Racism, Hate Crimes and Legislation

Over the last few weeks, the newspapers and broadcast news have been filled with stories about "lone wolf" vigilante crimes, i.e. the shooting and killing at the Holocaust Museum and the murder of a doctor that performed abortions. America, wielding her right to bear arms boldly, has become one big Dodge City. As of this week, the CIA, FBI and other organizations that monitor this kind of thing, have reported that there are 926 hate groups in the U.S. That's a 56% increase since 2000. That's a lot of card-carrying members who probably have a lot of guns.

We still have so much to learn as a people. Many of us have deep-seeded issues regarding race, gender, national origin and other such foolishness. Imagine how much stronger this country would be if it had used the talents of all of its citizens in building America. Back in the day black people, women and Jewish people were denied admission to certain medical schools. The government spent tons of money building so-called separate, but equal facilities to keep the races apart. There are laws in some states TODAY that forbid interracial marriage.

How ridiculous we are -- fighting and killing over skin color, hair texture, gods, and where your ancestors were born. How ridiculous we are to continue to portray blacks as coons and buffoons. Wake up people! We are living in the 21st Century. The world is becoming smaller. Wake up and make a decision that you will not tolerate hatred. That you will stand up against bigotry and intolerance. Wake up. God is watching us.

Dropping Out - A Community Epidemic

Sunday's front page headline was quite disturbing. It said something about students starting the ninth grade and then finishing high school. Imagine that! They quit in the ninth grade. The story in Sunday's The Virginian-Pilot profiled several ninth graders at Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. All of them had serious issues and one was even preparing to repeat the grade a third time. In talking to my teenage son recently about this, "School is no big deal attitude," he told me that some kids have accepted the idea that their futures are a dead end. This is quite disturbing to me. How can a teenager, with so much potential to change the world, be so hopeless? There are myriad of reasons, such as no real parental support and/or discipline, substance abuse issues, financial hardships, etc. I was taught that each and every day that you're breathing -- you can make a difference in your life. If a kid's family life is like a battlefield day-in and day-out, then I can understand the hopelessness. I still believe that the public school system has not done a good job of showing children the relationship between education and earning a buck. We parents have to remain diligent in showing our own children the importance of staying in school. But we have got to do more. We have got to find a way to help other children who have lost all hope of getting an education. I don't know what the answer is, but I will continue to nurture my own son, young cousins and kids within my sphere of influence. I will preach the benefits of education to anyone who will listen.