European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 13, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Islam speech unsound but let s retune the reaction Clarence Page. Recent speech by a senior aide to nation of islam minister Louis Farrakhan has been condemned As racist anti semitic divisive untrue and chilling and Farrakhan himself has been called upon to make a definitive judgment of the speaker in that he spoke in his nothing extraordinary about that except that this time the denunciation comes not from a jewish Leader but from the Rev. Jesse Jackson whom jewish leaders have criticized in the past for failing to denounce Black anti semitism quickly enough. In an interview with me shortly after he released the above statements in the new York times two weeks ago Jackson explained that he had refrained from speaking on the controversial november speech by Khalid Abdul Muhammad a spokesman for the nation of islam at Kean College in Union n.j., As Long As it was a local but after the anti defamation league printed some of its most incendiary portions in a full Page and in the nationally distributed new York times Jack son Felt it suddenly made sense for him to speak out. Others have too. The Rev. Benjamin Chavis head of the National association for the advancement of coloured people William Gray head of the United negro College fund Mary Francis Berry chair of the . Civil rights commission and rep. Weisi Mfume d-md., head of the congressional Black caucus also condemned the statements. Small wonder. Muhammad s insults were breathtakingly vile ignorant and sweeping judging by tapes of the event. He alleged the Federal Reserve is owned by the he blamed jews for undermining the very fabric of society in Germany and helping Hitler Rise. He alleged Many of our politicians Are in the Palm of the White Man s hand but in particularly in the Palm of the jewish White Man s hand.". He also attacked other Black americans and catholics and the old no Good Pope you know that Cracker. Somebody need to raise that dress up and see what s really under so much for Farrakhan s recent moves to appear to be More moderate. At a Jan. 31 speech in new York City Farrakhan said that Muhammad s words had been misinterpreted. It is hard to imagine How. But Jackson said he was most disturbed by the Way Muhammad s remarks received applause from Black students in his audience and silence from Black members of the state supported College s faculty. Schools have a right to have free speech Jackson said but when speech is not True or right and dam aging then there also is an obligation by students and professors to bring with his new get Tough stance against Black hate speech coupled with his new get Tough stance against Black on Black crime Jackson appears to be on a cleanup Campaign against the Black Community s dirty laundry. More Power to him. But is he concerned that now he too will be Dis missed particularly by the Young restless and angry As some sort of a sellout one cannot assume that Young people Are fool ish Jackson responded. Besides there is nothing worse than older mature persons trying to play to the immature. Nelson Mandela has no obligation to follow the youths of South Africa. We must Lead. We have a moral obligation to share Good information with the amen. Still if the Healing process in Black jewish relations is to work Jackson s action is Only a beginning. It Calls for reciprocal action from others including jewish leaders. That traditional jews need to hear Strong denunciations of anti semitic remarks is quite understandable in Light of history. Had responsible voices denounced Hitler Early enough the holocaust might not have happened. But it does not help Reh tons Between Blacks and jews when the utterance of every publicity seeking Crackpot triggers a demand from some jewish leaders that Jackson and other a Khalid Abdul Muhammad Speaks out. Tonal Black leaders drop whatever they May be doing at the time to Rush to judgment about some place they May never have visited to denounce some speech they did t hear by a speaker they never have heard of. As strongly As jews appreciate denunciations Blacks appreciate Unity. As strongly As jews abhor being told they control the Media Banks and government so do Blacks abhor being held responsible for every bad word or action by every other Black american. Such obligation by association is no less aggravating than guilt by association. Here s a suggestion perhaps the next time some local ugliness like the Khalid Muhammad incident occurs the anti defamation league might consider spending its National newspaper and Money on some thing local like a town Hall meeting to talk the mat Ter out. Perhaps then the Poison might be contained and neutralized with truth instead of spread around. Just a suggestion. The Chicago Tribune " the spiralling quarterback and fighter Pilot and Rooney most of the time our minds Wande aimlessly. We Don t Stop to inspect the path our brain has taken getting from Here to , i got thinking about the great George screwball buerling. Unless you at tended world War ii you May never have heard of him but i know exactly Why he came to mind. Unlikely As it seems it was because of a Story i read by sportswriter Dave Anderson about Joe Montana quarterback for the Kansas City chiefs. I thought of buerling again after Joe failed against Buffalo to be the hero we had All come to expect him to be when he got his reputation leading san Francisco to four super bowl victories. Screwball buerling got his reputation helping to win world War ii. Bill Walsh Montana s old coach said about Joe he still has the poise the intuition the instinct and the same serenity. He throws a pass at the right time to the right Mike Holmgren a coach with the Green Bay packers watched As Montana beat his team this past National football league season. Throwing the Ball handling himself in the pocket knowing where the pressure is coming from Elud ing it with a Little slip a Little slide. He has such composure in pressure situations Holmgren said. That s what made me think of screwball Buer Ling of the Royal Canadian air Force and maybe the Best fighter Pilot of world War ii. Buerling got his nickname because of his erratic behaviour and his Dis respect for higher military authority. He shot Down 17 German fw-190s and me-109s in a few months flying off the tiny air base on the is land of Malta in the Mediterranean. He was a Genius with the fast nimble spitfire and with the four machine guns mounted in its wings. And then they transferred him. The top brass in the Craf took buerling out of danger and made him a teacher. He was sent to a training base in Canada where he was to turn Young aviation cadets into aces. Teaching is its own Art and the Best math teacher in t necessarily the Best mathematician. If screwball buerling was the Best fighter Pilot he May have been the worst teacher. He failed. He had no patience with anyone who could t do what he could do. On his first Day he went up with a Cadet in a dual control training plane. The Cadet was aiming at a sleeve towed behind another plane with the outline of a Luftwaffe fw-190 painted on it. The Cadet judged his distance from the target and judged his Speed and the Angle of flight of the target in relation to his own. He squeezed the trigger. Back on the ground everyone crowded around to inspect the cloth sleeve. Sure enough there were Bullet holes in the sleeve near the Tail Section of the outline and everyone cheered. Buerling flew into a rage castigating the Pilot and the applauding cadets. The Cadet had hit the sleeve near the Tail Section of the fw-190, it was t Good enough for buerling. You Don t aim at the plane he screamed you gotta hit him in the head or the Gas tank buerling failed As an instructor and was soon relieved of that duty. He was never sent Back into com Bat. Joe Montana reminded me of buerling because buerling could do with the guns of his spitfire what Montana used to be Able to do with his Arm and a football. Joe threw a football not where his Man was but where he was going to be when the Ball got there. He judged How fast the pass Catcher was run Ning in which direction and at what Angle. He judged the movement of his own body in relation to the movement of his Arm. He took the wind into consideration. He had the skill of a fighter Pilot. Montana used to hit his receivers in the head or the Gas tank. Tribune Media services Andy Rooney 13 a former stars and stripes reporter. February 13, 1994 sunday Page 9
