Jesse Jackson Jr.: Disgraced, Mentally-shaken, Yet Amazingly Good-Spirited!

A couple of days or so ago, I had the serendipitous pleasure of briefly communicating (chatting) with former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. of Chicago Illinois, the son of Rev. Jesse Jackson, a man who had walked with Dr. ML King Jr, and the first Black who had effectuated a serious run for the U.S. Presidency and one who had a message of ‘hope’ long before we knew of a man named Barrack Hussein Obama. Although this article is about Mr. Jackson Jr, I wanted to pay respect to his Father because no matter where one stands, Rev. Jackson will always have a special place in American history. As always, I don’t believe that bumping into Mr. Jackson Jr. is only by serendipity because as a believer in a God, I know that all things happen for a reason. Indeed, this very article that I am writing had to be written after my discernment told me so much about Mr. Jackson Jr. right after he said “I have an uphill battle ahead of me this week, so we can connect afterwards…”

I felt a degree of decency and wisdom despite the fact that he had been disgraced as a U.S. State representative for commingling campaign funds; and also, despite the fact that he was linked with the unfortunate situation of ironically trying to buy the former senate seat of the second Black (non-White) male, aside from his Father, who were to make a serious run for the White House, namely, President Barrack Obama. These unfortunate situations would secure a 24-month long prison sentence, the loss of a political career that would have potentially-been as illustrious as that of Mr. Obama, the loss of his marriage with his estranged wife (Sandi Jackson), whom he had to face today about child support issues (because she is getting part of his disability benefits as a bipolar-depression patient, while he is paying college tuition and ordered to pay an additional $1,529/month in child support, which he argued added up to a total of more than $3,800.) The latter touched my heart because I, too, know about child support issues. They are complex, confusing, annoying, and far too often are vindictively pursued. Thus, having found out about today’s case from a different source, I realized what he meant, and I felt my Brother’s pain, and like he said, he felt like he was being “attacked from all angles”. I cannot wait to tell him “I know your pain my Brother, I feel it, and pray that God will give you and yours strength because this too shall pass”.

YET – I still feel the need to exhort my Brother to learn from this experience by realizing that due to his psychological/psychiatric/behavioral issue (bipolar or depression), he needs to be particularly careful with his actions and needs to have very good advisers and trusted friends in his circle. Despite his faux-pas (missteps), I feel that he is a man who has accepted the fact that no other Black man was better positioned than he was to follow both his Father’s footsteps and the footstep of the incumbent president of the United States than he was. The latter, in and of itself, is a tough pill to swallow when he also has to realize that he has squandered all political advantages that he might have had due to his nexus with these two important figures in American politics (Rev. Jackson and President Obama). I empathize with this pain and feel that this realization is by itself enough of a punishment to bear.

Former Rep. Jackson Jr has been making his child support payment on time, and during the time he was in prison for 2 years, and subsequently he has tried his best to protect his children by being as vague as he can be publicly. While he was in prison his estranged wife brought the children to see him and while she served her time for being a co-conspirator, he returned the favor as well.

Former Rep. Jackson Jr. with His Estranged Wife, Sandi and Children.

Divorces can be brutal even for the best of us (especially when children are involved). For a while, Mr. Jackson Jr. must have felt like a wounded animal and as always one is more volatile and potentially dangerous in such situations. However, he seemed to have always taken the high road to protect his children even as the media crucified him (often unnecessarily). The former governor of Illinois, Blagojevich (from whom Mr. Jackson J. was trying to buy the Senate seat) is now serving his 14-year sentence under the type of corruption issues that have plagued many Illinois politicians, particularly those that emanate from Chicago.

Mr. Obama seems to have been the least corrupt of the Chicago politicians thus far. However, only time will tell how clean his hands were. He seemed to have bypass on the opportunity to pardon the former Illinois governor (Blago). Moreover, he seemed to have remained silent on the issues that former U.S. Rep Jackson have been facing. While I realize that his former senate seat was implicated in Mr. Jackson Jr’s indiscretions, and Rev. Jackson is known to have said certain things about him on National TV that were not meant to have been aired, he must STILL remember that if we want to draw an analogy from the John-the-Baptist and Jesus-Christ relationship, then Mr. Jesse Jackson Jr’s Father, namely, Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. paved the way for Pres. Obama, just like John the Baptist paved the way. While Rev. Jackson is far from perfect, he is still a man who walked with Dr. King (just like Bernie Sanders did), but way before Bernie Sanders ran with a populous message of hope, and long before Mr. Obama did, the first Black man who ever ran, and the first Black man who had the audacity to run was named “JESSE JACKSON”.

There is a saying that goes like: “never kick a man while he is down…”

Accordingly, I challenge everyone to be kind, compassionate and empathetic to the son of Rev. Jackson. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have so wanted.

As I write this article, I felt the spirit of Dr. King and that of Jesus and such humility as a man. We are not that important in the grand scheme of things, yet with the spirit of God in us we’re like “mini-gods” who can change the World.

A Young Rev. Jackson with the late Dr. King

Dr. King would have said: “let’s love our Brother”…

Jesus would have said: “Whosoever is sinless cast the first stone”

Rep. Jackson Jr… “I love you, my Brother!” I love your prescription glasses, and to show my love to you I will get a pair just like yours because it’s about time for me to finally accept that I need reading glasses after reaching the big “4 0”.

May God bless the Jackson family and may God provide Rep. Jackson with a second wind as he remains cautiously valiant or courageous and may he continue to utter “I feel fantastic”.

Again, Rep. Jackson Jr… “I love you, my Brother!”

Dr. Pete Lorins is the Chief Editor of LorinsPOST.com. This article is sponsored by LORINS.biz

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