Rantings of a Black Polemicist

Sharpton: Riding the Donkey and Making an Ass of Himself

Monday, August 2nd, 2004 | Politics | 25 Comments

At the Democratic National Convention last Wednesday, Rev. Al Sharpton delivered passionate speach to the delegates, driving the crowd wild. I found it exciting to watch, but had a bit of a problem: It was full of half-truths and distortions about what which party best deserves the black vote.

Photo: The Reverend Al addressing the delegates on the floor of the Democratic National Convention

The Truth vs. Al, part 1: Republicans have done more for Blacks than Democrats

The fact is that Republicans have done more for blacks than Democrats ever have. Sharpton’s speech was so full misleading statements that I can’t address them in just one blog entry, but I’ll debunk the most common myths purpetuated this time around.

Sharpton Said:

We got the Civil Rights Act under a Democrat.

The Facts:

Yes, Democrat Presidents John F. Kennedy (proposed), and Lyndon B. Johnson later signed the 1964 Civil Rights act addressing voting rights, public accommodations, school desegregation and more. However, the party votes in Congress tell a much different story. A higher percentage of Republicans voted in favor of the Civil Rights act than Democrats. The Congressional Quarterly Almanac keeps track of everything congress does. You can grab a copy of it at your local library. Party-line votes in the House and Senate for HR 7152, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 from the Almanac:

House of Representatives

Democrats	Republicans
235 Members	175 Members
Yes: 145 (62%)	Yes: 137 (78%)
No: 90 (34%)	No: 38 (22%)

Senate

Democrats	Republicans
65 Members	35 Members
Yes: 42 (66%)	Yes: 28 (80%)
No: 23 (34%)	No: 7 (20%)

Of particular interest are the votes of a few specific Democratic Senators:

Sen. Al Gore Sr. ( Democrat TN. ) - Voted No (that’s the former Vice President’s daddy)

Sen. Robert Byrd ( Democrat W.Va. ) - Voted No (still serving as the Senator from lovely West Virginia)

The Truth vs. Al, part 2: Bush’s Quesiton to Blacks was Legitimate

The content of Bush’s Speech at the Urban League wasn’t covered much at all. The fact that he didn’t want to speak at the NAACP convention was a big story. I went back and read the transcript of his speech and it was fantastic. He asked a reasonable question: Why not make the parties compete for the black vote, instead of automatically giving it away to one party?

Sharpton:

This vote can’t be bargained away.

This vote can’t be given away.

Mr. President, in all due respect, Mr. President, read my lips: Our vote is not for sale.

Who’s asking blacks to bargain, give (without merit) or sell their votes to Republicans? This is what Bush said during that address to the National Urban League:

Bush (to Urban League):

Do you remember a guy named Charlie Gaines? Somebody gave me a quote he said, which I think kind of describes the environment we’re in today. I think he’s a friend of Jesse’s. He said, “Blacks are gagging on the donkey but not yet ready to swallow the elephant.” (Laughter and applause.)

Now that was said a while ago. (Laughter.) I believe you’ve got to earn the vote and seek it. I think you’ve got to go to people and say, this is my heart, this is what I believe, and I’d like your help. And as I do, I’m going to ask African American voters to consider some questions.

Does the Democrat party take African American voters for granted? (Applause.) It’s a fair question. I know plenty of politicians assume they have your vote. But do they earn it and do they deserve it? (Applause.) Is it a good thing for the African American community to be represented mainly by one political party? That’s a legitimate question. (Applause.) How is it possible to gain political leverage if the party is never forced to compete? (Applause.) Have the traditional solutions of the Democrat party truly served the African American community?

I didnt see anything about an attempt to buy the Black vote in there anywhere, Al.

The Truth vs. Al, part 3: We’re Not Entitled to Reparations.

Sharpton is giving the impression that Lincoln (or Congress) promised us 40 Acres and Mule. That’s false, and I’ve addressed it before in this blog. Slavery has kept us from enjoying the headstart many whites have, but it doesn’t entitle us to anything. It’s up to us to start sprinting as fast as we can to close the gap between us and them.

Sharpton:

[Bush] said the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule.

That’s where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres.

We didn’t get the mule. So we decided we’d ride this donkey as far as it would take us.

Well keep riding that Donkey, Al. You’re only making an ass out of yourself, and encouraging other blacks to do the same.

Blessings for Sale

Sunday, August 1st, 2004 | Free Thought | 42 Comments

I wouldn’t have believed this had I not seen it myself.

Evangelist Kerney Thomas will loan you a special hankie, put it in his special hope chest, pray for you and… Voila! Start expecting blessings. Oh. You send some money first though.

This is nothing more than elaborate superstition. Mr. Thomas is posing as some designated liaison between me and God, able to unlock my good fortune for the right price. Following Kerney’s ritual in order to fix my finances is no different than a baseball player turning his socks inside out before a game in order to hit a home run.

Evangelist Kerney Thomas has a paid telecast that airs on BET(Black Entertainment Television) during a specially designated block of programming, BET Inspiration. He offers to send out (free of charge) a “specially anointed Bible Red Blood of Jesus Handkerchief”. I couldn’t resist. I called, gave my information and received the special handkerchief a week or so later. After receiving the special hankie, I was instructed to:

1. Write down my name and the amount of money needed from God
2. Place the hankie on my wallet overnight (it’s very important that it only be one night)
3. Send the hankie back with my “biggest [cash] bill”, check or credit card information
4. Wait for him to mail out a “sealed envelope with 3 prophecies” about what’s coming my way

The “Anointed, Bible Red Blood of Jesus Handkerchief”. I was supposed to feel the “anointing” when I touched it, but I didn’t get anything.

The letter that came with the special hankie went right to work. Kerney claims: “Everything in your life will soon fit together, like a key in a lock of a door that’s about to be opened”. He shares with me gender-unspecific prayer that he’s already said on my behalf, with the right mail-merge fields populated from the info I’d already given him. For some reason, the letter was addressed to “Perry” instead of “Melvin”. I think one of the data entry people screwed up when they took down my info from the voice message I was asked to leave. Maybe that’s why I didn’t feel the “anointing”.

The ritual I must follow if I want to get my blessing.

There’s a hook. Supposedly God’s given him 3 different messages to pass on to me, and he’s written them down and sealed them in an envelope. I don’t get to see the prophecies unless I send back the hankie and a “sacrifice” or “seed” (read: payment). He’ll throw away my prophecies if I don’t get back to him, as he doesn’t want them to “fall into the wrong hands”. What? I don’t get it. Supposedly, he’s done all this praying on my behalf and went through the trouble of writing down these prophecies, but didn’t mail them out to me withthe special hankie? Why does he need to pray with my returned hankie (and deposit my check) if he’s heard what’s in store for me directly from God before he even mailed me the hankie and letter? And why doesn’t he just put my envelope in a safe place instead of throwing it away if he doesn’t hear back from me soon?

Pick desired blessing and send payment.

Most unconscionable of all, he promises me: “the greater [my] sacrifice, the greater [my] blessings”. So the more money I send him, the more I’ll be blessed. During his telecast, he showcases people who’ve prayed with the hankie, given money and then received unexpected money, or resolutions to problems.

The more I send, the more blessed I’ll be.

What’s worse here is that people buy into this concept and variations of it on a regular basis. BET takes money from these con-artists and broadcasts their deception without any regard to the claims they make. There are many forces working against blacks in America. Greedy, deceptive evangelists are just one of the many groups that prey on blind faith and the entitlement mentality that holds so many of us back.

To make positive change in your life, address issues directly. If you’re broke, giving money to your pastor and hoping that your bills will be paid isn’t going to change anything for the better. Waiting for checks to drop out of the sky or pre-approved credit cards to materialize won’t cut it. Give your money to a good accountant or financial planner instead.

The entire letter Kerney Thomas sent me (click to enlarge):
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