Treachery, Faith, and the Lenten Journey Ahead

So today, while I was taking a break after successfully running one of my tests (el YAY!!!) I came across a link to a website that had a very interesting cartoon.

The link is: http://www.nypost.com/delonas/delonas

The cartoon depicts two cops and a dead monkey, shot by one of the officers. Then, one of the cops says "They'll have to find someone else to write the new stimulus bill."

Lets just pause for a second and use the context clues that you should have learned back in elementary school. We have

#1. An African American (Black) President who pushed for a 'stimulus' bill.
#2. A Dead Monkey after being shot by some cops
#3. Two officers (that look Caucasian): one with a gun in his hand, the other saying "They'll have to find someone else to write the new stimulus bill."

If anyone knows their history, especially about the plight of African Americans, then you should also know of the deep racial hatred that this cartoon represents. To add further insult to injury, this is what the cartoonist said on CNN while I was at the Gym starting my weight training:

"It's absolutely friggin ridiculous. Do you really think I'm saying Obama should be shot? I didn't see that in the cartoon. The chimpanzee was a major story in the Post. Every paper in New York, except The New York Times, covered the chimpanzee story. It's just ridiculous. It's about the economic stimulus bill. If you're going to make that about anybody, it would be Pelosi, which it's not."

Just to let you know, the chimpanzee story and the economic stimulus bill are two mutually exclusive events... Or, put in another way, have nothing to do with each other. So to portray a dead monkey, and talk about the stimulus bill, is to talk about our nations President. To deny that monkeys represent Black people is to deny America's racist past.

This is treacherous, and is a reminder of how far we still have to go as a nation. If I am to follow what is said in the great book, then as I say my prayers for the evening, I will throw in a special one for the cartoonist. I do not know what to say, but I will let it flow before I go to sleep tonight. Obama talked a lot about hope and faith. Basically the two are intertwined. We can not, we must not allow stuff like this to divide us further. If you are angry about this cartoon, you are not alone. I was angry about it, not anymore. Get your anger out, pray about it, if you are into prayer, forgive, if you have the courage to. Forgive them for their ignorance. Forgive them for their lack of judgment. Forgive them because that is what the Lord has taught us.

On another note, Ash Wednesday is one week away, and I am preparing for a Lenten Journey that will really test my faith and rock me to my core! I am talking about taking things to a whole new level in terms of what to give up! And I will be giving up a lot! I have not finalized my list, but it is going to be extreme! I will explain more about it when Ash Wednesday comes!