" Should African American politicians and public officials be free from criticism by us?"
Dear friends,
One of several things that we have learned from the recent Sherrod resignation is that many African Americans are hesitant to criticize Barack Obama for his errors in judgment. Part of the problem lies in the notion that he is the "first Black president". That may be true of the USA, but there are actually many Black presidents of modern nations and have been for scores of years. Was Nelson Mandela's presidency less worthy than President Obama's? Was the presidency (Prime Minister) of the Congo by Patrice Lumumba , an African leader who was murdered by the C.I.A. almost 50 years ago, less valuable than Obama's? Obviously, because of his assassination and having been replaced by a hand-picked successor by the same C.I.A. proves that his death was crucial to the United States and other Western powers.
While we all like great music, the author, a European American reporter in Philadelphia, makes some very important points, regarding Condoleeza Rice's role in the Bush administration. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0wbpKCdkkQ,
As well, on the link below, we may be led to ask: Why don't African American journalists raise questions about Condi's past actions as Bush's National Security Adviser and, later, his Secretary of State? After all, we see Nigerian journalists and scribes from other African nations criticize their presidents. Why shouldn't we do the same with those officials, elected or not, who act against human progress? Should African American politicians and public officials be free from criticism by us?
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/99184804.html
Monday, July 26, 2010
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4 comments:
Most of the criticism of Obama about the Sherrod episode, from his professional supporters, has been limited to his intimidation by the right.
The Congressional Black Caucus and Rev. Jesse Jackson, etc. only called on the administration to apologize and reinstate Sherrod to her job, if she wanted it. The Congressional Black Caucus blamed Dept of Agriculture head, Vilsack, for having overreacted.
Rev. Al Sharpton said black leaders should refrain from calling on the administration to apologize, saying that creates the impression that black leadership is fractured. "We are only greasing the rails for the right wing to run a train through our ambitions and goals for having civil and human rights in this country," Sharpton said.
That is the type of shielding from direct criticism you mention. Meanwhile, the non-professional criticism all seem to chastise Obama for the way Mrs. Sherrod was treated and thrown under the bus.
No, African American politicians should not be exempt from criticism. That being said, if Condoleeza Rice's role in the Bush administration was a point of contention, that criticism should've been leveled during her term. Or, it should be handled from a historical perspective, not used to dog her in private life or her participation in charitable events.
To me, Al Charlatan, I mean Sharpton is an FBI snitch. Therefore, his thoughtless words mean nothing. Nonetheless, you contradict yourself, totally, in the last sentence. That is, if she had died, I could see your point. However, she is alive. Therefore, we don’t know that her reactionary actions have changed. After all, Cheney’s no longer in office. Should we refrain from criticizing him?
You Cheney reference is on point. It's just that I hate him because he seems to personify evil in his visage, extensive history, and deeds. Come to think about it, maybe I am guilty of giving Rice a pass for whatever reason. Let me think about her some more.
I'm glad that you get my point. BTW, my old and dear friend Cornel West called me yesterday to compliment that post. Dig?
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