Since Time now sends out its issue on Fridays, perhaps they regret the decision to hand over a page to leftist professor Michael Eric Dyson to proclaim that Rev. Jeremiah Wright is a "war-tested patriot," unlike draft dodgers like Dick Cheney and Bill Clinton. "War-tested" is an odd word, since Wright served stateside, but "patriotism" is even weirder for a man who has alleged that America is a terrorist nation who deserved 9/11. Dyson, used to arguing for bigger thugs than Wright (gangsta-rapper Tupac Shakur) and inveighing against insufficiently radical blacks (Bill Cosby), effortlessly if ridiculously pitched Wright as the uber-patriot, more patriotic than George Bush, Bill Clinton, or Dick Cheney:
Even the angry comments of Jeremiah Wright have to be read as the bitter complaint of a spurned lover. Like millions of other blacks, Wright was willing to serve the country while suffering rejection.
Story Continues Below Ad ↓He surrendered his student deferment in 1961, voluntarily joined the Marines and, after a two-year stint, volunteered to become a Navy corpsman. He excelled and became valedictorian, later a cardiopulmonary technician and eventually a member of the President's medical team. Wright cared for Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery, earning three White House letters of commendation.
Dick Cheney, born in the same year as Wright, received five deferments – four while an undergraduate or graduate student and one as a prospective father. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush used their student deferments to remain in college until 1968. Clinton did not serve, and Bush was on active duty in the National Guard for two years. If time in uniform is any measure, Wright, much more than Cheney, Clinton or Bush, embodies Obama's ideal of "Americans [who] have shown their love of country by struggling and sacrificing and risking their lives to bring us that much closer to our founding promise."
Wright's critics have confused nationalism with patriotism. Nationalism is the uncritical support of one's country regardless of its moral or political bearing. Patriotism is the affirmation of one's country in light of its best values, including the attempt to correct it when it's in error. Wright's words are the tough love of a war-tested patriot speaking his mind – one of the great virtues of our democracy. The most patriotic thing his nation can do now is extend to him the same right for which he was willing to die.
But it is Dyson who is confusing nationalism and patriotism. Wright’s bitter bile against America can in no dictionary be defined as "patriotism." It can be easily defined as radical black nationalism. Wright is not "correcting" America’s "errors" when he charges the government with inventing AIDS, he is spreading vicious myths. Why Time magazine would seek out radical-left defenders of mythology rather than stare at the hard facts about Wright is the real issue.
The headline was "The Color of Loyalty: Black leaders are often labeled unpatriotic. But African Americans have long shown their love of country by pointing out its imperfections." The pull quote? "Blacks offer an exacting devotion that carries on a lover's quarrel with America while they shed blood in its defense."
Dyson clearly implied at the article's beginning that black patriotism is much better than the mentally impaired white patriotism: "Mainstream America has shown little understanding lately of the patriotism a lot of black people practice. Black love of country is often far more robust and complicated than the lapel-pin nationalism some citizens swear by." Barack Obama's the true patriot, his critics are guilty of "blind boosterism."
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Good grief
April 30, 2008 - 12:53 ET by YahooWatcherNewsbusters.org should be renamed:
JustWhenYouThinkYouHaveSeenItAll.org
Can Time stoop any lower? This article on top of the Iwo Jima cover? I'm pretty much speechless.
Marines
April 30, 2008 - 16:14 ET by BeanManSo the good Revrend Wright was in the Marines? Well so was Lee Harvey Oswald by the way.
Since government is coercion, politics is largely the exercise of deception regarding the intended use of coercion - George Orwell
kumbaya....yecht!
April 30, 2008 - 12:55 ET by VT Con Manoh come on!!! we need to praise an America hating racist bigot, because he served in the military???
that tops the insanity of the "press". and what "rejection" did he suffer? he is a hater and a hypocrite. he lives in a rich "white" neighborhood in a multi million dollar home. at the same time he preaches white hate and "black suffering" in the church,,,and at the press club, where of course he gets blazing applause for his hate America routine.
what the H_LL?!?
right!
April 30, 2008 - 13:11 ET by ArcherBI think that if liberals say that no matter what Wright says is OK because he served a few years in the military, then no matter what John McCain says... they can't say a word! They amost HAVE to vote Republican or expose themselves as liars and political hacks. After all, neither Hillary nor Obama served a single day in the military, much less what McCain endured.
So if they are willing to praise a racist bigot because he served, then they must worship the ground McCain walks on! Not only did he serve more than Wright, but he's also not a racist, America hating bigot!
"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary." Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Follow that thought...
April 30, 2008 - 12:55 ET by richflanjIn accordance with Dyson's "logic", I now declare that Lee Harvey Oswald was a great patriot. Greater than Jeramiah Wright, I would venture to say. After all, he was a Marine (a veteran, just like Wright), and he did love the country sooooooooo much that he assassinated a sitting President (unlike Wright, who only runs his mouth from the sidelines).
sarcasm off.
Don't forget...
April 30, 2008 - 13:42 ET by ArcherBTimothy McVeigh also served and was even awarded the Bronze star. Does that make him more patriotic than Wright?
Charles Whitman, the UT Bell Tower sniper was also a marine...
I could go on all day with this stuff. Serving does not automatically make you a patriot.
(actually, after a little research, Whitman truly was a patriot. He had a brain tumor that was screwing him up. He even wrote in his suicide notes that he had no idea why he was doing what he was doing and asked that his estate be donated for mental research so that this couldn't happen again. Some quotes from the letter:
I do not quite understand what it is that compels me to type this
letter. Perhaps it is to leave some vague reason for the actions I have
recently performed. I do not really understand myself these days. I am
supposed to be an average reasonable and intelligent young man.
However, lately (I cannot recall when it started) I have been a victim
of many unusual and irrational thoughts.
To Whom It May Concern: I have just taken my mother's life. I am
very upset over having done it. However, I feel that if there is a
heaven she is definitely there now...I am truly sorry...Let there be no
doubt in your mind that I loved this woman with all my heart.
I imagine it appears that I brutally killed both of my loved ones. I
was only trying to do a quick thorough job...If my life insurance
policy is valid please pay off my debts...donate the rest anonymously
to a mental health foundation. Maybe research can prevent further
tragedies of this type.)
"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary." Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Hell why stop
April 30, 2008 - 12:55 ET by taterHell why stop there...Wright is probably more patrotic than George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and General Patton rolled into one.
/sarcasm
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
Time
April 30, 2008 - 12:58 ET by allanfWasn't Lee Harvey Oswald a Marine?
So much for Dyson's argument.
Lee Harvey Oswald
April 30, 2008 - 13:19 ET by UpwaySomeone needs to let Dyson know that Timothy McVeigh was a decorated Army veteran.
Translation: "His past is
April 30, 2008 - 12:59 ET by CortillaenTranslation: "His past is more important than his present!" Bring up Obama's connection, though, and you hear, "His present is more important than his past!" In short, the MSM is happily in the business of emphasizing only the positives of anyone on their side. It doesn't if it happened decades ago, yesterday, or hasn't even occurred yet, they'll gladly focus only on the most positive aspects.
Allow me to correct them. A man is the sum of ALL his actions, even those no one but he and God know. The past does not exonerate the present, nor does the present exonerate the past. Trying to claim otherwise is simply dishonest.
www.rhjunior.com Great comics with a hefty dose of Christian and anti-nutjob goodness.
"With your mind as high as Mt. Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things near to you." -Miyamoto Musashi
We are what we eat. We are
April 30, 2008 - 13:43 ET by ForeverOnTheRightWe are what we eat. We are become what our decisions take us. We are influenced by what life and others do and say. To say that Obama was not influenced by Wright, that Wright or Ayers have had no impact on who Obama is and what he believes would be a lie. That fact that Obama had them as a part of his life shows us all what kind of man he is. We are known by the company we keep.
Oh, Joy... More Leftist Irrationality
April 30, 2008 - 12:57 ET by BondPlainBondCorrect me if I'm mistaken, but, since voluntary military service is now the Left's measure of patriotism (in a presidential candidate), where is Barack Obama's current military ID card? *shrug* Obama is obviously not a patriot because he has not signed up for his tour of duty in Iraq, correct? That's the logic of the Left? *LOL*
Dear Worsteresterest person
April 30, 2008 - 12:58 ET by Roger the ShrubberDear Worsteresterest person in the world (ie: Tim):
The Reverend Wright made a comment this week about how Dick Cheney never served in the military, like it was a litmus test for being president.
I scanned the article you posted. Did I miss something, or was the fact that Obama never serving (thus disqualifying him from being president) ever brought up? I mean, only 4-5% of the population serve the military. That's a select, elite few # of people qualified to be prez, right?
Stop
April 30, 2008 - 12:59 ET by okiehawk44J. Wright served in the Marines -- so did Lee Harvey Oswald.
Dyson: Military service or lack of that service doesn't render an exact measurement of love of country and wanting it to prosper and exist.
Tim McVeigh, Terry Nichols
April 30, 2008 - 13:16 ET by bassndudeTim McVeigh, Terry Nichols and Benedict Arnold also served in the US Military. It sounds to me like Wright is right in there with them.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Typical Junior-High
April 30, 2008 - 13:07 ET by mattmTypical Junior-High argument. (no offense to those of you in Jr. High)
This is typical, desperate,
April 30, 2008 - 13:11 ET by motherbeltThis is typical, desperate, leftist drivel.
This is now the measure of patriotism: how often and virulently you attack your country.
<sarc>
We've had the wrong standard all along.
Is dissent the highest form of patriotism?
April 30, 2008 - 13:12 ET by KC MulvilleLiberals say this all the time, but it is ridiculously overblown.
When you use "dissent" to simply attack your opponents within a group, it isn't dissent. It's no longer a statement about the country as a whole. It's a narrow insult against your domestic opponents. When your statements are about "us" as a whole, then it's dissent. When you're talking about "them," then it's just partisan attacking.
When Reverend Wright claims that he's really attacking the government, not the people, he isn't engaging in dissent. He's dividing and attacking. Is that what soldiers fight for?
Dyson is a quick
April 30, 2008 - 13:16 ET by bigtimerDyson is a quick talking racist...always has been, I detest the man...along with Time.
We'll see how war tested Wright is...won't we?
Whose mentally impaired here Dyson....hmmmm?
LOL...
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Not a valid measure
April 30, 2008 - 13:26 ET by Arminius"If time in uniform is any measure, Wright, much more than Cheney, Clinton or Bush, embodies Obama's ideal ...."
That's not a legitimate measure. If it were, Lee Harvey Oswald and Benedict Arnold would be considered greater patriots than anyone who has not served in uniform.
With Wright, I think a better measure is what he says today, not what he wore four decades ago.
www.sinsofthehusband.com
I concur. I have served
April 30, 2008 - 15:44 ET by BDI concur.
I have served 23 years now. Does that make me 4.5 times the patriot that Wright is?
Interesting thought process....
Time Op-Ed
April 30, 2008 - 13:27 ET by sanergononlibFor some time now I have felt the need of one of those language translators you see in science fiction movies so that I can understand what the heck liberals are saying.
Yes that whole Lee Harvey Oswald
April 30, 2008 - 13:27 ET by Jack BauerYes that whole Lee Harvey Oswald thing in the Marines really worked out well. Are we allowed to question his patriotism?
In case people aren't sure, LHO entered the Corps in 1957. RJW in 1961.
Not a good time to be a Marine!
April 30, 2008 - 13:46 ET by ArcherBCharles Whitman joined the Marines in 1959 and again in 1963.
"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary." Ernesto "Che" Guevara
→ Whitman
April 30, 2008 - 13:50 ET by Cool ArrowI think We've pretty much forgiven him here in Texas as it was likely his brain tumor that messed him up
♣ a seal
Very true...
April 30, 2008 - 14:50 ET by ArcherBI made that point a few posts up. It's the biggest one here, shouldn't be hard to miss.
In this post I was pointing out that during that time period, it seems that every two years, someone joined The Core than ended up doing bad things once released.
Lee H. Oswald joined in 1957.
Whitman joined in 1959.
Wright joined in 1961.
Whitman joined again in 1963.
Two years separate each of these and all of them ended up being a disaster in one way or another.
"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary." Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Why is it the more
April 30, 2008 - 14:17 ET by FairlightWhy is it the more light-skinned you are, the more racist you are? Farrakhan...very light-skinned...very racist. Rev. Wright...light-skinned...heavy racist. Michael Eric Dyson...same skin tone...same racist rhetoric.
I think what's going on here is overcompensating. These people were taunted by their black peers for their light complexion and not being 'black enough', and thus have learned to combat the harassment by taking up extreme racist views.
It really is that simple.
Service
April 30, 2008 - 14:35 ET by iveseenitallFunny, lack of service or "draft dodging" didn't matter when Clinton ran. But now it's a big issue. Holly cow, the "liberals" must be insincere, hypocritical dolts. I didn't know that; they've had me fooled for 20 years. Now I can understand how this happened to Barry.
NEVER, NEVER trust a "liberal"
True patrotism
April 30, 2008 - 14:27 ET by CobraMan"Americans [who] have shown their love of country by struggling and
sacrificing and risking their lives to bring us that much closer to our
founding promise."
Yes, that that perfectly describes the tens of thousands of patriotic Americans who died during the Civil War just so people like Mr. Wright can enjoy the freedom to denigrate this great Country as he has so many times in the past.
All this talk of his "patriotism" is merely smoke and mirrors to hide the fact that Mr. Wright shows no appreciation for those white people who fought and died for his equality and freedom.
Michael Eric Dyson
April 30, 2008 - 15:15 ET by okiehawk44Is Mr. Dyson euro-american or afro-american? Or both?
No no no. Aldrich Ames is more patriotic...
April 30, 2008 - 16:05 ET by Gary HallNo no no. Aldrich Ames is more patriotic... after all he served in the CIA for 32 years -- well, before being caught and convicted of treason.
(;~/
Yeah, well Benedict Arnold was patriotic, too.
April 30, 2008 - 16:26 ET by R D HelmIt was the direction of his loyalties that was the problem.
What the American people are looking for is somebody who can solve their problems. - Barack Obama, April 27, 2008
So, by his argument. . .
April 30, 2008 - 16:51 ET by WingletDriveronly John McCain is fit to be president. After all, BHO has no military service. Neither does Hillary (insert sniper comment here).
I especially like how he thinks he has the right to define patriotism to the rest of us. Sorry, bonehead, but patriotism is defined as:
devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty.
Screaming that we deserved 9/11 and that God has or should damn the US certainly is the antithesis of the commonly held definition of patriotism
Joke: How do you know
April 30, 2008 - 17:05 ET by ThoughtPoliceJoke:
How do you know your a neo-con:
When you think George Bush or Dick cheney are patriots!! HHAHAHAHAHAAH
Obvious sarcasm/on....
April 30, 2008 - 17:42 ET by BDObvious sarcasm/on....
Besides being unfunny. . .
April 30, 2008 - 17:44 ET by WingletDriveryour joke is irrelevant. However, it perfectly displays the left's habit of deriding their political opponents' patriotism while claiming their own honor is being challenged. It also shows how the left just can't do anything except reflexively criticize Bush and Cheney even when they aren't even in the story.
To make this simple: Neither Bush nor Cheney have commented on Wright nor questioned Obama's patriotism. In fact, they haven't questioned any Democrat's patriotism. Yet, look at the unmitigated hatred they receive from those "inclusive", "progressive" folks like you.
It does make you wonder,
April 30, 2008 - 18:03 ET by BDIt does make you wonder, what would the typcial leftists response be tot he following questions...
1.) Is it patriotic to kill policemen in a bomb blast intending to make a "Statement about our inhumanity." Yes or no.
2.) Is it patriotic to destroy your own nations infrastructure while indending to make a "Statement about our inhumanity." Yes or no.
3.) Is it patriotic to attempt prevent your own governments agencies to continue to function by holding a demonstration intending to make a "Statement about our inhumanity." Yes or no.
4.) Is is patriotic to attempt to foster a riot to make a "Statement about our inhumanity." Yes or no.
5.) Is it patriotic to throw feces and urine on US troops boarding buses or policmen on patrol in an effort to make a "Statement about our inhumanity." Yes or no.
Sucks when you try to be
April 30, 2008 - 20:23 ET by Roger the ShrubberSucks when you try to be clever, yet butcher your grammar so much everybody ends up wondering "just how stupid is that guy?", doesn't it, FatesWebb?
Whoops! Did I use your real name? My bad.
ThoughtPolice
May 1, 2008 - 02:36 ET by gfrrmanI know you're long gone...but PLEASE,PLEASE give me a definition of "neo-con". I'm waiting with anticipation.......and then the sun will burn out. You peeps with your lame 'neo" crap are SO offended by labels, 'cept when YOU label. DEFINE IT!!!
"Eventually, Socialists run out of other peoples' money...." MARGARET THATCHER
Dog and Pony
April 30, 2008 - 20:14 ET by Airforce_5_OI had to go to a talk this race baiting bigot did 5 years ago at ECU for extra credit in a class. I was offend and found him to be another man making his living off fear in the black community.
Total jerk.
I can hear the circus music playing now.