Live From Death Row

March 26, 2008 by Marc Lamont Hill

The Politician & the Preacher
By Mumia Abu-Jamal
[col. writ. 3/15/08] (c) ‘08

The recent quasi-controversy over the comments made by the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, retired pastor of the United Church of Christ, to which Sen. Barack Obama (D.IL), both belongs and attends, has shown us how limited, and how narrow, is this new politics peddled by the freshman Senator from Chicago.

Although first popularized via the web, the Reverend’s comments caused Sen. Obama to say he was “appalled” by them, and he has repudiated such remarks as “offensive.”

Just what were these comments? As far as I’ve heard, they were that Sen. Hilary Clinton (D.NY) has had a political advantage because she’s white; that she was raised in a family of means (especially when contrasted with Obama’s upbringing); and she was never called a nigger.

Sounds objectively true to me.

Rev. Wright’s other remarks were that the country was built on racism, is run by rich white people, and that the events of 9/11 was a direct reaction to US foreign policy.

Again — true enough.

And while we can see how such truths might cause discomfort to American nationalists, can we not also agree that they are truths? Consider, would Sen. Clinton be where she is if she were born in a Black female body? Or if she were born to a single mother in the projects? As for the nation, it may be too simplistic to say it was built on racism, but was surely built on racial slavery, from which its wealth was built. And who runs America, if not the super rich white elites? Who doesn’t know that politicians are puppets of corporate and inherited wealth?

And while Blacks of wealth and means certainly are able to exercise unprecedented influence, we would be insane to believe that they ‘run’ this country. Oprah, Bob Johnson and Bill Cosby are indeed wealthy; but they have influence, not power. The limits of Cosby’s power was shown when he tried to purchase the TV network, NBC, years ago. His offer received a corporate smirk. And Oprah’s wealth, while remarkable, pales in comparison to the holdings of men like Bill Gates, or Warren Buffet.

Would George W. Bush be president today if he were named Jorje Guillermo Arbusto, and Mexican-American? (Not unless Jorje, Sr. was a multimillionaire!)

In his ambition to become America’s first Black president, Obama is in a race to prove how Black he isn’t; even to denouncing a man he has considered his mentor.

As one who has experienced the Black church from the inside, politics and social commentary are rarely far from the pulpit. The Rev. Dr. Martin L. King spoke of politics, war, racism, economics, and social justice all across America. His fair-weather friends betrayed him, and the press condemned his remarks as “inappropriate”, “unpatriotic”, and “controversial.”

Rev. Dr. King said the US was “the greatest purveyor of violence” on earth, and that the Vietnam War was illegitimate and unjust. Would Sen. Obama be denouncing these words, as the white press, and many civil rights figures did, in 1967? Are they “inflammatory?”

Only to politics based on white, corporate comfort uber alles (above all)” only to a politics that ignores Black pain, and distorts Black history; only to a politics pitched more to the status quo, than to real change.

Politics is ultimately about more than winning elections; it’s about principles; it’s about being true to one’s self, and honoring one’s ancestors; it’s about speaking truth to power.

It can’t just be about change, because every change ain’t for the better!

–(c) -08 maj

Categories: MLH
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13 Comments

1. PP wrote:

stands up and starts the slow clap

March 26, 2008 @ 1:49 pm

2. timaree wrote:

No disagreement here, I thought what Wright said was all well reasoned.

However I get a little squirmy about the outright statement HIV was created in a lab by anyone for any reason, even if there is plenty of evidence leading one to suspect the government of treachery towards African Americans. I think some of the conspiracies create bigger rifts than they do anything to further the causes of prevention and treatment.

March 26, 2008 @ 4:51 pm

3. Regkam2 wrote:

Timaree, his statements regarding HIV/Aids is no different than whats being put out by the CDC and NIH, both are myths based on little to no evidence.

March 26, 2008 @ 5:37 pm

4. james wrote:

regkam2, i find this site to contain some of the most up to date information about various theories on the origins of aids:

http://www.avert.org/origins.htm

March 26, 2008 @ 9:02 pm

5. Sammy wrote:

You can’t handle the truth?

March 26, 2008 @ 11:13 pm

6. Sammy wrote:

Mumia needs to take responsibility for his own actions.

On December 9, 1981, Mumia Abu-Jamal murdered Officer Daniel Faulkner in cold blood. Abu-Jamal was found with a holster strapped around his chest. A smoking gun that was registered in his name lay by his side. Five spent shells were found in Abu-Jamal’s gun. Five bullets were fired at Officer Faulkner. Ballistics tests demonstrated that the rounds that killed Faulkner matched the ones fired from Abu-Jamal’s gun. Abu-Jamal lay on the ground with a return round from Officer Faulkner’s service revolver embedded in his chest. Five eyewitnesses have testified that they saw Abu-Jamal kill Officer Faulkner. Witnesses at the hospital Abu-Jamal was taken to following the shooting state that on two occasions the ailing suspect yelled out, “I shot the (expletive) and I hope the (expletive) dies!”

Mumia Abu-Jamal was found guilty after 5 hours of deliberation.

Officer Daniel Faulkner remembers you.

March 27, 2008 @ 12:27 am

7. Ihate hippies wrote:

Did this great thinker just compare Rev. Wright to Dr. Martin Luther King? You have got to be kidding me. What a dope.

March 27, 2008 @ 6:45 am

8. Bobby wrote:

Marc Lamont, why do you embrace a cop killer like Mumia, but think a Christian girl like Miley Cyrus is dangerous? It’s soon to be all over the news.

March 27, 2008 @ 3:36 pm

9. Bobby wrote:

Marc Lamont Hill, why don’t you give us the details concerning Cook’s murdering that officer? You’re one of them critical thinkers, right?
http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/1999/april_1999_2.html

March 27, 2008 @ 9:07 pm

10. Tone wrote:

The fact that you would put anything written by this ugly, despicable, and thoroughly disguting excuse for a human life on your site is, imo, below you. I value his opinion as much as I value his life and satan can have them both.

March 27, 2008 @ 9:50 pm

11. Dave (unheardvoicez.net) wrote:

Us black people can never be satisfied with well enough. Obama can’t outright agree to damning america. Even if it is true and he does agree, he can’t admit that. You think bush would admit to anything that came close to racist of prejuice? Damn, politicians lie, and when you need to get tens of millions of votes from diverse and different classes of people this lying thing happpens. there would never be a black president if we said or shown our TRUE feelings, because our experiences and views are naturally different from others in this country.

http://www.unheardvoicez.net

March 28, 2008 @ 9:51 am

12. Angel H. wrote:

Sammy and Bobby:

Did either of you even bother to read what the man wrote? Or did the fact that it resonates with truth and made you uneasy, so you decided to attack his character instead of his arguments?

March 28, 2008 @ 6:41 pm

13. bobby wrote:

Angel H., I pay about as much attention to Cook’s rants as I do to Charles Manson’s BS.

What do you think Officer Daniel Faulkner would think about this? Or does that make you uneasy, so you decide to ignore his death, yet sit at the feet of his killer?

March 30, 2008 @ 2:20 am

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