Speak Out!

A recent commentary questions whether greater gun control would stem the tide of the high violent crime rate in U.S. urban centers:

Liberals and their political allies say the problem is the easy accessibility of guns and greater gun control is the solution. That has to be nonsense.

It appears Michael Vick may serve time and possibly see his football career end if he takes a plea deal in the federal dog-fighting case. People are in an uproar and, if he's guilty, he should have to pay a cost. But… ...where is the similar outrage over those who are guilty of domestic abuse, rape, assault or battery of another human being?

It’s being reported that at least one state legislature is calling for pension fund divestment from companies that support negative rap lyrics:

Legislation proposed in New York state calls for $3 billion in pension fund investments to be redirected away from music companies that distribute rap music with the offending lyrics, Sharpton said.

Will this strategy work?

A recent commentary referenced Black people as suffering from emotional schizophrenia:

We hope for the best from our people but actually expect the worst. Thus, at 11 o'clock in the morning we can do something which shows love and respect for ourselves and our people and then turn around at noon and do something which demonstrates the exact opposite. Both actions flow from our contradictory beliefs about ourselves.

Does the Black community have a love-hate relationship with itself? If so, why?

It’s being reported that some rappers have decided to clean up their acts:

It seems as if Don Imus may be accomplishing what a generation of detractors could not. Four months after outrage over Imus' sexist and racial comments led to intense scrutiny of rap's negative imagery, and as the genre's sales continue to plummet, some artists are publicly abandoning offensive language. Talib Kweli, widely known as a socially conscious artist, says there's always been positive rappers, but they haven't received the attention of their g

A recent USA Today “Columnists Opinion” piece addresses the issue of the low polling numbers for the 110th Congress:

The American voters are unhappy with their handiwork. They went to the polls in November with a variety of objectives. Some cast their votes against Republican candidates out of frustration with the war in Iraq. Others were upset about gasoline prices. Still others saw an opportunity for payback for the botched handling of Hurricane Katrina.

In the aftermath of President Bush signing the emergency surveillance law, the debate has begun on whether the Democratic Congress did the right thing. Some have called it a “spineless” move; other key Democrats have gone on record with why they broke rank. Did this Congress pass the emergency surveillance law because it was afraid of being tagged “soft” or did it give the U.S.