Jackson stresses the 'struggle is not over'
Jesse Jackson, in what appears to be a desperate bid to prove that he is still relevant, has taken a cue from Harry Belafonte and attacked Colin Powell.
''He's not on our team,'' Jackson told a packed house at Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which celebrated its 110th anniversary Sunday. ''If he wins, Trent Lott wins. We're not on that team. If he wins, we lose. If he wins, poor folks lose.''
Well, that may have seemed too easy, so Jackson quickly moved on to Shrub:
''Here we are today victimized by a stolen election that's turned into a mandate for war,'' said Jackson, reminding his audience that it was Al Gore, not Bush, who got more votes in the 2000 presidential election.
''Bush is using a war to divert our attention from the economy and drive us by fear, and not lead us by hope,'' said Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
In two years under Bush, a $3.5 billion federal budget surplus has turned into a $20 billion deficit; poverty rates have climbed and family income has gone down; people have lost trillions of dollars in value from their pension and 401-K plans; funding for Medicare, public education and Bush has yet to meet even once with the NAACP, he said.
When Bush was of military service age, he ''was dodging war,'' but now that ''he's waging war -- with your children,'' Jackson said.
Then, in an attempt to hit the trifecta, Jackson took on racism:
Racism is alive and well in the United States, said Jackson, pointing to the latest criminal proceeding involving Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter.
Caught with illegal drugs a third time, the president's niece got a 10-day jail term.
''She deserves love, compassion and treatment. But then your son and daughter deserve the same love, compassion and treatment,'' Jackson told his predominantly black audience, citing statistics showing while most people who are arrested are white, most who go to prison are black.
It's tough to argue with any of these points- there is compelling anecdotal evidence that blacks ARE discriminated against in drug cases. Jackson, sadly, no longer seems relevant. His is known these days more as a media whore than as a champion of the downtrodden. If there is a camera and a controversy, there's a good chance that Jackson is in front of the camera decrying the controversy, or heading in that direction.
There is much that Jackson should be recognized for, but over the past few years we have been captivated more by his foibles than his accomplishments. Time was when Jesse spoke, everyone listened. Now, Jesse speaks, but does anyone listen anymore?
Perhaps we as a nation have become so wrapped up in our own self-interest that we no longer care about injustice- unless it impacts us directly. That certainly isn't Jackson's fault, but it's certainly not going to make his job any easier.
If an activist falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear, did he make a noise??
