Jesse Jackson Plays Race Card in LeBron James Saga

Gone With the Wind

Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson says Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert sees LeBron James as a "runaway slave" for leaving town to play for the Miami Heat.

Gilbert was highly critical of James in an open letter published Friday. Jackson says, "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. LeBron is not a child, nor is he bound to play on Gilbert's plantation and be demeaned."

James earned more than $62 million in salary during his seven years in Cleveland.

Terror Tribute?

Video has surfaced of New Black Panther Party Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz praising Osama bin Laden in the months after the 9/11 attacks.

Shabazz holds a depiction of the Al Qaeda leader and says, "Mr. bin Laden.  Gotta give him his respect.  He's not bowing down... let's give him a hand." He goes on to say he's unsure of bin Laden's involvement in the 9/11 attacks and "if he's got Bush shakin' and quakin', he's got to be some kind of friend of yours or mine."

On Monday Shabazz told Fox News, "We have withdrawn those statements and do not currently stand by that position."

Rhetorical Question

The Obama administration's recent move to drop rhetorical references to Islamic radicalism is drawing fire in a new report warning the decision ignores the role religion can play in motivating terrorists.

The Associated Press reports several counterterrorism experts say the terror threat should be defined in order to fight it. They say the U.S. could clearly articulate the threat from radical Islamic extremists without denigrating the Islamic religion in any way. 

The report follows Connecticut Independent Senator Joe Lieberman's comments earlier this year that criticized the administration's effort to scale back the portrayal of Islamic extremism as a root cause of terrorism. Lieberman said, "The failure to identify our enemy for what it is -- violent Islamist extremism -- is offensive and contradicts thousands of years of accepted military and intelligence doctrine to 'know your enemy.'"