Bill O'Reilly calls me an apologist for Rev. Jeremiah Wright

On tonight's "O'Reilly Factor," I've been told that Bill O'Reilly called me out about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright issue. I was watching CNN and didn't see the show, but I'll watch the re-broadcast.

But here is the email I sent to Bill and two top Fox News Channel executives. Let's see if he takes me up on my offer.

"Hey, Bill! Someone sent me an email saying you called me out. First, thanks for the publicity, I appreciate that. Be sure to get the website right - ROLANDSMARTIN.COM.

"Now, I always enjoyed doing your show prior to me joining CNN.

"I missed your show because I was actually watching CNN - I'm sure you could figure that one out.

"Now, I can't come on your air because I'm under contract. But I'll be happy to do your radio show - any time, any day, any where - to discuss this issue.

"My cell is 4XX-XXX-XXXX.

"Call me. I'll be happy to chat with you on this subject."

Comments

[SJL]

Hi Roland - I don't think Bill-O is ready for you! I copied a link from the The Daily Voice that states Rev Wright responded (assuming he actually wrote this letter) to a controversial story run by the New York Times in March 2007 titled "Disinvitation by Obama Is Criticized" that I found very interesting.

http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2008/03/jeremiah-wright-responds-to-ob-000376.php

[Dee]

Forget about him...he would invite you on the show, but wouldn't let you speak.

[Roland S. Martin]

Dee,

I've done his show about 10 times, and I've spoken each time. In fact, we've never gotten into an argument on the show. He knows I would whip dat, well, you know what!

[simplycharming47]

BillO (pad)
Is a pathetic COWARD. He would NEVER invite YOU on his lousy racist program to debate intellectually and factually ANYTHING. After all Roland you are the very reason (in their warped sick little itty bitty mind) scum like himself feel inferior. You are SMART,EDUCATED,INTELLIGENT and a BLACK MAN!!

He might be dumb but as my grandma would say "HE AINT PLUM DUMB"..Thank you for what must seem at times a monumental task trying to educate the dummies of the world. We love you and keep killing them with FACTS!!

[simplycharming47]

I guess I should now say Bill-O (pad) would never invite you on his program to discuss the Obama-Jeremiah Wright issue. You posted right before I did so I am correcting myself..

[nic]

Bill Who??

[rikyrah]

Bill O will NEVER take you up on your offer anymore than Hannity.

They are scuuuuurrrreeed little girls.

[Jay]

Roland,

He doesn't deserve time on your radio show. All anyone on Fox is good for is spewing hate. I read that their ratings are really low. Let them yell that stuff to the last five people that are watching them.

[Dee]

Wow, Roland...I feel honored that you responded to my comment. You are too real. Loves it. Well Good luck when you go on. I like to see the good in Mr. O'Reily, but it's difficult sometimes. Let us know when the invite arrives.

[Kevin Facey]

I understand what you are saying Mr. Martin. I remembered seeing something on Keith Olbermann's show, where he mentioned you going on O'Reilly's show to debate Bill O'Reilly. Olbermann stated, and I am parphrasing, " On a battle of wits, you would be going against a man, who is unarmed." I just fell out laughing for a couple of minutes.

[Kevin Facey]

I understand what you are saying Mr. Martin. I remembered seeing something on Keith Olbermann's show, where he mentioned you going on O'Reilly's show to debate Bill O'Reilly. Olbermann stated, and I am parphrasing, " On a battle of wits, you would be going against a man, who is unarmed." I just fell out laughing for a couple of minutes.

[Jay]

Something that I found interesting is a letter that Rev. Wright wrote to the New York Times. It shows a glispe of this mans heart and what kind of man he really is. Wonder why we haven't heard anything about this from the main stream media. Hmm....

In March 2007, New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor published a brief story about how Rev. Jeremiah Wright had been uninvited from delivering the invocation before Barack Obama's official presidential announcement.

Wright responded by writing the following letter:

March 11, 2007

Jodi Kantor
The New York Times
9 West 43rd Street
New York,
New York 10036-3959

Dear Jodi:

Thank you for engaging in one of the biggest misrepresentations of the truth I have ever seen in sixty-five years. You sat and shared with me for two hours. You told me you were doing a "Spiritual Biography" of Senator Barack Obama. For two hours, I shared with you how I thought he was the most principled individual in public service that I have ever met.

For two hours, I talked with you about how idealistic he was. For two hours I shared with you what a genuine human being he was. I told you how incredible he was as a man who was an African American in public service, and as a man who refused to announce his candidacy for President until Carol Moseley Braun indicated one way or the other whether or not she was going to run.

I told you what a dreamer he was. I told you how idealistic he was. We talked about how refreshing it would be for someone who knew about Islam to be in the Oval Office. Your own question to me was, Didn't I think it would be incredible to have somebody in the Oval Office who not only knew about Muslims, but had living and breathing Muslims in his own family? I told you how important it would be to have a man who not only knew the difference between Shiites and Sunnis prior to 9/11/01 in the Oval Office, but also how important it would be to have a man who knew what Sufism was; a man who understood that there were different branches of Judaism; a man who knew the difference between Hasidic Jews, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews and Reformed Jews; and a man who was a devout Christian, but who did not prejudge others because they believed something other than what he believed.

I talked about how rare it was to meet a man whose Christianity was not just "in word only." I talked about Barack being a person who lived his faith and did not argue his faith. I talked about Barack as a person who did not draw doctrinal lines in the sand nor consign other people to hell if they did not believe what he believed.

Out of a two-hour conversation with you about Barack's spiritual journey and my protesting to you that I had not shaped him nor formed him, that I had not mentored him or made him the man he was, even though I would love to take that credit, you did not print any of that. When I told you, using one of your own Jewish stories from the Hebrew Bible as to how God asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?," that Barack was like that when I met him. Barack had it "in his hand." Barack had in his grasp a uniqueness in terms of his spiritual development that one is hard put to find in the 21st century, and you did not print that.

As I was just starting to say a moment ago, Jodi, out of two hours of conversation I spent approximately five to seven minutes on Barack's taking advice from one of his trusted campaign people and deeming it unwise to make me the media spotlight on the day of his announcing his candidacy for the Presidency and what do you print? You and your editor proceeded to present to the general public a snippet, a printed "sound byte" and a titillating and tantalizing article about his disinviting me to the Invocation on the day of his announcing his candidacy.

I have never been exposed to that kind of duplicitous behavior before, and I want to write you publicly to let you know that I do not approve of it and will not be party to any further smearing of the name, the reputation, the integrity or the character of perhaps this nation's first (and maybe even only) honest candidate offering himself for public service as the person to occupy the Oval Office.

Your editor is a sensationalist. For you to even mention that makes me doubt your credibility, and I am looking forward to see how you are going to butcher what else I had to say concerning Senator Obama's "Spiritual Biography." Our Conference Minister, the Reverend Jane Fisler Hoffman, a white woman who belongs to a Black church that Hannity of "Hannity and Colmes" is trying to trash, set the record straight for you in terms of who I am and in terms of who we are as the church to which Barack has belonged for over twenty years.

The president of our denomination, the Reverend John Thomas, has offered to try to help you clarify in your confused head what Trinity Church is even though you spent the entire weekend with us setting me up to interview me for what turned out to be a smear of the Senator; and yet The New York Times continues to roll on making the truth what it wants to be the truth. I do not remember reading in your article that Barack had apologized for listening to that bad information and bad advice. Did I miss it? Or did your editor cut it out? Either way, you do not have to worry about hearing anything else from me for you to edit or "spin" because you are more interested in journalism than in truth.

Forgive me for having a momentary lapse. I forgot that The New York Times was leading the bandwagon in trumpeting why it is we should have gone into an illegal war. The New York Times became George Bush and the Republican Party's national "blog." The New York Times played a role in the outing of Valerie Plame. I do not know why I thought The New York Times had actually repented and was going to exhibit a different kind of behavior.

Maybe it was my faith in the Jewish Holy Day of Roshashana. Maybe it was my being caught up in the euphoria of the Season of Lent; but whatever it is or was, I was sadly mistaken. There is no repentance on the part of The New York Times. There is no integrity when it comes to The Times. You should do well with that paper, Jodi. You looked me straight in my face and told me a lie!

Sincerely and respectfully yours,

Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., Senior Pastor
Trinity United Church of Christ

[jackie]

All of the media hype ( anti- wright propaganda) has made me realize how correct Rev Wright was in his sermons. The white-controled media has tried to slander his name. Even journalist such as Barbara Walters labeled his as racist wothout referring to any specific statement. When a Fos reporter was asked by Al Sharpton which one of Wright;s statements was racist she cut ended the interview saying they were "out of time"

Sad thing is that minorities do not have our own "Meet the Press" or shows which we can present our comments. We still must depend on whites to give us a minute or two on their shows

[terry steele]

there have been serveral attempts oon my life and my wife and children by government officails please help us that they will leave my children alone these are very poerful people that has already made people disappear i am a teacher and minister with honors