2nd Obama-linked pastor
under fire for racist talk

Rev. James Meeks

Sen. Barack Obama has been linked to another controversial pastor, this time a declared spiritual adviser who has called white American mayors "slave masters," and referred to black preachers and politicians who "protect" the "white man" as "house n-ggers."
 
"We don't have slave masters, we got mayors," exclaimed James Meeks, an Illinois state senator and pastor of one of the largest churches in the state, in an August, 2006 sermon broadcast on a Chicago community television channel.
 
The speech was broadcast last week by Fox News Channel's "Hannity and Colmes."
 
Continued Meeks in the sermon: "But they are still the same white people who are presiding over systems where black people are not able to be educated. You got some preachers that are house n-ggers. You got some elected officials that are house n-ggers. Rather than them try and break this up, they're gonna fight you to protect that white man."
 
Meeks at the time was lashing out at Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley over public-school funding issues.
 
When confronted about his divisive rhetoric in 2006 by Mike Flannery, a political editor for a local CBS affiliate, Meeks defended his sermon.
 
"Is it fair to compare Mayor Daley, him and the governor, to slave masters?" Flannery asked.

"They do the same thing. They preside over systems where they have the control of the lives of African-American and Hispanic people," Meeks replied.

With regard to his use of foul language, Meeks stated: "The N-word is not in the African-American community a bad word. It's a term of endearment. And I don't see it as derogatory or defensive, offensive."

But Flannery retorted: "That is an insult. You weren't using that term as a term of endearment."

According to reports, shortly after his 2006 tirade, Meeks endorsed a Rainbow/PUSH call for blacks to stop using the N-word.

Aside from his senatorial duties, Meeks is an Illinois superdelegate pledged to Obama, and also presides over Salem Baptist Church, described as the largest church in Illinois with some 20,000 members. He has served as an executive vice president for Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH organization.

Meeks has reportedly campaigned for Obama and allowed Obama to campaign at his church during the presidential candidate's 2004 senatorial run. 
 
A recent Meeks endorsement of Obama is touted on the presidential candidate's campaign website. 
 
In a 2004 interview with Cathleen Falsani of the Chicago Sun-Times, Obama described Meeks as an adviser who he seeks out for spiritual council.

Obama told the Sun-Times that the day after he won a 2004 senatorial primary, he stopped by Meeks' Salem Baptist Church for Wednesday-night Bible study.

"I know that he's a person of prayer," said Meeks of Obama. "The night after the election, he was the hottest thing going from Galesburg to Rockford. He did all the TV shows, and all the morning news, but his last stop at night was for church. He came by to say thank you, and he came by for prayer."

Meeks has made other controversial race remarks.  

In 2006, Meeks informed his church during a sermon he may run for Illinois governor. He was recorded telling the mostly black congregation any "white Christian" who doesn't vote for him is a "racist."

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"If I do run and there are two people in the race who both are not standing for morality, if I don't have every white Christian vote in the state of Illinois, I will stand on top of the Sears Tower and call every one of y'all racist," Meeks said from his pulpit.

Meeks is also notorious for his strong anti-homosexual platform, which is in contrast to Obama who has been campaigning for the "gay" vote. Meeks has routinely voted against pro-homosexual legislation and has been quoted during sermons referring to same-sex attraction "an evil sickness."

The latest revelations regarding an Obama-linked pastor comes after anti-American, anti-Israel remarks by Obama's pastor of 20 years, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., landed Obama in hot water, prompting the presidential candidate to deliver a major race speech last week.

Also, WND reported last week Obama's Chicago church reprinted an opinion piece by the Hamas terror group that defended terrorism as legitimate resistance, refused to recognize the right of Israel to exist and compared the terror group's official charter – which calls for the murder of Jews – to America's Declaration of Independence.

 

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