Friday, April 18, 2008







got this over at the pgh women's blogging society.
from agent ska and run baby run. wonderful find/ great post

a read that we all need!!!!







Read, in it's entirety...ironic outcome.



1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.
In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.)
The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda NavalHospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery.
For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.
What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated.
While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/ sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.
Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?
After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one ofAmerica's biggest cities.
This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. The controversial pastor who the Clintons hoped would ruin Obama's chances of winning the Democratic Nomination for the Presidency.

4 comments:

heydave said...

I didn't really need one more reason to spit blood when thinking about certain politicians, but this is a great story nonetheless.

Sherry Pasquarello said...

as soon as i heard tapes of his sermons, i knew where he was coming from so they didn't bother me, just made me sad that he still had that much hurt and anger left.

he's surely entitled to it.

just my thoughts.

The Cunning Runt said...

The same courage which informed this man's decisions regarding military service, also guided his tongue as pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.

Strange, isn't it, that forty years later he's still in The Enemy's line of fire.

Thanks for posting this - I had heard this elsewhere, but it needs repeating in as many venues as possible.

Sherry Pasquarello said...

the sad thing is that some people my age seem to have forgotten the 60's and how it was.

they've bought into the revisionist history even tho they lived it.