Cut out cutting it off

This most recent controversy involving Jesse Jackson once more proves that men of the cloth are just like anybody else. It can't be denied that he has racked up some impressive accomplishments during his 40+ years in civil rights, but like many powerful people, there is also evidence suggesting he has abused his power.

I wasn't particularly surprised to learn that he had fathered an out-of-wedlock child. He and his wife married quite young, with a baby on the way, and marriages based on do-the-right-thing, whether with the involvement of the proverbial shotgun or merely parental pressure, are usually not a blueprint for fidelity. That matter was entirely between husband and wife.

I've always respected people who lived under segretation, something I was not required to do, and even more so those who did something about it, which required great courage. However, Jesse did slide on my respect meter with that incident regarding the franchise (I can't even remember which company it was), where he threatened to stage a boycott against the company because no blacks owned franchises. Just like that, one of his sons became a franchise owner. Maybe I'm wrong, but it smacked of a deal being made under the table.

That aside, as well as putting aside the unfortunate choice of phrasing when he spoke of wanting to "cut his [Barack Obama's] nuts off," I do believe that Barack's speech could - no, make that *should* - have acknowledged that he wasn't speaking to all black men when he urged them to take care of their children. To someone who doesn't know better (and several million people probably fall into this category), it sounds as if there isn't a single black man in the country (other than Obama himself, of course) who is a true father to his children. If I were a black father with a strong involvement in the lives of my children, I would have been insulted that there was no mention of them.

I'm all for you, Obama, but publicly chiding black men like they're all but from the same cloth strikes me as pandering to a part of the population whose votes you need. I can just picture that particular portion of the American population nodding in agreement when they hear you talk about living up to one's parental responsibilities. Remember that there are quite a few who are doing the right thing by their offspring.

It seems to me that there's some (non-literal) castration being done on both sides.

Speaking of abusing power, has anyone heard about Charles Rangel's holding leases on four rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem's most prestigious complex, the Lenox Towers? He actually uses one for office space, a clear violation for an apartment house.