"Selling Their Birthright to the GOP" screams the headline from the Los Angeles Times.

The venerable newspaper then allows two Southern California ministers rip into black conservative Christian ministers who would dare to support the Bush Administration in a hit piece that goes beyond the pale. And why? Because they don't toe the proverbial line that liberals insist that blacks toe.

Seventy pastors apparently turned out for Tuesday's meeting, which was supposedly organized by conservative black ministers who had backed George W. Bush in November and who are seeking to promote what they say is a new agenda for the black community.

Are they doing it with programs that bring jobs, education and opportunity? Nooooooooooooo. They are doing it with a campaign against gay marriage. They are unveiling a "black contract with America on moral values." That's right, Newt Gingrich is back and he's black!

That the ideological descendants of the architects of Jim Crow would be setting up shop in inner cities to structure a solution to the problems of being black in America is beyond ludicrous.

The saddest part is that these ministers, who have inherited a legacy of respect, leadership and authority, would squander their profound birthright for a bowl of faith-based porridge. The underbelly of this Republican initiative is the promise of funding for church programs. That's a true sellout.

The black church has always stood with the oppressed and never the oppressor. It has not been in the forefront of the "pro-life" movement because it recognized that prohibiting abortions leads to the maiming and death of thousands of poor, often black, women. It has not been in the forefront of the movement against gay marriage because it doesn't adhere to the biblical literalism of many fundamentalist churches and looks more to the compassion of Jesus than to conservative legalism.

The authors, in feeding into that sort of hatred, apparently agree that there should only be one school of thought in black America - one that begs for handouts, as opposed to providing a moral compass.

But let me ask: Isn't there truly room for multiple schools of thought in black America? Isn't there room for those who find that gay marriage is offensive to their sensibilities in addition to those who might otherwise support gay marriage? Many of us on the conservative side of the aisle think that out of a diversity of opinion can come strength in the community. Apparently, the authors of this hit piece feel otherwise. And that's a sad state of affairs, indeed.

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I've always had a soft spot for Ossie Davis' work. With his work and life partner, his wife Ruby Dee, they have always portrayed good, distinctive work and have done work that would touch your soul.

Ossie Davis died today in his hotel room in Miami, where he was making a film called Retirement..

Ossie Davis' long career both in front of and behind the camera was exemplerary for a number of reasons, not the least of which is his long-standing relationship with Ruby Dee. When other show business relationships falter quickly, Davis and Dee's withstood the test of time. Indeed, he will be missed by many.

Ossie Davis was 87.

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President Bush knocked it out of the ballpark tonight.

Others are doing some major-league live-blogging, so I'll leave the bulk of the commentary to them, but one thing did strike me.

President Bush appeared to have completely ignored "aisle-bird" Congresscritter Cynthia McKinney (Tin Foil-GA).

McKinney generally parks her ample butt along the center aisle hours prior to the State of the Union, or any other joint session of Congress where the President is slated to speak. She parks there in order to be certain to get her pearly whites on television while she shakes the President's hand.

Watching the President make his way down the aisle prior to the speech as well as back up the aisle afterward, I could see him stop to shake hands with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (Moonbat-TX), but it looked like he completely ignored McKinney's presence.

I guess her "smile in your face, then stab you in the back" routine finally got old. It's about time.

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Al Sharpton has made an eight-minute video for PETA, and is calling for a boycott of KFC restaurants in conjunction with the animal rights group.

Mr. Sharpton is joining forces with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to urge a boycott of KFC, which is owned by Yum Brands of Louisville, Ky. Mr. Sharpton and PETA want the fast food chain to require its chicken suppliers to put in place new standards for the treatment of the 750 million chickens they process for KFC every year in the United States. The rap mogul Russell Simmons is also joining the Sharpton campaign.

"If we give our money to KFC, we're paying for a life of misery for some of God's most helpless creatures," says Mr. Sharpton in an eight-minute video that will be shown outside KFC's around the country.

The organization was eager to enlist Mr. Sharpton because KFC has many stores in largely black neighborhoods and in late 2003 KFC executives told investors they were making an increased effort to market to blacks.

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US Congresscritter Cynthia McKinney (Tin-Foil Wearing Moonbat-GA) plans to park her silly grin along the center aisle of the House chamber hours before Wednesday night's State of the Union speech, as she has each year she's been in Congress.

This year she returns to the aisle after an absence of two years, thanks to her defeat by Denise Majette in 2002. Majette chose not to run for the 4th District seat, instead opting for a shot at the US Senate seat vacated by Zell Miller (Majette lost).

McKinney breaks her neck to get on that aisle so that she can be seen cheesing and kissing the President as he enters. Of course, that won't stop her from making idiotic statements, like the one in 2002 when she charged that President Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.

When President Bush walks through the doors of the House chamber Wednesday night to deliver the State of the Union address, the congresswoman again plans to be standing in his path, ready to shake his hand and smile for the cameras.

"I don't know that it's anything that's going to change public policy, but it certainly does make the constituents feel good to know I'm there and they can see me participate," McKinney, D-Ga., said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

At past Bush speeches, the exchange has been relatively playful, but this will be McKinney's first State of the Union since her radio comments in 2002 that the administration profited by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and may have known ahead of time. Some interpreted the comments to indicate she thought Bush let the attacks happen so his friends could profit, but McKinney later insisted that wasn't the case.

Doesn't look like anything's changed.

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A new Project 21 piece by Virgil Beato points out the successes of blacks today who do not wave the "Soul Patrol flag of whining" around like a badge of honor.

It points to successful blacks like Dr. Ben Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Ann Marie Fudge, who is the president of ad firm Young & Rubicam, American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault, who helped the firm weather major losses of both life and property during 9/11, and former US Senate candidate and former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain.

These modern-day heroes also share strong family values. While the American Enterprise Institute estimates close to 70 percent of black children are now born to single mothers, these people have enjoyed long marriages and raised or are raising their children in stable homes with both parents present.

These modern heroes also give back to their community. Cain, for example, an alumnus of the historically black Morehouse College, now serves on the school's board. Chenault serves on the board of CASA, a drug-use prevention group. Carson started the Carson Scholars Fund, Inc. to help Third-World schoolchildren stay academically competitive. Fudge is involved with the Partnership for a Drug Free America and the United Way.

Many high-profile black "leaders" such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson seem to regard capitalism as unfair to African-Americans. People such as Cain, Carson, Chenault, and Fudge show the American Dream can work for anyone with enough faith and determination.

They are truly the leaders that black youth need to know about and seek to emulate.

The full P21 piece is available for your perusal below the fold...

more...

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