Yes Mr. Ridley I know you are black.

To: 'morning@npr.org'
Cc: 'ombudsman@npr.org'
Subject: Commentary

Dear NPR,

I was appalled when I heard John Ridley's awful, thoughtless, ignorant, and offensive commentary this morning. How dare he equate Rush's Limbaugh's calling the alleged victim a Ho with Jesse Jackson's offering to pay her college tuition?!! Its intellectually dishonest, misogynistic, and maybe even racist to equate the two. Ridley does so in an especially arrogant 'let's let cooler heads prevail' kind of way. Ridley asks why doesn't Jackson wait until he has all the facts before he does this. Perhaps Ridley would do well to read the AP reporting before he bloviates. Rev Jackson states:

"I can't wait . . . to talk with her and have prayer with her, because our organization is committed, when she's physically and emotionally able . . . to provide for her the scholarship money to finish school so she will never . . . again have to stoop that low to survive," he said from Chicago in a telephone interview with The Associated Press."

Also, what Rev. Jackson does with his charitable institution is the business of Rev. Jackson and the board of Rainbow PUSH Coalition not Mr. Ridley's.

Rape is the most under reported crime in the country perhaps because people like Ridley blame the victim and call her veracity into question for no reason. Justice Dept figures show that most rapes and sexual assaults were not reported to the police. For more reading material Ridley should consult this link. Mr. Ridley what if it was your daughter or wife?

Ridley owes the victim and her family a public apology. NPR should apologize for allowing him to sully her in this way.

Best Regards,

Juan Vasquez

Greensboro, NC