News has just emerged of a clergyman, who is obviously sick, deranged, and dangerous, and should be condemned by all thinking, moral people.
I am referring to Pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Arizona, who has openly been preaching for the death of President Obama. He thinks Obama is a very evil man and deserves death.
Needless to say, this is disgraceful, unacceptable rhetoric, and it amazes me that ANYONE in his congregation or anywhere else, could possibly term this as acceptable freedom of speech. How can a man of God say such things and expect to be respected and keep his dignity? It seems to me that despite his obvious civil liberty to speak, that he should not be kept on as pastor of his church, as it reflects terribly on the church and its members if they see no problem with keeping him as their leader. Any such thought shows real sickness in our society and should be condemned. Also, the Secret Service should keep close tabs on Pastor Anderson as a possible promoter of violence against the President, as freedom of speech should not include death threats against any occupant of the White House.
We are in deep trouble as a nation with clergymen preaching hate and calling for the death of our President, no matter who he might be. This only makes clear the constant danger that our President faces as he tries to deal with a multitude of issues facing the nation. And it has to make one wonder if a lot of this hate is based on race more than anything else, a sad commentary on America in 2009. 🙁