I’m not knocking the six black pastors who have signed on for a new reality show on Oxygen called “Pastors of L.A.” — a detailed look at the lives of men of God in Los Angeles.

But I do question why the pastors chose to participate in the show. Are they truly hoping to use the program to minister to those who need spiritual guidance? Or are they simply using the high-profile media platform to rake in more cash and bask in the spotlight of a national television audience?

“Pastors of L.A.’ will give viewers a candid and revealing look at six boldly different and world renowned mega-pastors in Southern California, who are willing to share diverse aspects of their lives, from their work in the community and with their parishioners to the very large and sometimes provocative lives they lead away from the pulpit,” says a press release from Oxygen.

Like many viewers, I’ll watch the show with an open mind and see what revelations are presented and hope – and pray – that the show isn’t a mess. Some say the concept of a show about black pastors is “madness.”

There’s no doubt that Oxygen has assembled six charismatic characters to star in the show, some of whom have checkered pasts  and questionable backgrounds, others who are living large in ocean front mansions and enjoy rock-star status in their churches and communities.

So what can folks hope to get from the show? An entertaining hour of life behind the pulpit? Or will viewers actually learn more about how God works in our lives?

Meanwhile, the show already has its detractors.

“I really take issue with this…first it’s ‘Mary Mary,’ then it’s the ‘Sisterhood,’ then it’s ‘Preachers’ Daughters’ now it’s pastors on a reality show,” one woman wrote on Essence.com. “This madness needs to end.”

“Pastors of LA” stars Bishop Noel Jones, Deitrick Haddon, Bishop Clarence McClendon, Pastor Wayne Chaney, Bishop Ron Gibson and Pastor Jay Haizlip as they manage money and drama from the pulpit.

“This show documents a journey of transparency from one man to the next as they endeavor to lead others to their own truth and self-discovery,” said executive producer Holly Carter who holds a doctorate of divinity. She is also the daughter of a pastor and an industry veteran in faith and inspirational development and programming.

Still, the clandestine infringement of one of the nation’s largest news gathering organizations is a serious violation of civil liberties that Holder must own, address and fix.

The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The AP in what AP’s top editor correctly called a massive and unprecedented intrusion and “obviously distressing.”

Holder said he had removed himself from the investigation because of congressional testimony he had given regarding his dealings with the news media and said he didn’t want the appearance of a conflict.

”I do not know with regard to this particular case why that was or was not done….I am not familiar with the reasons why the email was disrupted in the way that it was,” Holder told lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday. “I have faith in the people who would actually be responsible for this case they were aware of the rules and they followed them. But I don’t have a factual basis to answer the question because I was recused.”

The probe reportedly related to a May 7, 2012, AP article detailing how the CIA had derailed a planned al-Qaeda-linked group. The story was published a day before President Obama planned to publicly announce the attack had been foiled, the AP said.

But the editors at AP said the Justice Department still hasn’t told them what the investigation is all about and leaves journalists to speculate who is at the center of the probe.

Are seizing telephone records from journalists now going to be an ongoing policy of the Obama administration?

“I’ve been in this business for more than 30 years. Our First Amendment lawyers inside the AP … none of us have ever seen anything like this,” said AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll during an appearance on MSNBC.

As a journalist myself, this covert investigation is alarming. Journalists in Washington, D.C. are more skeptical of the government now more than ever and they wonder if their phone calls to confidential sources are safe and protected.

One journalist from CNN asked Holder during a press conference this week if the seized telephone records in an indication that the Obama administration plans an all-out assault on the media.

“Why do so many people like you, but don’t like me?” Tiki asked during his new CBS Sports radio show last week. “Why do so many people like Ronde and dislike me?”

I don’t know why Tiki Barber is asking why he’s so unpopular. Maybe he needs some kind of public redemption, but the answer, in my view is clear: People –and women in particular — don’t like Barber because he left his wife, Ginny, who was pregnant with twin girls, and started an affair with former NBC intern Traci Lynn Johnson, who he married in 2012.

If Barber has to ask this question publicly, then he’s clueless and more confused that I thought. Whatever his reasoning, I believe Tiki Barber truly knows the answer to his own question. He’s just playing his audience and hoping for sympathy.

But here’s something ironic — and revealing: Barber, 37, has shown years of disdain for his father who he says abandoned his family and implied that his father cheated on his mother.

“I don’t give a [bleep] that the relationship didn’t work,” Barber said of his parents’ separation in a 2004 New York Post interview. “Not only did he abandon her, I felt like he abandoned us for a lot of our lives. I have a hard time forgiving that.”

I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Barber could be accused of abandoning his family just like his father did. So here’s my question: Why didn’t Ronde address this deep-rooted issue when answering Tiki’s question about why people don’t like Tiki?

Instead, Ronde, who plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, blamed New York fans for Tiki’s negative image.

“That’s a great question. (It’s) probably because you live in New York and I don’t know if New Yorkers like anything more than loving their stars than hating them,” Ronde said on the radio show. “They look for faults and exploit them, or failures and exploit them and it’s a national story when it’s up there.”

Nice try by Ronde to defend his twin brother, but blaming Tiki’s negative image on New York’s sports fans is quite a stretch. Tiki’s problems are about his philandering. It’s not that complicated. Sure, fans will exploit flaws in sports stars, as Ronde explained, but the flaws have to be there to exploit.

He’s a brave black man who deserves recognition for his unselfish efforts and I hope police acknowledge his courage.

Ramsey was responsible for freeing Amanda Berry and two other women who had been held captive at his neighbor’s home in Cleveland for 10 years, and today, the women are free from terror and Ramsey is being praised, correctly, as a hero.

What if Ramsey hadn’t shown the guts to help these women? Would they still be captives?

Even though the police have downplayed Ramsey’s role in freeing the women, the 911 tapes tell the true story of a man who stepped up to save Berry, 27, Michelle Knight, 32, and Georgina DeJesus, who is about 23.

All three women vanished when they were teenagers between 2002 and 2004. Police said they were raped and forced into multiple pregnancies over a horrific span of a decade. Police also said the 6-year-old girl is Berry’s daughter.

“I knew something was wrong when a little, pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms,” Ramsey told CNN. “Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway.”

What a revealing statement about race. And here’s another noteworthy comment: Ramsey said the little girl had to be “homeless” or “got problems” to rely on a black man for her safety. He’s probably right. I can’t recall a situation where a black man has shared his feelings about race so candidly after being involved in a dramatic rescue.

So it Ramsey also an unsuspecting racial healer?

A CNN anchorwoman suggested that Ramsey may have helped improve race relations in America. That may be a stretch, but it’s uplifting to see a black man on television associated with a positive news event; a black man being hailed as a hero instead of being vilified as a defendant. Perhaps some who only see black men as thugs and gangsters may view black men differently after hearing Ramsey’s story.

“Bro, I’m a Christian, an American, and just like you,” Ramsey told CNN. “We bleed same blood, put our pants on the same way. It’s just that you got to put that — being a coward, and I don’t want to get in nobody’s business. You got to put that away for a minute.”

Ramsey wasn’t trying to make race a central issue in the rescue of the three women. He’s not a college-trained expert on race relations. He was simply speaking from his heart, but in speaking openly, and without a political agenda, Ramsey indirectly shined a bright light on race in America – a topic most folks tend to sidestep.

Indeed, Ramsey’s poignant remark about a pretty little white girl running into a black man’s arms has gone viral and is perhaps a more powerful summation about race than any professional pundit could ever articulate.

Junior’s father, former NFL star Deion Sanders, widely known as “Prime Time,” tweeted a picture of his son chilling on the glitzy Versace sheets.

As a parent, I’m not criticizing Deion Sr. for buying Junior the high-end bed sheets. After all, Sanders has gone through a tough divorce with an ex-wife who appears to be a bit unstable, and, by most accounts, Sanders seems to be a devoted and responsible father.

It’s no secret that Sanders likes expensive toys and is naturally drawn to bling; it’s part of his “Prime Time” brand and there’s nothing wrong with that. My only question is this: What message is Sanders sending to Junior when it comes to practical spending, saving money, and wise purchases?

“As a young adult, even if you don’t have or earn a lot of money, the financial decisions you make today can affect your lifestyle now and for years to come,” Luke W. Reynolds, Chief of the FDIC’s Community Outreach Section, told Black Enterprise magazine. “The good news is you don’t need to be a finance expert to take charge of your financial future. A few basic concepts can go a long way.”

Perhaps Prime Time has already had the financial talk with his son since Deion Sr. has earned a good sum of money from the NFL, CBS Sports and endorsement deals. He seems to be a smart self-marketer and knows how to earn a high-profile living so he could indeed be passing along his wisdom to Junior.

It’s not like Sanders can’t afford Versace sheets: He’s worth an estimated $40 million.

Sanders has earned his net worth as one of the most versatile athletes in sporting history. He played for the Atlanta Falcons, the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens, playing multiple positions such as cornerback, but also occasionally as a wide receiver, kick returner, and punt returner. In baseball, he played for the New York Yankees, the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants. He is currently an NFL Network analyst.

In February 2011, Deion listed two of his Dallas area homes for sale. One was listed for $7.5 million and the other for a $21 million. The $21 million mansion is 30,000 square feet and has eight bedrooms, 10-car garage, movie theater, bowling alley, basketball court and a 12-acre lake.

Still, with all of Sanders’ wealth, young adults like Deion Jr. need guidance and financial direction earlier in life these days as college, housing, cars, and life’s expenses become more costly.

As President Barack Obama prepares to deliver a commencement address at Morehouse, a prominent Philadelphia minister who wrote a scathing critique of Obama now says he’s been disinvited to speak at Morehouse one day before Obama is scheduled to speak on May 18.

Rev. Kevin Johnson, senior pastor of the Bright Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia, is embroiled in a growing controversy following a blistering editorial he wrote in The Philadelphia Tribune entitled:  “A President for Everyone. Except Black People.”

“Given the president’s poor record in catapulting an economic and empowerment agenda for the African American community, we must begin asking the questions: Why are we so loyal to a president who is not loyal to us?” Johnson wrote last month.

“To my disappointment, the president has not only failed the Black community, but also has failed to surround himself with qualified African Americans who could develop policies to help the most disenfranchised,” Johnson wrote.

“Indeed,” Johnson added, “if we objectively look at Obama’s presidency, African Americans are in a worse position than they were before he became president.”

Johnson had been invited to deliver a baccalaureate address at Morehouse one day before Obama’s address, but after reading Johnson’s editorial, Morehouse College President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. — who previously headed the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities — told Johnson that he had decided to change Johnson’s address into a “multi-speaker” event to include three speakers.

“As president, I believe this is in the best interest of the college,” Wilson wrote on the Morehouse website. “In this instance, I decided to ask this invited speaker to share the Baccalaureate stage with two other speakers so as to reflect a broader and more inclusive range of viewpoints.”

Some black professionals say Wilson is scolding Johnson for criticizing Obama, because Obama is Wilson’s former boss. But one black minister says Johnson is entitled to free speech and should not be punished for stating his political views.

“In an academic institution. … it’s the wrong message to send graduating seniors who are going out into a diverse world,” the Rev. Delman Coates, a Maryland pastor, told USA Today. “If Martin Luther King Jr. could challenge Lyndon Baines Johnson on the Vietnam War after Johnson won the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Act, then why should a distinguished alumnus of Morehouse College not raise pointed questions about the Obama administration?”

Johnson’s controversial editorial criticizing Obama comes as some black Washington, D.C. residents have whispered their frustrations about a White House they consider too white. And in some black circles, Johnson’s column has caused some black  leaders consternation over the issue of racial diversity in the White House.

“What we’re looking for is a government that, at a minimum, has been better than any other president has ever been on diversity,” s Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, told POLITICO. “He’s not there yet, even though he’s African American.”

But Johnson used harsher words to make a similar point.

According to a new study by the Urban Institute’s Opportunity and Ownership Project, white families averaged six times the wealth of black and Hispanic households ($632,000 versus $98,000 and $110,000, respectively)

The income gap, by comparison, is much smaller, according to the study. In 2010, the average household income for whites was $89,000, about twice the $46,000 average for black and Hispanic families.

So why are black and Hispanics consistently behind in income and wealth? Here are four key reasons:  inequality in home ownership, income, education, and family inheritances.

Inheritances also make it easier for some families to build wealth. Among the families studied, whites were five times more likely to inherit money than blacks, and their typical inheritances were 10 times as large, according to CNN. And when it comes to education, black college graduates are often more saddled with college loans, making it harder for them to start socking away savings than their white peers. Four in five black students graduate with debt, compared to 64% of whites.

Discrimination is also a serious concern. African Americans are generally overworked, underpaid and undervalued. There are numerous racial discrimination suits pending in courts across America where black men and woman are claiming, correctly, that they have been discriminated against in the workplace.

In 2011, according to statistics, the “most popular” form of employment discrimination in the U.S. was racial discrimination. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received a total of 35,395 complaints nationwide in 2011.

“Racial or ethnic discrimination in the workplace can rear its head in a variety of forms, some of which can be subtle, such as an employer’s failure to hire or promote based on race, or downright obvious such as racial slurs,” Black Enterprise reported. “Whichever form it takes, racial discrimination in the workplace is strictly prohibited by a number of federal and state laws.”

Obama will have three black Cabinet members if Congress confirms the nomination of Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as the next Secretary of Transportation. Foxx will be the first black nominee among Obama’s selections for open spots in his second term.

And Obama’s choice of Foxx couldn’t come at a better time.

Foxx’s nomination takes a bit of heat off of Obama who has been criticized by some black Democrats and activists for failing to appoint more African Americans to top White House jobs. Even some white columnists have called Obama’s administration “too white.”

Presently, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice are the only African Americans in Obama’s Cabinet, but the president is attempting to diversify his Cabinet after Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) wrote Obama a letter scolding him for his lack of racial diversity in the White House and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) called Obama’s appointments of whites “problematic”.

“It’s embarrassing as hell,” said Rangel, one of the most senior black members of Congress. Rangel, who has never been one of Obama’s biggest supporters, said Democrats expect more from America’s first black president. “I kinda think there’s no excuse when it’s the second term. If it’s the first term, you could see people got to know who is around and qualified in order to get this job, number one.”

Back in January, I said Americans should give Obama a break because he deserves time to complete his Cabinet appointments. And now, three months later, Obama is entering his second term in office and Fudge congratulated Obama, saying Foxx was a good choice.

“I am especially pleased the president has appointed Anthony Foxx as Secretary of Transportation,” Fudge said in a statement. “Through his work as mayor and as a city councilman in Charlotte, Anthony addressed the needs of an area that experienced tremendous growth within the past decade. Anthony will surely be an asset to the president’s cabinet and to this nation and I look forward to working with him to ensure the needs of our country’s transportation system are adequately met.”

I suspect Obama isn’t done yet, although scrutiny has been mounting over the number of women and minorities that surrounds the nation’s first black president in his second term. Cabinet members who are departing at the end of his first term — including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — are being replaced largely by white males, including John Kerry, the new Secretary of State.

In Washington, D.C. this week, Cheeks, who is no stranger to Capitol Hill hearings, will preside over a week of testimony about the existence of extraterrestrials, aliens from space, and unidentified flying objects.

Really?

What is Cheeks thinking? Is she serious about exposing extraterrestrials? Does she really believe in these bizarre hearings? Is it a crazy cry for help or is it simply about the money? Cheeks is being paid $20,000, plus expenses, to preside over the panel.

“I’ve been interested for a while,” Kilpatrick told The Detroit News. The hearings, known as the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure sponsored by the Paradigm Research Group, a private ET lobbying organization. “It’s good to be here. We’re excited. I’ve been reading and watching and so I’m looking forward to the week’s activities.”

This is an unusual departure for Kilpatrick who spent more than a decade arguing passionately on Capitol Hill for funding to pay for housing, jobs, health care and education in Detroit. But I’m not sure who is served by this new round of hearings, which will last through Friday at the National Press Club and will be the basis for a documentary on UFOs.

Kilpatrick said she’ll hear evidence about a government conspiracy to hide the existence of unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrials that have contacted Earth.

“I’m waiting to hear,” Kilpatrick told The Detroit News.

Kilpatrick, the mother of disgraced former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is joined at the hearing by former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, as well as former Reps. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., and Merrill Cook, R-Utah.

Johnson, a popular high school football player, was found dead on January 11. Johnson’s family deserves answers – and right now. It’s unconscionable that after three months, police have no suspects, have made no arrests, and can’t close this case.

And why not? Why is this case so complicated? And why has it taken three months to conduct an additional autopsy?

There is enough blame to go around, and meanwhile, bumbling investigators are making a complete mess of this case. And with every day that goes by without answers, the trail for clues gets colder and colder.

It’s an utter disgrace, unprofessional and the sloppiest investigative work I’ve seen in years. Maybe investigators don’t care. Or are they covering up a crime?

Police said there were no signs of foul play. But Johnson’s family said Kendrick was murdered.

“He was last seen third block going to fourth block, he was seen no more,” Kenneth Johnson, Kendrick’s father, told a local radio station. “Then again, I want to express how did my son go missing during school hours in broad daylight? We know our son was murdered while he was at Lowndes High School. We do know that.”

Johnson, a sophomore at Lowndes High School, was found dead in a rolled-up wrestling mat at his high school gym and the circumstances surrounding his death are sketchy. Although Johnson’s death was ruled accidental by authorities, his family wants law enforcement officials to start a criminal investigation. The family is suspicious of how Johnson died – and for good reason.

Johnson was found with bruises to his face and body, so clearly Johnson had been beaten. Authorities have not explained the bruises.