Open letter to Jesse Jackson

Dear Rev. Jackson,

I know these words may never reach you, but still I have to write this on the off chance that a friend of a friend of a friend of yours will read this and relay my message. First of all, thank you for your contributions to the movements of Civil Rights and Human Rights. You've been a huge asset to those movements and have no doubt opened doors for many poor people and people of color. Your diligent work as an activist, a minister of the gospel and by all accounts as a leader dates back more more than 40 years. You've built a loyal following among people of all different ethnic backgrounds. You've opened up doors to our nations capital and made political strides that have made it possible for Sen. Barack Obama to have gotten this far. And because of all that, the country and maybe even the world is better because you have been in it. While I certainly appreciate your contributions and your good works, I, and a horde of other people - especially black people - think it's time that you sit your ass down! Excuse my language Rev, but, I don't think anyone would disagree with me on this one. Yesterday, a story surfaced that you made some, uh, dumb ass comments to UnitedHealth Group executive Dr. Reed V. Tuckson during a break on Sunday while both of you were being interviewed by a Fox news correspondent. The portion of the tape being that was shown on The O'Reilly Factor Wednesday night shows you whispering to Tuckson, "See, Barack's been talking down to black people ... I want to cut his nuts off." Your defense is you didn't know the mic was hot. You'll excuse me if I don't believe you, won't you? First of all, you were interviewing with Fox News, the only "news" organization who has to announce that they're fair and balanced like they're trying to convince themselves. Anytime a "liberal" person, a person of color and anyone in support of Barack Obama is being interviewed by Fox News, the mic is always hot! Because Obama is leading in all the Gallup Polls taken by news outlets, Fox News is in a mad dash to find someone, anyone, slipping who claims to support Obama. You see how they strung up Jeremiah Wright and you still continue to let your diarrhea of the mouth go untreated. Secondly, you had to know that the mic was still hot because you had sense enough to whisper your comments. Hey Rev, microphones are amplifiers and really good ones pick up everything whether you whisper or not. If the conversation was so private and you didn't want anyone to hear your comments, you should have kept them to yourself for after the damn interview. Talk to the man in a one on one setting when nobody is wearing a mic. At least, that way, if someone records you then without your knowledge, you have grounds to sue them. Duh! After all of this, you are making your rounds to every media outlet who will listen and you've even called a presser to explain those remarks. You placed calls to the Obama campaign to apolo-lie, your own son has rejected, renounced and rebuked your comments and still, I'm not satisfied. Twice in this campaign, you have managed to piss on the progress of a man who has the potential to take this country further than you've ever dreamed. For the umpteenth time in history, you've managed to overshadow the real issues with asinine comments that don't have a thing to do with the price of tea in China. Plus, somewhere in your storied career, the American press and in turn, the majority of the American people, got in their heads that you and your counterpart Al Sharpton speak for black people. Hell, I think ya'll got the idea in your heads that you speak for black people. Well I got news for you and them. You don't speak for me. You've managed to distract the American people and spew, what could be confused with 'hateration,' about Obama - again. There's only one way you can fix it and it's not with an apology either. The only way you will be able to atone for this is to get somewhere and sit down. Is there no program or assistance for retired revolutionaries? Why don't you start one? Better yet, why don't you take all this extra time on your hands and spend with your 9-year-old daughter that you fathered during your adulterous relationship? Maybe if somebody would have cut your nuts off, you wouldn't be paying $3,000 in child support! I'm saying, people who live in glass houses should be the last ones to throw stones. Almost everything I've read indicates that the main issue stems from Obama's Father's Day speech at a predominantly black church when Obama called for all the black father's to man up and take care of their responsibilities. I would think that because Obama had to grow up in the absence of his black father that he would be an expert on the subject. I think that much of what he had to say hit a little too close to home for your comfort. As they say in the country, "a hit dog will holler" and I hear you loud and clear Rev. You know what they do to hit dogs who don't show any sign of recovery, right Rev.? They put them out of their misery. I'm not saying that anyone should or would come along and kill your legacy but you are giving them a reason to do so. Hell, you're sharpening the knife, loading the gun and tying the noose. So please, from one Aggie to another, for the love of all things right and to preserve the reputation of our esteemed alma mater, go somewhere, anywhere and sit your ass down! You're making us look bad. I'm going to have to agree with Junior on a portion of his statement about his dad's comments. "He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself." I couldn't have said it better myself! Sincerely, Smarty Jones N.C. A&T Class of 2003