An economy based on ethics I'm a New Yorker who fell in love with your city when I was performing there last August. Like thousands of others, I hate what people on our Gulf Coast have been made to endure these years, including from BP's horrendous oil spill.  I want your readers to know what Eli Siegel, the great historian and founder of the education Aesthetic Realism, explained in the 1970s:  America's economy, based on the contemptuous using of people's labor for personal profit had failed, and would never recover despite all the attempts to save it.     Read More ...

An Open Letter to Orleanians on the 5th year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina This Sunday, August 29, 2010, marked the fifth anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina and failed federally built levees combined to flood our city and region. Since leaving office I have had time to reflect on all that has occurred over this time. I have continued to live and work in our great city. What strikes me more than anything is we have all been witness to an amazing comeback.  Read More ...

Lift the moratorium As the owner of Oilfield CNC Machining, I have firsthand experience of the negative impact that the restrictions on offshore drilling are having on the Louisiana economy.  My business has come to a halt since the moratorium went into effect, but I’m just one of hundreds, if not thousands, of small business owners whose livelihood depends on the oil industry.  Read More ...

If it sounds, acts like racism... This is America, but you wouldn't think so in light of recent events wherein two high-profile, long-serving African-American congressman have come under attack. They are being dragged through the mud in a rush to judgment regarding alleged ethics violations. Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) are the accused.  Read More ...

Setting the record straight The recent article about air quality in the Gulf (“Gulf left gasping for air from spill’s many toxins” – July 26), contained numerous factual errors and unsupported claims about the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH).  For example:  Read More ...

The merits of home-schooling Your publication’s fine article, “Homeschooling numbers rise in minorities’ households,”  (August 2, 2010) on the phenomenal growth of home-schooling made an important point about a common motivation of these dedicated parents. A Chicana mom, Daniella Sevilla, who teaches her five- and nine-year-old children, observed that “in a public school, everyone has to learn the same thing whether they are interested in that or not.”  Home-schooling parents wish to tailor education to the individual needs of their children.  Read More ...

Changing minds takes time We’ve come a long way in America as it pertains to race relations. However, when an upstanding woman that has excelled throughout her long career is forced to resign before the facts are revealed, in an effort to be politically correct; it’s time to examine where our journey to justice and equality has led us.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Promoting a nonviolent future In case we haven’t noticed, the military draws about $1 million per second, 24/7-365, producing nothing consumable, just using, just consuming, just taking, taking, taking. The economic costs to the taxpayer are stupendous. It is the welfare system for warriors, and those warriors tell us they take care of our security. Really? Our economy is radically insecure, our ecology is insecure, and our oceans are rising.  Read More ...

The Atlantis project waiting in the wings A Community Voice — Louisi­ana met with Congressman Cao to ask him for help with BP's other oil rig in the Gulf — the Atlantis.  It is off the Louisiana coast and is the largest in the world.  Significant information has been turned into Cao and others that shows that this rig has engineering problems.  Cao would not even listen or commit to help.  He did not respond or refused to answer whether he would help or not.  Read More ...

Demand a new energy policy and climate bill Water is part of our common public trust. That’s a simple, democratic idea that has no party lines. Legal principles that are part of our environmental laws and date back to before the  Read More ...

La.’s landmark abortion bills I commend Gov. Bobby Jindal for signing the landmark abortion bills on Tuesday that significantly tighten the state’s regulations on abortionists and their practices.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Is it now normal to be abnormal? Recently, I listened as a teenage girl talked about her boyfriend’s professionally diagnosed emotional disorders. What surprised me was that she spoke of these disorders as if they were status symbols.  Read More ...

Make a conscientious effort to reduce and reuse I recently received a letter from Gulf Response Involvement Team stating, “The first step in the fight against oil is to reduce the amount of debris in the potential impact zones.” And, this got me thinking about where this trash comes from.  Read More ...

The politics of human lives vs. oil pollution in 2 red states President Obama has made over 6,000 La National Guard Troops available to fight wetlands and coastal pollution from the BP Blowout at BP expense and approved by them. Fast-talking LA Governor Jindal has deployed only around 1,100. When CBS News asked him why, he obviously thought he was addressing a Louisiana “Dummy Diploma.” Bobby blamed who else, the Coast Guard and the Obama Administration for creating obstacles. CBS quickly cut to Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen who said, Jindal is incorrect to say there are boundaries, imaginary or otherwise, standing in the governor’s way.  Read More ...

Perfidious harassment of our musicians I just can’t believe that our new mayor and new police chief with all of the pressing issues facing this city would waste any resources in trying to discourage the BIGGEST draw to this city, its music and musicians.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Dealing with roaches June is National Pest Control Month—but instead of reaching for the Raid, why not show a little kindness to a cockroach?  Read More ...

The only good Black man is a blamed and framed one The Western movies of old implanted in young impressionable minds, “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.” Movie racism was a huge part of American life. We know all about racism that relegated so- called races to a caste system. A lexicon emerged from this order that made genocide, racism and sociopaths seem normal. How else could movies get away with advocating the annihilation of a complete class of people. Poli­tically speaking, what are American conservatives and the T.E.A. party really saying?  Read More ...

Give schools flexibility Schools, like most endeavors, run best when those closest to the front lines have the ability and tools to do their jobs. Flexibility and local decision making are often the keys to allowing creativity and seeking better outcomes. Rep. Jane Smith knows this. She worked in the classroom, oversaw a large high school and then ran a very successful school district.  Read More ... 2 opinions posted

Stop blaming Obama With the spill of oil in the Gulf and the comments that have been floating around such as “When is Obama going to do something?” it brought to my mind the story of the “Little Dutch Boy.” The little Dutch boy, for those who don’t remember, held the water back from a dam with his finger and he saved the city by doing it.  Read More ...

To ‘disperse’ it means it will never be cleaned up A report written by Anita George-Ares and James R. Clark for Exxon Biomedical Sciences, Inc., entitled “Acute Aquatic Toxi­city of Three Corexit Products: An Overview” states that “Corexit 9500, Cor­e­xit 9527,  and Corexit 9580 have moderate toxicity to early life stages of fish, crustaceans and mollusks (LC50 or EC50 – 1.6 to 100 ppm*). It goes on to say that decreasing water temperatures in lab tests showed decreased toxicity, a lowered uptake of the dispersant.  Read More ...

Will victims of the BP oil spill have to pay twice? The question is whether victims of the BP oil spill will have to pay twice: (a) once for the spill, the environmental and economic damages of which will devastate their way of life and leave many in financial ruin; and (b) again for daring to demand justice, which will consume their time, energy and hopes for years to come if they are held hostage by class action lawsuits.  Read More ...

La.’s revenue is up in smoke I would like to address the speculation raised since the start of debate regarding Senate Bill 348 mandating a total smoking ban in bars and commercial casinos but exempting Indian casinos.  Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois and Pennsylvania have implemented total or partial smoking bans and without exception saw an immediate reduction in revenues.  Read More ...

Just say ‘thank you’ Mr. Pierce’s personal, financial and professional sacrifice to restore the historic Pontchartrain Park is unparalleled. Black New Orleans especially, is forever indebted.  Read More ...

Reality check, please! There is now an outbreak of a deadly tropical fungus in the Pacific Northwest, but we need more time to study global warming.  We’ve got an ongoing environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.   The drilling platform has sunk, and the pipeline has snapped off under the seafloor.   An entire oilfield, under-pressure, is punctured and will disgorge its contents, indefinitely.   Afraid they’re going to have to re-name the Emerald Coast. The coal-mining disaster, two wars, boy, it takes a lot to fill up your SUV. “Drill, baby drill”,  what a noble mantra.  Read More ...

Sodexo protests It’s unfortunate you didn’t reach out to Sodexo representatives directly before running your recent story on the SEIU’s smear campaign against Sodexo currently underway in New Orleans and several other cities. I appreciate your including quotes from other published sources, but we could have given you even more context and detail to help balance the union’s false allegations against Sodexo.  Read More ...

Stop passing the broadband buck The broadband miracle is spreading nationwide and here in Louisiana. With $60 billion invested in faster broadband networks each year, broadband technologies are increasing the productivity of our local farmers, finding new markets for our small businesses, bringing telemedicine to rural areas, and increasing student test scores.  Read More ...

Respect needed, not alienation I was disappointed and troubled by the comments from Mayor-Elect Mitch Landrieu regarding the four community representatives who resigned or were asked to resign from the Task Force involved in the selection process for a new police chief. All of these individuals (Danatus King, Baty Landis, Norris Henderson and Gina Womack) and their organizations (NAACP, Silenceis­violence, V.O.T.E. and Friends and Families of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC)) have been active in our community for years, providing non-violent alternatives to resolving conflicts, addressing the deep problems involving crime and community distrust of the police department, and advocating for best practices in the police department.  Read More ...

Why are children killing children in N.O.? The shooting of eight people the second weekend of April in one incident has once again set off a debate about youth violence in New Orleans. What I find troubling is that in the April 13 issue of the local daily paper which reports this incident and several other killings, the paper also reports another police officer under investigation into the alleged police killing of a Black man in the aftermath of Katrina;  Read More ...

Louisiana SLAPP and Louisiana SLLAPP In the 1990’s, powerful business interest across the nation initiated what came to be known as “Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation,” (SLAPP). Lawsuits were filed by businesses against poor and middle-class citizens in order to discourage them from filling petitions of redress for egregious environmental of­fenses, as well as others.  Read More ...

No Ross Perot In an article for The Wash­ington Post, former VP Dan Quayle says “tea partiers have risen on their own and stirred up trouble in GOP primaries” and “the emergence of official Tea Party candidates would be very welcome news in the Obama White House.” He equates the movement with the Ross Perot presidential campaigns of 1992 and 1996, which he blames for his party’s loss in 1992  Read More ...

Justice for Black farmers has been denied for too long When President Abraham Lincoln created the United States Department of Agri­culture (USDA) in 1862 he referred to it as the People’s Department. The problem is that its services have never been available to all the people. Although more recently, with the Clinton and Obama administrations, efforts have been made to correct discriminatory problems at the USDA, it’s an unfortunate fact that the USDA’s history has been marred by rampant discrimination.  Read More ...

Failure of Recovery District In an article for Education Week on September 2, 2009 titled “Race to the Top Lessons from New Orleans,” Paul Vallas and Leslie Jacobs touted the “compelling results” since the state takeover of New Orleans schools. Vallas and Jacobs in their article suggested that the New Orleans takeover plan could serve as a model for turning around other troubled school systems in the U.S. In describing the Recovery District, they pointed out that the term “Recovery District”  meant “recovery from academic failure — not from the hurricane.  Read More ...

Videotaping a must The front-page article of the Times-Picayune on February 25, 2010, “Former NOPD supervisor admits Katrina cover-up,” tells us something we already know. Corruption in the New Orleans Police Department is alive and well!  Read More ...

Resources for older African Americans Millions of Americans have experienced hard times during the economic recession. With unemployment just under ten percent nationally and the demand for jobs high, many people – especially mid-life and older Americans – have been forced to make increasingly difficult decisions to cope with this economic downturn—decisions that could have serious long-term consequences. A recent survey by AARP finds that the environment for many African Americans and their families is particularly difficult.  Read More ...

Benson’s welfare The hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate welfare being given to Saints owner Tom Benson and Co. is appalling enough even without consideration of the fact that Louisiana is broke and facing budget slashes to education, healthcare, law enforcement, infrastructure and a host of other more important causes than subsidizing a team of overpaid  athletes, some of whom do not even live in Louisiana,  and their rich owners.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Black History within plain view Black History Month is a specific time in the calendar year designated to pause and pay homage to the vast contributions of African Americans in and for this country. When we stop to celebrate the struggles and achievements of Black people, we are reminded of the imperative of teaching and weaving these achievements into the fabric of school curriculum throughout the year.  Read More ...

Police cover-ups While the recent confession in federal court of Police Lieutenant Lohman, admitting criminal activity in the case of the Danziger 7, vindicates accusations in the Black community with respect to police cover-ups regarding police crimes, justice is still not served. This confession makes it abundantly clear, that the perceived poor, and/or mostly African-American community in New Orleans are low-hanging fruit when it comes to so- called corrupt policing.  Read More ...

The ugly side of Mardi Gras I am outraged that the Krewe of Endymion would throw profanity.  Read More ...

Operation REACH, Inc. seeks support for youth Operation REACH, Inc. is currently identifying funding partners and local foundations interested in supporting a youth leadership movement across the Southern region. Operation REACH, Inc. (ORI) is a New Orleans-based non-profit organization dedicated to engaging, empowering, and inspiring community-focused youth leadership across the American South.  Read More ...

A win-win opportunity for New Orleans New Orleans, as a former and future host of the annual National Football League Super Bowl event, receives a copious number of benefits from that hosting opportunity.  One favorable circumstance comes in the form of the NFL’s Youth Education Town or Y.E.T. program. For every city that hosts a Super Bowl, the NFL invests $1 million to build one of its Y.E.T. centers, and the host committee secures public and private funds to match the NFL investment.  Read More ...

Don’t drink the kool aid, the election is not over As we move closer to the municipal elections on Feb. 6, pundits and white mainstream media sources have already proclaimed certain candidates as the winners and thus ordained the next mayor. Despite the fact that not a single vote has been cast, these sources believe that New Orleans is likely to have two white candidates in the runoff; insuring the election of a white mayor.  Read More ...

Louisiana is ready to weatherize in 2010 We’re just a few days into the new year, so let’s make another resolution: Let’s resolve to weatherize 2,000 homes in Louisiana's low-income neigh­borhoods in 2010.  Read More ...

The Church of God in America God showed he hates bigotry when he gave Miriam leprosy for criticizing Moses for marrying the “Ethiopian” woman, the same punishment he meted out to King Uzziah when he profaned the Temple of God. God showed He hates slavery when, in Exodus 21:16, He said, “he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.” God sees slavery as a sin akin to murder.  Read More ... 2 opinions posted

Citizens deserve a public option Give Americans the choice of a public option. Congress should model the final bill after the House version, which contains a national public option, the key to real competition, greater choice, and lower costs.  Read More ...

Healthcare reform has been a long time coming Health care reform in this country has been a long time coming.  For too long the healthcare needs of the American people took a back seat to Big Insurance, Big Pharma, and the Big Healthcare Lobby. For too long, the special healthcare interests have called the tune and the American people have paid the piper an ever higher price.  Read More ...

Stimulus needs better reporting One camp argues that the Recovery Act has done a good job in preventing the country from plunging into a more serious crisis than the one we’ve got, while another camp says the whole effort has had little effect and was an expensive mistake. We suspect the former conclusion is correct, but would like better evidence.  Read More ...

Let’s be proud of the healthcare debate and move forward As a patient who cannot get affordable health insurance secondary to pre-existing conditions, these words offer both hope and fear. Hope in that the changes will allow obtainable and affordable health insurance once again and fear that the changes are not appropriate and will only make matters worse.  Read More ...

Why don’t Republican neocons trust the U.S. Constitution When the 3/5 Compromise was written into Article I of the U.S. Constitution, claiming Blacks and Indians as partial humans, it was the law of the land. When the entire document was completed, Jefferson and the founders were declared geniuses for creating the greatest constitutional document since the Magna Carta. When the 13th Amendment eradicated that notion, the Founders were credited with the foresight of creating a living document.  Read More ...

Stand up to Catholic Church Do you know where your money is going?  It a time when the economy is still hurting, money is scarce, people are starving, families are losing their homes, and Catholic dioceses all over the United States are having to close parishes and cut back on resources, why were Catholic dioceses and Bishops sending money to Portland, Maine to discriminate against our gay brothers and sisters, denying them basic, fundamental, human rights?  Read More ... 2 opinions posted

Support cap and trade legislation While many Republicans are predicting an increase in energy costs if we pass the cap and trade legislation, they are missing the big picture. In fact, the legislation will save exponentially more money than it will cost, as was seen with the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.  Read More ...

Cao still out of touch Congressman Joseph Anh Cao’s, LA 2nd Congressional Representative, vote in favor of the watered down Public Option was a “win- win” vote. The vote would have carried with or without Cao; everybody understood that. Innocuous party threats against him is great window dressing/okeydoke.  Read More ...

Numbers don’t add up As  a citizen I would  ask for a detail cost accounting for every penny spent  by  the Orleans  Parish sheriff department.  It appears as though Louisiana and the city of New Orleans  use the prison system as a money making venture.  Read More ...

Practicing tolerance The Fort Hood massacre is said to have been committed by a Muslim and it would be easy to blame it on the Islamic faith and people who look Middle Eastern without considering that Timothy McVey, Albert DeSalvo, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy weren’t of that faith. Let’s be calm and practice tolerance.  Read More ...

New Orleans Schools improving When I taught first grade in New Orleans public schools, the fall was an important time for reflection.  By that time, I knew the kids well enough to assess what was working and what needed more attention.  These same principles apply to me, as I near the conclusion of my first year on the School Board.   Read More ...

Preventing breast cancer through healthcare reform One simple test could end up saving thousands of women’s lives. Yet, for those without health insurance, the test comes too late. According to the American Cancer Society, this year alone an estimated 40,170 women will lose their lives to breast cancer. Meanwhile, it is estimated that 4,000 breast cancer deaths could be prevented just by increasing the percentage of women who receive breast cancer screenings to 90 percent.  Read More ...

Drinking while driving costs us all Just about everyone knows that each year hundreds of Louisiana people are killed and thousands more are injured as a result of alcohol-related crashes. This is, of course, the most devastating result of drinking and driving. However, few people are aware of the huge impact that impaired driving has on their pocketbooks.  Read More ...

What’s good for the citizenry should be good enough for our elected officials More than 30 years ago I heard the now late Rev. E .C. Hill state, “I do not trust the leftwing or the rightwing because they are both flapping off the same bird, and it is a bird of destruction.”  Read More ...

The firing of Newcomb Childcare Center director Dr. Elaine Joseph was fired from her post as director of the Newcomb Child Care Center two days ago. She was summarily fired by administrator Anne Banos of Tulane University.  Dr. Joseph was forced to leave her office immediately under the watch of armed security guards.  Read More ...

No need for debate — LaCHIP provides quality health care for Louisiana’s children today As our leaders deliberate on the future of our country’s health care system, I would like to request that we, as Louisianians, protect our state’s most valuable resource — our children. The Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families is devoted to improving the well being of children by addressing health, education, social-emotional development, parenting education and family support.  Read More ...

Nobel Peace Prize is not for warmongers Here is a news flash so listen up Neocons and nostalgic Dubya,  Rumsfield and Cheney groupies. When you ask about what President Obama has done to win the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, you’ve already demon­strated you penchant for oxymoronic ignorance.  Read More ...

The Health Care Debate As a healthcare provider, I would like to see everyone who needs healthcare receive it.  As a former manager and healthcare employee, I also like to get paid.  As much as I love nursing, I understand I cannot do it on a volunteer basis, since my electric company likes to get paid too!  Read More ...

‘No’ to council pay raises I want to publicly make my position known relative to the recently introduced ordinance dealing with pay raises for City Council members and the mayor. When this issue comes up for a vote I will be voting no.  Read More ...

When are WE going to get over it? For much of the last 40 years, ever since America “fixed” its race problem in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, we white people have been impatient with African Americans who continued to blame race for their difficulties. Often we have heard whites ask, “When are African Americans finally going to get over it?  Now I want to ask “When are we White Americans going to get over our ridiculous obsession with skin color?  Read More ...

It’s for the kids, right? Compliments are in order for the forces behind the attempt at New Orleans Recreational Department re-organization led by Rod West and Roy Glapion.  Read More ...

To tear down Charity Hospital is to tear another piece from the soul of New Olreans The city of New Orleans infamously tore down the birthplace of her most famous son, Louis Armstrong, in the name of “progress.” The same can be said for numerous other historic locations across the city.  The four buildings that remain of the uptown section of Storyville, an area of town that factors significantly into the history of jazz, America’s only indigenous art form, as well as Armstrong’s life, have been in danger of demolition by neglect for decades.  Read More ...

Identification based on dummy diplomas might be a good thing Decent used to mean, covering your intimate body parts so as not to provoke indecent thoughts or ideas about one’s character. However and today, too many to count young and old, are at a critical mass that says “showing your drawers is a good thang.” These folk not only deserve a dummy diploma, but we should pull it out of a garbage can before handing it to them.  Read More ...

La. on wrong side of track for its children Once again Louisiana finds itself on the wrong side of the spectrum when it comes to nurturing our children. The recent report released in the 2009 Kids Count data book assembled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ranks Loui­siana 49th out of 50 states; a position we have held for the past 10 years.  Read More ...

Open letter to the Community at-large If you left your community’s Night Out Against Crime event inspired to get involved in the fight against crime in some way, PLEASE don’t forget about TEENS. In New Orleans, we are facing a worsening crisis called TEEN VIOLENCE.  Read More ...

It was a "stupid" act You see how totally disingenuous the police officers were acting?  How do you act disorderly in your own home?  How do you disturb the peace in the middle of the day? According to the police officer, Dr. Gates was not disturbing the peace of the community, he disturbed the peace of that particular police officer. Who in the neighborhood complained of disorderly conduct or of their peace being disturbed? No one!  Read More ...

Fair royalties for taxpayers The companies are relying on the 1995 “Royalty Relief” Act authored by then-Senators Johnston and Breaux and Rep. Tauzin. They wanted to encourage production in the Gulf when oil prices were low.  Their bill waived the mineral royalties normally paid to the American people, who own the resources.  Read More ...

Jindal is wrong, again! Bobby Jindal’s veto funding for the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital, while shocking, was not unexpected. The administration had been telegraphing its intentions for weeks.   It is that self-same logic that makes the Governor’s veto of a 17-member council to battle homelessness so inexplicable and indefensible.  Read More ...

white Americans are confused on racism How many times have you heard a white American call a Black American a racist?   They sound so confused and adept at name-calling. Here are a few questions that’ll hopefully get them out of the dark:  Read More ... 3 opinions posted

A bright economic future I introduced an ordinance on June 18 to aid our local small and minority-owned businesses. The purpose of this measure, initially, is to promote economic development; however, ultimately, it will serve as an essential tool in the battle against poverty in our community.  Read More ...

An open letter to Mayor Ray Nagin Here we go again. You seem more interested in getting out of New Orleans  than staying and rebuilding. Why don't you get in your chauffeur-driven limo and have them drive you to St Bernard, where the population there is less than New Orleans East, yet St Bernard is thriving with the energy and enthusiasm to bring Walmart back to their parish.  Read More ...

Double Jeopardy, Jim Crow and the NOLA Catholic Church At the height of Jim Crow, a time when Blacks were denied full access to Catholic Arch_dioceses in New Orleans and were required to sit behind signs in the Catholic Church that read, "For Colored Only," they built Epiphany Church with their own "in-kind" labor and professional artisans.  Read More ...

Government Asked to Revisit Hurricane Recovery Stats Nearly one week after holding a roundtable forum with city, state and FEMA officials to discuss the pace of reconstructing hurricane damaged public facilities, Congressmen Anh "Joseph" Cao (R-LA), Steve Scalise (R-LA) and John L. Mica (R-FL), petitioned the federal government on June 8 to lobby for accuracy and definites regarding the number and vastness of backlogged FEMA Public Assistance projects that have accumulated as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Read More ... Nayita Wilson, Contributing Writer

Give Us Medicare! I've had cancer and diabetes.  I live with my mom who is 90 and has Alzheimer's.  The other person in the house, who also takes care of mom, has had cancer.  We want to see a universal health care bill passed this year.  Read More ...

Karl Rove vs Gen. Colin Powell When Ronald Reagan met our former Chairman Ulysses Moore at a Greater New Orleans rally, he wore a dark brown suit to honor our skin hue. The archives of every major mainstream media outlet will certify what President Reagan promised to do for us in private. However and beyond simple symbolism, President Reagan gave us a commitment to our Black Agenda. Reagan is considered the quintessential Republican conservative.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Racial inequality is deepening The Black love affair with President Barack Obama is stronger than with any figure in the post-civil rights era. According to a recent New York Times poll, President Obama enjoys a 96 percent approval rating among African Americans. As an African American myself, I too feel pride and joy in seeing one of us succeed and attain so much respect and acclaim in the United States, a country with such a strong and recent history of racist oppression and alienation.  Read More ...

Fighting violence and Ritalin I, as a pastor. have conducted the funerals of many Black youth in my wonderful Queen City of the South, New Orleans.  Read More ...

Silly lawsuits are no laughing matter Last week, a Louisiana woman made national and international headlines when she filed suit against Wal-Mart over what she claims was a much-too-close encounter of the furry kind. Read More ...

Bipartisan at its ugliest If you want to witness bi-partisanship at is ugliest, look no further than Baton Rouge and some of the controversial decisions that have been made by Governor Bobby Jindal over the past several months.  Read More ...

Delinquent real estate property tax notices Recently the collection agency of the City of New Orleans' tax collector, its Finance Department, mailed delinquent notices to property owners for real estate taxes with the threat of selling their property if not paid.  This notice has brought hundreds of panicked property owners to their Assessor's office unnecessarily.  Read More ...

Waterboarding and torture Torture is wrong because it doesn't work. Societies must, at times, walk into questionable moral territory, but when that happens, you should at least get results. With torture, you don't. The confessions obtained are no good, and the enemies you create in the process will be highly motivated, and knock back at you hard.  Read More ...

We need real ideas I’m one of those reflexive anti-war guys, the type with one answer for everything. Stop the war. Bring the troops home from Iraq. Right now. Bring ’em home from Afghanistan, too, and it’s high time that the U.S. ends its brutal occupation of North America, as well. When confronted with the notion that the immediate departure of all U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan could lead to chaos, I’ll respond that whatever happens next couldn’t be any worse than if we remain. What if the various sides in Iraq start going at it? Doesn’t America bear some responsibility….? Yes, I say, but the single solution is to bring home all troops.  Read More ...

Republican T.E.A. Parties? Tax Payer bailouts for mismanaged corporations and market deregulation is a Republican construction. From Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, all roads led to where the U.S. markets are today. Citizen outrage that grew over these issues originated with the administration of George W. Bush.  Read More ...

Invest in early education Act 876, passed last year to assure Universal Early Childhood in Louisiana is not being implemented nor funded this year.  What an unfortunate and damaging decision, both to our children and our state. If you consider yourself a leader, you must take immediate action to support the most important challenge you face – educating our young children so they can be successful students and successful citizens.  You know the facts.  It would be morally wrong to ignore them for another year.  Read More ...

On Monday On Monday, March 2, Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN) convened a group of residents representing over 30 neighborhood associations and non-profits in the city to discuss legislative priorities in advance of April 27, when state legislators will go into session in Baton Rouge. Read More ...

A profound misunderstanding Last week, the First Lady visited a soup kitchen that sits seven blocks from the White House and helped serve food. Someone in the soup line photographed Ms. Obama with a cell phone camera, and conservatives went nuts, writing in that anyone who can afford a cell phone should not get a free meal. Apparently, free meals should be reserved for those who have absolutely nothing to their name.  Read More ...

The blame game Rush Limbaugh wants our President to fail. Rush will still have a "job" (he'll still be able to afford his medication): demagogues and blow-hards always find easy pickings in economic hard times, blaming the weak, and minorities. Look what it did for Adolf's career.  Read More ...

Playing the Race Card-This is How We (Should) Do It! In the past week, I have sent several letters out to various groups, with more to be sent in a campaign that is intended to look at the dynamics of the dialogue on race. I am proposing that there be introductory dialogue of those who are the participants, leaders, beneficiaries, and/or stakeholders in our community that we call New Orleans. I propose an introductory dialogue in an effort to establish a level playing field between those who sit at the table and discuss how the Race Card can be less of a weapon in resolving matters relating to rebuilding of our city. I am proposing this introductory dialogue because with all that New Orleans is noted for, historically, it is also known by its diversity.  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

An Open Letter to Gov. Bobby Jindal What were you thinking? Who are your advisers to put you on a world stage and condemn a stimulus(spending) package intended to turn this economic disaster around? Who are you, representing Louisiana citizens,  to tell the country what is good for the nation, when Louisiana ranks last in everything good and first in everything bad? Who are you to tell the rest of the country — a country that sits on over 40 active volcanoes —that volcano monitoring is wasteful, when the most common causes of tsunamis around the world are volcanoes and earthquakes?  Read More ...

Cao owes us the leadership promised As a citizen of Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, I watched the debate in Washington over the recently passed stimulus package with great interest and disappointment.  I was disappointed to learn that, in an unprecedented effort to stimulate our nation’s economy, Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district was ranked last in receipt of stimulus dollars.  Read More ...

Concerned about NOLa crime I'm writing because I want the news media  to know just how truthful the city politicians & leaders are when they speak on their concerns for the continued /increase of crime in New Orleans caused by juveniles.  Read More ...

A "Vall"uable Lesson The New York Times articles are gone; the cameras have stopped rolling; the thrown-together plans have been approved; it's time for the real enacting work to begin...and where is Paul Vallas, the xth superintendent of the Recovery School District in less than five years? Just as so many other high administrators in public education, Mr. Vallas is checking out before the mess he created comes to the forefront.  Mr. Vallas's cowardly actions are not a surprise. He has made a career of building himself up on the backs of struggling inner-city students across the United States.  Read More ...

A defining moment January 20 marked a defining moment in our history as President Barack Obama embarks on a new journey as our nation’s leader.  Read More ...

La.’s ‘no you can’t’ Republican and who should take the blame We have our answer. Questions were raised about a neo-conservative Republican elected to the 2nd Congressional District, a district constructed to help negate years of discrimination against Black Representation.  Read More ...

An Open Letter to President Obama What a wonderful moment it must have been to place your hand on the Lincoln Bible and take the oath of office as the 44th president of the United States. Just as exhilarating must have been the feeling in your heart as you looked across the National Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial and took in the mass of humanity proudly looking back at you.  Read More ...

Re: In Search of Our Minds Most of what a typical Black knows, he learned from television and a white-oriented main stream medium. Read More ...

Reopen Comiskey Park We have been trying to get our park open since September 2005 after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. We feel as though we are screaming amongst deaf ears, and simply are being ignored by Larry Barabino and the NORD administration.  Read More ...

We are asking schools to do what school cannot do! Schools cannot eliminate the racial academic achievement gap because schools do not create the gap. This gap must be eliminated at the source—at home, in the family and in the community.  Read More ...

Obama’s middle-class tax cuts Anything greater than 100 percent is an ethereal intangible. Its’ like saying there’s something less than nothing, or something greater than all. John McCain refutes this with his logic and fuzzy math about Barack Obama’s middle class tax cuts:  Read More ... By Hal Green

Mayor Nagin is out of touch Once again, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has proven that he is out of touch with reality.  The world and nation are going through a financial meltdown and he is proposing tax raises.  People are struggling with the high cost of living in New Orleans due to insurance, food and energy costs that have gone through the roof.  People are struggling to hold on to their jobs.  Read More ... Bill Walsh

A corrective moment of history The SCLC was not scheduled to be formed in New Zion Baptist Church, 2319 Third Street. SCLC was scheduled to be formed in the Municipal Auditorium.  Read More ... By Lois Amelia Tilly

Affirmative Action You know I am so sick of all this talk about Affirmative Action... Read More ...

Where are we headed? As I looked at the dismal number of African-Americans who voted in the previous election, I could not help but wonder: Where are we headed?  Read More ... 1 opinion posted

Ms. Duplessis After Governor Jindal’s veto of SB 672 You made a statement that Bobby Jindal has a lot to learn in dealing  with the legislature.  Read More ...

SECOND LINE, SECONDHAND BLUES Are we ever going to learn? Secondhand smoke is dangerous! I was in awe of the number of sane adults smoking at a recent Second Line celebration on the Westbank. Read More ...

City administration’s rebuttal to criticisms Initially, I was going to title this letter “Lee and Me” in honor of the hit spot WWL reporter Lee Zurik filed on our 311 system. Though I enjoyed educating Lee on the facts of how the system functions and disabusing Lee of the many misstatements and mischaracterizations he made in that report, it was unfortunate that it happened only after the severely flawed report had been played repeatedly for the viewing public.  Read More ... Letter to the Editor