How does a damaged civil rights movement forge ahead
with a badly tarnished leader

By Mike Fak

[JAN. 23, 2001]  The recent revelations regarding the Rev. Jackson having fathered an illegitimate child by a 38-year-old former employee are just the grist a media needs to churn its mills. Nothing in the world of today's press, whether printed or electronic, meets the criteria of top story more than an old-fashioned scandal.

Jesse Jackson, of course, the ultimate media hound, has found himself at the center of attention regarding his self-confessed immoral behavior in having an extramarital affair. For the first time in three decades, the reverend has decided to shy away from the press and spend more time with his family. I wonder which family Jackson meant by that statement. Jackson’s confession, of course, was precipitated by the news that the tryst was coming out in the scandal sheet tabloids. It was not a purging of his soul to the nation but rather a poor attempt at damage control. The story, a wealth of delight to his detractors as well as a damaging revelation to his supporters, will not go away anytime soon. It seems ironic that a person notorious in riding a news story to death himself will now meet the same criteria directed at his own licentiousness.

 

Jackson is a self-made man. A millionaire by everyone's accounts, he did it the old-fashioned way; he earned it. The question always asked by Jackson's detractors is the way he earned it. As the head of Operation Push and The Rainbow Coalition, both nonprofit agencies, questions of financial impropriety have followed Jackson for the past decade. Americans don't begrudge self-made successes. They do begrudge and have the right to ask if a person has lined his pockets with money donated to be used in worthy causes, the least of which is paying to have Jackson give his girlfriend a $345,000 house along with a $40,000 moving allowance.

For years, media have attempted to obtain records revealing Jackson's finances. Since they are derived from nonprofit agencies, the finances, like the agencies themselves, are supposed to be open to public scrutiny. For years Jackson has refused to disclose his financial statements and has even received a pass from the Internal Revenue Service in the information disclosed to them. Bill O'Reilly of Fox News has been trying for two years to find out whether Jackson and his operations are legitimately disbursing the donations of millions of Americans, many of them poor. O' Reilly has run into the same brick wall of fear to disclose, or even ask to disclose, that has made Jesse Jackson a Teflon demagogue.

 

The real question in this scandal should not be the affair, but, just like with President Clinton, what Jackson did to cover up his immorality. The nation already knows Jackson is a hypocrite, espousing morality when he would have none of it himself. The nation has a right to know if America's dominant African-American leader also is guilty of financial malfeasance.

 

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Jackson needs to understand how badly this situation has undermined the efforts of civil rights leaders throughout America. Detractors not only of Jackson but also of racial equality in this land have been given a double-barreled shotgun to guard their bigoted beliefs that black America is inferior to "morally superior" whites. All the good that Jackson has done in his storied career has been removed by a simple case of believing he was beyond the rules of morality that he has played to death over the years.

The story of how far Jackson will sink is to be played out in the months ahead. What is more important is how does a damaged civil rights movement forge ahead with a badly tarnished leader.

The answer is simple. Have a new leader take the place of the now forever-questionable Jackson.

That replacement is the congressman from the 4th Congressional District in Oklahoma, J.C. Watts (R).

 

Watts has all the credentials to leap to the forefront as a role model for all Americans, not just African-Americans. A former football star at the University of Oklahoma and in the Canadian Football League, Watts did the impossible by being elected in a heavily Democratic area of his state. He was elected the old-fashioned way. He brought honesty and integrity to his campaign. The 43-year-old Watts is bright, articulate, and stresses family and religious values in his platform. He also is on the Republican party fast track not only because of these redeeming values but also, quite frankly, because he is a Republican black leader in a country that considers African-Americans and the Democratic party as synonymous.

Watts showed his honesty this past week during an interview with Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. When asked point-blank why Jackson has never been investigated regarding questionable practices, Watts agreed with O'Reilly that it is because of fear. The Democrats don't want to lose the black vote. The Republicans don't want to be deemed racist. It took only a minute, but Watts, with O'Reilly's help, finally told the truth.

There are so many problems in our government. They are based almost solely on personal greed and the lust for power. These vices in the human spirit have become pervasive in our society all the way down to a loss of corporate conscience in business. A man like J.C. Watts can help eradicate this type of "I rather than country" mentality. He is the best man for the new leadership in racial equality. J.C. Watts is a black man. But just listen and read what he says. You will find out, as I have, that it doesn't matter if he is green. He is America’s next "best" leader.

[Mike Fak]

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The state of the state of Illinois

By Mike Fak

[JAN. 22, 2001]  It doesn't matter if you read a newspaper at the northern border of Illinois with Wisconsin or down south just across the river from Kentucky. Illinois government is receiving heavy press these days, and not much of it is good.

The hub of all this bad press is centered in our state's capital, Springfield.

The first story is about the conclusions by the Illinois Supreme Court that public bodies do not have to meet in public. Although contrary to the state constitution, the court has ruled that only the newly created ethics commission responsible for delving into questions of impropriety among members of the General Assembly needs to have open hearings. The other six ethics commissions responsible for the governor and other statewide high officials need not be subject to public scrutiny. The question, of course, is why not.

 

The commissions were established last year to limit gifts as well as financial remunerations from lobbyists to heads of state government. The Supreme Court is now telling us that what the commissions are told, suspect or find out to be valid grievances against public officeholders is now none of our business. The Supreme Court has not explained how these newly organized bureaucracies will be able to help acquit parties found to be not guilty of charges against their good names if the information is not made public. They also haven't explained how the public will be made aware of governmental leaders who are found to be in violation of the law. Will they all just keep it a secret? Will we someday all just walk around Illinois wondering whatever happened to so-and-so. One day they were in power in this state; today they are gone.

The Illinois Supreme Court has made an error in their ruling. Time and a federal court will show their decision contradicts our constitution.

The phrase "public service" is wearing thin with me. How about you? The second bit of uncomplimentary press is Gov. Ryan’s huge salary increases to his highly appointed best friends. The governor this year, as he did last year, has made his decision to give 12 percent increases to his appointees on the basis that he wants to keep their salaries in line with the private sector. That claim, of course, is valid unless these politicians really meant the phrase "public service" when they became involved in the state political process.

 

Although not a fan of our governor, I will begrudge him one point. I am certain with his connections he could and would earn a great deal more money in the private sector than he does as governor. Ryan has stated on innumerable occasions that he is interested in helping make Illinois a better state. I don't believe the man, but at least his viewpoint is fairly close to the concept of being a public servant. I have to ask the governor, why then does he feel the need to let his appointees off the political hook.

 

 

[to top of second column in this commentary]

Of course these people could earn more in the private sector. Just look at what Reagan earned after he left office. Start counting President Clinton's gold mine now that his presidency is over. I have to ask the governor, if these people are so dedicated to "public service," they must realize that they will not earn as much as they might in the real world. That is part and parcel of being in the hierarchy of the democratic process in this country. Representatives and leaders are supposed to be dedicated to the common good, not to keeping up with the Joneses.

With all of these appointees well into the six-figure salaries along with the many spiffs their offices hold, it isn't likely we will find them in the breadline soon.

The third story around the state is concerning our own Sen. Peter Fitzgerald again bucking the political machine. Fitzgerald, a personally wealthy man, seems to have somehow decided to represent his constituents rather than himself once again. His actions in refusing to sign a bipartisan wish list sent to new President Bush has caused Fitzgerald another black eye in the war known as the federal legislature. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is upset that Fitzgerald would not endorse the all-encompassing goodies list that the Illinois delegation wanted to slip under President Bush's pillow. Fitzgerald isn't against addressing many of the needs this delegation has asked for presidential assistance on. He is against encompassing noteworthy projects along with pet projects that his office has stated created a "mega-hog letter." This system of slipping the questionable into important bills is not new to Washington. Every day a bill to assist the building of roads or increase school financial aid has an addendum requesting a few million more for something that is beyond any benefit to taxpayers.

It seems that Fitzgerald is taking his role as "public servant" seriously. Let's hope the Supreme Court of Illinois doesn't have a chance to rule on his decision.

[Mike Fak]

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