Somebody's Gotta Say Something!

Accusations of Socialism!

The first year of the Obama administration has seen quite a few interesting developments.  The first of these were the massive bailout of the banks, which was a continuation of a mistake made by President Bush.  In the words of  Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), while speaking on the Senate floor outlines the problem: "The more we proceed with policies whereby the government owns 80% of the stock of a private insurance company -- having poured $170 billion of our wealth into it -- the more we are inevitably compelled to direct how the company operates, to the point of deciding who their executives should be, what the company’s salary scale should be, or what aircraft it can or cannot have or where or what kind of corporate retreat they may have, and whether or not it can pay bonuses."  This direction was taken under the auspices that these banks were too big to fail.  However, to the economically

Titan Cement, a Good Environmental Neighbor

Carolinas Cement, a subsidiary of Titan Cement is a much needed business addition for our area.  I understand some of the concerns that the many of the cement manufacturer opponents have.  However, as I detailed in an earlier editorial, the company is a strong company that we could certainly use in this area and should welcome with open arms, at least from an economical perspective.  The incentives were not and are not a cash payment and will not be paid until Titan produces 2.2 million dollars of tax revenue.

Now, let us focus our attention on the environmental concerns that are continually expressed in our community.  In the air permit application that was filed in 2008 the potential to emit (PTE) mercury and other

In Defense of Titan Cement

      I was talking to someone the other day and they said that we should never pay a company an incentive to come here.  As I pondered their position, I had to ask myself; Why not?  If that is what the competition is doing and if that company’s presence could have long term economic benefit to this area, why should we eliminate ourselves from this opportunity?

 

    First of all, to resist the current arrangement with Titan Cement based on an anti-cash incentive stems from a misunderstanding of the incentive package.  The incentive, is in fact performance based.  Titan first has to

Whatever Happened to Due Process?

Recently, a friend of mine was accused of a crime. After he was accused, it seemed that no stone was left unturned to prove his guilt. Of course, as has become the norm in our society, his name was plastered all over town while the investigation continued. Little concern seemed to be given to the fact that the allegations may turn out to be false. After over a year of time elapsed, all charges were dropped.

The prosecutor said that the decision not to prosecute should not be presumed to be an indication that the victims were lying. Okay then, what should we presume? Whatever

The Denial of Black Culture

It appears to me that we have abandoned many of the hallmarks of our African-American culture that made it possible for us to not only survive but thrive in the aftermath of slavery and the subsequent institutional racial hostilities. Our sense of right and wrong derived from our acceptance of an absolute right and wrong as taught by the Holy Bible. This of course was strengthened by and made alive by our personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord. Our conscience was held captive by that which was and is higher than we are. As we continue to deny our true black culture, we see increased pathological social problems in our communities.

Even during our holiday season we see evidences of this continual denial of true Black

The Fragile Male Ego?

The other day I was reading an article and a phrase that I have heard over and over again really got my attention. The person was writing and they mentioned the 'Fragile Male Ego'. As I pondered this, I asked myself, what does this really mean. Believe me when I say this, I've heard this term before and to some degree or the other I just accepted it as being relevant to the truth. However, when I focused on this idea a little I realized how ridiculous the concept this phrase represents.

Well the first thing that you probably need to know about me is I enjoy being a man. I

Wake-up call or Changing of the guard!

The recent elections causes one to pause and reflect as to what direction the culture of this great nation is headed in. On the one hand traditionalists have a vision of what the country should be, and yet, on the other hand secular progressives have their vision of what we should be. In many ways, this contest is reflected in the political struggles between the Democrats and Republicans.

With much of the celebration going on in the Democratic Party, I find it interesting

Advancing abortion!

The past week or so has been an interesting time in politics. First, Michael J. Fox starred in a political commercial that highlighted the symptoms of the Parkinson’s disease he suffers from. Then, Rush Limbaugh criticized, some say 'mocked', his appearance in the commercial. That may be debatable. Predictably, Mr. Limbaugh's response to the commercial becomes the primary issue that is being talked about in many media outlets.

I'm sure that many are fans of both Mr. Fox and Mr. Limbaugh. However, I find it

What About The Impact On My Community?

This past month has been an interesting time for those that take seriously the impact that the civil rights movement has had on the American cultural and political landscape. Many have said that the protest, marches, and demonstrations that are being executed by the Latino community are akin to the demonstrations of the civil rights movement in the sixties.

I can see the point that some are trying to make, however, in my opinion, the differences are so obvious that it causes me to think that maybe I've entered into the

Strange Fruit Indeed!

Depending on your of view of Mr. William Bennett, former Secretary of Education for the Reagan administration, On September 28 of this year (2005), Mr. Bennett uttered a very unsettling or revealing view. In response to a caller to his 'Morning in America' show as they discussed ‘Freakonomics’, a book authored by Mr. William Morrow, Mr. Bennett said the following. 'But I do know that its true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime