For God's Sake, Give More Power to the PRESS

Alton Ellis - The Preacher
Tupac - Temptations
Yabby You - Deliver Me From Me Enemies
Chi-Lites - (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the PEOPLE

When the cameras are rolling, the flashes flashing, and the tape recorders recording, the Reverend Al Sharpton gets that gleam in his eye. People are listening to me! People are really listening to me! Sharpton's inner voice, the giddy little school girl, gets ready to speak. These are the moments he lives for: the sweat from his brow, reflecting off the flash of the cameras, his voice recorded for the local radio news shows. Who will Sharpton speak for? For what unspoken cause, will he use his booming voice?

Social justice? Health care? Racial inequality? Unemployment? Education? Affordable housing? Political disenfranchisement?

Nope. Apparently Ancestry DOT COM and the NY Daily News were able to prove that Al Sharpton's great-grandfather was owned by Strom Thurmond's distant cousin. Of course, with the cameras rolling, Al was at his verbose-best: "It was probably the most shocking thing of my life. I couldn't describe to you the emotions I have had . . . everything from anger to outrage to reflection to some pride and glory."

Is this finding ironic? Sure. Is it interesting? Maybe.

But don't you find it SLIGHTLY suspect that immediately following the "real Blackness means your ancestors were slaves" argument that the DAILY NEWS, along with a privately-owned genealogy company, suddenly "discovers" Sharpton's slave connections? Don't you find it convenient that this news pops up NOW? Work with me peoples. Al Sharpton was the same guy that said this a month ago: "...just because you’re our color doesn’t make you our kind." These are the things that make Biochemical Slang go hmmmmm.

Apparently, Sharpton is "shocked," "angry," and "amazed." We here at Biochemical Slang have some suggestions for Sharpton. Here are some recent news items that are MORE shocking, MORE anger-provoking, and MORE amazing than contrived discoveries.

• President Bush's budget for supplementing state coverage of children's health care shortchanges children to the tune of 13.4 BILLION dollars over five years. That translates into 14 states that will run out of child health care money, by this coming October. This translates into more than 9 million children, mainly impoverished minorities, who will remain uninsured. Sharpton, WHERE YOU AT?
• The black-white academic achievement gap has become a fixture of American education. Test score differences between black and white students, regardless of socioeconomic status, remain huge. This is especially true for African-American boys. Money, truly, ain't a thing. Sharpton, WHERE YOU AT?
• Sean Bell's case is still open. Sharpton, WHERE YOU AT?
  

What's Sharpton's next move, you ask? Sharpton wants a DNA test to prove whether or not he is related to Strom Thurmond. I can't make this ish up. Biochemical Slang's question for Sharpton: WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?