Courtesy of the always thoughtful Muskrat:

When I worked in intel analysis, the smartest guys I knew would always ask not “what does this quote from, e.g., North Korea, sound like to us,” but “What does it sound like to THEM” — what does it mean on the context of the politics, linguistics, mythology, etc. of the audience for whom it was meant.

No offense, but Wright’s words weren’t meant for Feddie, the staff of NRO, or the rest of the blogosphere. They were meant for a largely (but not entirely) black congregation in Chicago, which had experienced the million little ways that big government can futz up your life in very real ways.

Wright’s words aren’t all that different from right-wing wackos like Falwell and Robertson who see various bad things (hurricaines, 9/11) as divine retribution for the nation’s sins. Falwell, Robertson et al just pick different sins.

This blog has been full of references to a “Culture of death,” which Wright’s words can also be read as condemning, although his concern is the state of the black community, not the prevalence of abortion. But if it’s wrong to waste a life for the convenience of the mother, it’s also wrong to waste a life because society has decided that dealing a little weed or coke deserves a life sentence. (USING a little weed merits felony time in the slammer, unless you went to Harvard or Yale, in which case it merits… the White House)

Update: Just because I select a comment as the ”dissent of the day” does not mean that I necessarily agree with its substance. It just means that the dissent in question was thoughtfully stated, and has points contained therein that are worth considering.