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Rabi al-Awwal 6, 1434/ January 19, 2013 # 3
African American intellectual Dr. Wilmer Leon, concedes 
President Obama's achievements but notes the deep ironies at 
inauguration time which might be set to ruin his presidency. 
He has forgotten his support base. Brilliant, thoughtful 
article. 
Please scroll to end.
Canada's injustice against political prisoner Momin Khawaja 
has gone beyond all limits. He got a life sentence for a 
victimless non-violent "crime." Canada thinks Muslims will 
remain silent. Take a few minutes to reach out to Canada. 
Please scroll to end. 
[Remain polite but firm.]
Spotlights
Imam Badi Ali, National Shoora leader of Jamaat 
al-Muslimeen, Holds the Mirror to the French
- 
They will defeat us if we allow them to defeat us.
 - 
We have leaders who do not have a road map nor a sense 
of direction.
 - 
Politicians are politicking in Washington, DC, but the 
ones in Paris are busy with cologne and perfume, putting oil 
in their hair and womanizing.
 - 
Surely there are better people than Hollande in France 
but they are busy cutting their hair and coloring their 
hair.
 - 
I want Sarkozy and Hollande to explain what happened to 
the slogans of the French revolution: Liberty, Equality, 
Fraternity. How do they fit into the invasion of Mali.   
 - 
Small organizations, poorly equipped, have succeeded in 
making superpowers look like a bunch of fools. The French 
army looks like a third world bunch of recruits.
 - 
For the liberation of Palestine, this is a good lesson: 
Small groups can actually confront highly organized and 
heavily armed forces.
 
Khutba on Africa
Islamic Texts Connect us with Africa: Invasion of Mali & 
Algerian-French Collusion condemned
On January 18, the Juma' Khutba was given in central 
Baltimore [Maryland] by Br. Kaukab Siddique. It was very 
well received. Here are the main points for countrywide 
distribution.
- 
The Qur'an says that Allah created the human being from 
dust, from clay, and from black mud. Thus we are all by 
origin Black regardless of what color we  may have now.
 - 
The founder of the holiest city of Islam, Makkah, was an 
African woman, Hajira, r.a.
 - 
The first hijra was to Africa and  those who did the 
first hijra included those most beloved of Muhammad, pbuh, 
including his daughter Ruqayya, r.a., and his son in law 
Usman, r.a.
 - 
The Negus of Ethiopia embraced Islam. His passing away 
was known to the Prophet, pbuh, by wahy [revelation] and the 
Prophet, pbuh, prayed janazah ghaibana for him, which is the 
basis of prayer in absentia in Hadith.
 - 
To make the connection absolutely clear, Muhammad, pbuh, 
married an African woman, Maria, r.a., a Christian who 
embraced Islam.  His son from her, Ibrahim, died as a baby 
and again this is related to the Hadith about the eclipse. 
This was the rare occasion when Muhammad, pbuh, wept, 
affirming his humanity.
 
Part II
- 
When the people of Africa became uncaring about the study 
of Qur'an and Hadith, they were enslaved and conquered by 
the Europeans who divided Africa among themselves.
 - 
With the growth of nationalist movements and the impact 
of World War II, the Europeans withdrew but they left behind 
local rulers who looked African but were mentally "White." 
and enslaved.
 - 
Africa is the richest continent in the world but its 
wealth is in the hands of Europeans, be it gold, uranium, 
diamonds, rubber or coffee.
 - 
Islam is resurgent again in Africa and there have been 
peaceful movements in Egypt and Tunisia and armed uprisings 
in Algeria, Somalia, parts of Nigeria, and now most 
important of all in MALI.
 - 
The Europeans are uniting to crush the Islamic people of 
northern Mali. The French aggressors are bombing Mali and 
have landed several thousand troops to occupy Mali. The 
french are backed by Israel, UK, Italy and USA. Algeria is 
supporting France.
 - 
All the puppet rulers of Africa planted by the West are 
rushing to help the French.
 - 
The Nigerians are in the lead in this puppetry. The 
Nigeria army, from top to toe is funded, armed and supported 
by the USA and Israel. They have been massacring supporters 
of an Islamic movement in northern Nigeria, sending tanks 
into mosques and ruthlessly shot down Yusuf, the muttaqi 
leader of Boko Haram and hundreds of his unarmed supporters. 
 - 
Algeria a few years back ruthlessly crushed an elected 
Islamic movement known as FIS. Seldom has history seen such 
brutality.  With 100% support of France, the Algerian army 
killed more than a hundred thousand Muslims. The army used 
death squads and slit the throats of little children and 
hijabi women and claimed that it had been done by Islamic 
terrorists.
 - 
Washington Post supported the Algerian lies, just as 
today the NY Times, NPR and BBC are calling the people of 
Mali 'terrorists.' Only when Algerian intelligence officers 
defected, it became known that the children and women had 
been killed by the regime, not by the Islamics. 
 - 
The French bomb Mali. Obvious to everyone, it is State 
Terrorism. The US supports the French terrorist bombing. Now 
we have the Islamic takeover of French related gas 
installations in Algeria and USA is screaming "they are 
terrorists."
 - 
Pray for the victory of Islam in Africa. Inshallah, the 
future of Africa is with Islam, not the grave worshipping 
"islam" but the authentic Islam of the Qur'an and the 
Hadith.
 
Note: In the incident in Algeria, Mokhtar Bel Mokhtar, the 
mujahid leader, called on the US to exchange his two 
American captives with the Blind Shaykh Dr. Omar Abdel 
Rahman and Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. The US refused the offer. 
Muhammad, pbuh, is dearer to us than our own lives:
Sis. Aisha Munawar Hasan, Pakistani Woman leader.
At the start of the month of Rabi al-Awwal during which 
Muslims remember the birth of the last messenger and prophet 
of Allah, Muhammad, pbuh, a large gathering was addressed in 
Lahore by Aisha Hasan, a top leader of Jamaate Islami's 
women's wing.
Sis. Aisha said that nothing is dearer to us than the 
messenger of Allah, pbuh. He is the example for us in every 
aspect of life. That is why, she added, the evil forces in 
the West are attacking the Prophet, pbuh. Just as physically 
we are attacked by US drones, spiritually we are assaulted 
by those who insult our leader Muhammad Mustafa, pbuh.
She urged Muslim men and women to vow to bring themselves 
nearer to the example of the messenger of Allah, pbuh and to 
oppose Zionism and Imperialism.
Photo shows rally of Pakistani women supporting Jamaate 
Islami movement for peaceful Islamic transformation.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Urges Boycott of Israel
Are you helping to feed Israeli Occupation?
by Sis. Sherry Garris [Virginia]
Pepsico "spun off" a resturaunt chain in 1997 called Tricon 
Global Restaurants Inc., since renamed YUM! Brands. By 
definition of "spin off" Pepsico is still the parent company 
with equal stocks in the YUM! company. The shareholders of 
Pepsico Inc., including Strauss Group ( aka Israel)  
received 0.1 shares of YUM! Brands for every share of 
Pepsico they owned. Strauss Group owns 50% of Pepsico!
A "spin off" is when a division of a company becomes an 
independent business but maintaining shareholder rights with 
the parent company receiving equal shares in the new 
company. The ownership of the original and spun off 
companies are identical.YUM! Brands which include Pizza Hut, 
Taco Bell and KFC has a lifetime contract with Pepsico with 
a few contract exceptions with HMSHost (airports and highway 
food service company) and college-operated locations who are 
contracted with Coca Cola.
And, with the majority of these restaurants contracted to 
serve pepsi products for life it is definitely beneficial to 
Israel to eat at these places! Why would you want to feed 
your children food whose profits go to support the Genocidal 
Occupation of other children! Its easy just eat somewhere 
else!
Be good and strong in your choices. Set an example for 
others to follow! Our Ummah is large and growing! If all 
muslims just say NO!!! to buying products which clearly 
benefit a terrorist regime, we can make a real difference in 
the quality of life for our brothers and sisters! Do not buy 
Bombs and Bullets! for Israel!!!
www.israel-food-guide.com This is what feeds the Genocidal 
Occupation!!!
www.yum.com
www.seekingalpha.com
www.wikipedia.org ( Pepsico and spin off)
www.strauss-group.com
www.pepsico.com
Our America
A Voice for the Voiceless: Let Justice be done.
America's Top Imam:  Jamil al-Amin Should be re-Tried and 
Released
by Obaid Siddiqui [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]
[Br. Obaid is a freelance writer and independent journalist 
based in Philadelphia. He is a contributor to the anthology 
"All-American: 45 American Men on Being Muslim."
His voice had power. His booming delivery was infused with 
rousing socio-political rhetoric. With a rhythmic cadence, 
tone, and inflection, his voice kept a beat. It emboldened a 
generation of black youth, and frightened the white 
establishment. His voice organized black voters in rural 
southern towns. It later pushed drug dealers and prostitutes 
out of his Atlanta community. As he aged, the provocative 
rhetoric gave way to a mellow, measured and direct recital 
of religious discipline. He traded his iconic black beret 
and black sunglasses for a knitted kufi and wire-rimmed 
glasses. Despite his garb, at a lean 6'5", he always cut an 
imposing figure - a revolutionary unafraid to speak truth to 
power.
But now, that voice has been muted; muzzled underneath the 
wailing screams of the mentally ill as they bang on the 
walls of their prison cells - walls on to which they spread 
their feces. Men who mutilate their bodies with and swallow 
razors, shards of glass, sharpened chicken bones and writing 
utensils howl and weep at all hours of the day and night. It 
is within these hellish confines that a Civil Rights icon 
sits shackled in an underground cell. Silenced.
Let me declare before the families of these men, before the 
state, and any who would dare to know the truth, that I 
neither shot nor killed anyone. I am innocent...
For over 10 years now, Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin has been 
under perpetual solitary confinement, for usually 23 hours a 
day with almost no human contact. Al-Amin, once known as H. 
Rap Brown during his involvement in the Civil Rights 
Movement, is now referred to as 99974-555 - his inmate 
register number at the federally run Administrative Maximum 
Facility (ADX) Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado. He is 
serving a life sentence for a crime many people believe he 
never committed.
Al-Amin was convicted of murdering a deputy sheriff and 
wounding another during a gun fight in March of 2000 and was 
sentenced to life in prison two years later. Then, on July 
30 into August 1 of 2007, Al-Amin was secretly transferred 
overnight to the super-maximum security ADX prison, without 
the knowledge of his family or legal counsel. It is there 
where he now resides, 1,400 miles away from home, shackled 
in that underground cell. Although housed in a federal 
facility, Al-Amin is imprisoned on state charges and is 
still being paid for by Georgia state tax payers.
Al-Amin has always maintained his innocence. In a statement 
released after his arrest, he wrote:
Let me declare before the families of these men, before the 
state, and any who would dare to know the truth, that I 
neither shot nor killed anyone. I am innocent...I am one 
with the grief of this mother and father at the loss of 
their son. I am joined at the heart with this widow and her 
children at the loss of a husband and a father. I drink from 
the same bitter cup of sorrow as the siblings at the loss of 
a beloved brother. I am powerless to do anything to ease 
your pain and suffering except pray that Allah comforts you 
in your hour of need and grants you peace for the remainder 
of your days.
Later,  prior to his trial, a gag order was imposed on 
Al-Amin, preventing him from professing his innocence 
outside of the trial. Even now, a request sent to the ADX 
prison to interview Al-Amin has gone unanswered.
To give a voice back to the man who once vociferously spoke 
for the voiceless, over 200 supporters of Al-Amin gathered 
under the dome of the Georgia State Capital building in 
Atlanta for a national day of action on March 19, 2012. The 
rally, which featured many speakers including former U.S. 
Attorney General Ramsey Clark and Imam Zaid Shakir, was 
coordinated to demand that Al-Amin be released from federal 
detainment and transferred back to the Georgia State Prison 
in Reidsville, Georgia.
"We're certain the F.B.I. has a role in (his transfer to the 
federal prison)" said Heather Gray, host of the Just Peace 
radio program on WRFG in Atlanta and an organizer of the 
rally. The F.B.I.'s presence in the conviction of Al-Amin 
has been visible since the beginning, where "the F.B.I. met 
with the judge in her chambers during the trial," said Gray. 
Gray, who also serves on the board of directors for WRFG and 
Pacifica National Radio, has been involved in the Civil 
Rights Movement and started publicizing Al-Amin's case at 
the request of his late brother, Ed Brown. Brown and Gray 
worked together during the anti-apartheid movement and then 
again soon after Al-Amin was arrested over a decade ago. 
"[His transfer] seems to be a punitive thing, not based on 
anything he's done in prison," said Gray.
Indeed, Al-Amin has been the focus of federal surveillance 
since the 1960's. In an August, 1967, letter to all F.B.I. 
offices focusing the infamous Counter-Intelligence Program 
(COINTELPRO) against "Black Nationalist Hate Groups," J. 
Edgar Hoover specifically called out H. Rap Brown and three 
other men - Stokely Carmichael, Elijah Muhammad, and Maxwell 
Stanford - as targets of the program. The surveillance 
continued throughout the 1990's, as the F.B.I. placed 
informants in Al-Amin's Atlanta community to try and connect 
him with criminal activity. Despite developing a 44,000-page 
file on Al-Amin, the F.B.I. was unable to pin a single 
charge on him - until his murder conviction and subsequent 
move to the federal ADX prison.
Throughout his incarceration in solitary confinement, which 
according to Mauri' Salaakhan, a human rights activist and 
Director of The Peace and Justice Foundation in Washington, 
D.C., "violates Al-Amin's constitutional rights of (being 
subjected) to cruel and unusual punishment," Al-Amin 
maintains his innocence and mental clarity. "Despite the 
brutal conditions, he's holding up well. He's a man of deep 
faith. He has a strong constitution," said Salaakhan, who 
has been closely following the case since he released a 
booklet in 2002, "The Case of Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin: 
Is it a Government Conspiracy?" The brutal conditions 
Salaakhan mentions are now the subject of a June 2012 
class-action lawsuit brought against the ADX prison for its 
inhumane treatment of mentally ill inmates.
The organizers of and speakers at the rally aim to petition 
the state of Georgia to stop spending state tax-payer 
dollars to incarcerate Al-Amin in the federal ADX prison in 
Colorado. According to Bethany Whetzel, assistant counsel 
for the Georgia Department of Corrections, the current per 
diem rate to house Al-Amin at the federal ADX prison is 
$80.04 - over $140,000 to date. The office of Georgia 
Governor Nathan Deal refused to comment on the situation. 
"It's a two-prong approach" Salaakhan said. The first step 
is to bring Al-Amin back to Georgia; the second step is to 
petition the state courts for a retrial in order to free 
him.
The second step has been tasked, among others, to C. Allen 
Garrett Jr., a partner at the law firm of Kilpatrick 
Townsend & Stockton (KT&S). Garrett, based in Atlanta, has 
been working on Al-Amin's case pro-bono since 2007. The law 
firm originally was assigned Al-Amin's case when he brought 
a suit against the warden of the Georgia State Prison, Hugh 
Smith, and other prison officials for illegally opening mail 
from his legal counsel, which is protected by 
attorney-client privileges.
As he researched the case, Garrett, and lead counsel and 
senior partner at KT&S, A. Stephens Clay, discovered 
retaliatory actions on the part of prison officials against 
Al-Amin. Moreover, they came across the work of G. Terry 
Jackson and Linda Sheffield, Al-Amin's attorneys from his 
state appeal case in 2007. Jackson, who passed away in March 
of 2012, and Sheffield found major flaws with the initial 
trial in 2002 and revealed important evidence that was never 
presented. Jackson's and Sheffield's discovery uncovered 
what Garrett refers to as the "ineffective assistance of 
counsel" on the part of Al-Amin's original defense team, 
thus leading Garrett to file various petitions with the 
state of Georgia for a retrial based on ignored evidence. 
Al-Amin's petition for a retrial sits with the U.S. District 
Court for the Northern District of Georgia, which issued an 
order on July 3, 2012, directing the respondents (Georgia 
state Attorney General, Samuel Olens; ADX Warden, Blake 
Davis; and Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner, 
Brian Owens) to address why Al-Amin's challenge should not 
be granted. On August 17, the respondents replied by 
dismissing Al-Amin's claims and urged the court to deny a 
retrial.
Now, within a federal facility reserved for the most 
dangerous criminals who pose a national and international 
security threat, Al-Amin must quietly await a court to once 
again rule on his fate. That fate, which is linked to an 
inconsequential traffic stop in 1999, was put into motion 
during his role as a Civil Rights leader, when he first 
garnered the watchful eye of the federal authorities. 
Our Amertica
It's not Easy to Please Obama: Egypt's Morsi retreats on 
Anti-Israel Remarks but ...
Obama is pressing President Morsi to ensure that anti-Israel 
remarks are not repeated.
Here is an extract from the Israeli paper Haaretz of January 
17 which notes Morsi's remarks in 2010 and his current 
position.
"In the video, Morsi refers to "Zionists" as "bloodsuckers 
who attack Palestinians" as well as "the descendants of apes 
and pigs." He says Egyptians should nurse their children on 
"hatred for them: for Zionists, for Jews. They must be 
breast-fed hatred." He also calls President Barack Obama a 
liar.
Morsi has promised to abide by Egypt's 1979 peace treaty 
with Israel and has continued security cooperation with 
Israel over the volatile Sinai Peninsula and their border. 
In November, Morsi brokered a truce between the Jewish state 
and Gaza's Hamas rulers in November, a feat that won him 
warm praise from the 
Americans."
In Search of Justice for Mohammad Momin Khawaja in Canada, 
Against Supreme Court of Canada final verdict of December 
14, 2012
In March 2004, when arrested on bogus accusations of 
"terrorism', M. Momin Khawaja was 23 years old, recent 
graduate in computer science, hafiz of al-Qura'an and active 
community worker. In March 2009, the trial judge sentenced 
Momin Khawaja to 10.5 (ten and half years) with 5 years to 
serve for parole eligibility accused of "terrorism" in 
Canada and abroad. But there was no tangible evidence except 
his e-mails to prosecute him in a court of law. When in 
2008, he was tried in Canada, he had already spent almost 
five years in detention but was not credited for this time 
as most inmates are under the laws. The trial Judge 
acquitted him of terrorism charge related to London Bomb 
accusation due to lack of evidence - this was the focal 
point of the prosecution. A US informant turned witness 
Junaid Babur testified in the trial that Momin Khawaja had 
no involvement in any bomb making nor had knowledge of the 
London Khyam group terrorist plan.
The original sentence was based that he donated $859. to a 
Pakistan-based afghan charity fund of displaced women and 
children  that they claim had link to al-qaeda. He attended 
one day camp in northwest Pakistan, traveled to UK to meet 
some youngsters who were later charged with certain crimes.  
This was appealed at the provincial court and three judges 
extended the original 10.5 years into life time and 24 years 
sentence without hearing any evidence or facts of the case. 
The same formula is being used by the Supreme Court to 
authenticate the previous appeal's verdict and gave him 
consecutively one life sentence and 24 years to start 
consecutively with 10 yrs to be served for parole 
eligibility. There is no surety, he will be allowed for 
parole. The Supreme Court used the official myth of Islamic 
terrorism, making claim to be sending a strong message to 
all concerned. There is no "terrorism" flourishing in Canada 
except propagated by the few warmongers and the war 
industries.  Momin Khawaja has not committed any crimes of 
terrorism nature, nor harmed anyone anywhere on this planet. 
His e-mails were used to prosecute him essentially based on 
thought crime. One of the Supreme Court judges hearing the 
appeal, made it known that there was no crime committed by 
him (Momin) nor charged to be given the life sentence.  Few 
others judges had similar questioning of the previous unfair 
verdict. Yet, all have signed the final verdict.
It demonstrates built-in prejudice and unfair treatment 
towards Muslims and the people of Arab origins mostly 
covered by the term "terrorism."
We request all concerned citizens of the global humanity to 
write to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada 
and to the Prime Minister of Canada asking to revisit the 
case or other legal options to deliver justice. The 
important points should be
- 
What rational or justifiable criteria is implied to 
deliver an exceptionally harsh and unfair sentence to Momin 
Khawaja?  The original sentence of 10.5 yrs was increased to 
a life plus 24 years consecutively to be served with 10 
years for parole. The final judgment lacked any 
evidence-based reasoning to substantiate the conclusion 
except political and religious animosity.
 - 
Momin Khawaja was acquitted by the trial judge of 
involvement in the London bomb plot. He has no criminal 
record and never posed any threat or violence to anybody on 
this planet.
 - 
Momin was not considered for double credits of the time 
served (9 years) as it is applicable to all inmates under 
the Canadian laws and justice system.
 - 
There were wide range of opinions and discussions amongst 
the judges at the final Supreme Court hearing in June 2012, 
questioning the previous unfair verdict of the Ontario 
Appeal Court. But at the end, they all signed the document 
perpetuated most unfair and unjust conclusion lacking 
evidence and rational justification.
 - 
There is no balancing act between the original sentence 
of 10.5 (ten and a half years sentence with 5 years for 
parole) and unusually increased harsh sentence to Life with 
24 years to be served consecutively - 10 years for parole. 
This is clearly a travesty of justice.
 - 
The writer should ask the Chief Justice and the Prime 
Minister (politely and logically) to review the case and to 
deliver justice based on the merits of the case. Surely, 
public concerns will have direct impact. Both addresses are 
as follows:
 
Right Honorable Beverley McLachlin, P.C.
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Canada
301 Wellington Street, Ottawa, OntarioK1A 0J1Canada
Fax:      1- 613-941-5817
Right Honorable Mr. Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada, Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ONK1A 0A2   Canada
Fax: 1- 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca
President Obama's Second Term: Symbolic or Ironic?
by Dr. Wilmer Leon
On Sunday, January 20th at 12:00pm, America's 44th 
President, Barack Obama will be sworn in for his second 
term.  The public celebration of his inauguration will take 
place on Monday, January 21st which is also the legal public 
holiday celebrating the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr.
Many see the public swearing in of the first president who 
is African American taking place on the same day we 
celebrate the life of one of the greatest Americans as 
another invaluable symbol, a breakthrough for America, a 
double helix.  Some see the reelection of President Obama as 
the realization of Dr. King's "Dream", while others see the 
inauguration as an incredible irony, an incongruity between 
the literal and the implied meaning of the events.
The symbolic significance of the reelection of President 
Obama cannot be understated. It took this country 219 years 
to elect its first African-American president (George 
Washington was elected in 1789). In spite of Americas 
schizophrenic perspective on "race" (race is really an 
artificial construct) this country swore in its first 
president who is African American on January 20, 2009. As I 
reflect upon the historic election of Senator Obama, my 
thoughts go to the Constitution and three specific 
provisions:
- 
Article 1, Section 2, the Three Fifths Compromise;
 - 
Article 1, Section 9 which allowed for the importation of 
slaves for 21 years after the Constitution was ratified;
 - 
Article 4, Section, the Fugitive Slave Clause that allowed 
for escaped slaves to be returned to slaveholders.
 
These constitutional provisions come to mind since they were 
the legal and conceptual foundations of the oppression that 
Africans in America, and later African-Americans, have been 
subjected to since the founding of this nation. The election 
and re-election of President Obama does represent how far 
African Americans have come.
The Obama administration has done great work.  The President 
is able to claim a number of legislative successes during 
its first term.  For example, the Obama Administration 
passed or supported:
- 
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010;
 - 
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
 - 
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention 
Act
 - 
The repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and supported marriage 
equality;
 - 
Appointed first black Attorney General, Eric Holder and 
appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court.
 
These are all significant actions and should be recognized 
as such.
Some see President Obama as the fulfillment of Dr. King's 
"Dream." Not so fast! Never confuse a down payment with the 
balance being paid in full. The "Dream" was never about 
electing an African-American president. The Dream was about 
freedom, justice and equality for the least of us so that 
the true meaning of the American creed could be enjoyed by 
all of us. As Dr. King said, "And if America is to be a 
great nation, this must become true."
We must always remember that before Dr. King made reference 
to "The Dream" he said, "But one hundred years later, the 
Negro still is not free... the life of the Negro is still 
sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains 
of discrimination...the Negro lives on a lonely island of 
poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material 
prosperity...the Negro is still languishing in the corners 
of American society and finds himself an exile in his own 
land."
Hence, the irony of America publically swearing in its first 
president who is African American for his second term on the 
legal public holiday celebrating the life of Rev. Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr. is that the nightmarish conditions that led 
to articulation of The Dream still exist in America 
today!
The Dream cannot be fulfilled when a candidate for president 
has to run a deracialized campaign in order to make the 
masses comfortable with the obvious aesthetic. The second 
inauguration of President Obama does not negate the reality 
of Driving While Black.  It does not erase the fact that 
unemployment in America is 7.8% but over 17% for African 
Americans. We cannot ignore the fact that African Americans 
make up 13% of the population and 53% of those incarcerated. 
 Dr. King's dream was about using the power of government 
and its resources to eradicate poverty yet today 14.5%  of 
U.S. households—nearly 49 million Americans, including 16.2 
million children—struggle to put food on the table. Nearly 
one in three African American and Latino children is at risk 
of hunger.  All of this while conservatives want to destroy 
the public safety net and create a permanent underclass in 
this country.
It is ironic that in spite of these stark realities for the 
poor in America and specifically the poor in African 
American communities, African Americans gave President Obama 
95% of its support and none of these issues were addressed 
during the 2012 presidential campaign.  As leaders of an 
invaluable political constituency too many in African 
American leadership are either unwilling or unable to 
challenge this president to use his bully pulpit to address 
them
It is also ironic that as we celebrate the civil rights 
legacy of Dr. King, a man who vehemently opposed the War in 
Vietnam, President Obama has a "kill list'. He supports 
warrantless wiretapping, the indefinite detention of 
American citizens, drone attacks that kill innocents through 
collateral damage and the assassination of American citizens 
any place in the world without judicial review.
The president can proclaim his support for Israel to all 
corners of the world.  He can support marriage equality; 
immigration reform and through executive order support the 
Dream Act but African Americans are supposed to sit quietly 
and Hope for Change.
Never confuse a down payment with the balance being paid in 
full. This inauguration is a great step forward in America 
but remember, we have miles to go before we sleep.
Dr. Wilmer Leon is the Producer/ Host of the nationally 
broadcast call-in talk radio program "Inside the Issues with 
 WilmerLeon," and a Teaching Associate in the Department of 
Political Science at HowardUniversity in Washington, D.C.  
Go to Dr-Leons-Prescription@facebook.com,  
www.wilmerleon.com , email: wjl3us@yahoo.com.  
orwww.twitter.com/drwleon
2013-01-20 Sun 06:06:46 cst
NewTrendMag.org