Congratulations to Bishop V. McKenzie, President of the Council of Bishops of the A.M.E. Church.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2005

Answers

Rev. Brown the discussion was electrifying! I was jumping up and down with pride and joy when Bishop Mckenzie spoke she told the truth when she proclaimed "Who benifits" Dr. Cornel west said we have to have a paradigm shift. And Bishop Mckenzie has started the shift.

Minister Louis Farakkan was great and I was greatly moved when he said we have to go back to the bible and when he used Ezekiel's dry bones shaking and not moving, I thought I was at an ame church.

I am so glad C-span covered it. And thanks for your post!

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2005

OK, talk to me. I missed the program :(

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2005

You can download the full video at www.cspan.org - go to "video/audio >>> recent programs."

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2005

Rev. Cager, Thank you for the referral to downloading C-Span and we will relate this information to our members and youth who did not view this event.

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2005

How can you assess the state of black america when you do not invite the most powerful woman in the world and america (who is black), U.S. Secretary Condileeza Rice; and the most respected man in the world and america (who is black), former U.S. Secretary of State, the honorable Colin Powell? Without input from the Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and these two, the assessment is fatally flawed.

Be Blessed

al paris

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2005

Rev. Paris,

The flippant answer would be to say that none of the three persons you mentioned are Black.

In all seriousness, with respect to Sec'y Powell, he certainly took a courageous stance on affirmative action at the 2000 Republican National Convention. His reward? The Bush Administration made him into the least effective, least respected Sec'y of State since the War of 1812. They appointed Undersecretaries whose tasks were specifically to undermine and dilute Powell's influence. I hold Mr. Powell in high regard as a man of conviction and integrity, but he is at a point in his career where, sadly, he has nothing to say that anyone - on either side - is interested in hearing. Particularly in the Black community.

Sec'y Rice and Mr. Justice Thomas are so out of touch with the Black mainstream as to be ethnic non-entities. As for characterizing Ms. Rice as the "most powerful Black woman on Earth," that's a bit of an over reach. Not because of the "title" but because of the way this White House operates. Policy decisions are not made by the Cabinet members (except Defense) but are dictated by the POTUS, VPOTUS, White House Chief of Staff and SecDef, with foreign policy input from 2-3 Defense Undersecretaries. Sec'y Rice is window dressing.

In defense of Mr. Justice Thomas, he actually is an example of rising above circumstances and he is a better legal scholar than he's given credit for being. He's a hypocrite on Affirmative Action (he got into Holy Cross and Yale via Affirmative Action programs), but so are many others. Because of his position, he probably has a great deal to offer to the debate, however his abject hatred of the Civil Rights establishment precludes him from participating in these things.

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2005

Parson Cager opines -

"Because of his position, he probably has a great deal to offer to the debate, however his abject hatred of the Civil Rights establishment precludes him from participating in these things."

Malcolm X and the Black Panthers were openly critical of the Civil Rights movement yet they are considered cultural icons in the eyes of many black people. Justice Thomas on the other hand continues to be treated as persona non grata by the liberal black elite yet few of his critics have taken time to read any of his opinions except in the area of race. The US Supreme Court will be rendering a decision later this year about the Ten Commandments. If Thomas votes in favor for a public display of the Ten Commandments will the black clergy continue to view him as a "traitor to African-Americans"? I will be carefully watching this development. QED

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2005

It was no accident that I said Ms. Rice is the most powerful WOMAN, black or white and is Mr. Powell. The fact is they have it right. Everyone has a right to believe what they choose. I am convinced that black people are moving away from the liberal wing to the more conservative wing because that is what the rank abd file believe.

If we just take a look at our meetings and churches to see how many lay of clergy persons under forty; we have to wonder where are they? Right now we have our heads burried in the sand, in total denial of the fact that we must do it differently. We are no longer victims of white folk; we are our own worst enemies.

Now I certianly respect your right to disagree. Don't engage in name calling of rhetoric, agrue with facts please.

Be Blessed

al paris

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2005

Rev. Paris

"Now I certianly respect your right to disagree. Don't engage in name calling of rhetoric, agrue with facts please"

My apologies if I did either of the above.

As for Rice and Powell, I don't believe that either - by deliberate design - wields any actual power.

I can name dozens of instances between 9/11/2001 and the day of his resignation when Sec'y Powell made statements of US policy that were later countermanded or refuted by lower-ranking Gov't officials who positions were backed up by the White House. That is UNHEARD of in the annals of American policy.

As for Sec'y Rice - since she's only been on the job a few weeks, we'll have to let time tell the tale. I will ask you to do this: monitor the number of occurences where she is directing policy, verses the number of times she parrots a foreign policy position that is first advanced by someone else (other than the President).

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2005

the president makes the decisions after listening to his cabinet. Since the CEO is responsible, he should make the final decision. Secretary Powell did not get his way on everything, but his influence was felt. The liberal media painted Powell as a liberal which is basically not true. They forget that Sec. Powell is a Four Star General in the U.S. Army. You don't get four stars by being an antiwar liberal. The Officer Corp in the army is basically conservative and the General Officers are definitely conservative. How many General Officers have left the army/air force and became democrats when seeking hingh political office? The liberal media cannot see beyound the color of Sec. Powell's skin and really see the man. It is racist to assume that ALL blacks folk are democrats and misguided if they are not.

Be Blessed

al paris

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2005