A hoodie is not a hat. Why does Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss, think so? I wore a hoodie last Friday night for warmth at a ball game down in Mississippi. If someone had asked me later if I had a hat on a the game, I would have said no, I was wearing a hoodie. A hoodie is a very useful garment these cool spring evenings. No dictionary nor catalog calls a hoodie a hat. No one except Gregg Harper.
Why did Harper not let Bobby Rush speak? Did Harper just not want Bobby Rush to quote scripture? Or does he disapprove of someone expressing sympathy for the killing of a child? What was Harper’s motive? Why was Rep. Bobby Rush’s freedom of speech taken away? Why do I think that if our Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush had been a white Republican from Mississippi he would have been allowed to speak? Bobby Rush deserved the five minutes he was entitled to.
His very dignificed delivery of Micah 6:8 and Jesus’s words reading from Isaiah as found in Luke 4:18-20 should not have been objectionable to any reasonable person. As Harper banged his gavel, the decorum of Bobby Rush, who lost his own son to gun violence, was above reproach. He wore a dignified suit and tie onto the House floor. When he took off his jacket and revealed the hoodie underneath, which he then pulled over his head, he demonstrated clearly that he was still the same man despite hoodie. He also demonstrated his sympathy for people who are arrested or shot too often because someone rushes to judgment because of their color or clothing.
I do not want any child of any color being followed and shot because of their clothing. Our nation could profit from hearing the scripture Rep. Bobby Rush was trying to quote when Harper kicked him out of the House. I want our children to be safe on our streets.
4 years ago
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3 comments:
Well put, Sue. I could not agree with you more.
George
I would agree with you also! Do you think it was frowned on as being theatrical or showman like with a costume? Also, have you heard about what Spike Lee did (don't know if it's true) supposedly tweeting the shooter's home address and it supposedly being the wrong Zimmermans? Seems like tragedy after tragedy.
George and Harold--Thanks for stopping by and also for commenting. @Harold: You are probably correct that the theatrical clothing used as a costume for communicating and instantly showing Bobby Rush's opinion were what set the chair off. I feel if he had taken time to truly THINK, he would have allowed such effective communication to take place. If Rush had been rowdy or rude, then I think the chair's actions might have been more appropriate. I just had to think he was disagreeing with Rush's message more than he was his method of messaging, but the method gave him an excuse to try and shut him up. I may be wrong since we can't read another's mind. I definitely thought Spike Lee made a big mistake even if he had given the correct address for George Zimmerman. And he too admits he made a mistake and has tried to make it right. I just grieve for Trayvon Martin's parents that their son was not safe on the streets even in a gated neighborhood. Even more sad that so many of our kids are not safe in "bad" neighborhoods.We are extremely better off now than 100 years ago, but Sunset Towns and Suburbs are still in existence throughout the land. And black parents must constantly warn their sons about not attracting attention and looking suspicious. Thanks for your comments.
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