Bishop Eddie Long --- It's Your Time... to be truthful about who you really are

Embattled mega church leader Bishop Eddie Long spoke to his congregation regarding the allegations that he coerced several young men from the worship center into sexual relationships. Long stated that while he never portrayed himself as a perfect man, he is not the man the media portrays. He also compared himself to David in the fight against Goliath.  Promising to fight "vigorously", Long warned that he has five stones, none of which he has thrown.

The New Birth Baptist Church congregation erupted in thunderous applause in support of their pastor.  Those willing to speak to reporters upon leaving the service said that they believed Bishop Long and would stand by him.


CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield spoke with CNN correspondent Martin Savidge  about Long's speech as well as Shayne Lee, author of  Holy Mavericks, and Craig Washington, writer for The Root.   It seemed that all three felt that Long spoke with a lack of conviction and did not make a clear declaration of innocence.  Lee was the most outspoken in his belief that this is the beginning of Long's downfall as leader of the 25,000 member church.

Even before watching Long's televised speech to his parishioners, it has been my opinion that the young men who have bravely come forward to reveal their ordeal are telling the truth and Bishop Long should stand boldly on the truth of who he really is, a smart, calculating, and patient pedophile who waited until his prey was of the age of consent to avoid criminal charges. His speech only served to further cement my beliefs.  

Those reading this post will undoubtedly accuse me of being judgmental. Absolutely! As a pastor, this man has stood in judgment of people every Sunday telling them what actions and methods of living are sinful and instructing them on how to conduct themselves.  Why should he not be held accountable and to a higher standard given his position as a leader? He knew from the moment he conceived the notion of taking advantage of those young men that he was in violation of  the very religious teachings he so charismatically belted out weekly.  He knew in his heart, where no man can hide from his true self, that he enjoyed the same homosexual activity that he so loudly declared to be morally and religiously wrong. It is simply ludicrous to think that the same biblical principles and societal customs should not be adhered to by Bishop Long.  

And yes, I said that those young men are brave... because they are. Who are they in the eyes of society?  Have you ever heard their names mentioned before this report was made public?  Still, they were willing to subject themselves to untold scrutiny, anger, and ostracism to take on a man with a tremendous public platform who has more wealth, powerful connections, and influence than they may even dare dream of having in their lifetime. Yet, they came forward to expose a well insulated predator. They should be celebrated by responsible parents everywhere.  
  
I am the parent of a teenage male and if we were members of that church, I would be actively questioning him as to whether or not he was ever approached by this pastor in the manner described in the lawsuits.  As parents, we sometimes focus so much on having our children become independent and self-sufficient that we unwittingly throw them to the wolves presenting themselves as sheep (or in this case, shepherds) to our society.  We need to realize that it is not a crime to be an active participant in our child's life.  Rather, it is a necessity to protect them from the wolves of humanity waiting for the opportunity to devour them. Instead of being there for Bishop Long, the members of his congregation should be standing with these men on their treacherous journey in search of justice, the release of the burden and pain endured over the years under the weight of such a heavy secret and the ever elusive peace of mind.

I challenge the members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to be judgmental and demanding of their bishop in defense of children in their congregation.  Save them from the monster in the $4,000 suit as they are too naive and vulnerable to protect themselves.  It is your duty as a parent, as an official of the church, or even just as an adult who is better equipped to stand in opposition of another adult.  The church should be a refuge instead of the hostile environment it's leader has turned it into for those men.

Please read "A Sermon for Bishop Eddie Long" by Craig Washington.  I came across it as I searched for applicable links for my own post.  He is a far better writer than I and puts forth a compelling case for church goers everywhere to refrain from idolizing pastors.  They are as human as the rest of us. While that is often spoken as a first defense for their immoral, criminal or just plain bad behavior, it is not a viable excuse to allow them to remain on a pedestal after they've severely abused their position and power while their victims continue to be abused by the unfair judgment and condemnation heaped upon them because they dare to try to pull back the veil and reveal the identity of their tormentor.  And torment is what these men will endure for years to come even if their allegations are proven and upheld in court.  Are you standing by and protecting the predator? 



Bishop Long, it's your time... time to be truthful about who you really are and what you've done. You've been called out and you know that you cannot stand on a lie.  If you used your power, influence, and wealth to betray your duties as the church bishop and prod young, impressionable and vulnerable teenagers to engage in homosexual activity with you, you need to be the leader and man you claim to be and own it. It's time.

Chicago, where is your village?

Chicago honor student Derrion Albert was laid to rest on Saturday. More than a thousand mourners attended the service at the Greater Mount Hebron Baptist Church on the South Side of the city. The 16-year-old was struck in the head with a two-by-four, kicked and brutally beaten on his way home from school on September 24th. Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke at Derrion's funeral and urged Chicago's youth to refrain from any further violence.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will travel to Chicago to speak with school officials, students and the community about the pervasive violence that has been plaguing the Chicago area for some time. Dozens of students have been victims of violence ending in their deaths. The Chicago Tribune has posted a photo gallery of some of the students.

I first heard of the problem with the rise in Chicago area minority student murders on CNN months ago. Like everyone else, I was deeply saddened to see the disturbing video footage of young Derrion Albert being viciously attacked. Amongst a myriad of other questions that raced through my head were these two: Where were the police at that moment? and Why didn't anyone step in to rescue this young man? Later, I wondered what was wrong with the students who carried out such an insidious attack. What angered them so much? What type of parents raise children like these?

In addition to those questions, I have a few more. Why were three of Chicago's most famous citizens (well, two are former citizens) traveling abroad to speak to the Olympic committee when their influence was needed more right at home on the South Side of Chicago. I think it's a good thing that President Obama is sending Mr. Holder and Mr. Duncan to Chicago in a few days but I fail to understand why he cannot give these students his much needed attention just as he did the Olympic committee. President Obama, if ever any part of the country could use a variation of your "Yes we can" speech, it's the students at Fenger High School... Yes, we can stop the violence. Yes, we can learn alternative, peaceful ways to solve our differences. Yes, we can co-exist even though we hail from different neighborhoods. Yes, we can find more constructive ways to express what we're feeling like in a positive rap song, a poem addressing our hopes and potentials, or a prayer for a brighter future. Yes, we can embrace and support each other. Yes, we can survive high school and become successful, upstanding, prosperous adults. Yes, we can!

Will the First Lady, Michelle Obama, spend time at this school speaking with these students? She has visited a school in Washington, DC. Of course, she is number two of the three famous Chicago citizens I mentioned earlier. Mrs. Obama, I believe these students are older than the group you spoke with in DC, but I also believe that your influence on them could be just as profound. They would probably love to hear you speak, shake your hand, receive a hug, or have a photo taken with you. Bringing a message of peace, hope, and security through the cessation of violence to the lives of these students is so much more important than any speech you delivered to the Olympic committee. Who better to deliver this speech to minority children than an African American woman who grew up in Chicago, thrived and excelled in school, became an ivy league educated attorney and now resides in the White House with her husband who runs the country? Well, perhaps there is someone.

Oprah, I watch your show often, though not daily. If you've ever presented a show on the violent and unnecessary deaths of students on Chicago's South Side, I missed it. This is happening in Harpo Studio's backyard. You are one of the most influential people in the world. How many times have you visited Fenger High School to encourage the students? Kudos to you for building a school in Africa! Could you possibly just adopt this one and help them through this infinitely distressing period? Do what you've done so many times before... assemble a team of experts to counsel, coach and empower. This time, let those being encouraged, uplifted and empowered be these children. Use your voice to rally the community and viewers to do whatever they can to help facilitate an end to the violence there. Call on some of your superstar friends to throw a benefit concert or auction some items to raise money to help heal whatever it is that ails Chicago's South Side youth.

It would be foolish of me to voice my dissatisfaction of Chicago's dream team without addressing the two most important groups of people at the core of the situation. Of course, that would be the parents and the students themselves.

As a parent, I know how difficult it is to raise a child, especially in this economic downturn. However, parents, you have to take an active role in the lives of your children. They did not ask to be born and they are not capable of raising themselves, no matter how much attitude they have at times. As in any relationship, communication is the key. Talk to your children every day, several times a day, so that you will know what's happening with them. Allow them to talk to you about the things that are important to them. Children know when you're not paying attention to them and they feel hurt by that. If you make your children feel important, no gang could use that old selling point of being their family to lure them into the gang culture. Hug your kids and tell them how much you love them and how proud you are of them. They will want to be successful to get another glimpse of the pride their parents have in them. If you are beating your children, even as a disciplinary measure, please stop. Find an alternative method to deal with your child when there is a problem. When your child makes a mistake or misbehaves do not respond with violence. Use that moment to teach him or her that violence is not the way to resolve a dispute. Be a parent instead of a tyrant. Also, this is not the time to try to be your child's friend. There will be plenty of time for that when they have made it to adulthood and are out on their own.

As for the students who are participating in these unspeakable acts, you have to take responsibility for your actions. You may think that you don't care and that you can handle the consequences, but there will be someone who's badder than you think you that you are once you're behind bars. Research the statistics on the likelihood that you will become the victim once the prison doors slam shut and you're a resident. Put yourself in Derrion Albert's place. Would you want to die such a horrible death for no reason other than you were on your way home from school? No one wants that for you. You should not want it for yourselves. Believe in yourselves. Respect yourselves. Love yourselves. You are worthy of a better life but you have to seek it out. You can start by leaving the violence behind. This young man's life meant something to his family and friends. The rest of the world never heard of him until his death. Now that we have learned a little about him, we want his death to mean even more. Let it be a turning point for you. Let it be a lesson for you. Let it be a light that leads you in a different direction. Let it lead you to peace, hope, love and most of all to a future.

We all have heard the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child." Chicago, where is your village? If you live in the vicinity and you can assist parents who need help with children who are headed down the wrong path, please volunteer your time and assistance. Step into the life of a child in need of positive guidance before the wrong type of influence becomes appealing and irresistible. Become a mentor. Start a homework group to keep the children agreeably occupied until their parents get home from work. If you are a writer, a poet, a musician, or an artist, teach an after school class and pass on your skills. You might inspire the next Toni Morrison, the next Maya Angelou or Nikki Giovanni, the next Mozart, or the next Picasso. Even if you simply give a child a skill that he or she can use in the future to make an honest, decent living, that's okay, too. By helping these children, you will be helping to restore the community at large. It's your village, Chicago. Isn't it worth saving? Look at the faces of the children who have been murdered before you answer that question. I believe that you will agree that the answer is most assuredly "Yes!"

Racism: Does your silence give consent?

Rick Sanchez reported on his CNN show that Cracker Barrel issued a statement saying that the restaurant chain has banned Troy Dale West, Jr., from dining in any of its facilities nationwide. Rick had a great question... how do they plan to enforce the ban? Hmm...

For those of you who might have missed the story -- and that would be easy to do since CNN seems to be the only news outlet willing to give the story any airtime-- West, who is white, is accused of attacking a black woman at a Cracker Barrel in Morrow, Georgia, while many white onlookers did just that. They looked. At least one white male witness is remembered by the victim to have been smiling while she was being viciously attacked as her 7 year-old daughter watched in fear and horror. The child was still visibly shaken and crying when police arrived on the scene.

Army reservist Tashawnea Hill spoke with Sanchez in the CNN studio on Wednesday, September 17, 2009 and recounted the ugly incident with her attorney present. According to Hill, she simply informed West that he had almost hit her daughter with the door and asked him to be more careful. West allegedly went into an immediate tirade in which he struck Hill several times with a closed fist, knocking her to the ground. After Hill fell to the ground, he kicked her repeatedly. West spewed racially charged remarks during the entire ordeal. Eventually, two women (one white and one black) spoke up on Hill's behalf. The FBI has decided to investigate the incident as a hate crime. The victim and witnesses said that West repeatedly called Hill a "nigger b!#ch" while brutally beating her.



If nothing else, this horrific attack should rip off the blinders of all of the naive citizens trying to deny the fact that racism is alive, well, kicking high and still wreaking havoc in America in 2009. Wake up, people! While this country has traveled a long distance on the path to racial equality and harmony, we are not even close to achieving it. There are many who have changed their views and ways but there are still those who work tirelessly to grow the numbers of those who stand in the shadow of hatred with them in order to continue to permeate our society with their bigotry and their vile racist views. Indeed, there are those who would see African Americans back in the chains of slavery or at the very least, riding at the back of the bus again and stripped of the measure of freedom that has been earned by the unprecedented efforts and sacrifices of warriors of the fight for freedom, justice and equality like Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the King famiy, the Kennedy family and so many others throughout history. There are those who would have that shameful, dark, and despicable portion of America's history repeated if they were able to bring it about. However, I believe that there are more of us who believe in freedom for all, in equality for all, and in justice for all. We must stand up against attacks of racism in any and all forms. We cannot sit silently or allow our voices to be quelled because the racist and bigots will win. They will not win because they are the majority. They will not win because they yell the loudest. They certainly will not win because they are correct in their misguided beliefs. They will win because we who know that they are the minority, who know that they cannot yell louder than all of our voices speaking against them in unity, and who know that they are absolutely wrong in their beliefs do nothing.

Let's do something, people. Vote for elected officials who do not embrace the notions of those who would see our country racially divided forever. If you are unable to donate to their campaigns, volunteer your time to assist them in getting elected. Speak up or at least dial 911 for help if warranted when you witness someone being attacked due to race, creed, color, sexual orientation or any other prejudice. Call or email the other television news stations to ask why they have not covered this important story. Do something. My mother always said, "Silence gives consent." We may as well voice agreement to such atrocities if we say or do nothing to curtail them.

Palin Stepping Down as Alaska's Governor

Sarah Palin announced minutes ago that she is leaving her position as governor of Alaska. Yeah, Alaska!

Michael Jackson's Cause of Death Deferred

Craig Harvery, of the L.A. County Coroner's Office, announced moments ago that the official cause of death of the undisputed King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has been deferred pending further testing. These include toxicology, neuropathology and pulmonary tests. An additional 4 to 6 weeks is needed to complete the examination. Harvey reported that there was no indication of foul play or physical trauma to Jackson's body which is available for release to the family once a private mortuary has been selected. Harvey refused comment on whether evidence of specific drugs was found during the autopsy such as demerol.

Bestselling author Deepak Chopra has said publicly that he realized years ago that his dear friend was addicted to pain killers used for various medical issues to include Lupus and back pain. Jackson had reportedly received a shot of demerol prior to his untimely death.

For more breaking news on the surreal and tragic death of Michael Jackson, a star the likes of whom this world has never seen and will never see again, tune in to any number of news programs, including Nancy Grace at 8:00 p.m. on HLN, Larry King Live at 9:00 p.m, MSNBC, etc.

Read Lisa Marie Presley's blog post on her former husband. It is truly touching. Although the vast majority of his fans never got to know him personally, we loved him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fans across the world. Michael will live on in our hearts through his powerful music and performances.

This is a performance of my all time favorite song by Michael Jackson, Man in the Mirror. Your earthly cares are no more, Michael. Rest in peace!



Childhood, the song that Michael said was his most autobiographical.

Texas police take drivers to cleaners

The tiny Texas town of Tenaha is facing a big lawsuit aimed at stopping the unlawful practice of pulling over minority motorists and taking their cash and property. CNN reports that drivers passing through Tenaha have been threatened with jail time or having their children taken away from them if they refused to sign a document agreeing to forfeit funds and even jewelry allegedly taken right off of the driver's finger and worn by the officer. The most bizarre part of the story is that the officer accused in the shakedowns is himself a minority. He is black. Be sure to read the rest of the story at CNN.COM/360.

Buffalo, NY Plane Crash Kills 49

At approximately 10:10 p.m., Continental Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence Center, a suburb near Buffalo. The plane had left Newark, new Jersey and was set to land in Buffalo. Instead, it hit a home as it went down and burst into searing, high-reaching flames on Thursday night. An information hotline has been set up for relatives of passengers on that flight. The toll-free number is 1-800-621-3263.

According to the FAA, 48 people were on board the jetliner. The 44 passengers and four crew members were killed along with one person on the ground.