My conflict with a Jeremiah Wright wannabe

The news about Jeremiah Wright got some special attention from me because his rants remind me of another Radical Leftist of African-American ancestry that I once knew at UH! That Radical Leftist's name is Tobin Jones!

Back in 2000, though I casted my 1st presidential vote for Harry Browne (Libertarian), I was also annoyed by Al Gore during the Florida recounts! Al Gore only wanted recounts in counties that favored him! So I wrote an editorial on Ka Leo expressing my irritation at  Al Gore!

That's when Tobin Jones started writing nasty letters against me, accusing me of being a "right-wing conservative".

NEVER IN MY LIFE did I ever agreed with right-wing Republicans on issues like abortion or sex ed! By the time I was in college, I also started to support legalizing prostitution, medical marijuana, and same-sex marriage!

And on immigration, I side with George W Bush and John McCain against Pat Buchanan, Tom Tancredo, and Ann Coulter!

Yet, because I was irritated by Al Gore's calling for recounts in only in counties that favored him, and I was later irritated by the Blame-America-First fanaticism of the Radical Left @ UH, as well as professors that indoctrinate their students on the latest leftist rants of the day, Jones wrote hateful letters about me to Ka Leo, falsely accusing me of being a neo-Confederate sympathizing right winger!

Anyways, I wrote an editorial about America being a great country on Ka Leo, published November 1, 2001

http://media.www.kaleo.org/media/storage/paper872/news/2001/11/01/Editorials/U.s-Not.Best.But.Better-2806056.shtml

Here is Tobin Jone's silly rant
http://media.www.kaleo.org/media/storage/paper872/news/2001/11/05/Editorials/Letters.To.The.Editor.11.05.01-2806085.shtml

And this is what I sent to Ka Leo, in response to Tobin Jones's nonsense. It wasn't printed on Ka Leo, but screw it, I'm posting it right now!

Too many pessimists, too little time.

In response to my article praising America, communications major Tobin Jones replied back with nothing but negatives as if the negatives of America automatically erase all the positives of America.

It is unfortunate that many who had the good fortune of being born in America have nothing but hateful things to say about it.

For example, Mr. Jones said "Wegesend seems to forget that there were times when speaking out against the government landed people in jail." Mr. Jones, did the US government put Trask, Susan Hippenstelle, Lance Collins, Chris Johns and other anti-war activist in jail since 9/11? Will you ever criticize the governments of Cuba, China, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lybia (all countries I mentioned the last time) for putting critics in jail?

Mr. Jones then said "I was quite impressed also with how Wegesend singled out non-European countries as places where freedom doesnt exist", then he went on to talk about Hitler. Excuse Mr. Jones, but I was talking about America today, not Europe 60 years ago. Stop trying to change the subject! Stick to the subject, will you?

I mentioned China, Cuba, Lybia, Iraq and Afghanistan because dictators rule those nations TODAY. [ 2008 note: this was written before Bush Jr overthrow Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ]Dont blame me if the US and most European nations today have more freedom than most non-Western nations.

Mr. Jones then talked about his adventures in housing projects. He acted as if most Americans lived in the ghetto. Far from true! He went on to talk about "massive drug sales and usage, crime and prostitution". Mr. Jones, what country doesnt have any of those things? Where in my previous editorial did I say those things didnt exist in the US?

(also, I mentioned Kuhio Park Terrace, Mayor Wright's Housing and Kalihi Valley Housing in my editorial because those were neighborhoods that most Hawaii residents will warn you not to enter! Also, I spent my childhood in a lesser known housing project Puahala Homes [better known as "Lanakila Housing"] which is commonly seen as a "ghetto". It also had it's share of drugs and crime! But that doesn't erase the fact that it is seen as a "step-up" by many immigrants from the South Pacific, Micronesia and Southeast Asia! If it wasn't a "step up", those people wouldn't migrate to the US"

Mr. Jones went on to mention about "war veterans, that have to eat dog, and cat food so that they could afford medicine. But this is the land of economic empowerment, right Wegesend?" 

You see, Mr. Jones is taking a few isolated cases and act as if everyone in America lived like that. Mr. Jones, just because a few veterans have to take desperate measures to survive, that doesnt erase the fact that many in America came out of poverty and were able to open their own restaurants, stores, record labels and many other business. And when will Mr. Jones praise the fact that many veterans have been able to move to the suburbs, go into business, and even become well known politicians? Ever heard of Jon McCain, George Bush Sr., Dan Inouye, and Bob Dole? All were war veterans and today, and I dont think they need to eat dog food TODAY.

Mr. Jones, then asked "If this is such a place for economic progress, why are there so many people struggling to pay their bills?" What are the bills Americans paying for, Mr. Jones? Credit card debt? Car insurance? Electricity to power their microwaves, cable TV, refrigirators, and VHS? Those bills are a result of Americans taking advantage of luxuries. How many people in Rwanda, Kosovo or Bangladesh even have a credit card, a car to insure, microwave,cable TV, etc. If Americans are paying bills for those things, that means America has made more progress than the rest of the world.

Mr. Jones went on to say that even Americans with college degrees have to struggle. Who said college degrees guaranteed a life of the rich and famous? Most people in other countries don't even have the opportunity to attend college And quick, what college did Bill Gates graduate from? Answer: he dropped out of Harvard, but that didnt stop him from being a multi-billionaire! And neither not graduating college nor growing up in the rough streets of New Orleans stopped Master P from owning a successful record label. How many Bill Gates and Master P's are coming out of Sudan, Mr. Jones?


Mr. Jones went on to talk about pay differences between a white American and a black American. Is saying that supposed to erase the fact that Black Americans make a lot more than blacks in Rwanda, Somalia, Uganada, and most other black countries? Does that erase the fact that blacks are coming from Haiti in makeshift boats trying to come to America?

On amnesty for illegal aliens, Mr. Jones said "Bush was only considering it because he knows he need more Hispanic voters to win the election, period point blank." Mr. Jones, I'm not talking about Bush's "greatness", I'm talking about the fact that in America, those who want to be President cant be elected if they bash immigrants. Don't believe me? Why hasnt Pat Buchanan been elected President after 3 tries? [2008 update: Let's not forget that pro-immigration John McCain won the Republican nomination, not the anti-immigration folks like Tom Tancredo, duncan Hunter or Fred Thompson]

Meanwhile, in Australia, Italy and other countries, immigrant bashing can still get you elected Prime Minister. [2008 note: those Prime Ministers have since been replaced]

On women's rights, Mr. Jones said "it took all the way until last century to realize that a woman's vote is just as good as a man's." Mr. Jones, I'm talking about today, not a 100 years ago. And which women in Afghanistan are allowed to be as outspoken as Maxine Waters and Dr. Laura?

Mr. Jones, lighten up, will you? You need to learn to put things in proper context. When I'm talking about America and the world TODAY, stick to the subject, will you? If you hate the way things are in America, why dont you go on a raft and move to Haiti? Many Haitians would love to trade places with you.

That you would demonize me for actually praising the progress that America has made shows me that you are allergic to good news. It seems like saying positive things makes me an evil person in your eyes. You and others on the Far Left need to stop calling those with at least one positive comment about America "part of the monolithic propaganda machine". One more thing, before you take the raft voyage to Haiti, make sure you take a copy of "Ten Things You Cant Say in America" by black radio talk show host Larry Elder, just in case you get bored on your way.

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Since the time I wrote that, the Kanye Wests, Jeremiah Wrights, (and most likely Tobin Jones) are saying about Hurricane Katrina that "Bush doesn't care about black people"

One question for those folks : WHO WAS THE MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS WHEN HURRICANCE KATRINA HIT? (answer: Ray Nagin, a liberal Democrat of African-American ancestry)

Fine, the Bush Administration could've handled things better! Bush did hire inexperienced people at FEMA! Bush isn't blameless! But why haven't Kanye West, Reverend Wright, etc held Ray Nagin responsible for the screw-ups in emergency response? He's supposed to be in charge of New Orleans! Or is blame only reserved for Republicans of European-American ancestry?

Also, who was the governor of Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit? It was Democrat of European-American ancestry named Kathleen Blanco! Why haven't the Kanye Wests and Rev. Wrights of America held Blanco responsible for the screw-ups in emergency response?

Who is the governor of Louisiana now? Bobby Jindal, a dark-skinned Republican, whose parents are immigrants from India! Yet, the Tobin Jones and Reverend Wright claimed America is not a land of opportunity for non-whites?

And where did the Katrina victims go after the storm hit, Tobin Jones?

Did they go to Haiti? Mexico? Jamaica? The socialist paradises of Cuba and Venezuela? NO!

They moved to Baton Rouge, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, Memphis! In other words, THEY MOVED TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE USA! They understood, despite America's flaws, they're better staying in the US!

Meanwhile, Atlanta (the city Tobin Jones is from) which was once a segregationist city, is now the center of African-American culture! There are middle-class African-American suburbs around Atlanta. Many African-Americans are leaving California, Northeast, and the Midwest for the opportunity to live in Atlanta! Yet, Tobin Jones tell me there is no progress in the USA?

And let's not forget that Barack Obama has been winning primaries in extremely European-American states like Iowa, Kansas, Utah, and Idaho! So there's progress! 

And the irony of all this, is if we don't have a black President in 2009, Reverend Wright will have to look in the mirror and blame himself!

More on Barack Obama & Reverend Wright

1) The common question asked is "why didn't Obama leave the church after hearing such anti-American rants by Reverend Jeremiah Wright?"

Kathryn Lopez had an interesting explanation.

http://jewishworldreview.com/0308/lopez032408.php3

Obama's speech was in defense of a man he has known for two decades, a man he has made a part of his wife and children's lives, and a man he has made a part of his campaign. Wright is also a man who has said some pretty despicable things about America and about public servants. Obama explained that a YouTube video or two from an inflammatory sermon is not the measure of the man. He talked about Wright's military service and ministry to the poor and sick.

But Obama's story was incomplete. Nothing he said excuses the lack of judgment that is inherent in a man choosing to expose his children to angry, anti-American tirades and off-color rants. Had he gone one step further, however, he might have had me. He should have told us why Wright was an important man in his life — because he was the father figure Obama needed as a young man, and that is why he loves him above all else.

Obama told us that he is "the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas." He didn't go any further talking about his father. Instead, he threw his maternal grandmother under the media bus, saying that she had "once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and ... has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

He left me asking, "But what about the father? Why didn't he talk about his father's abandonment of him and his family, and how that made his later relationship with Wright all the more important in his life?" That, I suspect, is why Obama will never repudiate Wright. The fact is, Obama grew up without a father. And, I assume, Wright for him was a father figure. That may be how Wright got to be such an influence in his life. This would not have answered all concerns about Wright and Obama, but it would have presented a more compelling narrative and, more importantly, he could have delivered an important cultural message about the impact the absence of male role models has on a child.

2) Many right-wing conservatives have complained that "Obama threw his white grandmother under the bus" when Obama have mentioned that his white grandmother expressed fears of black men and was prone to stereotypical thinking!

Throwing her under the bus?

If you were a bi-racial kid who hears a relative express negative feelings about your other half , that's gotta sting! That's not something a normal person can shake off easily! It's like being told "1/2 of you is $#!+" That's not victimhood to be traumatized by that! That's normal human reaction, and anyone who doesn't understand that, doesn't understand basic psychology!

3) Right-wing conservatives love to mention that Obama's white grandmother mentioned being harassed by a black man, and claimed that "it was rational for her to be scared of passing by a black man"

Excuse me? What about a black, brown or yellow person being harrassed by a group of young white men? How do you think their mind will react the next time they walk by another group of young white men? Exactly the same way Obama's white grandma reacted when passing by a random black man! Yet, the conservative correctness crowd get mad at paragraphs like this!

Some white conservatives who makes excuses for "white grandmas being scared of a random young black man" would go beserk hearing about a "non-white grandma being scared of a random young white man".

Now, this is how a rational person is suppossed to react when passing by someone who looks like a person who bullied him/her!

"Calm down, he/she might look like that bully, but he/she isn't that bully, so let's calm down! It's not that person's fault he/she looks like that bully who harrased me"

That's how a rational person supposed to react! Yet, that's considered fighting words by the conservative correctness crowd, and all other racial supremacists!