Bill, after reading your response, I just have to comment on the very refreshing atmosphere that you and Larry and a few others have helped to create here at 'The Bar'. To have differences of opinion discussed in such an honest and open AND non-malicious manner is something that simply could not happen in the 'main' forum (would probably be a 'banning' before we got 10 posts into it ). I have to believe that is in large part due to the quality, no, scratch that, NATURE of the people who inhabit or frequently visit, this part of the available fora. It seems to be the only place where ideas can be expressed, and reasoned discussion can take place, without the usual barbs, name-calling, and general nastiness that has become the norm on the 'main' forum. It's not surprising to me that a blog such as yours would be initiated from someone from this group.

As for the "Rev. Wright" thing, let us not forget that President Obama was also a member, so I think it is unlikely that the entire gist of Rev. Wright's message was "hate the White man". I think that he came from a generation (as did I) of Blacks that served their country honorably in the military, and subscribed to all the other tenets of 'good citizenship', only to be rewarded by a country and a society that still treated them like second-class citizens. His rhetoric probably resonates pretty well with most Blacks of his generation (and why wouldn't it, if you think about it). I think that from time to time, we have to remove the cultural filters that form our perceptions, and look at the world from the other guys perspective. Blacks have never experienced the "White Privilege" that may not seem so obvious to those for whom it applies, but is nevertheless, there. All of these things shape and influence our view of the world, but it is the 'thinking man' who recognizes this and compensates accordingly.

Well, don't want to turn THIS into a blog spot, so I'll shut down this little thought trail, but again, I like the blog and hope it gains in popularity. I'm not usually into 'blogs' so I'm not sure how they work, but could you make it easier to comment on the blog itself, ie. no social network accounts needed to post a comment.

chas