Open Letter To Mortimer B. Zuckerman of U.S. News & World Report

After reading an article written in the opinion column of today's U.S. News & World Report, I decided to write the author a letter giving a more balanced perspective on the ongoing Rev. Wright controversy. The article didn't give the option of commenting, so I had to send a letter thru the 'Contact Us' link. Hopefully he'll get it and read it. In the meantime, I thought I'd share. Sorry it's long, but I think it's worth the read.

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Hi - this letter is to Mortimer Zuckerman. I just finished reading the article published today "Obama's Double Standard on Reverend Wright" and although it is a very well written piece, I have concerns about some of the pointed and inflammatory descriptions included.

You mentioned that Rev. Wright's sermons were "hate-filled, paranoid, and anti-American." May I offer you a different perspective to ponder? The bible tells us in Hebrews 12:6 that "...whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth." What good is a father who never corrects his son or never points out the things that the child is doing wrong so that they can be corrected? We have to be frank and admit that America has done some despicable things in the name of democracy. Many nations and people have suffered at our hands, yet we take a stand of arrogance as if America has been the shining example of honesty and integrity in the world. We all know that is just not so. Because Rev. Wright or anyone else is honest about our country's sins, does that make them anti-American? Open rebuke is actually a greater form of love that one who sits by and says nothing.

Jesus was not a popular man in his country. He used incendiary and inflammatory speech. He was divisive and was probably accused of being hate-filled, paranoid, and anti-Jerusalem. Yet, last week our nation celebrated his death, burial, and resurrection as Holy Week. He is the one most of us follow as our example of living a perfect life. He was hated and subsequently executed because they accused him of being a heretic and a blasphemer. Consequently, he was the greatest lover of his country. He loved Jerusalem, but spoke out against it because they were doing wrong things and wanted to correct the error of their ways.

I'm not in any way suggesting that Rev. Wright is Jesus. I'm not intimately familiar with the doctrine of his church. That's not the point. The point is, is it possible that Rev. Wright loves America?

Yes, he is a flawed man just like the rest of us, but just because he speaks publicly about the injustices that America has committed, does that really make him anti-American? In any of his sermons, did he ever tell his congregation not to love their fellow American or to commit violence towards someone who wronged them, or to hold grudges and refuse to forgive? Did he ever tell them to hate the government, white people, Asians, Latinos, etc.? Is it fair to call him paranoid? Didn't American settlers nearly wipe out the Native American population for the sole purpose of taking their land? Didn't the American government allow black men to be unknowingly injected with syphilis as an experiment? Didn't America take black slaves, strip them of their names, dignity, and heritage all in the name of free enterprise? Based on history, is it really so far fetched to suggest that the government invented AIDS? I'm not saying that it's true, but even Pat Buchanan suggested that HIV/AIDS was punishment for homosexuality. Both positions sound very plausible or very ignorant depending on your life experience and which side of the ditch you stand.

When people say things that hurt us, we often interpret that as them hating us. I can remember being scorned or chastised as a child and feeling like my parents hated me. As I matured, I understood that they didn't hate me at all. Actually, they loved me so much more than the people who said nothing while I did the wrong thing. The fact of the matter is, the truth hurts. If we all had to justify our lives and relationships based on a few :30 second sound bites taken out of context, we all would be cut off from society and banished into solitude. You and I both have said stupid things over the course of our lives, but that doesn't make us hate mongers, or paranoid, or anti-American. It makes us human beings who at any given point in time may say something that we believe is true, but others strongly take issue with.

If Sen. Obama's judgement is to be questioned based on his 20 year relationship with Rev. Wright (whom we know of solely from those clips which only represent snapshots in time as opposed to the totality of his 40 year career in ministry), then can't we also question Sen. Clinton's judgement for remaining married to her husband for over 30 years? And we all saw the clips on the news of his lapse in judgement. She could have chosen to divorce him and the whole world would have backed her up, just like Sen. Obama could have made the choice to leave his church, but neither of them chose that option. I submit to you that Sen. Clinton made a choice of her own free will to remain committed to her husband based on her historical knowledge and understanding of who he really is and not based on his moments of reprehensible, sinful, bad judgement. Why is it incomprehensible and unacceptable that Sen. Obama made the same choice?

I hope that someone in the media will be have enough backbone to look past emotions and knee-jerk reactions and really examine what Rev. Wright has said in context. This whole business of mass marketing fear and profiting off of half-truths is getting old. America is better than that.

"Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." - Proverbs 27:5-6

Whites Gone Wild

In case you've been MIA like I have for the past few days, you may not have noticed that after hearing clips (taken out of context) of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons rebuking the less than honorable actions of America and of Barack Obama's speech on race last Tuesday, White folks are MAD! We all have seen those Girls Gone Wild commercials with the girls showing all their business, well white folks are lifting their shirts up all over the TV and they don't care who's watching. I've been reading articles and blog comments and I'm almost amazed at how brazen people are with their negative opinions of Black America. ...I said ALMOST amazed.

It's funny to see how people who have an ingrained sense of entitlement react to being criticized or having their dirty deeds aired. Check out this blog entry by Pat Buchanan "A Brief for Whitey". He is so p.o.'ed about a negro having the audacity to suggest that white America is not the savior of blacks. Black folk better be thankful for being brought to this country as slaves, for being given food stamps and welfare, Section 8, Medicaid, and soup kitchens (I'm not making this up...read his blog). Rev. Wright needs to kiss the ground in thanksgiving of the wonderful privileges and advantages of being an American (bow and kiss the ground...isn't that worship Mr. Buchanan?). Wow.

The irony of all this is that at first they were implying that Barack is a Muslim. Now, they have quickly abandoned that theory and allowed him to be a Christian, but not just a good Christian like them...oh noooo. He's a bad black Christian. They have beef with Barack Obama for staying in his church for 20 years. They want to believe that Barack secretly agrees with everything his pastor said and that he has a burning hatred for this country. They don't care that they have to insult every black church in the nation in order to substantiate their point. Nope. They are white, they are right, and how dare anybody suggest otherwise?! God bless America!

Can I let you in on a little secret Pat? The Christ whom you claim to follow was not considered a friend of his nation. He didn't flow with the status quo. He stood out on controversial issues. He made incendiary and inflammatory statements about the government and it's leaders....yet, you have called yourself a follower of Christ for how long now? Forgive me, maybe your church doesn't read that part of the bible. I guess you're one of those Christians who only adhere to the parts of the bible that validates your agenda.

Not all white people agree with the ignorance of Pat Buchanan. There are many who repudiate that foolishness, just as not all black people embrace the brutal truth of Rev. Wright's messages. But I tell you one thing. Pandora's box has been opened and the conversation about race is now happening all around us.

The race conversation will not be televised. It will take place in homes, churches and on jobs. It will take place in boardrooms and courtrooms, in classrooms and on playgrounds. On the golf course and on the basketball court. Unfortunately, what we have to realize is that this dialogue won't be pleasant to the ears. A lot of feelings will be hurt (black & white) and a lot of toes will get stepped on. In order for a wound to properly heal, you must first get to the root of the problem. There may be bacteria and the stench of infection. There may initially be pus. It may be ugly, uncomfortable, or itch a lot. It's not a pretty process, but eventually after the worst part is over, the wound starts to heal and only memory will serve as a reminder of the pain.

The ugliness that we hear right now, however unpleasant, is absolutely necessary. In order for this conversation to progress and prosper, we have to allow people room to be imperfect, to misunderstand, and to misinterpret. We have to be big enough to forgive and humble enough to admit our own shortcomings. We have to take into account a person's life experiences and not dismiss them as less important than our own. We have to expose, and then we have to cover. But, most of all we have to listen and after we have heard and understood...we have to Change.

Yes We Can.

Obama's Speech on Race: "A More Perfect Union"

Here is the video of Barack Obama's speech, on race in America, that many are referring to as "historic". It's about 38 minutes long. Review and discuss. Click here to read the full transcript.



Here are some of my other blog postings related to Obama:
Controversy: Barack Obama and his Pastor
Barack's Grandmother Speaks
What is the Prize?

Controversy with Barak Obama and His Pastor

I was just thinking about this whole situation with Barak Obama and his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, (read here) and it suddenly occurred to me that this scenario is slightly familiar. As this is Holy Week, there is no doubt that you will see countless reenactments of the cruxifiction, the passion, the journey, or whatever you want to call it. I watched a couple of stories last night on the Travel Channel and the History Channel. It's that time of year when we reflect on Jesus' journey leading up to Easter Sunday.

Allow me to draw a similarity here. Jesus was a revolutionary. He was highly controversial and his statements brought an incredible measure of offence to the establishment and the powers that be; hence, their plot to kill him. He was not a friend of the political system nor the governmental structure. He was not embraced by mainstream Jerusalem as a patriot or regarded as a gifted teacher or theologian. As a matter of fact, they hated and despised him. Called him a heretic and a blasphemer. He was so outrageous that the whole nation wanted him crucified.

One of the most notable points in the recantation of Jesus' journey to cruxifiction is the moment where Peter, one of his closest and most long standing followers, chooses to deny him. Three times. We all know the story. Jesus told Peter that he would deny him, Peter said no way Lord, never. Jesus told him that he would do it three times before the cock crowed. Well, not only did Peter deny him, but he cursed (denounced and rejected) knowing him. After Peter realized what he had done, he was broken. He had to go and get himself together, but he eventually became one of the great leaders of the church and author of at least two books of the bible.

What's my point? Glad you asked. Ecclesiastes 1:9 states that there is no new thing under the sun. Character assassination for political gain is not a new thing. The Church being attacked is not a new thing. Spiritual leaders being controversial and making unpopular statements is not a new thing. Preachers offending politicians and heads of state is not a new thing. Followers denying and distancing themselves from their leaders out of fear or for personal gain is not a new thing. Fast forward 2,008 years.

Am I comparing Rev. Wright to Jesus? Not in the sense of his doctrine or teachings. I haven't heard one message that he's taught. He could be right on or way off. Doesn't matter...that's not my point.

My point is, there will ALWAYS be a separation between church and state. The church is supposed to carry out the mission of telling the truth, even when it's unpopular or politically incorrect. For those followers who claim allegiance to the kingdom of God and operate in the political or governmental system, it causes them to walk on thin ice. Many get away for years with having private beliefs and a public agenda. I believe that's what may have prompted Peter's adamant public denial of Christ. Maybe he had political aspirations too. Maybe he was concerned about the financial implications on his fishing business if he were publicly connected to a revolutionary. He knew that his leader was a controversial figure. He walked with him, heard him teach, fellowshipped with him, all the while harboring a secret fear that this relationship could come back to haunt him. Jesus already knew this. That's why he had the foresight to tell Peter exactly what he would do when put in that situation, even though Peter didn't want to believe him.

I wonder if Rev. Wright had that same conversation with Barak Obama. "Barak, before this campaign is over, you will have to deny me."

Did Barak do the right thing? I don't know. Did Peter do the right thing? He did what he felt like he had to do. His leader already knew that he would have to do it and then prepared him for it. Was Jesus betrayed, wounded or offended by Peter's actions? No. He was already prepared for it. He understood who he was called to be and who Peter was called to be. Jesus knew his mission and he knew Peter's mission.

He understood that in order for one to live, the other had to die.

We Can Change the World

My goal is to keep you informed, inspired, and accountable, so I want to kick off the "resurrection" of CRL 2.0 by giving a big shout out to Presidential candidate Barack Obama for reviving hope and giving this generation something to get excited about! There are many songs and videos that have been produced saluting Sen. Obama's message of hope, but I was caught off guard at the way I was moved by the first video that Will.I.Am did ("Yes We Can"). A new one titled "We Are the Ones" was also recently added to the website http://www.dipdive.com/.

What is the Prize?

Sometimes we are so naive and lazy. We believe everything we see on the news and everything we read on the internet. Remember the "KKK Endorses Obama" email that was floating around? I heard a nationally syndicated radio show talking about it as if it were the absolute truth. The sad part about it is all one had to do was a little research to find out that it orginated from a satirical publication in the UK. *sighs* Sometimes we seem so gullable and we wonder why "they" don't respect us.

All of the 80's babies should remember R.I.F. - Reading is Fundamental. I guess it was in the 80's but not anymore. People will pass on anything sent via email without thought for whether or not it is true. Beware of mass deception that has occurred and will continue to occur because we won't do the necessary research to stay informed.

Has anybody actually gone to the candidates websites to get the facts for yourselves? I hadn't either. Seemed like too much work, until now. It's not enough that the candidate is black, white, male, female, great orator, great debator, etc. I had a moment of enlightenment when watching "The State of the Black Union" on CSPAN an last weekend (that's a post within itself...why was I home on a Friday night watching CSPAN?! my 9-year old niece suggests that I check out match.com ...LOL!). Panel member Dr. Eddie Glaude, who is a BRILLIANT, young brother and protege of Dr. Cornell West, made a profound statement when evaluating the possibility of our nation's first black president. His thought-provoking question was, "What is the prize?"

Research, think, discuss, decide.

We can change the world. Check out Derrick over at Take Back the Mic.

Barak Obama's Grandmother: What Did You Say About My Grandbaby?!

Don't ever mess with a black woman's son or grandson. Whether native African or African-American, a black woman will tie her hair up, take her jewelry off, slip out of her high heels (or dust her feet off) and make you regret the day you ever opened your mouth to say something crazy about her boy.

(on a side note, look at the scene behind her...that Kenyan sky is calling me home!)


Barack's grandmother is none too pleased with the way the media has been misrepresenting him (Click here for full story). And who could blame her? American mamas go to bat for their sons all the time. When Junebug goes to jail, who is the one who gets on TV to declare his innocence? -Mama. Who is the one who will let a grown man move in with his family until he gets back on his feet? -Grandma. They are the ones who will cover for their boys no matter what they do. Murder, drugs, theft, babies galore...a black woman's son can do no wrong. She will always stand up for baby boy because she knows who he is, even though he may not act like it.

So how much more should Sarah Hussein Obama stand up for her grandbaby all the way in Kenya! He's a brilliant man who through his personal and spiritual life, career choices and community activism has demonstrated compassion, character and integrity. The scripture says that a good name is to be desired more than great wealth. Despite the sinister portrait that his opponents have tried to paint, Sarah knows that her grandboy has a good name...because it's her name too and she knows who she is.

"They" brought us to this country and stripped us of our identities. They gave us new names belonging to the slave master. Most of us don't really know who we are, who our ancestors are and the rich legacy they left us. We don't feel connected to the rest of the world. We have no idea that we have other family members around the world who will stand up for us if we could only get our names back.

"They" are angry because this African-American won't let them change his identity. He has the audacity to use that name to run for this nation's highest office. Didn't he get the memo? They took names like that and locked them up over 400 years ago. So now, they mock him and try to make him feel ashamed of having such a completely non-American name. They demonize it and plant seeds of fear of terrorism to cover their real concern. I've even seen comments suggesting that he may be the antichrist. (Newsflash: If he is the antichrist, is not voting for him in an election going to halt his agenda? The antichrist has a predestined assignment that can't be changed by human intervention. It's already been written. If you believe your salvation is sure, then what are you worried about?)

You see, it's not the Black man in the White House with the name Hussein who's itinerary they imply is outlined in the book of Revelation that they're really afraid of. They are afraid of the Black man in the White House with the name Hussein who's true agenda is outlined by the prophet Isaiah. He will build the old waste places and repair the breach. He may incite us to rise up. Yes, they fear our ancestral names. They fear that through the eyes of Obama, we will find our true culture, embrace our ancestry and reclaim our names. On that day, we will collectively wake up and realize who we really are.



"What's your name boy?!"
"Barack Hussein Obama! "


Isaiah 58:12 "And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in."