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Black History Month; The Subject that Segregates

by BL Angert, Fri Feb 20, 2009 at 01:32:15 PM EST

The history of Black Americans is a glorious one. It is a chronicle filled with much triumph, as well as many trials and tribulations. Yet, many debate whether a month that commemorates people, pitch in color, defies reason. Do the days dedicated to the acknowledgement of African American achievements divide us as a nation? The answer, some say is a complex one. Consider the thoughts of Columnist, Clarence Page of The Chicago Tribune. Is Black History Month already history? Well, it depends. Another view comes from a fellow Journalist and contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cynthia Tucker. She is more emphatic in her evaluation. Ms Tucker writes; Month robs blacks of part in U.S. history, It seems the subject, Black History Month, segregates opinions.

Somewhere in America

by BL Angert, Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 11:31:12 PM EST

Senate delay on stimulus 'irresponsible': Obama

Somewhere in America, a man loses the job he has held for more than thirty years. Somewhere in America, a woman cleans out the office she had occupied for close to a decade. Elsewhere in the United States, a teen unsuccessfully tries to find work. He knows he needs to help his Mom and Dad; each toiled in the factory that closed just down the street. A young woman searches for a professional position, just as she has for the two years since she graduated form the University. Each of these individuals is not startled by the headline, Economy Shed 598,000 Jobs in January. All ask, where have the "experts," Economists, and elected officials been?

Fitzgerald; The Football Family

by BL Angert, Sun Feb 01, 2009 at 07:06:24 PM EST

Fitzgerald's Super Bowl

Millions will tune in for the competition. Perhaps, an equal number will watch only for the commercials. Super Bowl advertisements captivate consumers in a way many others do not. Myriad will look for folks they know personally in the crowd. "Color," the heartfelt stories behind the scene will fascinate a few. Some see the final football game as a reason to party hardy. Television sets merely provide background for an incredible blast. Beer will be bought. Chips crunched. Countless will munch as they await the final moment that everyone knows will, ultimately, come. "My team won," they will exclaim . . . or lost.

Numerous will explain why events unfolded as they did. The question is; does Monday morning quarterbacking really matter. Does a Sunday Super Bowl win count for more than a minute in the lives of most Americans. Does a loss? For the Fitzgerald family neither will have much meaning. For Larry Fitzgerald Senior and Junior there is so much more to consider.

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Tags: Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver, Super Bowl 43, Larry Fitzgerald Senior, Carol Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (all tags)

An Inauguration Invitation

by BL Angert, Tue Jan 13, 2009 at 01:05:03 AM EST

YrTckt

I am asking you to believe, not just in my ability to bring about a real change in Washington, I'm asking you to believe in yours.
~ Barack Obama

The invitation arrived in an electronic mail. As much as America wishes to be hopeful, I had none. I saw the communiqué and thought it would not be possible. I would never be selected to attend the inauguration. Of all the millions who are moved by this historic occasion, while I am amongst these, my anecdote is and would be far less remarkable. My personal reflection on the Obama election, would not be tragic. Nor would any thought I might muse of move a reader to say, "Yes. She should be seated at the swearing in ceremony."

Whatever I might communicate is certainly of little interest to most, if not all. Surely, the saga of a grandson, or grand-daughter, of a slave, one who worked as their ancestors had, might mesmerize more, or at least a legend such as this would enthrall me. Indeed, it did. Only yesterday, I saw and heard a film essay on James "Little Man" Presley. This steady man in Mississippi began his career when he was six [6.] On camera, this glorious gent recounted his reality of fifty years of work in the cotton fields. He shared his sorrow; as a Black man, he was barred from restaurants and royalties that might be awarded to a white man. "Little Man" Presley also presented his pleasure.

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Tags: Inauguration Invitation, Barack Obama, President Elect, Washington DC, Mary Washington, Hazel Washington, Arthur Washington (all tags)

An Inauguration Invitation

by BL Angert, Mon Jan 12, 2009 at 11:29:35 PM EST

YrTckt

I am asking you to believe, not just in my ability to bring about a real change in Washington, I'm asking you to believe in yours.
~ Barack Obama

Whatever I might communicate is certainly of little interest to most, if not all. Surely, the saga of a grandson, or grand-daughter. of a slave, one who worked as their ancestors had, might mesmerize more, or at least a legend such as this would enthrall me. Indeed, it did. Only yesterday, I saw and heard a film essay on James "Little Man" Presley. This steady man in Mississippi began his career when he was six [6.] On camera, this glorious gent recounted his reality of fifty years of work in the cotton fields. He shared his sorrow; as a Black man, he was barred from restaurants and royalties that might be awarded to a white man. "Little Man" Presley also presented his pleasure.

Katrina's [America's] Hidden Race War

by BL Angert, Mon Dec 22, 2008 at 12:21:52 AM EST

Katrina's Hidden Race War: In Aftermath of Katrina, Vigilantes Shot 11 Blacks in New Orelans (1 of 2)

Racism, in reality, is fear of the unknown. It is apprehension for what is alien to us. A bigot is often one who claims to be colorblind. However, indeed, he or she is more likely colormute. Rarely do persons who think themselves tolerant speak of the scorn they feel for those who differ from them. Often the intolerant are not aware of the rigidity that rules their lives. Few amongst Anglos in America, since most appear as they do, consider what the life of one whose complexion is cause for rejection. However, in an exposé, A.C. Thompson muses of what most rather not mention. The author addresses "Katrina's Hidden Race War."

Clean Coal and the Clause

by BL Angert, Tue Dec 16, 2008 at 02:24:26 PM EST

Barack Obama Supports Developing Clean Coal Technology

You better watch out!
Better not cry!
Better not pout!
I'm telling you why,
Santa Claus is comin' to town.

He's making a list
and checking it twice.
He's going to find out who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town.

We better watch out. We better not cry. While Santa checks his list twice, so too might you and I. The ebony chunks Old Saint Nick might place in our stocking, contrary to what coal corporation sponsored commercials might claim, are not clean. Nor is this source of energy cheap. When used as a resource for power, this sedimentary rock is dirty, deadly, and digs deep into the pocketbooks, and personal lives, of those the industry touches. In America, that may be you and me.

Millions of acres across 36 states have been dynamited, torn, and churned into bits by strip mining in the last 150 years.

More than 60 percent of all coal mined in the United States today, in fact, comes from strip mines.

In the "United States of Coal," Appalachia has become the poster child for strip mining's worst depravations, which come in the form of mountaintop removal.

An estimated 750,000 to 1 million acres of hardwood forests, a thousand miles of waterways and more than 470 mountains and their surrounding communities -- an area the size of Delaware -- have been erased from the southeastern mountain range in the last two decades.

Thousands of tons of explosives -- the equivalent of several Hiroshima atomic bombs -- are set off in Appalachian communities every year.

More than 104,000 miners in America have died in coal mines since 1900.

Twice as many have died from black lung disease.

Dangerous pollutants, including mercury, filter into our air and water (through mining practices.)

The injuries and deaths caused by overburdened coal trucks are innumerable.

A recent report reveals that in the last six years the Mine Safety and Health Administration decided not to assess fines for more than 4,000 violations.
Source . . . Washington Post. Jeff Biggers is the author of "The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture and Enlightenment to America."

Car Manufacturers Con

by BL Angert, Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 12:08:45 AM EST

Automakers Return With A Plan

Weeks ago House Representatives refused to award the auto industry a blanket bailout or even a bridge loan. Policymakers insisted they must see a reasonable plan to revamp a business near bankruptcy. The legislators set a deadline for delivery of the proposal, December 2, 2008. This same date was reserved for another auto review; in Florida a delayed vote on emission regulations would finally be realized. The two tales may seem separate; certainly, the cities where Congresspersons will meet are far apart. Nonetheless, the sagas are inexorably connected.