Commentary

In Minnesota, Ethiopians brace for a dreaded visit

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:11 Douglas McGill, The McGill Report

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Pulling up folding chairs to round tables, sipping hot sweet tea out of styrofoam cups and arguing politics into the afternoon, the men at the Horn Afrik café here last weekend all had the name of one man on their lips. Every time that man’s name was mentioned, the volume of chatter was deafening.

Fight unarmed police shootings

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:10 Judge Greg Mathis

On August 24, 23-year-old Mark Anthony Barmore was shot and killed – in front of a group of children, by two Rockford, IL police officers. Barmore was wanted for questioning in a domestic dispute and, attempting to avoid police, attempted to hide in a preschool housed within a church. Police say Barmore went after one of the officer’s weapons but witnesses, including the pastor’s wife and teenaged daughter, say Barmore surrendered with his hands up.

Parenting Expert: The REAL Point of Obama's Speech to Students

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 15:09 Malcolm Gauld, Guest Commentary

As a parent and educator who has taught leadership through character education for more than three decades, I found myself perplexed by the negative and even rabid response to the televised speech Barack Obama made to the nation's students.

Citizen input essential to integration revenue hearing

Monday, 28 September 2009 14:43 State Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, Guest Column

The landmark Supreme Court case "Brown vs. Board of Education" marked a turning point in our nation's efforts to provide a quality education to all students. Decades after the nation's highest court declared that racially segregated schools did not provide a fair and equitable learning environment, Minnesota created its own Integration Revenue Program. The program was designed as a way to promote the value of a rich and diverse learning community that enhances the educational experience for all students.

Healthcare insurance cost soars

Monday, 28 September 2009 14:10 Judge Greg Mathis, Columnist

In the US, 17 percent of the nation’s economy goes toward healthcare costs; far more than in any other industrialized nation. Yet, 50 million Americans are currently without health insurance. For those fortunate enough to be covered, the high premiums and deductibles make a serious dent in their household budget.

Congressman John Lewis betrays Black Cherokee freedmen

Tuesday, 22 September 2009 15:24

I visited You Tube the other day and was absolutely stunned to see the venerable Congressman John Lewis addressing the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma as the Keynote Speaker for their National Holiday gathering in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. There stood Congressman John Lewis, the man who was beaten unmercifully as he fought for the right to vote to be restored to African Americans, heaping praise on Chief Chad Smith, the man who engineered the disenfranchisement and defacto expulsion of thousands of Black Cherokee Freedmen from the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO).

Healthcare insurance cost soars

Friday, 18 September 2009 14:59 Judge Greg Mathis

17 percent of the nation’s economy goes toward healthcare costs; far more than in any other industrialized nation. Yet, 50 million Americans are currently without health insurance. For those fortunate enough to be covered, the high premiums and deductibles make a serious dent in their household budget. Companies are paying less for employee healthcare while workers are coming out of pocket more often, sometimes for fewer services. A medical emergency can often leave a family financially drained. In fact, a large percentage of those who file bankruptcy do so because of mounting healthcare bills. There is a clear and urgent need for healthcare reform. The system is broken. It is time that is fixed.