Message to Meeks

The Reverend James Meeks now appears to be running for mayor. See the Sun Times on Saturday with Meeks castigating Mayor Daley for the poor performance of Chicago schools. (Actually, I think the mayor deserves more credit for the few positive changes than anyone else):

As tough as Meeks' rhetoric was, it was not as harsh as a speech he gave earlier this month at his church. In the July 5 speech, Meeks compared white governors and white mayors who fail to try to bridge the achievement gap for black students to "slave masters."

"The slave master never wants the slave to learn how to read and never wants the slave to learn how to write," Meeks said in the earlier speech. "So now we don't have slave masters. We got governors. We don't have slave masters. We got mayors."

He went on to denounce black politicians and preachers who support such politicians as "house n-----s."

Rev. Meeks---you and those who think like you have shackles on your minds---you are your own slave masters, enslaved by the past. As a minister, have you no faith in the transformative power of faith to teach individuals to value themselves and strive to be the best they can be? Are you, too, a victim? Sadly, you have proved yourself to be just another mediocre politician.

You have totally lost my respect.