Anyone can be a reverend in this country. I'm a legally ordained minister, and an absolute hardline atheist. Go fig. Although, I certainly have little patience for these douchebag self-promoters who claim to speak for the black community. Sharpton certainly doesn't represent me, and I don't recall getting a vote. MLK didn't have to go around claiming to be a leader, he just was. If Sharpton ever did anything that actually benefitted black Americans, it was entirely coincidental, a by-product of serving himself. Of course, there's an easy way to recognize a real black leader-- they're the ones who always get assassinated. People who try to do genuine good by altering the status quo tend to get shot at eventually. Sharpton will never have to fear such a fate, because life for the useless is eternal. Sorry, the word Sharpton is like Pavlov's bell for me.