Category: Practical Politics

In Lee Daniels’ new movie, “The Butler,” the first part of the story gives one of the most compelling arguments in any modern media for African Americans to cease and desist from calling each other the N-word.

This week during the 2013 version of the U.S. Open Tennis tournament, James Blake, a perennial top player since 1999, is retiring from the sport.

Emotions still are running very high regarding George Zimmerman’s acquittal for killing Trayvon Martin. While frequently the federal government has stepped in when a state court has freed suspects in cases that seemed to be hate-crime-based, much more often, it has decided not to do so, and all of the emotions and sense of injustice connected to the situation have not done any good.

President Barack Obama has already made history. Twice. He can rest on his laurels and just ride out the remainder of his second term without shooting for any more stars. After all, the stormy petrels of Washington will beat their wings in the wind, no matter what he does—positive or negative.

In the USA, with the election of Barack Obama, the Republican control of chairships in the current—and maybe future—Congress, the Black Farmers’ settlement, and numerous other small but significant adjustments in time, the reparations movement seems moribund, if not totally dead and buried.

A few years ago, when immigration reform activity was hot and heavy, a U.S. Senate version of reform legislation included a path to citizenship and other reasonable proposals. A House version was draconian.

OK. It has been done and won’t be undone. An American took another young American’s life and was acquitted of any criminal responsibility for it. A lot has already been said on the issue, maybe too much. My two cents is very, very short.

As measured by quantity and depth of media coverage, President Obama’s recent trip to three African countries—June 26-July 2—did not amount to much.