What a Difference the Messenger Makes

The liberal media is praising Obama for making some critical statements about black fathers in front of a predominantly black audience. Addressing the congregation of a large black church, Obama mentioned his own absentee father and said “we need fathers to recognize that responsibility doesn’t just end at conception.” He went on to state, “more than half of all black children are living in single parent households” and “too many fathers are MIA” and “the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.” Obama is being widely credited with making a speech that was “striking for its bluntness” and is being applauded for his courage in presenting it to a black audience.

So what about poor Bill Cosby, who has been bluntly speaking about the epidemic of fatherlessness among black Americans for over a decade? Where are Cosby’s accolades for having the courage to confront his own culture? The New York Times has called Cosby’s speechifying “inflammatory” and other forums have referred to his criticisms of the black community as “controversial.”…yet when Obama echoes these same sentiments, he is praised for being “brave” and making a “positive stand.” The capacity of the liberal media to ignore these sorts of disparities is truly amazing.

U.S. Department of Gangster Rap Promotion

Johah Goldberg @ The Corner on NRO made up this blog post title a couple of days ago, and provided this fascinating snippet from a profile of Alicia Keys in Blender:

We ask what other gangsta rappers she liked. And that’s when Keys drives a steamroller through the wall.

“‘Gangsta rap’ was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other,” she says, putting down the sandwich. “‘Gangsta rap’ didn’t exist.”

Come again? A ploy by whom?

She looks at us like it’s the dumbest question in the world. “The government.”

Jonah: Well, first of all, I want that government agency closed immediately. Second, I want to know why the brilliant bureaucrats in charge of blowing up New Orleans levees, creating AIDS, and concocting the Gangsta Rap Myth are never put in charge of, like, the Department of Education or HUD. Imagine if they could use their skills for good instead of evil?

Polygamy

A few weeks ago, Anne and I puzzled over the non-enforcement of federal polygamy laws in certain enclaves where it is practiced openly (brought to light vis a vis the recent goings-on in and around that Texas compound that's been in the news). Anne said, "Either it’s against the law or it isn’t. It suggests to me that there exists an undercurrent of uncertainty as to the justice of the ban, if not in the courts, certainly among individuals."

Perhaps it is ignored or tolerated in certain parts because it's seen as a religious thing that causes no harm to the common good, since these folks don’t seem to cause any trouble otherwise? However, I can't help but feel disgusted that these people marry their 15 to 18 year old girls off to the community's old men. One feels sorry for these young women, who are taught from birth that it is their Heavenly duty to go along with it, and that only by this path will they reach the ultimate Celestial place.

CNS News: Anglican Church Aims to Spread Gospel to UK Muslims

In re: to my "Evangelism: The New Hate Crime" post, Kevin McCandless @ CNSNews.com (London) reports that with more and more Britons embracing Islam, the Church of England is launching a campaign aimed at converting Muslims to Christianity. At the church's General Synod this coming July, clergy and lay members will consider a motion calling for a recognition of the "uniqueness of Christ" and urging the church to proclaim "the gospel of salvation through Christ alone."

Paul Eddy, the priest introducing the motion, said he fears that the Anglican Church has "watered down its faith" in recent years. Where many Muslims are outspoken and publicly robust in their faith, he said the church of England has "lost its nerve." Among other measures, Eddy says he wants to see priests receive training in evangelization. Eddy has already secured support from a number of synod members, including Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali, a Pakistan-born clergyman has recently repeated earlier warnings that the decline of Christianity has weakened Britain and led to many neighborhoods becoming "no-go areas" for non-Muslims.

How to Be a Renaissance Man

Click here for the 75 skills every man should have, according to Esquire.