Striking Similarities Between the New Black Panther Party and the Tea Party

It's getting harder and harder to discern the whole story from Fox News but when they appear to be the only ones talking about it, it's difficult to get a decent picture of the whole story. Nevertheless, I have to say that hearing and reading this did inspire me to ad my little two cents.

We are talking about an incident that happened "on Election Day in 2008 in Philadelphia, where members of the party were videotaped in front of a polling place, dressed in military-style uniforms and allegedly hurling racial slurs while one brandished a night stick." "The Bush Justice Department brought the first case against three members of the group, accusing them in a civil complaint of violating the Voter Rights Act." "The Obama administration initially pursued the case, winning a default judgment in federal court in April 2009 when the Black Panther members did not appear in court." "But then the administration moved to dismiss the charges the following month after getting one of the New Black Panther members to agree to not carry a "deadly weapon" near a polling place until 2012." This supposedly caused one attorney to quit. "J. Christian Adams, testifying Tuesday before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, said that "over and over and over again," the department showed "hostility" toward those cases. He described the Black Panther case as one example of that -- he defended the legitimacy of the suit and said his "blood boiled" when he heard a Justice official claim the case wasn't solid." "It is false," Adams said of the claim." "We abetted wrongdoing and abandoned law-abiding citizens," he later testified." "The Civil Rights Commission, which subpoenaed Adams, has been probing the incident since last year." "Adams said he ignored department directives not to testify and eventually quit after he heard Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez testify that there were concerns the Black Panther case was not supported by the facts." "Adams has described the case as open-and-shut and said Tuesday that it was a "very low moment" to hear Perez make that claim." "In a written statement last week, the" justice "department questioned the motives of Adams, now an attorney in Virginia and a blogger for Pajamas Media." "It is not uncommon for attorneys with the department to have good faith disagreements about the appropriate course of action in a particular case, although it is regrettable when a former department attorney distorts the facts and makes baseless allegations to promote his or her agenda," the statement said." (Unknown Author, 7/6/2010, Fox News, Ex-Official Accuses Justice Department of Racial Bias in Black Panther Case, Retrieved from www.foxnews.com).

I became aware of this story when I was channel surfing and stopped off at Fox news to listen to the interview of the spokesperson for the New Black Panthers. I must say that I was impressed by the tough questions being asked and found myself wishing that this type of interview be more widespread than just at Fox and just on those subjects that they wish to exploit. I must admit, that this was not the type of questions put to Karl Rove who to had something to do with attorneys at the justice department and a possible misuse of authority. But then again asking one to be fair and balanced may be asking too much. There were a couple of things that this spokesman said which I personally would take offense with and some things that I can applaud him for.

The first round of applause comes when he makes absolutely sure that the interviewer, Megyn Kelly, understood that "that the actions caught on video "were outside of organizational policy." "We still do not condone the carrying of nightsticks at polling places and we have been consistent on that since Day One." The second round of applause came "when asked whether Samir Shabazz is a racist, Malik Shabazz said, "I can't speak for him on that." "I would say the New Black Panther Party is not a hate group or a racist organization." All those were excellent points to make sure made it into the record at Fox but I was disappointed and a little pissed to learn that "Samir Shabazz was suspended for his actions before he was reinstated as a Black Panther member." (Unknown Author, 7/9/2010, Fox News,New Black Panther Leader Defends Group in Voter Intimidation Case, Retrieved from www.foxnews.com). I was dismayed because based on the tape seen on Fox, taken in totality; Mr. Samir Shabazz should have never been reinstated if the New Black Panther Party is wishing to be taken seriously as an organization where justice can be found.

The really comical part of all this is the interview that the same lady, Megyn Kelly, had with Karl Rove. We all should know Mr. Rove by now and if you do not then that's fine as well. What i found hilarious about this interview was the fact that of all the people to talk about regarding the Department of Justice, its lawyers and the White House positions, Karl Rove would have not been one of my worst choices. Needless to say Mr. Rove made these points. "The White House is "thumbing its nose" at one of the most fundamental American rights by not investigating allegations that the Justice Department wrongly abandoned a 2008 voter intimidation case, former Bush adviser Karl Rove charged on Friday."

"In an interview with Fox News' Megyn Kelly on "America Live",' Rove accused White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs of "not telling the truth" when he said Thursday that he was not looking into allegations that the DOJ wrongly dismissed a case against the New Black Panther Party." "He also accused the administration of "thumbing its nose at one of the most essential rights Americans have."

"Of course they're aware of this," Rove said. "I can't imagine that when the attorney general makes such a controversial decision, that they would have not discussed this with the White House." (Unknown Author, 7/9/2010, Fox News,Karl Rove on Black Panther Case: White House 'Thumbing Its Nose' at Voter Rights, Retrieved from www. foxnews.com). The funny thing is Ms. Kelly did not inquire if any controversial decision made by any attorney general is not discussed with any White House and if Mr. Rove was correct then that must mean that the incident involving him, Harriett Myers, Alberto Gonzales and those fired lawyers would have had to be discussed in the Bush White House.

How the Tea Party and the New Black Panther Party are are similar. They both have members who do not consider where they are or the make-up of their audience when they speak. They speak as if they are speaking for the all of America, whether Black or White, when they are not. Their ideas about how things should be do not reflect those of the majority but the minority. Because they are speaking out of both sides of their necks, the cameras will roll and they will get their fame but it will cause those they act like they speak for nothing but pain. Martin Luther King Jr. Showed all of us how we can get things done to advance our cause and build a more perfect union and it was not by threat, intimidation or lunacy, it was through civil and calm dialogue. A place where all voices are heard and all are allowed to speak. Where respect is shown and given even to those we disagree with. Where violence is never condoned or advocated with peaceful protesting as the word. Both these groups seemed misinformed and misses the mark, they may have started off meaning to do right but until they stand responsible for those they seek to bring into the fold, they will always be minimized not only by the other races but by their own as well.