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served a great cause. One much bigger than most are willing to admit.

You don't have to think long or very deeply to realize that racism is more of a bad mark on American morality than even abortion. With abortion the pain is over very quickly shortly after life starts. Racism is a slow demoralizing death after you are born which spreads to all contemporaries and carries over to the next generation as well. It is a living death that never goes away and dealing with this problem is what got Jesse started in the first place. Many indignant voices have been raised against abortion. Jesse was one of the few willing to stare racism in the face and call it the evil it was. He wasn't a lone voice but he was probably the bravest and loudest of the bunch.

Jesse wasn't happy only to fight for legislation dealing with the external layers of racism. He attacked the "old boy" inner sanctums whether political, academic or corporate. He was out to change the way people think and act and he has succeeded. Yes, along the way, he probably afforded himself more personal benefits than the public would normally allow their representatives but there are no rules of etiquette for this type of activism. In his unorthodox style he rode the boundaries and pushed the envelop but most people either cheered him on or quietly and shamefully muttered because he was cleaning stalls long overlooked by everyone else and he was bound to step in a little himself.

On the night Barack Obama was recognized as the victor in the 2008 Presidential elections Jesse celebrated, not with jeers and excessive "in your face" rollicking but with quiet tears. The significance of the occasion was not lost on Jesse. In spite of his criticisms and unkind remarks toward Obama, he realized his lifelong dream had come true. The real Jesse was caught on camera for all to see.

I hope all the detractors of Mr. Jackson are very careful in their personal lives. If they get caught with their pants down they will definitely have their legs knocked out from under them. If the only thing they have done is point fingers at Jesse they won't have a cause to stand on.

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