Right-Wing Black Leaders Praise Bennett, Criticize Katrina Evacuees
"I find that many of those people have lots of things. They have nice clothes to wear, they’re fat as a pig, they’re driving nice cars, big old color TVs. I think the reason many stayed there is because they lack moral character.�
A group of self-proclaimed ultra-conservative Black leaders gathered at the Heritage Foundation to discuss the state of Black America and, in the process, condemned African Americans’ moral character, denigrated civil rights leaders, and bashed Democrats as “Godless.�
Said Peterson, “I find that many of those people have lots of things. They have nice clothes to wear, they’re fat as a pig, they’re driving nice cars, big old color TVs. I think the reason many stayed there is because they lack moral character.�
On Tuesday, October 11, 2005, African American right-wing think tank Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND) held a panel discussion with The Heritage Foundation to discuss the state of Black America, mainly the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the comments from former Education secretary Bill Bennett. BOND is a 15-year-old non-profit religious organization, which claims dedication to “Rebuilding the Family By Rebuilding the Man.� Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity of Hannity & Colmes, ultra-conservative economist Walter E. Williams, and right-wing radio talk show host Dennis Prager are on BOND’s Board of Directors. The panelists were Dr. Shelby Steele, Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution; Linda Porter, Hurricane Katrina Survivor and Founder of Jochebed Education Project; Joseph C. Phillips, actor and columnist; and LaShawn Barber, freelance writer and blogger.
Moderator Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson criticized Hurricane Katrina evacuees for what he deemed their “lack of moral character.� Said Peterson, “I find that many of those people have lots of things. They have nice clothes to wear, they’re fat as a pig, they’re driving nice cars, big old color TVs. I think the reason many stayed there is because they lack moral character.� Yet Peterson had only praise for former Education Secretary Bill Bennett, who has been widely condemned for his recent comment that aborting all black babies would be a way to bring down the crime rate, though it would be reprehensible. Peterson said of Bennett, “He has a right to speak about things. He has a right to point out right and wrong. I don’t know why you say that he should not have, that he was clumsy in saying it. I think he was right to say it. I would’ve said it too.�
These far right “leaders� also took every chance they could to bash Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, other African American leaders and the Democratic Party. Peterson criticized Black mayors around the country, especially New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, saying citizens of New Orleans were “out of your mind to wait on a Black Mayor to come help you. Those people had to know not to depend on the mayor.� Rev. Peterson said “You’re not born of God if you’re a Democrat… A real Christian can’t vote for a Democrat, the Democratic Party.� Rev. Peterson went on to say that he could not identify with the “Democratic, Godless Party.�
For more right-wing African American perspectives on Katrina victims by BOND founder Peterson click or here.