Civil Rights

Self-proclaimed critics attempted to tie Michael Brown to the Gangsta Life of the rap songs and violence, concluding that a kid with no criminal record was no better than a thug. Perhaps these critics have forgotten about the past, when young children idolized the pirates of the 1700s, the cowboys of the 1800s Old West, and the gangsters, bank robbers and killers of the early 1900s for their criminal exploits.

Can we as citizens of this nation have an influence on policies that could help to alleviate some of the pain/strife that we see in this nation? Should we be trying to make this country/this world a better place or should we just be spectators?

"These ISIS guys, they won't be armed, right? I mean, we're seasoned Ferguson cops, we're used to dealing harshly with groups of unarmed enemies, we're great at that."

Apparently, revolution and guns are only good things when in the hands of white people. Can you imagine what would be happening in Ferguson, MO right now if those protesting over the murder of Michael Brown openly carried rifles and hand guns in their protests?

Ferguson, Missouri, is a majority-black city governed and policed mostly by whites. The mayor is white. The police chief is white. The police force is 94 percent white. Only one of its six city council members is black. Ferguson, with a 67 percent black population, seem to defy electoral logic.

The militarization of police forces has turned them from a philosophy of protecting and serving the community to responding to even minor situations en masse with armored vehicles, military gear and combat uniforms complete with helmets and gas masks and we see an America that only used to live in dark science fiction stories.

The real issue here is that when you criticize white people in power for using their power to further oppress black people, you're being racist. After all, aren't you attacking only white people when you do so?

As if there weren't enough to keep track of over the past week, New Yorkers were treated to heavy rotation of a shocking video showing what appears to be wanton, naked police brutality. Eric Garner, a 43 year old...

I have always thought that legal pot would stop people from buying from a dealer who could be adding other drugs to it for some nefarious reason.  Making it legal could help some people who would like to try it for a medical reason. How do you feel about legalizing pot?

We are “responsible for the greatest trust ever confided to a political society.” (Patrick Henry) But as polling demonstrates the American Public has shirked its responsibility in failing to be the informed electorate that John Adams believed was the foundation of any democracy.