BLACK LEADERSHIP OWES DON IMUS AN APOLOGY

African-American Leadership Mum on Planned Parenthood

By Rev. Clenard H. Childress Jr.

"Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America." These eloquent comments were uttered by Senator Barack Obama in his infamous "A More Perfect Union" speech on race, motivated purely as damage control, yet echoes with profound truth. No doubt it was politically expedient for the Democratic presidential frontrunner to talk about what he was trying to avoid all along: a real discussion on race. Why? Because race is often used by those in public prominence to manipulate society for their own personal agendas. Such is the case with many of the perceived African-American leadership in America. A real discussion on race, in the proper social context, would expose the hypocrisy of many of our Black leaders, especially those elected by the people to ensure their well being.

Case in point: Barack Obama. It was about a year ago when Don Imus made his ill-conceived, idiotic, and satiric remarks about the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team. Barack Obama commented saying, "Anyone who made comments like that wouldn't be working for me. I don't think MSNBC should be carrying the kinds of hateful remarks that Imus uttered the other day." These comments by Senator Obama seemed appropriate at the time. But juxtaposed against his remarks about an actual exchanged between a Planned Parenthood official, and a person posing as a racist donor requesting their donation be used to abort specifically African-American babies, is astonishing! What did he say? Nothing! This hypocrisy and betrayal of the Black community was played out repeatedly by such leaders as Al sharpton, Jessie Jackson, the NAACP, and many others.

Here is what they failed to respond to: Autumn Kersey, Vice President of Development at Planned Parenthood of Idaho, is asked whether a donation can be specified to help a minority group, like "for a black baby." Here is how the dialogue went:

Idaho Donor: The abortion -- I can give money specifically for a black baby, that would be the purpose?

PP Rep: Absolutely. If you wanted to designate that your gift be used to help an African-American woman in need, then we would certainly make sure that the gift was earmarked for that purpose.

Idaho Donor: Great, because I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don't want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids. I just had a baby; I want to put it in his name.

PP Rep: Yes, absolutely.

Idaho Donor: And we don't, you know we just think, the less black kids out there the better.

PP Rep: Understandable, understandable.

Idaho Donor: Right. I want to protect my son, so he can get into college.

PP Rep: Alright. Excuse my hesitation, this is the first time I've had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I excited, and want to make sure I don't leave anything out.

You can listen to the whole transcript at Live Action Videos but the above words speak for themselves. Yet, far more insidious and notorious than Don Imus could ever be, Black Leadership has made no statement! Black Leadership has held no press conference! Black Leadership has done nothing to end these blatant acts of bigotry and racism perpetrated against the African-American community by Planned Parenthood. You would think an African-American candidate for the presidency of the United States, who suggested the firing of a fading cowboy over his racially charged comments, would respond to this alarming evidence of injustice and bigotry. But no! The fact of the matter is: these comments presently don't affect his "personal quest" thus, no need for him to call a press conference to cover his political rear end!

Senator Obama said in his speech on race, "If we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges." Walk away? What does it mean when you choose not even to show up?

And then there's Al Sharpton. Rev. Sharpton was one of the loudest voices demanding the firing of Don Imus. On CNN's "Situation Room" Sharpton said about Imus, "We want him fired! We cannot afford a precedent that the airwaves can be used to commercialize and mainstream sexism and racism."

Hey, Al! Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America! You're concerned about precedent that would propagate racism...! What happened with Autumn Kersey in Idaho, happened in Ohio, New Mexico, and Okalahoma. Not only that, Planned Parenthood has yet to fire these employees and continues to protect them. Rev. Sharpton, we need your voice! Where are you?

The truth is, Al Sharpton wouldn't dare raise his voice due to his own proclivity to support the abortion ideology. Rev. Sharpton has the same sentiment about this incident as Senator Obama has about Rev. Wright. 'Please go away! If this "discussion" continues, everyone will know I have heard all your sermons, known all about your attitude on race and have sat under your tutelage!' Rev. Sharpton yesterday obstructed the Brooklyn Bridge and was arrested for Sean Bell but has been absolutely and utterly silent on the racism of Planned Parenthood and the execution of over 15 million African-American children under the watch of those who took a vow to preserve their lives.

Has anyone noted the silence of the NAACP on the racism of Planned Parenthood? Of Imus, Julian Bond, current Chairman of the NAACP said, "It's past time employers take Don Imus off the air." Interim President & CEO Dennis C. Haynes said, "We will now move from Imus to "I Must", because we each must play a part in attacking racial defamation no matter its author." The NAACP, once the vanguard and protector of the Black Community, has become the personification of liberal thinking and has also refused to condemn the racism at Planned Parenthood. This should not surprise anyone since the NAACP censored the Macon chapter in Georgia due to a resolution submitted that had abortion content. They refused to read it to the body, a clear violation of their own by laws. No, there will be no discussion on race here either as long as Planned Parenthood is in the discussion. It is obvious that the "author of racism" does matter with the NAACP.

And there is Jessie Jackson of the Rainbow Coalition. He led a march of about fifty protestors demanding the firing of Don Imus, saying, "Three strikes you're out ought to apply to this position." Not many know what Jackson wrote in a 1000 word essay to the National Right to Life News in January 1977 some thirty-one years ago. He said:

"There are those who argue that the right to privacy is of higher order than the right to life. I do not share that view. I believe that life is not private, but rather it is public and universal. If one accepts the position that life is private, and therefore you have the right to do with it as you please, one must also accept the conclusion of that logic. That was the premise of slavery. You could not protest the existence or treatment of slaves on the plantation because that was private and therefore outside of your right to concerned.

"Another area that concerns me greatly, namely because I know how it has been used with regard to race, is the psycholinguistics involved in this whole issue of abortion. If something can be dehumanized through the rhetoric used to describe it, then the major battle has been won...Those advocates of taking life prior to birth do not call it killing or murder; they call it abortion. They further never talk about aborting a baby because that would imply something human. Rather they talk about aborting the fetus. Fetus sounds less than human and therefore can be justified.

"What happens to the mind of a person, and the moral fabric of a nation, that accepts the aborting of the life of a baby without a pang of conscience? What kind of a person, and what kind of a society will we have 20 years hence if life can be taken so casually?

Without question, Rev. Jackson's conscience must be seared, for these thirty-one years later, he is now firmly pro-abortion. And what was his response to this "Third Reich" mindset? You guessed it: Nothing! So I ask: what does happen to the mind of a person that accepts the aborting of a baby without a pang of conscience? Jessie Jackson knows, because more then most, he can now answer his own question. The senator from Illinois was right when he said, "race is an important issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now." In truth, we really do need a real discussion on race, not just more rhetorical window dressing. We need to discuss why we're allowing the destruction of our race and who has sold us out.

We can't ignore the catalyst for this call for discussion from Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I have no comments from Dr. Wright regarding Don Imus but I intently listened to his speech at the NAACP banquet last month. Rev. Wright is a brilliant but somewhat jaded expositor of biblical and sociological truth in which "different does not mean deficient." Jeremiah Wright's pro-abortion position would lead us to believe that the fetus or "little one" has no right to life due to their temporary status and position in life. I would ask that the whirlwind from Chicago apply his own assessment of object orientation and black and white marching bands to the child in the womb's status. "Different does not mean deficient" -- they have the right to life. I guess he's one of those individuals practicing the necessary "psycholinguistics involved in this whole issue of abortion" Jessie Jackson was talking about thirty-one years ago...

In conclusion let's look at Jesus. When he was "running for office" he also had to have a discussion on race. In John 1:46, Nathaniel, upon hearing from Phillip he had found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, responded by saying, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Due to the social, religious, and political climate of Nazareth, Nathaniel concluded nothing good or divine could or would come out of that region. He made a racist comment. Jesus would later say of Nathaniel that he had no guile. Nathaniel was a sincere racist and spoke openly his opinions. Jesus met him face to face and dialoged with Nathaniel such that His discussion with him eradicated his racist views. What he once thought could be no good became a pearl of great value. Jesus became his Lord and King. Planned Parenthood has said, "Can anything good come out of the womb of the African American mother?" Yes, we need dialog; we need a discussion on race, not for political expediency, but to end the bigotry in the abortion industry. Sorry Don.


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apples and oranges.....