May 5 (Bloomberg) — Barack Obama's former pastor has justified his inflammatory remarks as reflecting a tradition of prophetic preaching in the “invisible'' black church that is misunderstood by his white critics. Many of his fellow black clergymen disagree.
Reverend Jeremiah Wright's controversial statements were “careless, callous and almost calculating,'' said Reverend John J. Hunter, senior minister at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles.
The timing of his statements “shows a shallowness on his part that he would risk the success of a campaign that could be a blessing to the entire world,'' Hunter said.
Obama, 46, has split with his former pastor, denouncing Wright's comments, including his praise for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, and his contentions that the government may have had a role in spreading AIDS and that U.S. foreign policy was partly to blame for the Sept. 11 attacks. Still, the controversy is dogging Obama's campaign as he faces critical races in Indiana and North Carolina tomorrow.
Several black pastors said they were alarmed by Wright's comments and his claim that the uproar over them amounts to an attack on the black church. While Wright's style echoes the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. — who also used harsh language in sermons, once calling America “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world'' — his comments in the past week were beyond the pale, the ministers said.
`No More Public Comments'
“I just don't agree with the specifics of his statements,'' said Reverend Wyatt Tee Walker, who was King's chief of staff from 1960 to 1964. “My hope is he will make no more public pronouncements and let the campaign go forward.''
Walker called Wright a “great pastor,'' though he added that the controversy isn't helping Obama, an Illinois senator.
“I think Dr. Wright ought to chill,'' said Walker, 80, who was a pastor in Harlem for 37 years and is now retired and living in Virginia.

bloomberg.com

Look, up in the tree!
And on the fence . . . in the bird feeder . . . in the attic . . . near the picnic!
With a flick of its bodacious tail, the creature darts to the nearest morsel of food. The mighty - and omnipresent - squirrel rides again.
For the record, we’re talking here about tree squirrels, the rodents found in every leafy park and yard in Pueblo. We’ll have to save ground squirrels - chipmunks, marmots and prairie dogs are examples - for another day.
Three kinds of tree squirrels live in the state, according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife: the rusty red fox squirrel; Abert’s (pronounced Ay-bear’s) squirrel; and pine squirrel, which is also called a chickaree. Fox squirrels are the ones seen in parks and neighborhoods, while Abert’s and pine squirrels live in forests.
Many people love the little critters and it’s easy to see why. They’re furry. They like to chase each other. They wield those tails with adorable precision. And, oh, those little paws!
Others can’t stand them - and it’s easy to see why. In an episode of “Sex and the City,” Sarah Jessica Parker once referred to them as rats with cuter outfits. They’re rodents. They can carry disease. They antagonize dogs. They can chew anything.
But if you’re the park superintendent for Pueblo Parks and Recreation, as Bob Gilliland is, squirrels aren’t high on the list of everyday annoyances, which might surprise people.
“They don’t really bother us, outside of getting run over in the street,” Gilliland said. “We don’t make any special accommodations and don’t have to feed them. People who come out here have a good time feeding them and some of (the squirrels) get pretty gentle.”
They’re not going anywhere, either. Tree squirrels typically produce two litters per year, with two to five babies in each litter. Pueblo’s population is in no danger of dwindling.

chieftain.com