Too many stories this weekend, so here is a round up:

Ace of Spaces posts about Obama nodding along to Wright during a sermon in Aug of 2007, as he slams White America again.

From a NewsMax article, but whatever. Even if his defenders claim we can’t take NewsMax’s word on the nodding, we know he was there, we know he heard this, and we know he did not ever say a word about this until it threatened to tank his candidacy.

Wright laced into America’s establishment, blaming the “white arrogance” of America’s Caucasian majority for the woes of the world, especially the oppression suffered by blacks. To underscore the point he refers to the country as the “United States of White America.” Many in the congregation, including Obama, nodded in apparent agreement as these statements were made.

See Newsmax for the original August 2007 story.

Obama removes Wright’s endorsement:

Just like in the bad old days of the Stalinist Soviet Union, an inconvenient personage has been airbrushed from the Barack Obama campaign’s website.

Sweetness and Light also notes this overlooked angle:

Of course it is illegal for the head of a church (being a 501c3 “charity”) to endorse a candidate. And, indeed, the IRS is investigating Mr. Wright’s church as we speak.

Obama’s church has dropped the victim card:

After blaming America for everything from HIV to 9/11, it was inevitable that the church would continue playing the victim card. Now they accuse the media of character assassination!…

The Chicago church attended by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) issued a statement Sunday contending that coverage of his pastor’s inflammatory remarks amounted to character assassination and “an attack on … the history of the African American church.”

…

The statement begins: “Nearly three weeks before the 40th commemorative anniversary of the murder of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children and men in America and around the globe.”

The statement adds: “Trinity United Church of Christ’s ministry is inclusive and global.”

Inclusive and global? Calling America the US of KKK-A is inclusive and global? The victim card has apparantly become a crutch for this church.

Of course there are those who agree:

Bonus: Cindy Sheehan says Wright is right!

I’m not sure that is a good defender or not…

When I first went to the church website I swore I saw more racially targeted values listed, but I could not find them.  Now I know why, as Google Cache provides the answer:

Obama’s Church Sanitizes Website

First the controversial pastor disappears from Obama’s website. Then his church plays the victim card. Now Trinity Baptist have removed the “black values” from their about us page! Is the new pastor bringing a new vision and values system? Lets hope so, but lets not forget the values they adopted before and are rooted in.

The 160-word section has since been deleted from the About Us page, replaced by videotaped testimonials from church members extolling the virtues of the church, including a white official from the parent United Church of Christ who said she feels welcome at predominantly black Trinity.

“These black ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever blacks are gathered,” the original webpage said.

Here is the entire text of the section before it was redacted:

“Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System, written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by the late Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God

2. Commitment to the Black Community

3. Commitment to the Black Family

4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education

5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence

7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect

8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”

9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community

10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions

11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System

12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.”

The church did not immediately return phone calls to explain why the page changed. Lets hope they have had an awakening and revelation to “change” from their hateful past.

We can only hope.  Granted that the values listed do not have to be viewed as negative.

In the hands of someone like Wright however….

This story will not go away soon, because so far it seems fairly obvious that this is all a smokescreen to deflect criticism.

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