there by being stagnant and filled with apathy. In the words of my dear mentor, Bill Cosby, "Come on, people!" Look around and take notice. The world is changing and it will pass us by if we don't embrace it's morphosis.

I've got friends and associates who refuse to check their email, write on a blog, get a facebook page or even learn how to load a video onto Youtube. This is not to diss but just to point to the obvious. Obama took hits on his pastor in large part because the mass media was able to take the controversy and project their opinion onto the rest of the world via the nightly news and cable tv as well as Youtube. We voiced our support of the brother and would challenge anyone, for the most part, who expressed a contrary opinion. The problem was not many voices were heard in the world because they were voiced in archaic means.

We don't have a black Hannity and Combes or an Anderson 360 or an AM 560. The most we have is Tavis Smiley on a PBS channel late at night and largely unpublicized. AM 1690 does its best but can't compete with the larger entities. SO....where is the answer? I'm not sure there is a complete one as I've mentioned. We can however, do something different in our own small way. We can read a book, listen to a controversial news station or formulate an opinion on where we stand. We can TAKE a stand on an issue. We can encourage our kids to read the newspaper once or twice a week, ask them what they think and make them tell us WHY.

We have to challenge ourselves to do something. Get involved, get into it.
What do YOU think?
Peace,
Chicago-Jedi '08

step by step video to set up your blog

Just for ALL OF YOU who think this stuff is too hard. Your excuses have been eliminated!
Good luck and happy blogging....
-ROCK

http://www.youtube.com/BloggerHelp

The Tale of; "Just Met You"

Sooooooo......one evening, my LA road dawg Dan Belle, and I, we decided to indulge in a night out. There are treats in those streets, so we gussied up and got on the good foot. We began at one of our fave spots for gluttony, El Cholo. Here, we met up with some former colleagues. Good times ensued and the Rita's were flowing, and the chips and salsa was delicious, and......well you get the point, we were grubbin'! Anywaaaaayyy, amongst the other folks was a young lady that Dan Belle and I did not know. She was a friend of our friends,friend. Dig me?After a bit of open ended conversation, and more drank, she began to warm up to all, subsequently "fitting in" with the flow. Now Dan Belle and I have great stories and some are appropriate for sharing, and some we embellish, and some we definitely keep under lock and key. Needless to say that the table was full of laughter, and nostalgia filled the air. Our former life tends to be very intriguing to strangers (no we were not involved in any felonious activity or anything that would shame our mamas). Wellllll, dinner came and went and D and I decided that it was time to hat up and move on to the next spot. We said our good-byes, but in the process, we got the feeling that this random broad wanted to roll (must have been the stories). What the heck, I thought, she's a cute girl, she might come in handy at the bar. Besides, the more the merrier. Guys like it when we travel in packs. Soooooo, she ditched the dude she came to meet, and bounced with D and I. She even rode in the car with us (this should have been our first clue).Our next stop was to meet some old friends. So we arrive at Spot No. 2, introductions are made, and everyone seems to be having a great time. Suddenly, my boys are asking D and I about homegirl. The questions range from, "what does she do?", to "how long have you all been friends"? Quietly and strangely, we both had to answer that we didn't really know broad, and she was with us at the previous spot with a previous cat, and she wanted to roll, so we said "sure!" That is when she went from her government name, to "Just Met You", and for the rest of the evening, she lived up to it, famously. She set her sights on one of my boys, and the side show began. Now, I must hand it to her, she wasn't a punk. She saw something she liked and she committed to the game, in spite of the fact that she knew NOT ONE of us a few hours before. We had a round of drinks, and decided to head somewhere else.Our next, and ultimately final stop, was a club. We chose this particular spot, because as we were driving down the street, "Just Met You" said "STOP", "I know the bouncers here, let me see what's up", so the caravan pulled over, and D and I watched as "Just Met You" worked her mojo. Next thing I know, she signals for us to valet and we are walking in. I think to myself, "okay, 'Just Met You', I see ya"! Please bear in mind that The Maven is no longer a club banger. Once upon a time, I would shut a damn club DOWN, but I am a cougar in training now, so I'll leave that loud music and jumping around to the kittens. Side note: Anyone who saw me in action at Lady M's wedding should ignore that last statement.Continuing on......we all converge on the bar and get a lil something, and stand around to soak in the vibe. The vibe was actually very cool. The music was on point, so much so, I got the DJ's card for future reference. We are all having fun, seeing old faces, and meeting new ones. "Just Met You" is still smelling my boy, but also making her rounds in the club. Obviously, she is seasoned. D and I catch a glimpse of her canoodling off to the side with someone familiar, or NOT. With this chick, who knows? HaHA!Finally, the night comes to an end, mainly because LA is corny like that and shuts down early, akin to when your elders came in your room and shut the lights off, regardless of what you were doing, and told you to take that arse to bed.The crowd filled the streets and as we waited for the cars, everyone said their good-byes, good nights, and good-to-see ya's. The ride finally came and D and I jumped in, but "Just Met You' was off closing her deals. She finally got in the back seat, and we made a bee line to her car for the drop off. At some point, D and I realized that she was backseat mackin' on her phone to one of our boys, and we gave each other the side eye. Broad works fast. No hate.So, we got her to her ride, shared a few empty thoughts, and she was gone. Just like that, "Just Met You" came and went. She had a great night, had great food, great conversation, met some great guys, and all this with two broads she didn't know from Eve. Go figure.The moral of this story is, you can take a horse to the water, but don't be mad if she's thirsty and drinks it all!Holla!
-The Maven

http://thegameneedsher.blogspot.com/