Bobby Rush, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, endorses Obama

The Black Panthers literally burst onto the American scene with their now famous "shotgun" invasion of Sacramento, Calif. Legislative session. Legions of words have been written about this event already, but it quickly became a topic of discussion during this writer's visit with Bobby Rush as we delved into what he termed the "return to the original vision."

"The invasion," Rush stated, "was a military act for political reasons."

Rush insisted that the Panther Party was organized to fill a political void at the "grass roots" level. And the "invasion" of the California capitol was designed to capture the minds of Black people and make them aware of both the Panthers and what Black people could opt to do if they chose. At the same time Rush states the "invasion" was designed to make Black people aware of the fact that the system was bent on disarming the Black community.