Working to defeat change

Fran, Fran, Fran, I read about you. The 2004 US Senate race in Illinois was one marked by several candidates falling to personal issues. Wikipedia has the list of candidates from the primary and general races. Jack Ryan came out of the Republican Primary looking like a strong challenger for Obama, but ended up leaving the race over allegations that he was pressuring his then wife to have sex in public at some sex clubs they both attended.

The GOP needed to field a candidate. In a move I could only see as cynical, the Illinois GOP passed on Jim Oberweis, who gathered the second largest vote count in the Repub primary (but had to deal with allegations that he had illegals working in his stores, while running a decidedly anti-immigrant campaign) and selected Alan Keyes. Yes, THAT Alan Keyes- the professional presidential candidate. The same Alan Keyes who moved from Maryland to Illinois to run, and the same Alan Keyes that pilloried Hilary Clinton for moving to New York to run (who's the carpetbagger now). The biggest difference is , well, Hillary won.

Oh yeah Fran, you still here? You used to work for Keyes' campaign. After Keyes lost, you kind of faded into the background for a while. I remember you Fran because you wrote this piece critical of Trinity United Church of Christ and Rev. Wright long before Obama announced his candidacy for president. That piece came up after Obama's announcement, and people like Sean "I gave the super secret call-in number to my radio to to a Nazi" Hannity slowly started to pick through TUCC's statement on values to smear.

Here's what I know Fran, to quote Dick Gregory, there are probably more Blacks and Whites sitting in taverns together than in church. I've heard and read stories for years that 11am on Sunday is the most segregated hour of the week. We don't worship together. In fact, many of the major denominational organizations split over the issue of race long ago. They continue to be have separate organizations for predominately Black and White churches. There is the shame in this whole story- we can agree on a theological doctrine, but cannot agree on work together- because of race. It's not uncommon for people to separate themselves to worship. It's a shame, but it is truly the way in America.