Cell phone photos of Bishop Eddie Long have gone viral, but do they really have any merit? Is this solid evidence that will hold up in court to prove him guilty of sexual coercion? Maybe in the court of public opinion. Those who have given Long a tongue-lashing as a result of this need to take a step back.
Lest we forget, one of the complainants admitted to stealing Long’s iPhone, where, based on the image of what is obviously said iPhone, the photos are stored? While I have always held attorney BJ Bernstein in high regard, the release of these cell phone pictures mirrors a modern-day witch hunt, which Merriam-Webster.com defines as “the searching out and deliberate harassment of those with unpopular views.”
Remember the Iraq war was waged by former President George Bush, because he was under advisement that they harbored weapons of mass destruction? Don’t forget our poor slain brother Emmitt Till — the chilling and brutal murder of little Emmitt for whistling at a white woman. The story was exaggerated to the point that the woman made claims that he grabbed her and fondled her, in 1950s Mississippi, during the height of blatant racism in the South and during the era of Jim Crow.
Even more recent is former USDA worker Shirley Sherrod, who was forced to resign from her position as Georgia State Director of Rural Development after blogger Andrew Breitbart posted video excerpts of her address at a March 2010 NAACP event to his Web site. And to top it off, she was prematurely held in contempt by the NAACP and multimedia personality Roland Martin before they had all of the facts.
Long is guilty of obviously being a little vain and narcissistic, admiring his toned physique, but aren’t we all at some point or another? That’s why we buy full-length mirrors, to admire our new outfit or ourselves even when we’ve shed a few pounds. For goodness sake, the brother is fully clothed.
Word from the wise to the wannabes, slow down. Stop doing Google searches, ignore breaking news alerts from your favorite Web sites, stop the chatter and pick up a sacred book to read — a Bible, Quran, Torah — because passing judgement is a dangerous activity. Jumping to conclusions without all of the facts is even worse.
Long is guilty of obviously being a little vain and narcissistic, admiring his toned physique, but aren’t we all at some point or another? That’s why we buy full-length mirrors, to admire our new outfit or ourselves even when we’ve shed a few pounds. For goodness sake, the brother is fully clothed.
Word from the wise to the wannabes, slow down. Stop doing Google searches, ignore breaking news alerts from your favorite Web sites, stop the chatter and pick up a sacred book to read — a Bible, Quran, Torah — because passing judgement is a dangerous activity. Jumping to conclusions without all of the facts is even worse.
