Apples & Oranges & Jerry Falwell & Jesse Jackson

Nearly three weeks have passed since Rev. Jerry Falwell went to meet his maker. And, at the risk of drawing this event out far too long, somebody has to weigh in on a comparison that for some reason has flown under the radar.

That’s right, the comparison between Falwell and Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.

Specifically, shortly after Falwell’s death, Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family issued a couple of attacks on the mainstream media‘s coverage of Falwell’s legacy, bemoaning their misunderstood hero – and using Jackson as a point of comparison.

That’s right, Jesse Jackson. And Jerry Falwell.One commentary, “Assassinating the Dead” which is posted at Focus on the Family’s Website, spokesman Gary Schneeberger responded with indignant outrage at the “deplorable” treatment of Falwell. Among the offenses Schneeberger cited were headlines that appeared in major newspapers announcing Falwell’s death – headlines like “He was a uniter and a divider” (USA Today) and “For New Generation of Evangelicals, Falwell Was Old News” (The Washington Post).

How insulting!

Schneeberger also cited what was certainly an eyebrow-raising interview on CNN in which Vanity Fair writer and longtime curmudgeon Christopher Hitchins weighed in on the life of Falwell, saying, among other things:

“The empty life of this ugly little charlatan proves only one thing – that you can get away with the most extraordinary offenses to morality and to truth in this country if you will just get yourself called reverend.”

Then Schneeberger asked this: “All of this leads to one question: Is this the kind of news