Posted on 09/16/2005 7:55:35 AM PDT by bad company
In Katrina I Didn’t See Racism, I Saw Brotherhood
by Rabbi Aryeh Spero Posted Sep 7, 2005
In New Orleans, beginning Tuesday morning, August 30, I saw men in helicopters risking their lives to save stranded flood victims from rooftops. The rescuers were White, the stranded Black. I saw Caucasians navigating their small, private boats in violent, swirling, toxic floodwaters to find fellow citizens trapped in their houses. Those they saved were Black.
I saw Brotherhood. New York Congressman Charlie Rangel saw Racism.
Yes, there are Two Americas. One is the real America, where virtually every White person I know sends money, food or clothes to those in need -- now and in other crises -- regardless of color. This America is colorblind.
The other is the America fantasized and manufactured by Charlie Rangel, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who constantly cry “racism!” even in situations where it does not exist, even when undeniable images illustrate love, compassion and concern. These three men, together with today’s NAACP, want to continue the notion of Racist America. It is their Mantra, their calling card. Their power, money, and continued media appearances depend on it.
Often, people caught up in accusing others of sin neglect to undergo their own personal introspection. They begin to think they alone inhabit the moral high ground. It is high time these men peered into their own hearts at the dark chamber that causes this unceasing labeling of their fellow Americans as “racist.” They may find in that chamber their own racism -- against Whites.
There is only one real America. Beginning Friday morning in Houston, thousands of regular citizens poured into the Astrodome offering water, food, clean clothes, personal items, baby diapers and toys, love and even their homes to the evacuees who had been bused in from New Orleans. Most of the givers were White, most of those being helped were Black. But there was Jesse Jackson, busy on TV, accusing the country of not putting Blacks -- i.e., him -- on some type of Commission he is demanding. Where was he early in the week? Not sweating with others from around the country who had scraped their last dollar to come help. With Jesse, it’s always about Jesse.
After decades of hearing accusations from Jesse, Al, Charlie, the NAACP and certain elitists about how racist America is, it would have been refreshing to hear them for once give thanks to those they for years have been maligning. These self-anointed spokesmen for the Black community lead only when it comes to foisting guilt and condemnation, and not when it comes to acknowledging the good in those they have made a career in castigating.
As a Rabbi I have a message I wish to offer to my fellow members of the cloth, Reverends Jackson and Sharpton: It is time to do some soul searching. Your continued efforts to tear this country apart, even in light of the monumental goodness shown by your White brothers, is a sin.
There are no churches in the world like the American churches. And there are no better parishioners and members of churches anywhere in the world. These churches are saving the day. Their members -- infused by the special and singular teachings of our unique American Judeo-Christian understanding of the Bible -- are, at this moment, writing an historic chapter in giving, initiative, and selflessness. They are opening their homes to strangers. They are doing what government is incapable of doing.
America works because of its faith-based institutions. It always has. That is what makes it America.
So next time the ACLU tries to diminish and marginalize the churches, saying there is no role for religion in American public life, that an impenetrable wall must be erected separating the citizens from their faith, cry out “Katrina.”
Next time the ACLU goes to court asking that U.S. soldiers not be allowed to say Grace in the Mess Hall and that communities be forbidden from setting up a nativity scene, ask yourself: without the motivation of Goodness sourced in Faith, would people offer such sacrifice? Where else does this Brotherhood come from but the Bible which teaches “Thou Shall Love Thy Neighbor as Yourself.”
I saw brotherhood on Fox News, where 24/7 reporters used their perch as a clearing-house for search-and-rescue missions and communication between the stranded and those in position to save. In contrast, the Old-line networks continued with their usual foolish, brain-numbing programming. Those who always preach “compassion” chose profit over people.
The New York Times has utterly failed America. Its columnists could have used their talents and word skills to inspire and unite a nation. Columnists such as Frank Rich and Paul Krugman, however, revealed their true colors by evading their once-in-a-lifetime chance to help and instead chose to divide, condemn, and fuel the fires and poison the waters of Louisiana. In them, I saw no Brotherhood. The newspaper always preaching “compassion” verifies Shakespeare’s “They protest too much.”
Similar elitists here in the northeast and on the west coast have over the years expressed their view of the South as “unsophisticated” and Texans as “cowboys.” Well, the South has come through, especially Houston and other parts of Texas, whereas, as I write this on Labor Day, the limousine moralizers are lying on east and west coast beaches thinking they’re doing their part by reading Times’ editorials and calling George Bush “racist.” How sanctimonious life becomes when proving you are not a racist depends not on living in a truly integrated neighborhood, but by simply calling others racist.
Like so often in history, facts trump platitudes. Reality reigns. Those who always preach brotherhood, thus far have acted devoid of it. Those who for decades have been accused by elitists of not having compassion are the ones living it. They are: the churches, the military, and the sons and daughters of the South.
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Copyright © 2004 HUMAN EVENTS. All Rights Reserved.
Ditto. The racism element was a political creation of leftist race-baiters, the ugly, hateful Dims, and their lackies in the MSM.
All the people involved are ALL AMERICANS.
But that is not politically expedient to the Dims and their destructive, self-serving, twisted agenda...
The sooner liberals realize they resemble the most caricatured, puritanical, moralistic prudes they accuse the right of being the better for all of us....
APPLAUSE!!!!
Well said, thank you for posting.
APPLAUSE!!!!
Well said, thank you for posting.
Keeping the races divided for the buck and continued opportunities to clown around on camera. That's a big 10/4.
The only folks that gain by yelling racism are the likes of Jesse, Al etc. Maybe they are frantic that the rest of us are figuring out that we have NOTHING to gain by keeping blacks "down". The louder they scream you KNOW they are getting desperate.
Like so often in history, facts trump platitudes.
Thanks, Rabbi.
I believe my own personal Rabbi would agree with what you've written.
Wonderful commentary. Jackson & Sharpton should be stripped of their "Reverend" titles for their egregious race-baiting and blatant lies.
This is what hurts. I did not see a check box on the Red Cross contribution form that said my donation could only go to "White" folk. Jackson, Rangel, Farakhan are the ones who do so much damage to their own race. If they would encourage rather than enrage and incite...
A_R
Rabbi Aryeh Spero -- In Katrina I Didn't See Racism, I Saw Brotherhood
Rabbi Spero is a radio talk show host, a pulpit rabbi, and president of Caucus for America. He can be reached at www.caucusforamerica.com. Reprinted with permission of the author.
Read the entire article on the Human Events website (new window will open).
A racist will always see racism and look to blame someone else for it rather than themselves.
excellent article
Damn straight. Da bros can never have nuf Plasma/LCD Tvs in N'awlins.
BTTT!
I don't get what that has to do with this article.
What we got from Landrieu and Blank-O was truly despicable.
As for Nagin, he's the joker in the deck.
...who thinks he's the Ten of Diamonds.
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