Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 27 December 2002 — Page 7
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2002
THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER
PAGEA7
READERS RESPOND
tions is certainly disturbing. However, we must not let this diminish our pride in the terrific support that United Way did receive from our community. Thousands of people and some 1,500 workplaces throughout the six counties in Central Indiana responded to United Way’s appeal with pledges totaling $36.2 million. Joining them were nearly 200 companies new to United Way, and an increased number of individuals giving at higher levels. We secured this support at a time when individuals and companies alike face increasing health care benefit costs, uncertainty abouttheirpersonal financial status, and the unknown about when the recovery will come. Together, we have said “yes” to the idea of supporting a full spectrum of prevention and intervention strategies, to strengthen our entire community. For any one of us alone, it would be an unthinkable challenge. But united, we are putting millions of private sector dollars to work, addressing priority needs. We are grateful for what has been given, and especially to those who have stepped forward since learning of our gap to supplement earlier gifts, such as the Indianapolis Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Roche Diagnostics Corp., and individuals too numerous to list. If you have not yet made a gift toourcommunity through United Way, there’s still time to do so. Your gift will help kids succeed, help struggling families thrive, give people a second chance, and make sure seniors are not alone. You can pledge online right now at www.uwci.org/donate.htm or call (317) 923-1466 to request a pledge canL'Or, simply mail your contribution to 3901 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208. Ellen K. Annala, President & CEO, United Way of Central Indiana Bud Melton, President and CEO, First Indiana Bank Chair, United Way of Central Indiana’s Annual Campaign
A failing Republican Parly: A lale of 2 Philadelphias By CEOROE E. CURRY mass exodus began with Barry were given a D, one received an I Goldwater’s anti-civil rights cam- and one — Zell Miller of Georgia Ronald Reagan kicked off his paign in 1964 and was solidified — got an F. In the House, 120 1980 campaign for president in four years later with Richard Democrats earned an A, 60 rePhiladelphia, Miss., where three Nixon’s successful “Southern ceived a B, 14 got a C, eight were civil rights workers had been strategy.” awarded a D, five were given murdered 18 years earlier. Speak- Recognizing that Republicans incompletes and six earned an F. ing in the code language of the can’t win national elections with Ralph G.Neas, president of the day, Reagan expressed his sup- overt racial appeals, the elder PeoplefortheAmericanWay,says port for “state’s rights.” Bush promised a “kinder, gen- replacing Trent Lott is not Last week, President George tier” style ofleadership. Now his enough. W. Bush rebuked Sen. Trent Lott son is using a similar strategy. “It’s one thing to disavow lein Philadelphia, Pa., by voicing an But it’s all part of a game. galized segregation, but it’s aneloquent condemnation of segre- “Most people are uncomfort- other thing altogether to make a gation. able talking about race so politi- commitment to supporting poliBush had returned to the city cians convey messages in code,” cies that will protect civil rights where the Republican delegates writes Eleanor Clift in Newsweek andequalopportunity,”saysNeas. had expressed Brotherly Love by magazine. She explains, “Stand- George W. Bush has supported electing him as their presidential ing up for states rights has long civil rights with his words, but not standard-bearer. It was a well- been a favorite cover for racist action. During his campaign, he orchestrated show in 2000 that impulses. When Lott stepped out spoke at Bob Jones University, substituted the faces of its hard- of that polite way of speaking which at the time prohibited incore right wing with the smiling about race, he exposed the GOP’s terracial dating, and refused to symbols of Colin Powell and double game: the lip service the take a stand on whether the ConCondoleeza Rice. party gives to reaching out to federate flag should fly over the GOP handlers engaged in what Blacks and the winks and nods to dome of the South Carolina state they termed the “politics of pleas- whites assuring them nothing capitol. antry.” They even put on musical fundamental will change.” As president. Bush appointed minstrel shows that featured An examination ofhowRepub- John Ashcroft, a right-wing BrianMcKnight,ChakaKhan,the licans vote shows dramatically zealot, as attorney general; he Temptations, Harold Melvin and how nothing has changed. opposes affirmative action and he the Blue Notes, the Delfonics and Nowthat there will be a regime has no meaningful domestic Aaron Neville. change in the U.S. Senate, in real- policy. Call it “A Tale of Two ity, there will be no change at all. Bush likes to brag about havPhiladelphias.” Lott’s successor, Bill Frist ofTen- ing Colin Powell as his secretary Philadelphia, Miss., and Phila- nessee, routinely earns an F on of state and Condoleeza Rice as delphia, Pa., are 923 miles apart the NAACP’s Civil Rights Report his national security advisor. He ButwhenitcomestoentkingBlack Card. is likely to appoint at least two voters, Republicans are in the same It gets worse. U.S. Supreme Court justices and place today as they were 22 years On the report card for the 107th he has already announced that ago when Ronald Reagan launched Congress (January-November his ideal candidates will be in the his campaign in Mississippi 2002), of the 49 Republicans in mold of Clarence Thomas and In that campaign, Reagan re- the Senate, every one of them re- Antonin Scalia, the most reactionceived only 8 percent of the Black ceived an F. Of the 226 Republi- ary judges on the court, vote. In 2000, the George W. cans in the House, 216 earned an His determination to pack the Bush, masquerading as a “com- F. Another seven completed only federal courts with right-wing passionate conservative," won the partial terms and received an in- judges tells us more about George same percentage of the African- complete, and two died while in W. Bush’s real agenda than how American vote. office. Taken together, of275 Re- many Black faces he can parade And that’s not likely to change, publicans in the House and Sen- across a stage in Philadelphia or After all, die Republican Party ate, only one managed to score as Washington, D.C. rose to national prominence tty high as a D. directly appealing to Dudecrats On the Democratic side, 31 George E. Cany is editor-in- — Southern whites who were senators earned an A, 12 received chief of the NNPA News Service Democrats in name only. The a B, three were awarded a C, two sad BlaAPres8USA.com.
Thanks for coverage Thank you for your outstanding coverage of the MartindaleBrightwood Community Asset Survey Celebration. For nearly two years, citizens have come together to map the strengths that individuals and associations can offer to build communities in the neighborhoods under the MartindaleBrightwood umbrella. The changes that the Asset Survey has realized are the result of scores of neighbors working together for the good of all of the neighborhoods. The Public Safety Committee, headed by Ms. Mattie Holliday, deserves ample credit for conceiving and realizing this ambitious effort. The Greater Citizens Coalition of Martindale-Brightwood (GCCMB) headed by Rev. Richard Fields has actively supported the Asset Survey since its inception. GCCMB now represents residents throughout the neighborhoods as a vehicle to translate this information into action. “Knowledge is power” as demonstrated by the many able leaders of Martindale-Brightwood, who have successfully completed an effort that is a model to neighborhoods in Indianapolis and elsewhere. Lamont J. HuLse Executive Director Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center Praise for Cooper My name is Pastor David W. Greene Sr. I am the senior pastor of the Second Baptist Church here in Indianapolis. I wanted to let you know that I appreciate the great and professional work that Recorder Correspondent Nicole Cooper is doing for your organization. She recently wrote an article on DNA evidence and its impact upon getting people freed from the justice system. I feel that this article was well researched and documented. The community appreciates the qual-
ity of work Ms. Cooper is doing and what The Indianapolis Recorder is providing to us. David Greene Sr. Judging me You don’t know me. Yet, just by the mention of my being a convicted felon you then see me as a threat In what part of our lives did we meet? Tell me, what insane thing did I do to warrant your immediate dislike toward me? You judge me while continuously persecuting me. Did you ever wonder how I felt? Oh, I forgot it’s a bit too late for me to be sensitive over my faults. But that’s how you see me when my closet holds a criminal conviction. A convicted felon scorned to be the scum of God’s green earth. Yet one day, either myself or someone like me will return to the world in which you’re living. Well share common ground. I’d be just like you, however, I’d have to hide my secret of being incarcerated if I’m to survive having a life of my own. You don’t know me because it’s easier to reserve some form of judgment against a convicted felon. But if you ever got to know me, you’d realize that I’ve crossed extreme bridges and, have built a foundation that would enable me to enhance my growth. We’re all destined for the same thing, and it doesn’t matter which way we choose to direct our lives, God promises well all meet in the end...“together.” LeRon E. Easley United Way shortfall Our projection that United Way of Central Indiana’s annual campaign will experience a shortfall this year has generated much media attention. The focus has rightfully been on the consequences of that shortfall to vital health and human care programs in our region. With resources already stretched thin* many programs are also confronting cuts in government funding. The prospect of managing further reduc-
I
OPINION
Gel Off on fhe Bad Fool
Staff WrHar
“Git on da’ good foot, good god,
heeeeeey.”
This quote is just a small sample of the raving, energetic and widely unintelligible vocals of the legendary James Brown. It’s difficult to remember the above song’s other lyrics, but I can certainly recall the statement “get on the good foot.”
One of my wishes for America is that, in a foreign policy regard, we start 2003 out on the
good foot
So far, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case. The situation in Iraq has come to a virtual crossroads, with either the Bush Administration stubbornly insisting on war and bloodshed, or Iraq lying about its weapons capabilities. As I mentioned in an earlier editorial, Osama Bin Laden, Taliban leader Muhammad Omar and many others responsible for September 11 are still free. Now, the world situation has become even more complicated due to a very pressing emergency in North Korea. This past Sunday, North Korea, an isolated dictatorship and one of the last Communist regimes on Earth, announced that it has removed monitoring equipment from their stockpiles of plutonium. International weapons inspectors, with North Korea’s hesitant approval, put these monitoring devices eight years ago in an effort to make sure North Korea was not using its plutonium to make nuclear weapons. In other words, there is no longer an east way to tell whether or not North Korea is building nuclear weapons. North Korea’s announcement came a day after that government removed monitoring equipment from a nuclear reactor, and over a week after the U.S. Navy discovered a shipment ofNorth Korean scud missiles en route to Yemen. On their official DPRK News Agency, North Korea said that this latest move comes after the U.S. and its allies decided to stop shipping500,000
“axis of evil” with Iran and Iraq for correct reasons. In my opinion. North Korea, with its active army of over 1,300,000 (which rival’s the U.S. 1,126,000) and a “nothing to lose attitude”, is a greater threat to worldwide security than Saddam Hussein’s Iraq will ever be. It has proven that North Korea has sold convential weapons technology to Pakistan and Iran. Its reclusive communist regime has imposed brutal and systematic repression on its people for almost 60 years, although it claims to be “a people’s paradise.” Independent sources say the country has the capability to produce five or six “big” nuclear waepons if it converts the plutonium. The North Koreans have been aggressive in their efforts to gather covert information on South Korea, even going so far as to kidnap citizens. Currently, America has 37,000 soldiers on the dividing line between the North and South. Hie two Korea’s are technically at war, because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a cease-fire, not a peace agreement China, a nation who has never been ashamed to outline America’s perceived flaws, is North Korea’s neighbor. Finally, North Korea’s governing regime is desperate. As we all know, desperate people can use desperate measures to get what they want North Korea was once the economic darting of communist nations. But since the fall ofthe Soviet Union and natural disasters in 1995, financial mismanagement has led to the starvation of nearly 1 million North Koreans and malnutrition ofafiir-
ther 2 million more.
In the meantime, North Korea’s reclusive, atheist regime continues to cling to socialism and economic policies rejected by the International Monetary Fund. It also continues to commit acts that produce regrets about the June 2001 peace overture between the two fcoreas. The Bush administration has remained mostly quiet about North Korea’s activities, in an effort to prevent diverting attention from the situation in
tons of heavy oil annually to North Korea. North Iraq. Bush’s staff is correct in labeling North Ko-
Korea says the U.S. violated a non-aggression treaty by doing this, and that it has been forced to use the plutonium to generate much-needed electricity. But what the North Koreans fail to acknowledge is that they violated the 1994 non-aggression treaty first. In October, the country admitted to reactivating its nuclear program, which is a direct slap in the face of a proliferation settlement signed by then President Bill Clinton (who once considered military action to stop North Korea from producing nuclear chemical and biological weapons) and North Korean leader Kim Jong II. When he came into office, President Bush’s administration placed North Korea inside the
rea “an evil regime,” but they are making a bad miscalculation in placing the elimination of Saddam Hussein as a higher priority than seeking a peaceful resolution in Korea that Will not hurt the average citizens in that region. Sure, Hussein is not the friendliest man the world has ever seen, but disturbing evidence about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program actually exists. Sanctions have failed, and so has the Bush Administration’s hard-line stance against North Korea. I think the world should help meet the needs of that nation’s unjustly impoverished people. After that, the fate ofNorth Korea’s dangerous, isolated regime will take care of itself.
YOUR VOICE
Who is the best Black comedian ever?
“My favorite comedian is Chris Tucker. I enjoyed his appearance in ‘Friday,’ and he’s been somewhat typecast. But he has shown an ability to be versatile. He has been able to transcend different cultures. I also respect his recent desire to improve himselfby accepting Christ and using his fame to help out with such issues as the spread of AIDS in Africa.” - Sherry Mate-Machani “Chris Tucker in ‘All the Way Live! ’ I loved both ‘Rush Hour’ movies. He’s popular with eveiyone, even Asians, due to his work with Jackie Chan. He does a pretty convincing imitation of Michael Jackson. I think he’s the best of the up-and-com-ing comedians.” -Ellis Morris “Moms Mabley was a funny woman, no doubt. She was legendary. When I was coming up we would listen to her on our radio down in the basement. She hasn’t been equaled by anyone.” -Mkhad Shirley “I like Bernie Mac because he’s fresh, up-to-date and real. His show certainly gives the real, truthful story about parenting.” -James Robinson “I would have to split my choices into two categories: past and present Redd Foxx had that perfect ‘old school’ comedy. He made me laugh during all of his shows, including ‘Sanford and
Son.’Today, I would say Bernie Mac is the king of comedy. He’s funny, but he also tells the truth, especially when it comes to parenting issues. His facial expressions just crack me up.” - Cassandra Boiler “I think Bill Cosby is the funniest man alive, because he’s clean with his comedy, and I like that about him. He doesn’t have to use all of that profanity.” -Maggie Carr “My pick would be Arnez Jay, the host of BETs ‘Comic View.’ He’s a real person who deals with life realistically, but he can also be very silly. I went to go see him when he came to Indianapolis recently.” - Bianca T. “Richard Pryor, because I think he was one of the first comedians to transcend racial barriers. Even white people watched him and laughed at his shows. Although some people said he was too raunchy, they still bought his tickets!” -Jeff Suggs “For me it would be a hard choice between Bernie Mac and Cedric the Entertainer. They are both very funny. Bemie’s more reality, dealing with family issues. Cedric’s comedy is more in the ‘In Living Color’ vein, but they are both legends in their own right’ -EM.
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Michael Shirley