Love for sale
appetizing young love for sale
love thats fresh and still unspoiled
love thats only slightly soiled
love for sale
Those are lyrics to the Cole Porter song, "Love For Sale", which was written approximately 70 years ago, but is still relevant today, particularly with the allegations against Bishop Eddie Long.
Eddie Long for those of you who do not know, is the leader of the 25,000-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia. It has been alleged by three "sons" of the church, that Long coerced them into sexual acts, through trips, cars, clothes, and jewelry. He even had some who he put on the church payroll, to ensure that no one else would be tempted to hire this special talent pool. It seems that the good bishop offered special counseling to these young men, which included a candle-lit ceremony of sorts, where he vowed to always protect them and gave them jewelry to show his commitment. Does this sound like some type of wedding to you?
What makes this whole incident so extremely juicy, is that Long is a virilent homophobe, so much so, that Julian Bond, the noted civil rights icon, refused to attend the funeral of Coretta Scott King, because it was held at New Birth, and at which her daughter is an assistant minister. I am reminded of Shakepeare's line woman thou protestest too much, when I think about Eddie and his alledged undercover assignations.
Of course the good ole' soldiers at New Birth and throughout the country are encircling their Custer, during what could truly be his last stand. They are under the illusion that they are holding up a true man of God, instead of the pedophile that he probably truly is. Even if these young men are completely making up stories, what minister in his right mind sends out beefcake type photos to members of his congregation. Further, if the church was going to run a youth development type program, then surely they should have informed the good minister that he should not have been sharing hotel rooms with the young men. I mean come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize some things. And his attorney/fellow homophobe Berneice King should have taken the time to give him some of that good Emory Law School legal education that she got, instead of playing Follow the Leader.
The Colored Man predicts that this whole episode will end in the following ways; the cases will never go before a jury, rather they will be settled before they reach the jury; Eddie Long will cry and boo-hoo, ask for forgiveness, and blame everything on the devil and his minions; he will probably also go to some type of gay-repression therapy, ala Ted Haggerty and claim that he has repressed his homosexual urgings and that he is ready to reclaim his full manhood; finally, he will appear on Oprah with his "stand by your man" wife, shed a few crocodile tears and peddle the redemption-story book that you know is coming.
Cole Porter had it right those 70 some years ago....love for sale, is slightly soiled.
