Al Sharptoon and John Lewis' Gay Rainbow Coalition

Let me be clear - the Homosexual community has every RIGHT to lobby for the issues that are important to them. This is a democracy after all. I will defend their rights as Americans to take their requests to the court of public opinion and to lobby as such.

At the same it is the "Al Sharpton types" who must be called out for what they are doing and the destruction that it renders - particularly WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

Do you notice Rev Sharpton's list? Isn't it all an "IN RECEIPT OF" list? Let's actually inspect the issue of EDUCATION. Does anyone really believe that the biggest obstacle to lifting the average standing of Black kids in education resides in what the GOVERNMENT is doing or not doing? If you follow Rev. Sharpton's reasoning - what else can you believe then?

This echoes the words that I heard from an Oakland area rapper on the show "Hard Knock Radio" hosted by Davey D. The rapper who was basically a spoken word revolutionary said the words "We need to get some education by reforming the public schools with progressive policies". The words "get some education" caused me to think about HIS concept of how education is "gotten".

I see quality education and the byproduct of a series of properly functioning elements that must be continually managed - mostly LOCALLY through the KIDS into whom it will be implanted, the parents who must be the managers of the kid's educational career, the community which is to set an environment that is conducive to education and the school system which is to provision the learning environment.

When I listen to a permanent revolutionary talk about 'getting some education' it becomes more than clear that they would not know the pathway toward "quality education" even if it was labeled as such. They are OPPOSITION FORCES. Much of which is necessary to actually produce quality education stands against their rebellious, revolutionary spirit.

Mr Sharpton's proposed coalition is not about OBTAINING these benefits......as if they will RETIRE once they obtain education, health care and social services PER THEIR LIKING. They are NOT GOING TO EVER LIKE IT!!! Theirs is a PERMANENT CHASE. Doesn't anyone else see this?

If they are not PROGRESSING then they are rendered irrelevant and they die off.

What about this end though?
Isn't it true that the DEGRADED norm that they one day craft becomes the "baby of their making" and thus they should stand by it? As well - what of the upstart revolutionaries who stand against that given orthodoxy of standards - however degraded from our current "too conservative" standards? Aren't they likely to view Mr. Shartpon and others as 'RELATIVE' conservatives - too much a part of the establishment to be PROGRESSIVE?

Here is what is missing people: OWNERSHIP!!
Regardless of how much POWER is amassed by the PROGRESSIVE FORCES here in America - you will continue to see them fighting against some threatening conservative force which dares to seek to be curators of some past traditions.

The only way any of this is going to stop people.....the only way you are going to move closer to your GOALS rather than to be motivated by THE CHASE because it brings you the appearance of UNITY is to DEMAND THAT THE PERMANENT REVOLUTIONARIES ACTUALLY DELIVER FOR YOU and not just STRUGGLE on your behalf.

All they are going to do is to continue to COALITION BUILD against the conservative. All you will ever hope for is to pray that the CONSERVATIVES never depart you else you'll have to live within the system that you assisted in crafting, absent the counterbalancing force to protect you from your own doing.

Some of you are not going to appreciate ORDER until it is gone.

Al Sharpton, the Black Church, and gays
By Matthew Cardinale
An Advocate.com exclusive posted January 27, 2006

The Republican Party “came and invaded the Black Church and tricked people into supporting Bush,” the Reverend Al Sharpton told a National Black Justice Coalition summit in Atlanta on January 20. “They couldn’t come to the Black Church and talk about war, health care, education, so they take the cheap way out [by focusing on gay marriage]. We need to be honest about that.”

Sharpton issued challenges to both the GLBT and Black Church communities. “The church should have a front seat in the car leading towards dialogue and tolerance,” Sharpton said in his keynote address.

Meanwhile, “The GLBT community became one-issue oriented. They need to broaden their issues to supporting health care and education. The way you build coalitions is with mutual interests. I think it would be wise and morally sound to share our battles,” Sharpton said in response to a question from a reporter.

More than 100 people attended the conference at the First Iconium Baptist Church, January 20–21. The conference was also attended by numerous media outlets as well as an outreach representative for U.S. representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat.

“I came to be informed, to get the flavor of what’s going on,” Akbar Imhotep, who is starting his own church, told me. “We’re very happy. About 100 were here today, and we were expecting 75.”

“But the real work starts Monday,” said Sylvia Rhue, event organizer for the NBJC summit, who added that she had worked on civil rights issues with colleagues of Martin Luther King Jr. for 20 years.

“How dare we oppress people when we ourselves have been oppressed!” the Reverend Loyce Newton-Edwards, associate minister of Prospect Missionary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, exclaimed in a panel discussion.

“Jesus’ identity has been stolen! They got his credit card; they got his ID number!” said a fellow panel member, the Reverend Ken Samuel, pastor of the Victory for the World Church of Stone Mountain, Ga.

“The Black Church is the oldest growing independent institution in this country,” Sharpton said. “They [Republicans] would love for you to concede that territory [of morality] to them...to the George Bushes and Jerry Falwells.”

“After 2004, the Black churches were sincere [about opposing gay marriage for moral reasons]. But they didn’t realize they were being manipulated by the Republican National Committee and the hierarchy of the Republican Party,” Sharpton said. The RNC stopped being involved in the marriage issue after the election, he added. “It was hard for them to sell morality after Katrina.”

Sharpton said he was inspired to participate in the summit by his memories of working with Bayard Rustin, King’s gay right-hand man, and on behalf of his gay sister. “I had a member of my family who was gay,” he said in his speech. “Black, gay, and female,” he added. “Imagine the social schizophrenia.”

Sharpton told a media conference he and the NBJC were looking at taking the summit to other U.S. cities, citing St. Louis among the possibilities.