Vibrant Farrakhan urges ‘impeach Bush’ in Saviours’ Day speech

By Richard Muhammad

DETROIT - A vibrant Louis Farrakhan took to the stage inside the massive Ford Field downtown sports stadium, challenging Democrats in Congress to go after President Bush for lying his way into a military misadventure in Iraq.

Back after an extended hiatus, the leader of the Nation of Islam looked and sounded strong. He spoke for about two hours to thousands assembled Feb. 25 inside the domed stadium for his Saviours' Day convention address.

Check out the Saviours' Day 2007 Photo Album http://straightwords.typepad.com/photos/saviours_day_2007/

"You Democrats stop pussyfooting around with the Republicans. Do what the people voted for you to do make a change," Min. Farrakhan thundered into the microphone.

President Clinton was impeached for lying about personal misconduct with intern Monica Lewinsky, he noted.

What should happen to President Bush for "deceiving the Congress and prosecuting an unjust war? Is that not enough to sit down his whole administration?" he asked.

"Our babies are dying for the sake of a lie," Min. Farrakhan declared. He was referring to Bush administration contentions that Saddam Hussein was linked to the World Trade Center bombing in 2001; charges that the Iraqi dictator was seeking to acquire nuclear material and charges that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. None of the allegations were true and the White House has been widely accused of manipulating intelligence to justify the attack on Iraq.

He urged the Democratic majority in Congress to take strong action against Bush and apologize to the international community. "At least censure (Bush), say something went wrong with leadership and we repent,"  Min. Farrakhan said.

America's foreign policy has supported corporate interests and exploited nations around the earth, he said. U.S. exploitation and overthrow of democratically-elected leaders has fomented hatred, Min. Farrakhan added.

Pulling troops out of Iraq will not hurt America's international standing, the Muslim minister argued.

"The will of the American people started to break when you got them in the war on the basis of a lie," he said.

The problem is Democrats are too scared to take bold action, Farrakhan said. Detroit congressman John Conyers (D), who was on stage and welcomed the Minister to the city, is willing but the party is weak, the Minister added.

Religious divisions don't please God

The call for the president's impeachment came as the lecture focused on recognition of the oneness of religion and the oneness of humanity and God's judgment against America.

He opened by thanking diverse racial and religious groups that prayed for his recovery.

Religious discord and strife doesn't reflect what God wants, the minister said. If Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, and Jesus were on stage together, they would embrace and love one another, Min. Farrakhan said.

Christians have fought 100-year long wars and the WWI was Christian nation against Christian nation, he said.

The inter-Islamic fratricide between the Shias and Sunnis in Iraq would make Prophet Muhammad weep, the Minister continued. "If I could say to the entire Muslim world, the prophet is grieving. He came to destroy tribalism … the putting of one ethnic group against another," Min. Farrakhan noted.

The believers in God have taken parts of his word, divided it and each glorifies in their part, he continued.

The Minister also warned that unless America changes her course - both politically and morally - she would face the same destruction as biblical Babylon.

America fits the description of past nations that veered from the right path, then were divinely judged and punished by God, he said. The U.S. will face internal racial strife and bloodshed, social conflict and famine, if she does not change, the Minister warned.

Human beings made in the image and likeness of God have fallen to beastly levels, Min. Farrakhan said.

All divine warners deliver their messages hoping the people will change, he said, adding that he hoped for change, even if it appeared unlikely.

"I want to see one nation under God where we can all live in peace," he said.

Premature speculation about succession?

Farrakhan's highly awaited return followed a six-month post-surgery recuperation period.

In his absence, and with this address billed as his last major speech, speculation has been rampant about succession within the Nation of Islam and whether its charismatic leader was on his death bed.

With Farrakhan's strong appearance and statements from Nation of Islam officials the speculation seems premature. "I don't see expiration for me, I see exaltation," Farrakhan said.

Saviours' Day 2007 marked the 77th year of the movement's history in America. It was founded in Detroit in 1930 and Ford Field sits on ground once home to "Black Bottom," the impoverished African American neighborhood where the teaching was first spread.

A great saviour, known as the Messiah of the Christians and Mahdi of the Muslims, made his appearance in Detroit and came to deliver Black people. That divine man was Master Fard Muhammad, the teacher of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, and contained the power and wisdom of God. He was not the originator of the heavens and the earth, but the “son of man” prophesized to come in the bible, he said.

Prior to Min. Farrakhan’s address several speakers offered words related to the theme, “One Nation, Under God: The Confusion, The Guidance, The Warning.” A representative of the Islamic Society of North America said wanted to hear words from the Minister. Words that “will echo the words of God himself in the Holy Qur’an,” he said. The Islamic organization representative also pointed out verses in the Qur’an that urge the Muslims to unite, and verses that declare divided man into tribes and families but does not want them to despise and oppose one another. Muslims are commanded to work together for good, and to “destroy bigotry, discrimination, racial discrimination and remove poverty from the earth,” he said.

Rev. Willie Wilson, of Union Temple Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., said it was a “great day.” “We come to cheer God and the lion of Judah!” Rev. Wilson declared.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Lightfoot said Min. Farrakhan’s message reminded him of the teaching of his tribe’s elders. “We are all one family … We’re all on the same side,” said the Native American leader. It is time to unite against the “monsters” of bigotry, greed and racism, he said.

Latino activist Emma Lazano, from Chicago, thanked Min. Farrakhan for his strong stand for justice. “He is a mighty hero for my people,” she said. Blacks and Latinos need to unite, she said. In the last election, Blacks and Latinos gave Democrats the margin of victory and need to demand their reward, she said. “We need to stay together, we are one people, one nation, under God,” Lazano said.

Russell Simmons brought greetings as chair of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, whose president is Rabbi Marc Schneier. Simmons said Min. Farrakhan taught him that God is one and humanity is one. That understanding has guided my life, said Simmons. It is important that the world know and appreciate the good work of the Nation of Islam, he said.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) welcomed the Minister to Detroit, a place of “great historical importance” to the Nation. The Black congressman pledged to fight racism and injustice as chair of the House Judiciary Committee and blasted Iraq War spending, which he put at $2 trillion in direct and indirect costs. “We have got to end the war and bring our troops home,” he said.

Diplomatic well-wishes came from the leaders of Bermuda, Jamaica, Sudan, and Libya, as well as the Islamic Call Society in Tripoli. Awards were also given to the Minister from the National NAACP and the Detroit City Council. A proclamation from Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm was also read.

The address was also translated into Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

The program at Ford Field included performances by Anita Baker and a gospel choir. Other guests included Simmons, who contributed $60,000 to Saviours' Day; Dr. Hycel B. Taylor and National Black United Front chair Conrad Worrill and Dr. Carl Bell of Chicago; TV judge Greg Mathis, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, members of the Detroit City Council, Nation of Islam ministers, representatives of the Islamic Society of North America, Julianne Malveaux and pastors.

Other donors included rapper Ice Cube, who gave $20,000, Eminem, who gave $10,000, NBA star Shaquille O'Neal,  who gave $20,000, and former pro basketball star Larry Johnson, who donated $100,000 to help pay for the weekend conference.

Check out the Saviours' Day 2007 Photo Album http://straightwords.typepad.com/photos/saviours_day_2007/

Comments

[gary]

THE GOD MEMORANDUM

To: You
From: God

t
Take counsel
I hear your cry.
It passes through the darkness,filters through the
couds, mingles with starlight, and finds its way to my
heart on the path of a sunbeam.
I have anugished over the cry of a hare choked
in the noose of a snare, a sparrow tumbled from the
nest of its mother,a child thrashimg helplessly in a
pond, and a son shedding his blood on a cross.
Know that I hear you, also. Be at peace. Be calm.
I bring thee relief for your sorrow for I know its
cause...and its cure.
You weep for all your childhood dreams that have
vanished with the years.
You weep for all your self-esteem that has been
corrupted by failure.
You weep for all your potential that has been bar-
tered for security.
You weep for all your indivduality that has been
trampled by mobs.
You weep for all your talent that has been wasted
through misuse.
You look upon yourself with disgrace and you turn
in terror from the image you see in the pool. who is
this mockery of humanity staring back at you with
bloodless eyes of shame?
Where is the grace of your manner,the beauty of
your figure, the quickness of your movement, the
clarity of your mind,the brilliance of your tongue?
Who stole your goods? Is the thief"s identity known to
you, as it is to me?
Once you placed your head in a pillow of grass in
your father's field and look up at the cathedral of
clouds and knew that all the gold of babylon would
be yours in time.
Once you read from many books and wrote on
many tablets, convinced beyond any doubt that all
the wisdom of Solomon would be equaled and sur-
passed by you.
And the seasons would flow into years unstill lo, you
would reign supreme in your own garden of Eden.
Dost thou remember who implanted those plans
and dream and seeds of hope within you?
You cannot.
You have no mermory of that moment when first
you emerged from your mother,s womb and I placed
my hand on your soft brow. And the secret I whis-
pered in your small ear when I bestowed my blessings
upon you?
Remember our secret?
You cannot.
The passing years have destroyed your recollec-
tion, for they have filled your mind with fear and
doubt and anxiety and remore and hate and there is
no room for joyful memories where these beasts habi-
tate
Weep no more. I am with you...and this mo-
ment is the divding line of your life. All that has
gone before is like unto no more than that time you
slept within your mother's womb. What is past is
dead. Let the dead bury the dead.
This day you return from living dead
This day, like unto Elijahh with the widow's son, I
stretch myself upon thee three times and you live
again.
This day, like unto Elisha with the Shunammite's
son, I put my mouth upon your mouth and my eyes
upon your eyes and my hands upon your hands and
your flesh is warm again.
This day, like unto Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, I
command you to come forth and you will walk from
your cave of doom to begin a new life.
This is your birthday. This is your new date of birth.
Your first life, like unto a play of the theatre, was only
a rehearal. This time the curtain is up. This time the
world waches and waits to applaud. This time you
will not fail.
Light your candles, Share your cake. Pour the wine.
you have been reborn.
Like a butterfly from its chrysalis you will fly...
fly as high as you wish, and neither the wasps nor
dragonflies nor mantids of mankind shall obstruct
your mission or your search for the riches of life.
Feel my hand upon thy head.
Attend to my widom.
Let me share with you, again,that you heard
at your birth and forgot.
You are my greatest miracle.
You are my greatest miracle in the world.
Those were the first words you every heard.
then you cry. They all cry.
You did not believe me then...and nothing has
happened in the intervening years to correct your dis-
belief. For how could you be a miracle when you con
sider yourself a failure at the most menial of tasks?
How can you be a miracle when you have little con-
fidence in dealing with the most trival of Reponsi-
bilities? How can you be a miracle when you are
shackled by debt and lie awake in torment over
whence will come tomorrow's bread?
Enough. The milk that spilled is sour. Yet, how
many prophets, how many wise men, how many
poets, how many artists, how many composers, how
m many scientists, how many philosophers and mes-
sengers have I sent with word of your divinity, your
potential for godliness, and the secrets of achieve-
ment? How did you treat them?
Still I love you and I am with you now, through
these words, to fulfill the prophet who announced that
the Lord shall set his hand again, the second time, to
recover the remnant of his people.
I have set my hand again.
This is the second time.
You are my remnant.
It is of no avail to ask, haven't you known, Haven't
you heard, hasn't you understood from the foundation of
the earth?
You have not known; you have not heard; you
have not understood.
You have been told that you are a divinity in dis-
guise, a god playing a fool.
You have been told that you are a special piece of
work, noble in reason, infinite in faculties, expressand,
admirable in form and moving, ilke an angel in action,
like a god in apprehension.
You have been told that you are the salt of the
earth.
You were given the secret even of moving moun-
tains, of peforming the impossiable.
You believed no one. You burned your map to hap-
piness, you abandoned your claim to peace of mind,
you snuffed out the candles that had been placed
along your destined path of glory, and then you stum-
bled, lost and frightened, in the darkness of futility
and self-pitty, until you fell into a hell of your own
creation.
The you cried and beat your breast and cursed
the luck that had befallen you. You refused to accept
the consequences of your own petty thoughts and lazy
deeds and you searched for a scapegoat on which to
blame your failures. How quickly you found one.
You blamed me!
You cried that your handicaps, your mediocrity,
your lack of opportunity, your failures...were the
will of God!
You were wrong!
Let us take inventory, Lets us, first, call a roll of
your handicaps. For how can I ask you to build a new
life lest you have the tools?
Are you blind? Does the sun rise and fall without
your witness?
No. you can see... and the hundred million
receptors I have placed in your eyes enable you to
enjoy the magic of a leaf, a snowflake, a pond, an
eagle, a child, a cloud, a star, a rose, a rainbow...
a and the look of love. Count one blessing.
Are you deaf? Can a baby laugh or cry without your
attention?
No you can hear...and twenty-four thousand
fibers I have built in each of your ears vibarte to the
wind in the trees,the tides on the rocks,the majesty
of an opera, a robin's plea, children at play... and
the words I love you. Count another blessing.
Are you mute? Do your lips move and bring forth
only spittle?
No. You can speak... as can no other of my
creatures, and your words can clam the angry, up-
lift the despondent, goad the quitter, cheer the un-
happy, warm the lonely, praise the worthy, encourage
the defeated, teach the ignorant...and say I love
you. Count another blessing
Are you paralyed? Does your helpless form despoil
the land?
No. You can move. you are not a tree condemned
to a small plot while the wind and world abuse you.
You can strech and run and dance and work, for
within you I have designed five hunder muscles, two
hunred bones and seven miles of nerve fibe all
synchronixed by me to do your bidding. Count an-
other blessing.
Are you unLoved and unloving? Does loneliness en-
gulf you, night and day?
No. no more. For now you know love's secret,
that to receive love it must be given with no thought
ofs it return. To love fulfillment, satisfaction, or
no pride is no love. Love is a gift on which no return is
demanded. Now you know that love thatto love unselfishly is
it own reaward .And even should love not be returned
its is not lost, for love not reciprocated will flow back
to you and soften and purify your heart. Count an-
other bless. Count twice

He say more?

OG

reply back, Love

[Elvira]

This is great info to know.