NFL Players Are Slaves, But NAACP, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson Remain Silent

Talk about a political football. At a time when most municipalities are running in the red, another line item must now be factored into budgets: new history textbooks.

That’s right.  It turns out that the real reason for fighting the Civil War was the North’s desire to steal the incredible wealth of the slaves. Apparently, despite subjugation by their owners, the majority of slaves were millionaires, and those who weren’t still received a guaranteed minimum of $310,000 per year.

Shocking as this recent historical find seems, it was certified by Minnesota running back Adrian Petersen, and as we all know, anything a National Football League (NFL) player says must be true. Petersen’s plethora of antebellum knowledge was revealed as he enlightened the nation by comparing the NFL labor dispute to "modern-day slavery."

At issue is how to divvy up $9 billion in revenue between owners and players.  Talks have broken off and management has locked out the players.

Summing up how the players were being treated during the negotiations, Peterson said, "It's modern-day slavery, you know?”

He added, “People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too.”

That brilliant Petersen Principle, though, remains a bit unclear. Were those “regular” people --- those not involved in the NFL negotiations --- average Americans who will work the first four months of this year just to pay their local, state and federal tax burden? As in, a “slave” to the government?  A government, by the way, that “regular” Americans send more money to than they spend on food, clothing and shelter combined.

Or was Petersen’s defense of regular people referring to the poor and disadvantaged NFL saps who only make seven figures a year, compared to Petersen’s $10.5 million, and whose six-year contract is worth almost $41 million?  And for those making the League minimum of $310,000, well, they should probably pick cotton in the off-season just to make ends meet.

It must be tough being an NFL slave.

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The Petersen case underscores just how hypocritical some “leaders” have become regarding race relations.  As a result, we aren’t the color-blind country we should be, but instead see the gulf between black and white only widen.

Take the pathetic defense of Petersen’s remarks from his agent Ben Dogra (who obviously has a financial interest in seeing this flap go away). Rather than condemn the statement for what it was, he defends it with meaningless rhetoric. "I think anybody that knows Adrian knows that (he) is a very strong-willed and passionate individual," Dogra said. “The game means an awful lot to him.”

Gee, thanks for clearing that up, Ben. In other words, because he makes eight figures a year and is “passionate,” it’s okay to equate his situation to slavery, which, by the way, is still rampant in parts of the world.

But it gets better: “People should not just take his statements per se word by word. It's a difficult time. He would love to play. I'm sure that everybody would love to see football continue in the NFL... nobody should really look at those words and take them out of context."

Nice try, Ben.  But how exactly are they “out of context?”   He compared his situation to slavery.  That’s a fact.  It wasn’t a slip of the tongue, and there’s no gray area here. His “passion” and “love of the game,” while admirable, have absolutely nothing to do with his racist remarks.

He shouldn’t get a free pass for outrageously disrespecting the misery that slaves in America endured.  A life, by the way, that they couldn’t walk away from, unlike Petersen, who at 25, could quit his work today and live comfortably for five lifetimes.

But he has been given a free pass.  And that is the real --- and wholly unreported --- story.

Adrian Petersen will come and go.  He’ll probably make some half-hearted apology written by PR specialists and appear at events to make him seem more racially-sensitive (although he has yet to do so).  And he’ll dazzle on the gridiron for seasons to come (especially if he learns to stop fumbling).  But in the big picture, Petersen is irrelevant.

No, the biggest frauds of all need to be exposed.  Through the whole flap, nary a peep was heard from the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world. And where was that bastion of cowardice, the NAACP?

Conspicuously silent, but what else is new?

And this is precisely why they  have no credibility left.  Condemning racism of all kinds and promoting equality should be their goals, but instead, it’s the polar opposite.  To them, separate and unequal trumps unity, and the condemnation of racism is done on an extremely selective basis. Translation: jump on the bandwagon in cases involving a “racist” white person, but go on vacation when the person is black.

The list of being on the wrong side is long: the Duke lacrosse team falsely accused (who were innocent), the Tawana Brawley case which Sharpton enflamed with racial rhetoric (where rape allegations by white men of a black girl were proven false), the ridiculous firing of Don Imus, and the Jena Six case in Louisiana, when Jackson reportedly ripped then- presidential candidate Barack Obama for "acting like he's white."

But when a situation like that of Adrian Petersen comes along, providing a perfect opportunity to explain why slavery comparisons are so hurtful and destructive, their silence is deafening.  And their credibility, whatever is left of it, crumbles.

The conversation at kitchen tables and watercoolers around the nation is that Jackson and Sharpton are worthless, and the NAACP promotes racism far more than it fights it. But fear of being labelled racist and bigoted keeps most people --- and most media commentators --- from taking on these hypocrites, and speaking the truth.

Racism still exists in America, albeit to an infinitely smaller degree than it once was.  Perhaps the greatest example of that progress was illustrated when a black President --- itself a remarkable feat --- gave the eulogy of Senator Robert Byrd, a former member of the KKK. 

Unfortunately, that progress has come in spite of, not because of, people like Sharpton and Jackson.  But there is a silver lining. Their blowhard political grandstanding and blatant hypocrisy have become such trademarks that they not only lack credibility, but more important, relevance. No one cares what they have to say anymore because their platforms have been built on a house of cards.

The biggest tragedy of all is that, had these men --- dynamic orators of great charisma --- truly fought the good fight, America’s racial divide would be measurably smaller.

What a shame.  Leaders who preach color-blindness but really only see black-and-white...are a terrible thing to waste.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative
reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including
The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick
Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in
Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national
television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com

Martin Luther King: A True Republican

Up until the 1930's, the majority of blacks were Republican, proud to be in the Party of Lincoln.  The song that would become the national anthem of the NAACP, Lift Every Voice and Sing, was written by a black Republican in 1900 to celebrate President Lincoln's birthday.  Nine years later, on Lincoln's 100-year birthday, the NAACP was formed, with a number of founders being white Republicans.

Fast forward to the 2000 presidential election.

George W. Bush captured a mere eight percent of the black vote.  Eight percent!

Questions:

A)    How did that happen?

B)    More important, how can the GOP rekindle the relationship with one of its most natural constituencies?

Answers:

A)    Incompetence, a lack of foresight, political expediency---and FDR's New Deal.

B)    Bold, aggressive leadership that ignores political correctness. This means going for the jugular of all who label real solutions “racist" or "bigoted”.

Answer B, applicable to solving most of our problems, is simple, just not easy.

So has the GOP made progress? Unequivocally, the answer is No.

It’s been ages since the Party ran a presidential candidate who could heal the wounds and be a uniter, and 2012 looks to be more of the same.

For evidence, look at what happened during the last campaign. The four GOP frontrunners --- McCain, Romney, Thompson and Giuliani --- deliberately skipped an important debate on race relations, citing lame excuses for being no-shows.

Truth is, they refused to attend for a simple reason. They looked at how many blacks vote Republican, and, figuring they would get pummeled by the primarily black audience (it was held at historically black Morgan State University), stayed away. 

After that act of cowardice, “Freindly Fire” rained fire on those Republicans:

“Any Republican who believes the status quo is acceptable---and a deliberate absence at such an event makes that their position--- doesn't deserve to lead our nation.  Running for President should not just be about cozy fund raisers and scripted speeches to friendly audiences.  It must be about tackling the most pressing issues, even if it means walking into the lion's den, standing your ground, and outlining your vision for success.”

John McCain epitomized the status quo, and, not coincidentally, got crushed in the election.

The Republicans are in desperate need of a leader willing to stand up and embrace Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., someone who can credibly remind blacks about their former alliance with the GOP.  But most of all, a leader who can explain to blacks that they are still Republican in their values, and to show them the way home.

Dr. King espoused Republican ideals more eloquently than most.  Look at the words in his most famous statement: “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”.  Is there anything more Republican than that?  True Republicans strive to live in a color-blind society, where people are judged by their deeds, not their skin pigment.

Ironically, many GOP leaders who advocate merit over skin color fail to practice what they preach.  Courted for their “blackness,” Michael Steele was chosen to head the Republican National Committee, and Lynn Swann to run for governor of Pennsylvania in 2006. Both men were inherently unqualified for those respective positions, and both were soundly, and embarrassingly, rejected.  It is clear the Republicans learned nothing from Dr. King.

A guiding principle of the GOP is personal responsibility, and no one epitomized that more than Dr. King. He never ran from the law during a protest, nor did he label his arrests and imprisonment as persecution. Unlike so many leaders in both political Parties, he never engaged in the blame game.

In fact, it was the opposite --- Dr. King never complained about the consequences of his actions. Knowing the high risks, he took full responsibility for those actions, innately understanding that the only way to achieve freedom was to work within the American system, changing it from the inside by winning the hearts and minds of the American people.

Most blacks find themselves in the same position as rank-and-file union members.  Both share the core beliefs of the Republican Party, but suffer because their leaders sold them out long ago in favor of personal agendas and Democratic sweetheart deals--- contrary to the interests of those they represent.

Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the CBS executive involved in Don Imus' firing, congressional leaders...the list is long.  Yet God forbid a black person speaks truthfully on sacred-cow “black” issues! That just isn’t permitted, so when it rarely occurs, personal insults and vicious attacks immediately follow.  Look at the heat Bill Cosby took when he scolded the black community for using excuses and not improving themselves through personal responsibility.  He was demonized by black “leaders” nationwide.

But he was right.

Who is most affected by violent crime?  Who is most impacted by outrageous taxes and ever-increasing public transportation fees?  Who, more than anyone, strives for a solid family unit, knowing the catastrophic results of children growing up without a father?  As a group, who opposes same-sex marriages more than any other?  And who better understands the reality that many of our failed public schools, especially those in the inner city, have become literal battle zones—-and that the only way to achieve a quality education, and with it one's dreams, is through parental choice in education? 

Black Americans.

Bold leadership isn't going to garner the Republicans a huge vote swing in the next election---you don't reverse eighty years of thinking overnight.  But if the GOP does the right thing, for the right reasons, the votes will follow.

And on the race relations issue, doing the right thing is as simple as black and white.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com
Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newsApapers, and in Dick Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."
Freind, whose column appears nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a guest commentator on Philadelphia-area talk radio shows, and makes numerous other television and radio appearances, most notably on FOX.  He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com