Senator Obama & Black Role Models: Common Sense and I Reach Consensus

Re: A spirited discussion on the Faith In Action blog www.faithinactiononline.com
Rev Solomon & a man that I know only as Common Sense, have reached common ground. Was I right? I didn’t say that. Was Common Sense wrong, I didn’t say that either? One thing that I do know is this current election cycle has strained relationships in the black community and has been responsible for opening some old wounds. The recuperative value of our discussions should be apparent.

Says:
June 12th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
@Rev. Solomon,
I know I said I would not respond to your white loving, Uncle Ruckus of the Boondocks acting tirades. That’s exactly who you are. The voice of Uncle Ruckus. You would take a bullet for Hillary, i.e. Miss Ann. You defend her tooth and nail in every post. In case you have not noticed, she lost Ruckus..er I mean Rev. Solomon. You hate Obama, myself and any black person that does not agree with you. Slavery has lasted longer in America than it hasn’t(count the years), but you are so self hating, so anti young black people that it is sad. Fine Rev., you hate black people who don’t think like you. Take some of your energy that you defend Miss Ann and use it to reach out to or understand where the next generation is coming from. A lot of us walking around now did not have to bow our heads when in the company of white people so they can’t relate. I can’t stand your constant denigration of black people. Do they still make that cream that lightens your skin??? Maybe you can back order. Check into it.

Reverend Solomon Says:
June 13th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Common Sense (an oxymoron):
I am still waiting for you to tell me which pejorative you use to describe Senator Obama’s white relatives (his mom, grandmother and other Scotch-Irish relatives, fellow Obama non-black supporters and your mixed relatives – most of us derive from mixed ancestry). And I am also waiting for you to tell me which of the venal pejoratives you use to describe Senator Obama since he is half-white. I don’t have a problem with Senator Obama running for the office of President of the USA if he wants to run for the office of President, for just like every other American born person who is above the age of 35, he has the right to do so. You could even run for President I suppose, and clearly that would be a travesty!

Just as I did not believe that George Bush was qualified to be President (and he is Caucasian), and he proved that he was not qualified (Ambassador Alan Keyes once said: The man does not have the mental capacity to a President of the USA), he proved that on more than one occasion).

1) I simply do not feel that Senator Obama is qualified to be President (nothing in his resume demonstrates that he is), even though he meets the legal criteria which I also feel should be revisited.
2). I don’t agree with many of the positions that he has taken.
3). He has not demonstrated that he possesses the mettle to stand up to the pressure that he will be facing that often comes from those who harbor the spirit of white supremacy, or of late black supremacist citizens of America like you.
My larger problem is with nascent ‘devil on horses’ Darfur-like and supposed black-fascist supporters of Senator Obama like you”! One thing for sure, Senator Obama is not a racist, give him credit for that. But you on the other hand have done nothing but spew racial hatred given the incessant racial epitaphs that you have constantly employed on this blog in order to demonstrate your ignorance.

All you have done is to prove that so far is that you have a very serious problem, and it is clear that you don’t have ‘common sense’! Another young man like you lumped me in with Shelby Steele, Condolezza Rice, Colin Powell, Judge Thomas…, he said that all of us were Uncle Tom’s. I say to you what I said to him, then what does that make you, a half a Tom, since you support a man who is half-white. I may or may not agree with all of the positions held or taken by the form-named, however, each one of them are erudite, accomplished social contributors that I am still proud of, they have contributed something to mankind and to our race that neither you nor the young man that I referred to have done - civility and respect for other people!

I am pleased that you were not censored; we all need to engage in political discourse! The job of the elders is to teach the youngsters. My suggestion to you is to enroll in an African American studies department at a local university and get up to speed. What comes out of your mouth is a reflection of what you harbor in your heart. You really ought to seek spiritual guidance - something is wrong with your heart!

10 Common Sense Says:
June 13th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
@Rev. Solomon,
What respect have you shown Rev.? You are just as guilty as I am (worse probably) of name calling and negative statements. Most posts that I’ve written I’ve attacked your positions but not you. Now you have really denigrated yourself as a so-called Rev. Of what church?? Who ordained you??? I could be wrong but you were not back with the apostles who engaged with Jesus himself so what right do you even have to call yourself a Reverend? But then again, these days that title in many cases (not all) is equal to being a thief, pimp or hustler so in that regard it fits you. And as a so-called Rev., why do you continue to rant and rave against me?? Because I disagree with you??? Because I don’t love whites the way you do??? And then you have the nerve to quote Alan Keys?? ALAN KEYS??? Rev. the best thing you can do is think of a new scheme to rip off your congregation (the ol’ building fund racket perhaps) and continue along your course of trickeration(Rev. Don King) and flat out lunacy. You are entertainingg though.

Common Sense Says:
June 13th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
entertaining though.

Rev. C. Solomon Says:
June 14th, 2008 at 3:51 am
Common Sense (You’re worth it)
It is actually more important than mere entertainment. I would not waste my time with you if I believed that was all that I was doing, entertaining you. My real purpose for doing so is that you remind me of the Apostle Paul and other icons in scripture that God chose before the foundation of the Earth. God often choose individuals who were full of fire and misplaced zeal. Moses was a murderer along with David the womanizer and Paul (the completely misdirected religious icon initially), Peter the knife and all of the rest.

Jeremiah was conflicted over race, having issues with the skin of the Ethiopian, the same one likely who rescued him from the dungeon. Peter didn’t eat unclean things (ritual cleanliness and racial issues), and of course Miriam and Aaron had problems with African women – particularly one Ethiopian woman who captured their brother Moses’ heart. Yet, God saw something in all of them.
I took a voluntary sabbatical from parish ministry; however, when I pastored, a person like King David would not have been approved to serve in the music ministry of a church that I pastored. Yet God in ITS infinite wisdom saw something in the man.

I see something in you and many like you, you are vested and care deeply about the social conditions of this nation, our people and I believe the world. El Hajj Malik El Shabazz eventually had his epiphany and discovered who the really enemy happened to be; I believe that you will have your epiphany as well. Right now, and don’t be offended, but you remind me of “devils on horses”, ala the men of Darfur, aka the Janjiweed, sorry I can’t spell it. And what do they do, they go around mercilessly slaughtering their own people!

I have not slaughtered anyone, what I have been doing is to simply scrutinize black political candidates just as I have done with candidates from every other racial group. This is not a game, lives are at stake and if we don’t get it right, not just 300 million Americans, try 7 billion people worldwide will continue to experience unfair suffering!

13 Rev. C. Solomon Says:
June 14th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Common Sense,
I will also leave you with this. As you likely know already Russell Simmons customarily attends the Annual Legislative Conference Meetings in Washington DC that are sponsored by our black Congresspeople. And, Shaun Puffy Combs has being doing his best to get young people involved in the political process, just as Russell and others have been doing.

We want young people involved in the political process - I am pleased to know that you are vested.

Now I am uncertain as to how you will take this tidbit; however, I could only wish that Senator Obama would show the strength of conviction that you have shown to fight for a position - even if we don’t always agree. That is what I am looking for in the junior Senator from Illinois. I am also hoping that he will reconsider some of the stances that he has already taken, or I will not vote for him! One should not compromise principle in order to seek the so-called highest elected office in the land!

14 Common Sense Says:
June 15th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
@ Rev. Solomon,
If I have offended you in any way(and I know that I have) I apologize deeply. I feel very strongly about certain things(race being one of them) and I can be very one-sided and also throw a cheap shot in when I get a chance. That is how I see the game, the war or whatever you want to call it being played. Right or wrong, I will always be pro-black but if I disagree with someone that does not automatically make them anti-black. I realize that and in my Obama euphoria (a black man on the brink of history) I may have gotten off the path of respect. Once again, I apologize for any ill will. I will close by saying that I wish yourself and any other fathers who read this bog (even if we disagree) a very, very Happy Father’s Day.

Rev. C. Solomon Says:
June 16th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Common Sense
Given what we have experienced, and what our ancestors have experienced in America, a land which I often refer to as ‘the land of the free and the home of the slave’, is it any wonder that any of us are not sensitive when it comes to racial issues?

I was watching a docudrama on television tonight. A group of blacks from the Philadelphia area, 30 or 40 of them, visited the motherland. Speaking of paradoxes, the Senegalese and others could not understand why the visiting blacks were upset given their history or experiences in America? Some of the natives told the Americans that they could only wish that they could have been enslaved, or that their ancestors had been enslaved and taken to America.

My point: I often wonder why all black Americans aren’t crazy? It is amazing that wherever we go and often whomever we talk to, other people, even our own, are always telling us that we are better off having been enslaved, brought to the land of degradation and mistreated in America. Having said that however, this was the first group that I ever heard of that was willing to change places! Given their impoverished social conditions in Africa, this group of natives explained that ‘they would prefer to be slaves in America, than to be free in their homelands’.

I understand where they are coming from given their conditions, however, isn’t it sad when people believe that a depraved social condition like slavery is preferable to being free? There are alternatives!

I attended a church service a decade ago where Bishop Carlton Pearson was the visiting keynote speaker. This mega-church was made up of a predominately white congregation. Bishop Pearson thanked the whites, during this Black History Month celebration, and their ancestors for enslaving our ancestors, explaining that if they hadn’t enslaved us, we would have never found Jesus. I wanted to pop him in the mouth, particularly when all of the white people in the church stood up and cheered and applauded after he made these ridiculous remarks!

I thought, well, he apparently never read where the Lord dispensed Phillip to meet and minister, not to enslave, the Ethiopian Eunuch. My personal opinion is that too much emphasis has been placed on Calvinism and other Western-centric religious models. Dr. Alan Keyes received similar applause and a standing ovation at a rally where he was a panelist; he too had titillated the ears of the predominately white audience, explaining how he wouldn’t loose his mind if they called him nig like other blacks would do – he practically invited white Americans to continue calling us nigs. The way he explained it, that it was not the prosecutor of the term that had the problem, but the recipient was the one who had the problem.

I know what you mean Common Sense - you’re good people, just keep fighting the fight, and simply keep in mind (and you already know this) there are good white people!

Finally, I agree with Representative Barbara Lee who spoke these words at a CBC Legislative Conference session several years ago, she said, we should stop talking about racism in America and call it what it is, white supremacy! You and I talked about her before or at least that she served on late Representative Shirley Chisholm’s election committee; she is an erudite, no-nonsense person.

And having said that, all of us know that the spirit of white supremacy is alive and well in America. At the same time all of us know that all whites are not white supremacists – they hate that spirit as much as we do. I simply love good people! Let’s keep fighting the good fight together - you didn’t harm me, I respect your willingness to fight! And let’s all toughen Obama up – he’s too weak on some very serious issues – the ones that really matter!

And thank you for your warm wishes on Father’s Day, I trust that you had a Happy Father’s Day as Well!

Peace & Grace
Rev. C. Solomon

Addenda: When the current election cycle has been completed, I would propose that black Americans come together and have an honest dialog with respect to our open wounds – many of us still have them!