Obama will make
‘American’ house
Letter to Pastor Zimmerman:
I am not in agreement with the tone and context of your letter to the Renton Reporter (March 29) where it pertains to Sen. Barack Obama. You condemn Sen. Obama’s silence and refer to him as a coward for not confronting his pastor (Rev. Jeremiah Wright) and questioning his teachings. How would you know what he did concerning those matters? When a reporter asked Sen. Obama about his conversations with his Pastor, being the prudent man that he is he replied, “That is between me and my Pastor.”
The question I ask of you based on your letter, Pastor Zimmerman, is “What have you done to stop the spreading of these messages from Rev. Wright that you find so offensive?” You said “my prayer would be that all believers have the courage to stand up and compassionately confront ignorance when preached, especially from the pastor in the pulpit….” In order for you to effectively criticize Sen. Barack Obama, who by no measure of anybody’s self righteous yardstick is weak, timid or cowardly, you must first be partaker of that which you preach. A greater burden is placed on preachers, pastors and spiritual leaders to denounce “ignorance” whether from the pulpit or any other source since you are called by God to evangelize the world. If indeed it is the “messages’ of Pastor Wright that you find so offensive, why would you attack Sen. Obama and hold him accountable for the misdeeds of another?
Somewhere in Sen. Obama’s journey he learned to hate the sin, and love the sinner, likely in Rev. Wright’s church! Some simple-minded folk harp on the fact that “he sat in that church for 20 years!” The clips and sound bites the media has relentlessly played over and over again add up to less than five minutes. Obama eloquently and unabashedly declared that was not all he knew about the man. Undeniably he rose from the midst of Rev. Wright’s congregation
to pursue the highest seat in the Nation, the President of the United States of America and commands world-wide attention. His Pastor’s perception of the ills of America, as defined by Secretary Condoleezza Rice as “The Birth Defect” of America, was probably a factor in that decision. Sen. Barack Obama will change the “white” house to the “American” house, bringing us closer to the Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Beatrice Clark
Renton
Smart move to put
Parker on council
The citizens of Renton made a smart move in returning King Parker to his familiar seat on the City Council, where he now chairs the Planning and Development committee. This venerable politician and salesman is comfortable in City Hall surroundings.
His article, “Reflections,” in this week’s Renton Reporter shows the style of a longtime resident who wants better times for his constituents and admires the progress made in his absence on council. Planning is his strong suit. Time will tell. One thing King Parker knows is how to return calls and that in itself is greatly appreciated.
Tom Winter
Renton
