We are advised by the Scriptures that there is “None so righteous as the newly converted.” That means that often when we have a transformational experience we are anxious to prove our piety–especially to those who oversaw our conversion–that we are indeed true believers, true practitioners. So we often exaggerate our behavior when we are new recruits–to a faith tradition, a political ideology, anything new.

I can remember when I was a new convert to Islam. One of my first behavior changes was in my diet. At the time I was a roommate with three members of the Black Panther Party, and unlike me, they did not care much about what they ate. On the other hand, I was all “kosher” all the time.

Funny thing though. My roommates would share the kosher meat products (such as hot-dogs) I would purchase, and then replace them with any old meat they picked up at the store. That was a constant source of frustration for me. Continue reading →

There is an “avalanche of hatred” coming down on President Barack Obama. And it’s been like this since his triumphant 2008 campaign which catapulted this son of Africa into the White House.

Governors of states, U.S. Senators, Members of Congress have all piled on with their hate speech. These are the “leaders” of the country, high officials, the opinion makers. If their mouths are so filthy they need to be washed out with soap, just imagine what some of the “Ordinary Joes” who respond to what is no longer coded hate speech, it’s now out in the open in plain, unmistakable language.

Montana’s chief federal judge Richard Cebull is the lates top official to add to the list. He admitted that he forwarded a racist email to six others from his court email account which suggested President Obama was the product of a sexual encounter between his mother and a dog. Continue reading →