I did not make these words bold because I find them inappropriate. I made them bold to give emphasis to the fact that Ayers is very outspoken about his current beliefs - which, in fact, are the same beliefs he has always held. He does not hide them, and those who associate with him are well aware of how he thinks and what his opinions are.
Originally, Obama tried to downplay his relationship with Ayers, calling him "someone who lives in my neighborshood." When it came out that they had served together on the Woods Foundation, Obama had to change his story, and he then admitted Ayers was more than someone who just happened to live in the neighborhood, and that the two had "served on a board together". More facts started to be unearthed. The two served together on not one, but two different boards.
Obama's story changed again. In an interview with Michael Smerconish, on Oct. 9, 2008, Obama related how he worked with Ayers on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, and said, "Ultimately, I ended up learning about the fact that he had engaged in this reprehensible act 40 years ago, but I was eight years old at the time and I assumed that he had been rehabilitated."
Based on what I know of Ayers, and based on his own description of how open he is regarding his political beliefs, I find it about as hard to believe that Obama assumed Ayers was "rehabilitated" as to believe that Obama sat in Rev. Wright's church for 20 years and didn't hear the racist, hateful comments of his own pastor.
Speaking of Rev. Wright, Ayers and Obama, while on the Woods Foundation, gave money to Rev. Wright's church. Rev. Wright claims the only way to fully understand the theology taught at his church is to read Dr. James Cone's "A Black Theology of Liberation". It turns out Black Liberation Theology has its roots in Marxism. Here is an excerpt: "Looting, burning, or the destruction of white property are not primary concerns. Such matters can only be decided by the oppressed themselves who are seeking to develop their images of the black Christ" Sounds a lot like something Ayers would say, doesn't it?
I am not in the least advocating policing what people think. As you quite rightly state, people are free to believe anything they want in America. It is not illegal by any means to be a Marxist in America. If we were discussing our neighborhood mailman, or a Hollywood actor, or my husband's barber, I would say they are free to believe what they want to believe and it is absolutely none of my business. But we are discussing a politician, and his political views are of utmost importance, and most certainly are my, and all of America's, business.
Edited to clarify: Obama is the politician, and it is Obama's political views which are of importance. But he doesn't hold those political views in a vacuum. The fact that he attended Rev. Wright's church, that he launched his career from Bill Ayer's living room, that he approved funds for the African village project, that he wrote a blurb for one of Ayers's books giving it a glowing review, the list goes on and on - all of these are very problematic to many Americans.
