Turn the focus to all the real issues

Much has been made over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments and Sen. Barack Obama’s judgment because of his association with Wright. We could also examine Sen. John McCain’s judgment as it relates to another pastor’s statements. McCain’s self-described “spiritual leader,” the Rev. Rod Parsley, has stated that the federal government is complicit in “facilitating black genocide,” called for Christians to wage a “war” against the “false religion” of Islam with the aim of “destroying it” and “Allah is a demon spirit.” McCain maintains Parsley as spiritual counsel.

McCain has also praised pastor John Hagee’s “spiritual leadership.” Hagee called the Catholic church the “Great Whore” and a “false cult system.” McCain has yet to renounce Hagee’s endorsement. (I guess we can hope McCain is playing these loons and their followers like Bush played them in 2000 and 2004.) Obama, on the other hand, has repudiated the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan and denounced the statements of Wright.

Instead, we could examine our economy circling the drain, the health-care crisis, U.S. soldiers’ record high suicide rate, $12 billion of taxpayer money “lost” in Iraq, evidence that the president and vice president have comitted war crimes, the education crisis, the highest rate of government growth in over three decades, and the Iraq war (which has not made us any safer) and its hideous effects on our children.

Everett taxpayers alone have paid $161 million for the war to date. That could have provided 64,927 children with health care, 15 new elementary schools, 2,633 elementary school teachers or 26,898 scholarships for university students.

One could allow Wright’s comments to influence his vote in favor of McCain and his commitment to this war. And then the question will be: “How can a father allow the future of his children to be trashed just because he lowered himself to the level of politics of division?”

Kevin Wruck

Marysville