Jesse was just being Jesse

I totally agree with you that this a generational issue and nothing more than that. Those of us that grew up in the church know that this is nothing new. There has always been a tug-of-war between "the elders" and "the youngins". Jackson, Sr., like so many of the civil rights time period, refuses to recognize that passing the batton to the next generation doesn't make them or their accomplishments obsolete. There always comes a time when there has to be a changing of the guard. Every generation should always want for the next to do better and go further than the previous. Progress should be considered a great tribute to the immense sacrifices that the civil rights generation and the generations before them have made. Jackson, Sr. should remember that!

Jesse Jackson commenting on his wish to have Obama rendered a Cleopatra eunuch is simply comical and quite commonplace. His utterance about castration is not really offensive rather is a common expression of frustration; almost all of us say this or similar on a regular basis.

Of great interest to me is Bill O'Reilly commenting, "...there are some people who believe that the victimization here goes to hell if Barack Obama is elected president."

O'Reilly is, of course, making use of appealing to audience emotion to garner attention. This is an acceptable and common technique. Nonetheless, he does touch upon a topic which enjoys a bit of truth, a bit of uncomfortable truth.

People like Jackson, Sharpton, Farrakhan, Wright, Pfleger and others rely on a message of blacks being constant and forever victims to develop their power base and to legitimize promoting hatred of others. Those men are appealing to follower emotion through feeling of victimization and feeling of hatred for others. Those are powerful emotions and do diminish logical thinking. This appeal to emotion is an often used method to establish cult like thinking amongst an audience and subsequent followers.

Simply casual noting of participant responses to articles here at The Daily News does confirm there are a lot of people who are quite adamant about being victims and adamant about all white people are racists. This, we know, is not at all true. This is a mind set developed by those men I list, over many decades. Words of being victims and words of racism have been shouted for so many decades, people are brainwashed into believing this to be gospel truth; cultist thinking.

There are also contributing authors here at The Daily Voice who exhibit the same cultist thinking. Recently I responded to an author who writes white racists are at fault for bringing down Obama's aeroplane. My response is his head is full of white devils of his own making.

That author is brainwashed by decades of black extremist rhetoric; his mind's eye is blind.

Before some respond I am a racist and am denying racism, you know neither are true. Some will make those deceitful claims, nonetheless. Those are people who are mindless cultists.

Racism is certainly real. However, our American society has evolved, has become smarter and has become significantly more tolerant. Racism is beginning to approach the zero line. America will never have zero racism, but we do enjoy a society which is almost free of racism, and sexism as well. This is well proven by Barack running for president and Hillary running for president. Neither would be possible if America is truly a racist society, or a sexist society.

I am not voting for Obama based on his economic policies. However, I am pleased as punch both he and Hillary appeared this year as presidential contenders. Both candidates, together, have greatly defeated our notions of racism and sexism. America is a better nation today and both Obama and Clinton are winners for their proving America is beyond racism and sexism.

Problem we face today in terms of racism, and sexism, is so many clinging to the past, so many clinging to being victims, so many clinging to hatred of others for irrational reasons.

Keith Boykin writes a great article about Jackson, very recently. Keith has this right. Men like Jackson, Sharpton, others I mention, do need to step aside, need to stand down, need to sit down and allow our new America to fully blossom.

Those days of screaming and shouting about victims, racism and white devils, are antiquated just as the thinking of Jackson and others is antiquated. Keith is a member of our new generation, a more enlightened generation. All blacks need to join with Keith Boykin, need to accept this is the dawning of a new age for America and the old dark days are antiquated, are gone. Blacks need to stop being victims, need to stop with finding white devils in their heads; those days are over.

Racism is dead. Blacks need to bury racism and not look back. Blacks need to step into the light of today's reality; America is a nice place these days, a rather wonderful place.

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

I agree, Purl Gurl!

Dear Mr. Taha, Jesse Jackson has been out of touch for decades as far as I am concerned. He is one of the reasons that black folks are still singing "We Shall Overcome" 40 years after the death of Dr. King. You need to get your head out of the sand if you think RACISM is dead in America! It is just dressed in a different suit and tie and a different skirt and blouse. HBell