A True Patriot Criticizes His Country

Barack Obama has taken considerable heat, not for words he has spoken or ideas he has put forth, but for the words of his preacher, Pastor Jeremiah Wright, a decorated former Marine who received a special commendation for his efforts as a cardiopulmonary technician at the bedside of President Johnson during his heart surgery.

Thinking back to an April day in 1967, I remember a speech given by Rev. Martin Luther King in opposition to the Vietnam War, when he, too, spoke out against our government. Soon after this speech, he was "disinvited" to the White House and shot to death the following year.

"A true patriot is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins".
(Frederick Douglas)

To all the so called flag waving Americans who criticize Rev.Wright, he was not lying about what America has done. We can love our country but it is our DUTY to speak out when we are wrong. To remain silent is UN - American.

Excerpt from this great speech by Martin Luther King:

"Let me say finally that I oppose the war in Vietnam because I love America. I speak out against this war, not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and, above all, with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as the moral example of the world. I speak out against this war because I am disappointed with America. And there can be no great disappointment where there is not great love. I am disappointed with our failure to deal positively and forthrightly with the triple evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism. We are presently moving down a dead-end road that can lead to national disaster. America has strayed to the far country of racism and militarism. The home that all too many Americans left was solidly structured idealistically; its pillars were solidly grounded in the insights of our Judeo-Christian heritage. All men are made in the image of God. All men are brothers. All men are created equal. Every man is an heir to a legacy of dignity and worth. Every man has rights that are neither conferred by, nor derived from the State--they are God-given. Out of one blood, God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. What a marvelous foundation for any home! What a glorious and healthy place to inhabit. But America's strayed away, and this unnatural excursion has brought only confusion and bewilderment. It has left hearts aching with guilt and minds distorted with irrationality.

It is time for all people of conscience to call upon America to come back home. Come home, America..."