And it goes around and around and around....

Whoever is or is not "playing the race card", a fight over slavery will tear the country apart and emphasize what divides us. Look at this thread. It is already happening.

A fight over slavery resulting from a debate on the screaming rage and hatred of Wright in the midst of a presidential campaign will not heal the country and lead to a more united future. It will be a disaster.

We are on very, very dangerous ground here where there is no agreement and no reconciliation possible.

Perhaps because it played a tremendous role in shaping what the United States has become?
Perhaps because millions of people have bitter and unresolved feeling about it?
Perhaps because you've electing a president for the entire country, not just for you, and slavery is part of the national heritage, even if it isn't part of yours?

Again, re-read the speech. Slavery gets mentioned in passing, the focus remains (just as you say) on today's cultural issues.
But slavery is, in part, the reason those cultural issues are what they are. We don't need a history lesson on American slavery, but we can't talk about today's racial issues without at least recognizing where they came from.

They get "a pass" because they aren't Americans, because pretty much everybody is unified in agreement that what they did was terribly wrong, and because the point isn't to try and figure out "who deserves the most blame for slavery?"

To talk about American racial divisions without mentioning American slavery (that most divisive of historical realities) would be stupid.
But you're right that the focus shouldn't be on slavery; if you look closely at the speech, I think you'll see that it wasn't.

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To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society. -Theodore Roosevelt

Ah, there it is! THAT is what makes his speech inspiring! The fact that he doesn't give up hope of reconcilation.
That's why its worth bringing up divisive issues, because one believes that they can be reconciled.

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To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society. -Theodore Roosevelt

A pass?

So Africans selling Africans (which is still happening today) doesn't count?

This is so bizarre that I am not even going to elaborate.

You really are infatuated, aren't you?

A fight over slavery? Stirred up by Wright's sermons? You call that inspiring?

That is taking far-left idealism so far that it breaks with reality.

Very frightening stuff. A nation torn apart over slavery again? 143 years after the end of the civil war. And that is going to UNITE us?

The mind boggles....

You wouldn't. Apparently it makes you very uncomfortable. And it's likely not because you are white or a second or third generation immigrant.

History contains lessons. Obama used slavery as an example of just how far we've come. (glass half-full)
That kind of sounds like "Johnny did it first". Wouldn't your mom tell you that 2 wrongs don't make a right?

And how did they get a pass anymore than American slave owners? American slave owners weren't punished beyond having to cease owning slaves. As long as they abided by the abolition of slavery, they were not punished ex post facto.

African slave traders engaged in similarly immoral behavior, and they suffered the same fate after 1865... they could no longer perform their livelihood of selling slaves... at least not to the United States.

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Congratulations President-Elect Obama

Oh, so like Kid Rock, we should strap on some "white guilt"? Fuck that.

Yeah, slavery is why young blacks murder each other like other races swat flies. It why crack cocaine plagues some black communities. Its why welfare mothers spit out babies knowing they do not have the means to properly support them.

Riddle me this................what about the millions of American Blacks that lead decent , productive lives? Blacks like.............well, like Barrack Obama. If I had his money I'd throw mine away.

I'm no presidential candidate, but I do believe that you will find that united people have to share some common core values.

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In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. ~Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935

It is a bit late for that now.

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In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. ~Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935

I have a hard time believing that anyone is PRO-Slavery in this day and age and I've heard no honest proposal for reparataions, So what would the debate be about?

Slavery has already been reconciled. It's only where we came from, not where we're going..

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Congratulations President-Elect Obama

I'm not proposing it. Just saying that they got a pass as much as the African slave traders. They were only made to stop owning slaves.... nothing beyond that.

That seems fair to me. I'm not a fan of ex post facto punishment.

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Congratulations President-Elect Obama

Yes, exactly.

Obama is a fabulously wealthy and priveleged man. Just about all presidential candidates are. He is not different in those respects at all.

Until this point he was not speaking the language of victimization or separatism. That was a major part of his enormous appeal. That is being lost. A nationwide screaming debate about slavery will not only end that aspect of Obama's campaign, it will result in a fight that will not stop.

Then why bring it up if there are no issues and no arguments and no questions and no problems?

Tim, the only one interested in having a debate about slavery seems to be you. None of the press coverage in the wake of the speech has been about slavery. Obama only mentioned slavery to show us that America has the ability to IMPROVE and make itself better.

Can you, using the speech, find one point where Obama is talking about "victimization or seperatism"?

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Yesterday, John McCain actually said that if he’s president he’ll take on, and I quote, 'the old boys’ network in Washington.' I’m not making this up. This is somebody been in Congress for 26 years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign. And now he tells us that he’s the one who’s gonna take on the old boys' network,” he said. “In the McCain campaign that’s called a staff meeting!- Obama, 9/17/2008

It's history..It was real, and it happened. It's relevant to the race relations because it was the tumultous starting point of black-white relations in the country.

I thought Obama brought it up in his speech to demonstrate how far our society has moved beyond that era.

Why do you think he mentioned it?

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Congratulations President-Elect Obama

Tim seriously slavery was mentioned for ONE reason only. It's an example of America's ability to recognize something is wrong about itself and move forward. What is harmful about using slavery to teach that lesson? Why does it upset you so much?

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Yesterday, John McCain actually said that if he’s president he’ll take on, and I quote, 'the old boys’ network in Washington.' I’m not making this up. This is somebody been in Congress for 26 years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign. And now he tells us that he’s the one who’s gonna take on the old boys' network,” he said. “In the McCain campaign that’s called a staff meeting!- Obama, 9/17/2008