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Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Tom, you’ve heard me talk about issues of media and race before… Very important, given that in our society, unfortunately, image is everything…

And given this visual approach to politics, news and society, it is critical that we have individuals in positions of visibility and power who look like us and come from experiences similar to ours to help us navigate these images.

Let me explain: All of us, at one time or another, have experienced being ‘the only African American in the room…’

…could have been at a new job, at a conference, or in a new neighborhood or school…

And in those unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable situations, many of us have been relieved to spot another black face –be it an employee or neighbor—who sees us, gives us a knowing wink, and then kindly “shows us the ropes…”

Well I bring this up today, Sybil, because you may have seen the CNN interview a few days back with pioneering and now-retired anchor woman, Carole Simpson, on the current lack of black anchors on mainstream news networks…

Simpson did not hold her tongue… She came out firing at the mainstream news organizations – including CNN — about their lack of diversity and the racism she faced years ago and the racism African Americans continue to face in a media industry that continues to be white male-dominated…

Simpson pointed out that, in this day and age, it is absurd that the numbers of black mainstream anchors is declining…

And she had every right to … for no one would know better how broadcast media works than Simpson … When it comes to media, she was that beautiful African American face in a white-dominated society that showed us the ropes each day…

One of the most successful and prominent journalists who ever lived, Simpson was a staple on ABC News for nearly two decades winning three Emmys, covering the most significant world issues, and becoming the first woman and first minority to moderate a presidential debate…

Whether it was the first Persian Gulf War, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings or other major stories, Simpson was always there…

And if you want a brutal example of what she went through to bring us this crucial African American perspective, I got one for ya…

You may recall, Tom, that Simpson was in South Africa in 1990, broadcasting live, the release of Nelson Mandela…

But what many may not remember was that Simpson was beaten across the back by a white South African policeman while covering a demonstration led by Archbishop Desmond TuTu the day before Mandela’s release…

Talk about news from a black perspective… or better yet, black and blue perspective…

But you get the point… Simpson, like other black journalists and anchors, can offer a unique perspective …
Without such voices and representation, our American story lacks both relevance and context…

Now, of course, there are things we can do to try and change this… We can certainly reach out to all the major networks and push them to hear our voices and show our faces…

We can go online to the Federal Communications Commission site at fcc.gov and file a complaint with their Consumer & Governmental Affairs division…

But we can also start our own media outlets which, given the internet and changing technologies, is a realistic step that many in our community are already taking…

And, of course, we can continue to support our own existing black-owned media vehicles, like the excellent platform you provide for us, Tom, thank you very much…

So whatever we do, let’s push to ensure our perspectives, our context and our stories get heard in the vehicles we support and that get their advertising dollars from our viewership…

We shouldn’t support or empower vehicles that don’t support or empower us…

I’ll close with this. A prominent 20th century media executive once said: “All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it… Or we can help lift it to a higher level.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Media

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Tom, you’ve often heard me use this weekly platform to talk about issues concerning children…

After all, as parents, a large part of our lives are devoted to the beautiful, challenging, and rewarding art of raising children…

We feed them when they’re hungry, nurse them back to health when they’re sick, hug and protect them when they’re scared or hurt, and tuck them into bed when they’re tired… (even though they somehow end up in our bed by the morning…)

Now, Sybil, because life and relationships certainly have their challenges, parents don’t always see eye to eye, and they may, unfortunately, split up, separate, or even divorce…

And if the parents can’t see through their own emotional issues and pain to recognize that the children simply want, and still deserve both parents in their lives, there’s gonna to be trouble…

That said, let me tell you about a parent, a father by the name of Tewodross Melchishua…also known as ‘Tee”

Tewodross is a talented brother living in the DC area who is an independent film producer, artist, designer, animator, and professor at Bowie State (let’s hear it for the HBCUs)…

He loves all five of his children ranging in age from 3 to 17 including two sets of TWINS from a previous marriage.

In the late 90s, after his first marriage didn’t work out, Tee and his ex-wife shared joint custody of their twins – 2 boys and 2 girls.

One day, in 2000, he went to pick up his then 6 and 7 year old children from their mother for the weekend, as he always did, and they simply weren’t there…

Did you hear what I just said, Tom…? They were GONE… The mother had disappeared… to Egypt!!!!!!

I can’t even begin to imagine, as a mom, how that must have felt…?

For the past ten years –that’s right, I said ten– Tee has done everything in his power to first locate his children and then reunite with them…

He finally got a telephone and email address for his ex-wife . . . before she took the children and relocated again to yet another country!

He found her again and ultimately convinced the mother to allow the teenage sets of twins to travel to the United States alone to visit their father…

So Sybil, believe it or not, we’re still hoping for a relatively happy ending here …

But this is just one father’s story. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimates that over 1000 family abductions occur in the United States every day…

And international family abductions – where a parent or relative kidnaps a child and takes them to a different country—occur, on average, a reported 16,000 times a year and often leave the “Chasing Parent” with huge emotional and financial burden…

The main problem is that many of these countries simply REFUSE to return these American children back to the United States.

Sometimes, as in Tee’s case there is a difference of religion; sometimes as in the recent high-profile cases in Brazil and Japan, no reason is given.  Amazingly, this is also the case even where the country is a friend or ally of the United States, and even where the country has signed the Hague Convention, the international treaty designed to protect children from these abductions.

You can get more information on parental abductions at missingkids.com.

You know Tom, I’ve occasionally heard people without children wonder why anyone would want to bring a child into this sometimes cruel and unpredictable world…

Maybe this saying from the late writer & blogger, Liz Armbruster, offers the answer: “I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child could bring.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Abuse, Children

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Tom, as you may remember, a couple weeks ago, I did a commentary on the Johannes Mehserle case –the cop who killed an unarmed Oscar Grant in Oakland in 2009 – just days before his controversial verdict of “involuntary manslaughter” was announced …

I also wrote a piece this weekend for NewsOne called, “How Much is One Black Man Worth?”

The article juxtaposed the Mehserle verdict with the almost simultaneous announcement of LeBron James move to Miami, and shades of that were, of course, echoed by Jeff on Tuesday…

…except I didn’t go after Rev. Jackson… That part is between Jeff and Jesse, and I love them both…

My article discussed the irony of how our American society had pretty much determined that one young man’s life –that of Grant– was apparently worth very little, while another young brother who dribbles an orange ball up and down a court –‘King James’– was apparently worth about 100 million…

The article became the most popular piece and went viral on the site not long after I wrote it and generated a whole lot of discussion . . .

I think it struck a chord because folks were troubled by the verdict and the ironic timing of the announcements…

…also because, as a community, we are sick and tired of seeing unarmed black men being killed or brutalized at the hands of those who are supposed “to protect and serve…”

It raises the question: How much is one black man (one black man’s life) actually worth…?

I bring this up again today, Sybil, because of the recent report on Black America Web about another unfortunate young brother –an 18 year-old from Stafford County, VA who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism affecting his ability to communicate and interact.  That young man, Reginald Latson was incarcerated after an incident in which police approached him while walking down the street to a friend’s house.

Reginald was waiting for a local library to open when he decided to take a walk to visit a friend… Police say someone called in to report a quote-unquote “suspicious man” in the area who “was possibly carrying a gun…”

Police approached the autistic teenager, who possessed no weapon, and, according to police, a confrontation ensued in which the teen attacked an officer for no reason…

Reginald reported that the officers came at him with abusive language and racial slurs…

Now, Jay, I obviously wasn’t there and I don’t know what actually went down…

That said, there are still some very troubling things about this case …

First, it’s hard to figure out the “possibly carrying a gun” thing… That’s pretty vague… and “convenient”

And while Reginald was initially placed in a hospital for evaluation after the incident, the judge in the case –who could have granted an extension after the thirty days– recently decided to instead send Reginald to jail where the autistic teen is in an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous environment…

It’s reported that Reginald had made great strides in dealing with his condition, holding a job at a car wash and attending school…

He’s not used to being away from his mother and he’s terrified in jail.  In fact, doctors had recommended to the court that because of his condition, Reginald be allowed to stay at the hospital until his July 30th preliminary hearing.

But let me be clear: I can’t say if law enforcement did anything wrong in this case, but I can say that jailing this young man who obviously needs support for his condition may destroy his life…

Tom, maybe somehow we can help this living black man before his life is destroyed because of his unfortunate encounter with law enforcement…

And while we await the results of the recently-opened federal probe into the Grant shooting, and the sentencing of Johannes Mehserle, let’s use our energies to ensure our young men are being valued and not dying or languishing needlessly at the hands of our less-than-blind system of justice…

You can go to the “Justice for Reginald Latson” page on Facebook for updates and to see what can be done…

I leave you with this quote from an ancient philosopher that still holds true today: “Justice will not come until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Black Men, Reginald Latson

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay!

We have a holiday coming up this weekend, guys… Happy Father’s Day Tom and Jay!

I hope you guys have a wonderful day…

And remember, we’ve got a twofer this weekend…

That’s right, this weekend we also celebrate Juneteenth, the day 145 years ago when word finally made its way all the way down to Texas that slavery was no longer the law of the land…

It was on June 19th1865 that Union soldiers finally arrived at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved Africans in the region were free…

This was a full two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had little impact on Texas because there were no Union troops in the area to enforce the measure until the 1865 surrender of the Confederacy…

Yep, black folks down there got the word real late…

So it could be said, Sybil, that Juneteenth is the only holiday that officially celebrates CP time…

Better late than never, right…?

But I want to put something in perspective today… Think about this for a moment…

Way back in the 19th Century –before Juneteenth– down in Texas, people of color were stopped when traveling away from the plantation and told to produce their papers showing that they’d been given permission to move about…

Even if they had the correct papers, they were commonly harassed by authorities…

Sadly, here in the year 2010 –in so-called ‘post racial America’– the state of Texas is currently considering following Arizona’s lead and introducing legislation to allow Texas authorities to once again, stop, potentially harass, and ask people of color for their papers…

Talk about back to the future, Jay…

…and speaking of going back, Tom, as I said before those of us who think these disturbing legal measures don’t pertain to us as black folks best think again…

First off, a substantial number of Latinos are black… the term Latino does not refer to a racial category… Latinos, of course, can be both black and white and a whole lot are black…

Second, when has racial profiling not affected us? How many of you really believe that cops with bad intentions are going to try and decipher a difference between black and brown before demanding our papers or harassing us…?

And, most importantly, why would anyone feel it is actually okay to legalize –a century and a half after the end of slavery—a process by which people of color on the streets of our nation could be stopped and asked for their papers…???

Please, stop the madness… No matter how you feel about immigration, this is definitely not the right answer… In fact, it is a serious threat to all Americans and our civil liberties…

So as we celebrate the spirit of Juneteenth and the belated emancipation of those deep in the South 145 years ago, let’s make sure we are not guilty today as people of color of throwing ourselves back to a time where folks could stop us and ask us for our papers…

Because the line between freedom and security is about as thin as the line between black and brown…

Paper thin…

You can go to the website of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights at  “http://www.civilrights.org” and find out more about promoting a more equitable policy of immigration reform for our nation.

And this weekend, as you pay tribute to the concept of freedom, keep this World War II-era quote attributed to a German pastor in mind:

“THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me,
and, by that time, no one was left to speak up.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Holiday

Good Morning TJMS Family.

Well, there’s certainly been a lot going on lately down in the Lone Star State…

That’s right, Texas has been in the news recently for a number of reasons – not many of them good…

Last week, many of us watched in horror the video of the fired African American teacher at the Houston charter school beating up an African American boy…

And we’ve also been troubled by the recent textbook controversy in which a conservative slant is being imposed on millions of the state’s public schoolchildren…

Both situations say a lot about the current state of education in Texas… but today, I’m going to focus on the physical assault…

I watched the teacher on Good Morning America after appealing to the media to quote-unquote “give her side of the story”… I couldn’t imagine what that would be given the tape of her beating, dragging, and kicking a terrified 13 year-old …

After the teacher, her attorney, and the host viewed the tape, the teacher correctly acknowledged there was nothing that could ever justify her actions… “Exactly” I thought, before wondering why she’d even come on the show…

And then I knew. After claiming her adrenaline was high because of a prior incident, she got back to her classroom to find the door locked and a group of children circling a recent transfer and special-needs student… She said the children – the boy in particular — were standing around the student in a “threatening” way and that they were all African Americans with prior court issues and that the special needs student was white…

Wow… guess the teacher and her white attorney thought that was a pretty important point… So important, they wanted to say it on international TV although they already admitted there was no justification for assaulting the boy…

I guess it didn’t matter that the teacher wasn’t protecting the student at that point since the boy she was beating was cowering in a corner in fear …

I guess the whole purpose of her interview was to appeal to white America and to show how she was standing up for one of theirs …’

What other purpose could there have been for her TV appearance…? Why mention the race of the students at all?

Is it horrible that any young student can be taunted by others? Definitely.

But when an adult, and a teacher no less, totally loses it, repeatedly assaults a child cowering in front of her, and then appeals to the court of public opinion on the implicit basis that a white child’s trauma at the hands of African Americans is somehow worse than the opposite, that’s beyond belief…

And that teacher should be held accountable in both a court of law and in the court of public opinion…

I leave you with this: “What is done to children, is what they will do to society.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in love and hope and you are listening to the TJMS at its Best.

admin Abuse, Public School, Texas

Good morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay and welcome back!

Well Tom, international events are at center stage once again with the recent and tragic attack on several ships on a humanitarian relief mission to Gaza by the Israeli military.

The international community is up in arms, as it should be, because the attack resulted in the death of at least 10 civilian aid workers with many more wounded and the ship was carrying aid to those in need in Gaza when attacked.

But Tom, I’m going to take a step back today and offer a different perspective on the whole situation.

We’ve seen such violent scenarios enacted over and over again with Israeli-Palestinian relations in the region we’ve come to know as the Middle East…

…it seems like the troubles there are as old as time and never-ending…

But regardless of the politics or history of these conflicts –and regardless of what labels we choose to apply – be it claims of “aggression” or “terrorism” – once again, men, women and babies are needlessly dying, being injured, being displaced or generally having their lives turned upside down…

And in a lot of cases, many of the lives lost, lives the news so sterilely refers to as “casualties” – as if there was something casual about losing a loved one — had nothing to do with the politics that brought the situation about in the first place…

So, with all of this conflict and death –and in light of this most recent loss of lives in the region – how can we push for peace in a way that makes sense and recognizes the common humanity of Palestinians and Israelis…?

Well, on one basic level, there is a fairly simple answer: We act on it.

That’s right… we act on the principle of our common and shared humanity despite our differences…

Let me give you an example, one that literally shows us how folks can recognize each others’ humanity while acting to change the world…

There is an organization located in Israel called Peace Child Israel that, over the past two decades, has promoted peaceful coexistence using theater and the arts for Palestinian and Jewish teens…

While they are taught about democratic values, tolerance and mutual respect, Palestinian and Jewish teens also work together to create original dramas about coexistence … The plays are performed, both in Arabic and Hebrew, for family, friends and the public at-large …

Peace Child Israel has continued its work for 22 years despite the ongoing politics and violence that continues to affect the lives of its young participants…

The program is currently run by Melisse Boskovich, a former Israeli extremist who now is only extreme in her desire for Arabs and Jews to coexist and live together peacefully …

In practice, Sybil, it means that a facilitator, along with Boskovich, sits in a room with a group of Arab and Jewish teenagers and gets them to talk about their prejudices, fears and hopes before they work on a production together…

Critical thinking, non-violent communication, and listening skills are reinforced as participants get trained in conflict resolution, issues of equality, and cultural differences…

So it’s a program that uses art that, hopefully, will one day have a positive impact on the art of politics and, in turn, prevent, of course, the art of war…

And its lessons, Jay, go beyond the theater, and even beyond Israeli-Palestinian relations…

For no matter how bad things get – no matter how many people die needlessly whether in war, terrorism or on a ship bearing aid for people in need—there is still no substitute for getting people in the same room to engage in dialogue and interact with one another constructively…

You can learn more about Peace Child Israel at mideastweb.org/peacechild

Akbar Ahmed, a college professor and former Pakistani diplomat, puts it best:

“Dialogue by itself is empty… But dialogue that leads to understanding leads to the idea of actually getting to know each other… When people become friends, they don’t think of blowing themselves up and killing each other. They are prepared to make compromises, to change, to accommodate.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Gaza, Isreal

Good morning TJMS Family.
Some of you may remember that end of the world commentary I did when the movie 2012 was released.
Of course, I wasn’t saying that the world was actually going to end… I was just talking about the need for us to live our lives to the fullest.
But I’ve got to admit, after the colossal tragedies in Haiti and Chile — I’m getting more nervous about this end of world thing…
While I still don’t believe its going to end in 2012 –trust me, the IRS wouldn’t allow that to happen – for me, the takeaway from such global events is not that we’re all going to die one day, but, more importantly, “What are we doing while we’re here?”
Cases in point. You may recall the recent deaths of the 26 year-old extreme skier, C.R. Johnson, and the 40 year-old whale trainer, Dawn Brancheau.   Both died a few weeks back on the same day in unrelated accidents…
Johnson, a world-renowned, extreme skier was killed after he fell and hit his head while skiing down a steep chute at Squaw Valley…
Brancheau, a veteran whale trainer drowned after a 22-foot, 12,000-pound Orca pulled her off a poolside platform…
While most people will naturally shake their heads at such tragedy, I choose to voice a different perspective…
Both of these folks understood the dangers of what they were doing and occasionally spoke about the real chance it could take their lives one day…
I celebrate both of them because, unlike most of us, they refused to spend their lives being “safe.”  They jumped in to their lives with both feet, and if they could come back, they would probably tell us they would do it all over again…
We know this because Johnson, the skier, was comatose for six years as a result of a similar accident in years prior, and Brancheau, often spoke about the dangers of her job, but insisted that she couldn’t imagine herself not doing it…
…these are activities that gave them that incredible rush, that heightened sense of existence, where – at least for that moment, they knew they were living fully…
And it doesn’t matter that it was skiing or whale training for them, activities many of us may never do. My point is about the beauty of discovering what you are passionate about, moving beyond fear and life’s obstacles to do it.
So I am challenging us all today to live fearlessly.
Spend some time exploring your passion and then carve out a way to make it a permanent part of your life…
We only pass this way once… Johnson and Brancheau not only knew this, they lived this…
I’ll leave you with a post that Johnson had on his MySpace page that pretty much sums up what living fearlessly is all about…
“I feel it is most important to keep it real and enjoy each moment, you know, take advantage of every opportunity life provides, because who knows what tomorrow may bring.”
You are listening to TJMS at its best.  Until next time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

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Hey guys, it’s our favorite time of the year of again…

That’s right, Black History Month… YAYYY!!!

So Tom, when you think 20^th Century black history and culture, one place in particular comes to mind…

Harlem…

For the whole of the 20^th century, Harlem was representing every step of the way…

Marcus Garvey and the United Negro Improvement Association… Duke Ellington… Madame CJ Walker… the Harlem Renaissance … the Cotton Club… Adam Clayton Powell… Malcolm X… the Apollo Theater…our own Rev. Al Sharpton…

…and, of course, the beloved business mogul, civil rights activist and Harlem icon, Percy Sutton, whose recent passing we marked a few weeks back…

Harlem… what a place, what a history, and what an incredible representation of African American culture…

But wait a minute…

Apparently, here in the 21^st Century, things are a changin’…

…and if you believe a recent article in the NY Times that said Harlem has lost its traditional black majority, the new 21^st Century representation of Harlem might read something like this:

Bill Clinton… Starbucks Coffee… CAUCASIANS…

Jay, it’s like that Eddie Griffin movie, Undercover Brother, where he spoofs the Sixth Sense with, “I see White people…”

Yep, well that’s what many are saying is happening in Harlem…

It’s Farewell Laquisha and Helloooo Buffy!

But, Sybil, talented journalist and longtime Harlem resident Les Payne recently wrote a piece posted on blackamericaweb that disputes the NY Times article…

Payne argues that the NY Times was being selective in the way it drew Harlem’s disputed boundaries, and that the obvious changes in demographics are more a result of the area’s increasing Latino and Asian populations than its increase in white folks…

Even so, it’s easy to see that Harlem is changing and that the Harlem of the 21^st Century already looks much different from the last century…

And Payne also points out such changes in Harlem don’t give the whole story; In the November mayoral election, exit polling showed for the first time in New York City history that white votes tallied less than 50 percent of the count…

So one can interpret these figures in a variety of ways…

But no matter what the numbers may or may not be, the real point of all of this for black folks is that we need to make sure we support and protect the cultural institutions that define and provide for our communities whether we are the majority or the minority…

The Apollo Theater on 125^th Street –Percy Sutton’s baby that he saved when he purchased and renovated it in 1981– needs our support to make sure it lives on into the 21^st century and beyond…

The Schomburg Library on Malcolm X Blvd –although officially a part of the New York Public Library system—is an institution that has celebrated our culture and history for countless years and we need to make sure we use it and have our children use it regardless of the demographics around it…

…and Sybil, this point is not just relevant to Harlem, because we have African American cultural institutions and black colleges across the country in need of our ongoing support, engagement, and protection…

…so let’s take Percy Sutton’s example and commit ourselves to supporting our cultural institutions…

Now, unlike Percy, most of us can’t afford to buy them… cause Tom, as you know, Percy was rollin’ like that…

BUT, what we can do is go out, find and engage with a relevant institution in our community and become a member of it, support it with a donation, or become a volunteer…

…there are countless black organizations and institutions across the country in need of our help and service…

…and if we don’t give our help and support, the changing demographics in Harlem and everywhere else won’t matter because we’ll have little culture left to protect anyway…

…and then our culture really will be history…we cannot let that happen.

As Octavio Paz, a Nobel Prize Winner in Literature once said:

“ Every view of the world that becomes extinct, every culture that disappears, diminishes a possibility of life.”

Until next time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Black History Month Black History Month, harlem

Good morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Well Tom, last night, as we all know, the President gave his first State of the Union address.

And as with presidents before him, within the first few minutes, President Obama reported that, “The State of our union is strong.”

They all say that no matter what condition the country is in.

But, today, Tom, I’m not going to focus on whether the state of our union is strong.  Instead, I want to talk about what we mean by “our union.”

So, I’m going to take a step back and start with this rallying cry that conservatives have been using, and that many Scott Brown supporters echoed during his recent and successful Senate campaign in Massachusetts…

You’ve heard it, Sybil: “Let’s take OUR country back.”

It speaks volumes about the state of race relations here in 21^st Century America, in this so-called ‘post-racial’ nation…

“Let’s take OUR country back…

Take it back from whom…? …from the solid majority of voters of all colors and ages who democratically elected our current president…?

Or from that ‘uppity’ black man who has no right to run it in the first place…?

Hmm… could that be the unstated but clearly implied suggestion…?

Jay, did you see that movie about the founding of the CIA called The Good Shepherd…?

In one scene, the Joe Pesci character tells the Matt Damon character, “The Irish, they have the homeland.  The Jews, their traditions.  Even the ‘N-word’ (he said), they got their music.  What about you people, Mr. Carlson, what do you have?”

In response, Matt Damon’s character calmly says, “We have the United States of America… the rest of you are just visiting.”

Well, I believe this attitude is a big part of what’s driving a lot of the Tea Party crowds…

I also believe – unfortunately – that many of these folks who call themselves ‘patriots’ hope and even pray that our Union is not strong, especially given the color of its captain…

They have even said as much… Remember Rush Limbaugh’s famous quote about wanting Obama to fail?  Do you think FoxNews wants Obama to fail?

Couple those sentiments with Tea Party protesters openly depicting our President as a witch doctor, a non citizen and a Muslim terrorist and I’d say, yep Tom, what we all know well: we still have a race problem in this country and I think we have to find creative ways to help address it.

Now I can understand if folks are opposed to many of the policies our President is pursuing … after all, they certainly have the right to protest, although George W. Bush’s administration  –who many of them support—tried to undermine this basic right…

I certainly don’t agree with everything our President does; Nor have I agreed with EVERYTHING any president before him has done.

…likewise, I don’t agree with the policies of the new Massachusetts senator Scott Brown, but I still wish him well in his new position and pray he can rise above party politics to do what’s best for our country and its citizens…

…I can criticize him politically without attacking him personally or questioning his love for his country…

…and yes, if you caught it last week on MSNBC, Keith Olbermann did go too far in attacking Brown personally, just as many have done with President Obama…

Ya see, politics unfortunately is often a vehicle for our people to pursue their own biases, whether it’s a journalist on the Left personally attacking a republican politician, or a right-wing campaign focused more on the race of the country’s first black leader than any particular issue…

…and if you ask them why they are doing it, they’ll likely tell you it’s for ‘the love of their country…’

So what can we do to solve this complicated 21^st Century, Post-racial race problem we have on our hands?  For one thing, I think we need more conversations like the one you led with Chris Matthews last week, Tom.

Not just on TV but in communities across this country—to help us as a nation—Black, White, Brown – work through this issue – which continues to bedevil us. I challenge each and every one of you to continue this conversation in your communities.

You know, W.E.B. Dubois said “The problem of the 20^th Century is the problem of the color line.”

It’s now a 21^st Century problem and we need some 21^st Century solutions for dealing with it.

Until next time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Obama Obama, President, State of Union

The famous German philosopher Schopenhauer once wrote that “change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.”

Less philosophical, but equally poignant, businessman Robert Gallagher, remarked that “change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.”

And so it was Tuesday here in Massachusetts.  Not since 1972 has a Republican won a U.S. Senate seat in the State – and he was a brother.  For nearly half a century my late boss, Senator Ted Kennedy held this seat.  On Tuesday night (as we know), a Republican won a resounding victory to fill the late senator’s unexpired term.

(And may I add that I am sure Senator Kennedy is turning over in his grave right about now!)

Now, I’ve listened with great interest to a lot of the commentators who have tried to explain what happened.

On one end of the political spectrum, the Republicans are claiming that this election was a referendum on President Obama, the Democratic Party, and its agenda.

On the other end, the Democrats are saying that the democratic candidate, Martha Coakley, simply ran a bad campaign.

The truth is that both are right. And both are wrong.  Here’s why.

To be sure, Martha Coakley ran a really bad campaign.  She had a 30 point lead and squandered it.  She assumed that by winning the Democratic primary, the generals would be a cake walk. She took a month off – chilling in the Caribbean.

Well, you know how that vacation ended … Sybil, she’s no Stella and she may NEVER get her groove back.

It would be a mistake, though, to blame everything on Coakley.  The interviews of Obama voters who switched to the Republican in this race were shocking.

They said they didn’t like what was going on in Washington, and they were voting to send a message.  Their words . . . Not mine.

But it would also be a mistake to think that the Obama revolution is over.  Things change very quickly in politics and 2012 is a lifetime away.  And there is a lot that the President and Democrats can do to turn the tide

All indicators show that most of the Independent votes went to Republican Scott Brown on two issues: Health Care and Jobs.

The Democrats will be wise NOT to ignore the loud message that one of the most liberal states in the country sent to Washington.

So First, let’s talk about Health Care.  No matter what you think substantively about the health care debate, many polls show that nearly 60% of the American public are against the current bill.

They feel, rightly or wrongly, that Washington is shoving its policies down the throat of Joe Public – much the same way that Democrats and Independents felt under President Bush.

Now, the Democrats may feel that their version of health care is so important, so necessary, and so imminently needed that they are going to do it no matter what large chunks of the public may think.

…well let’s just say to stand on principle is noble.  But, in politics it comes at a price – a price that the Democrats must be willing to bear.

And, we saw that price on Tuesday.

Now, on to jobs.  People vote their pocket books.  Right or wrong, this economy belongs to the President and the Democrats.  Just as the President won the election, in large part, due to Bush’s inept Shepparding of the economy, the Democrats will be voted out of office if the economy doesn’t turn around.

Record numbers of people are broke.  Record numbers of people are out of work.  The Democrats cannot continue to say, “it’s Bush’s fault” even though it may be.  People want jobs.  People want to feed their children.  People want to stay in their homes.

As James Carville famously said, “It’s the economy stupid.”

So my advice to the Dems is to focus, like a laser beam, on the economy.  If people have J-O-B’s, the party in power is rewarded.  If people do not have J-O-B’s, the party in power is in trouble.

Political stars rise and fall with the economy.  This is as constant in politics as the sun rising in the East (or as constant as Romo chocking in a playoff game – all in fun, Tom).

It’s all about the Benjamins, Jay . . . (sing) money money money…

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Democrat vs Republican Martha Coakley, Robert Gallagher