Good Evening, Everyone:

I hope that all of you had a very pleasant Memorial Day.  Mine was very nice except for one particular event.  An online acquaintance contacted me concerning a blog that someone posted on a website concerning the May 21, 2009 arrest of four black men in connection with a terrorist attempt to bomb several buildings in New York City.

This particular blog insinuated that these men were “victims of entrapment” because of their race.  The author of this blog concluded these men were encouraged by a FBI informant to participate in this plot because they were “disillusioned” and “down on their luck”.  As far as I’m concerned, this notion is ridicules!  These men had every intention of murdering innocent people for no other reason except they were “unhappy” which does not give them the right to hide behind any excuses, especially RACE!

I made it quite clear to my acquaintance that I did not agree with the author’s conclusions and she could not understand why?  I was under the impression that this person was very “spiritually inclined” but now I know, otherwise.  I can’t possibly understand how “RACE” could trump the loss of innocent lives.  These are grown men who made bad decisions and they have to be held fully accountable for their actions.  What really breaks my heart is the twisted, myopic viewpoint that these people have chosen to adopt.  We, as African Americans, should not allow our sense of justice and patriotism to be compromised simply because the perpetrators are “black”.  The truth of the matter is that adversity will either bring out the “best” or “worst” in people, period.  These men chose to “morph” into callous murderers and they should not be considered as “victims of an overly zealous justice system” as the author of the blog, in question, is implying. 

For the sake of our future generations to come, we, African Americans have to come to grips with our personal demons, heal our emotional wounds and transcend our communal pain.  There’s a much bigger picture to consider and we deserve to be part of it.

May Peace Be With All of You,

Sistah Selah