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The "Reverend" dropped out of seminary before the end of his first year. Much to the chagrin and ire of members of Chicago's Baptist clergy, he was later "ordained" by a fellow Baptist preacher who circumvented and ignored many of the prerequisites necessary for ordination. African American clergy and professionals in the Chicago area soon learned, however, that criticism of the "Reverend" was unwise.

Mr. Jackson held close ties to the "Black P Stone Nation" street gang in Chicago, and speaking out against him often brought violent repercussions. Black journalists were hounded and attacked if they dared publish exposes of Mr. Jackson's extortion schemes, or even his questionable use of government funds he acquired for alleged "educational purposes". Members of the gang would often pose as "demonstrators" in support of Rainbow/Push boycotts at Chicago businesses. Their grievances and presence vanished after the business owners wrote checks to any of Mr. Jackson's "non-profit" entities. The gang was later dismantled by the Illinois Attorney General; various members were convicted of murder, extortion, racketeering, and drug dealing. Most of these infractions were not committed in conjunction with Jesse Jackson's activities, but for a season Mr. Jackson used the gang when he needed an imposing physical presence to press his demands.

The list of Jesse Jackson's extortion, misuse of federal funds, influence peddling, and outright theft spans many decades. His reputation in Africa is atrocious. His support for the bloodthirsty Liberian President Charles Taylor during the massacre and torture of women and children near the diamond fields of Sierra Leone, and his embarrassing intrusion into South Africa's politics have left him unwelcome in many parts of the African continent. He doesn't represent the needs of African Americans; he represents the concerns of Jesse Jackson and the small circle of business associates who are willing to donate large sums of money to his front organizations.

At least two corporations have stood up to Jesse Jackson's politics of extortion. T.J. Rodgers of Cypress Semiconductor in the Silicon Valley was one. When accused by Jackson of racial bias in hiring practices he invited Mr. Jackson to debate his company's employment record publicly. Four invitations were offered. Four times he received no response. Anheuser-Busch merely presented Jesse Jackson with a dossier containing his past questionable activities at a negotiating session, and he walked out of the meeting without a word. Most companies, however, would not refute his charges. To do so would incur the "Racist" label.

The Teflon Reverend's tactics are akin to the Clinton's, i.e. tell lies and accuse your opponents of lying. Most individuals and commercial entities knuckle under to his flagrant misrepresentations and just pay up or roll over. The solution is for people to stand up to him and weather his vicious secondary onslaughts, meanwhile, steadfastly confronting him with the truth of their innocence and his checkered past.

Further information can be found in Kenneth Timmerman's book
Shakedown- Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson. It's an excellent book, replete with documentation.

Learn more about this author, Charles Burrows.
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