THE CASH STUFF FOR 4-11-13

NNPA STORIES -
     http://www.nnpa.org/news/lead/the-black-unemployment-rate-drops-for-all-the-wrong-reasons-by-freddie-allen/

      http://www.nnpa.org/news/lead/new-loan-policies-fail-black-students-in-college-by-freddie-allen/
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AFTER 90 DAYS, MCCRORY

FAILS TO LEAD, SAY CRITICS

By Cash Michaels

An analysis

            “…[O]ur goal was not to just become Governor and get elected to this great office, our goal was to be Governor, to lead—to lead and that’s what we plan to do…”

                                                                        Pat McCrory after winning Nov. 6, 2012

            After over 90 days in office, is Gov. Pat McCrory a leader who is skilled at imposing his moral will on the state’s body politic, or is he a behind-the-scenes manager who abhors political conflict if it threatens his ultimate agenda, even at the risk of being perceived as weak and unprincipled?

Overall, observers say the jury is still out on exactly what kind of governor Patrick McCrory will turn out to be.

But if his first 90 days in office are any indication, North Carolina’s first Republican governor in over 20 years is turning out to be more of an enthusiastic “Mr. Fix-It” man who loves redesigning government for a “better” North Carolina, but would prefer to leave the mantle of social policy leadership to the hard chargers of his Republican Party, whose political ambitions and recent legislative embarrassments have already made McCrory’s job harder.

            "I have tried to stay out of the minutia of issues that probably won't see the light of day, except in the media," McCrory told WRAL-TV during an interview taped this week. The governor was specifically referring to the national media firestorm last week over bills filed in the GOP-controlled legislature that sought to establish a state religion, and also lengthen the time it takes to get a divorce to two years with counseling.

            The office of an embarrassed House Speaker Thom Tillis announced that the state religion was dead and will not reach the floor.

            McCrory told WRAL-TV that if he had said anything publicly about either bill, he would have made the national ridicule even worse.

            "At times when I interfere, it raises the profile even more and causes more long-term issues," McCrory said. "That's why you don't see me get involved in every single debate."

            The governor said he prefers to keep his eyes on the prizes of improving the state’s economy and job picture, education reform, and fixing Medicaid. He’s already proposed overhauling Medicaid by turning it over to private companies to manage, and McCrory has proposed taking job creation initiatives from the Commerce Dept. and giving it to private nonprofits, promising that doing so will rev up employment in the state.

            The question is how much of this will McCrory’s Republican colleagues in the Legislature, who promise to at least “look” at his proposals, buy into, especially if they have to fund them? While ignoring McCrory couldn’t necessarily hurt GOP leadership in the state House and Senate, it wouldn’t necessarily them to help them to look as if they’re taking advantage of McCrory’s perceived lack of gravitas when it comes to challenging them.

            On his budget, while it has gotten some praise for not being as conservative as expected, it does cut over $130 million from the UNC System, and $112 million from public education to fund second and third year teaching assistants.

            And it doesn’t stop there.

            The [governor’s budget] proposal also represents a shift away from economic development investments targeted at low-income, distressed populations and toward more broad-based economic development efforts focused on attracting businesses,” says a new report from the NC Budget and Tax Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit Raleigh-based group. “This move often leaves distressed communities behind, the report said.”

            In the African-American community, McCrory’s support for stopping the extension of Medicare to 500,000 more applicants, and slashing unemployment benefits to the jobless as he came into office, has already soured whatever promise the new Republican had hopes for.

            Add to that McCrory’s holding firm on his support for GOP efforts to pass a voter photo ID bill in the General Assembly (he told the NC Legislative Black Caucus (NCLBC) Tuesday in a closed door session that he will sign the measure, even though it hasn’t even been debated yet), and a budget that cuts local school system budgets, and ultimately teaching assistant jobs, and there seems to be little that the governor and black leaders will be smiling in front of cameras together over.

            “We’ve already seen the systematic failure of curbing early voting in other battleground states, why then would we immolate such failures for our own voters?” Rep. Alma Adams [D-Guiford], member of the NCLBC, rhetorically asked reporters at NC Democratic party headquarters Monday.  “We already know that Florida election officials have called limiting early voting a ‘nightmare,’ well, the nightmare has come to Jones Street.  If it’s a fight Republicans want, to limit the freedom to vote, it’s a fight they’re going to get.”

            The NCNAACP has also called on Gov. McCrory to not follow in the footsteps of another notorious Southern governor of history, George Wallace of Alabama, who did nothing during the 1960s to stop segregation. The civil rights group was outraged when McCrory held a swearing-in ceremony on the Old State Capitol in the same room where a relic Confederate battle flag was in full display.

            That flag, a symbol to many of old Southern white racism, was subsequently removed.

            The state Democratic Party has been paying attention to Gov. McCrory’s first ninety days in office, and while it comes as no surprise that Democratic leaders could find little to praise the rookie Republican governor for, they aren’t far off the mark to citing McCrory for falling considerably short of his promise to boldly pave the way.

            “It’s evident that our Governor wants to have it both ways, will he lead or won’t he?” charged NC Democratic Party Chairman Randy Voller Wednesday. “North Carolinians don’t need a Governor who picks and chooses when it’s convenient to stand up for them. Real leaders don’t get the luxury of speaking out of both sides of their mouth or staying silent in the face of an onslaught on justice.  It’s sad that our Governor wouldn’t intercede to spare North Carolina the national embarrassment the legislature caused us last week, but finds it appropriate to endorse an unnecessary voter ID proposal that only grows government and infringes on North Carolinians right to vote.”

On Monday, Voller called on McCrory to, “…to rein in this radical, reactionary state legislature.”

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READY TO RALLY - Hundreds fill First Baptist Church Tuesday morning in preparation to march to the NC Legislature to lobby Republican lawmakers to vote against voter ID and other bills they feel turn the clock back. Led by the NCNAACP and the HK on J Coalition, the demonstrators say the GOP   majority in the NC General Assembly is turning North Carolina into a regressive state [photo by Rob Stephens]
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LAW DAY AT ICRM CELEBRATES 150^TH

ANNIVERSARY OF EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION

Special to The Carolinian Newspaper

            A full-day “Law Day” free symposium that will commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50^th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, is scheduled to be held Friday, May 3^rd, 2013 at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum (ICRM) in Greensboro.

            This event is co-sponsored by North Carolina Advocates for Justice and the ICRM.

            The American Bar Association Law Day theme of equality under the law will provide an opportunity to explore the civil and human rights movements in America and their impact on promoting the ideal of equality for all. Presentations will begin at 9 a.m. and will be followed by an afternoon reception.

            Speakers will include:

           

            David Cecelski: “The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slaves' Civil War”

Mr. Cecelski is a historian who has written extensively on civil rights and North Carolina coastal history. In addition to being the author of the book that is the subject of his presentation, Mr. Cecelski is the author of The Waterman’s Song: Slaves and Freedom in Maritime North Carolina and he is the co-editor of The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Its Legacy.

Gene Nichol: "Lincoln, King, and the Challenge of Equal Justice"

Professor Nichol is Boyd Tinsely Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina Law School. He is past Dean of the law schools at the University of North Carolina and the University of Colorado, and he is a former President of the College of William and Mary.

Anita Earls and Bob Hall: "Voting Rights Under Attack, Past and Present"

Anita Earls is an accomplished civil rights attorney who is serving as Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in Durham, North Carolina. She is one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs who are challenging the gerrymandered redistricting that was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2010. Bob Hall is Executive Director of Democracy North Carolina. He is an expert on voting rights, a longtime activist for progressive social movements, and founder of Southern Exposure magazine.

Karen Bethea-Shields(Galloway) and Dr. Genna Rae McNeil: "State v. Joan Little - Defending Black Womanhood from Racialized Sexual Violence Through Advocacy and Activism"

Karen is a Durham criminal defense attorney who successfully defended Joan Little against murder charges when she was prosecuted in 1974. She is also a former state District Court Judge. Dr. Genna Rae McNeil is a Professor of History at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her areas of specialty include African-American history and U.S. social movements in the twentieth century. Dr. McNeil has authored a book focusing on the Joan Little case.

Lewis Pitts, Keith Howard, and Mark Dorosin: "Causes, Consequences, and Elimination of the School to Prison Pipeline"

Lewis Pitts is a veteran civil rights attorney who is presently serving as Managing Attorney, Advocates for Children’s Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, which is based in Durham. Keith Howard is Assistant Professor of Law at Charlotte Law School.  He is a former staff attorney with Advocates for Children’s Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina. He also holds leadership positions related to juvenile justice with the North Carolina Bar Association and NCAJ. Mark Dorosin is Adjunct Professor of Law and Managing Attorney, Center for Civil Rights, at the University of North Carolina School of Law. 

James E. Ferguson, II: "Litigating Race in North Carolina - A Retrospective"

For many decades Mr. Ferguson has been recognized as one of the nation’s top civil rights, personal injury, and criminal defense attorneys. He has been honored by the National Law Journal as one of the nation’s top ten litigators, he has been listed in every edition of The Best Lawyers in America, and he is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization limited to 100 of the nation’s top trial lawyers. Mr. Ferguson is based in Charlotte. He served as lead counsel for the Wilmington Ten. He was also one of the attorneys for the defendant in the first hearing under the Racial Justice Act, which resulted in the conversion of Marcus Robinson’s death sentence for murder to life in prison without parole.

 

Panel Discussion: "Racialized Mass Incarceration and Its Impact on Equal Justice"
Moderated by Malcolm R. “Tye” Hunter, Panelists: Judge Louis A. Trosch, Jr. and Judge Gregory A. Weeks (retired).  Malcolm R. “Tye” Hunter is Executive Director of The Center for Death Penalty Litigation in Durham. He was one of the attorneys representing Marcus Robinson in the first hearing under the Racial Justice Act. Judge Louis A. Trosch, Jr. is a state District Court Judge in Mecklenburg County. Judge Trosch testified about how he fights courtroom bias in the state’s first Racial Justice Act hearing in Fayetteville.  Judge Gregory A. Weeks was a Superior Court Judge in Cumberland County, North Carolina until his retirement on December 31, 2012. During April of 2012, in the first ruling under the Racial Justice Act, Judge Weeks ruled that prosecutors in North Carolina have intentionally used race when choosing juries for capital murder trials. Judge Weeks found that race was a significant factor in the selection of the jury that convicted Marcus Robinson and converted his sentence from death to life in prison without parole.

 
Reverend Dr. William Barber II: "Recovering a Noble Principle: Equal

 Protection Under the Law"

Rev. Barber is at the forefront of organizing progressive movements in North Carolina.  He is president, North Carolina NAACP, and Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church Disciples of Christ, Goldsboro, North Carolina. Rev. Barber  “continues to be one of the most effective grass roots leaders in the state,” wrote the Independent in 2007. 

To register for this free event which is open to the public, please contact michelle@ncaj.com.

The International Civil Rights Center & Museum is located at 134 Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina 27401. Contact James Williams Jr. at 919-643-4400, or email him at james.e.williams@nccourts.org.

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NEW BEGINNING - Dr. George C. Debnam (left) happily poses with his twin physician daughters,
Marie and Marjorie, at the ribbon-cutting last week of their new Debnam Clinic location at 1501 Polle Road in Southeast Raleigh. The relocation to a larger property on Poole Road is made possible by Passage Home, a local nonprofit helping to break the cycle of poverty in Southeast Raleigh. The nonprofit bought the building, will lead renovations and then lease it back to the Debnam family. Construction of the new Debnam Clinic location is expected to be completed by July 2013. [photo courtesy of Kristen Kreuzwieser]


STATE NEWS BRIEFS 4-11-13

SENATE LEADER SAYS NO UNC CAMPUSES WILL BE CLOSED

            [RALEIGH]  State Senate leader Phil Berger says despite earlier comments by his Republican budgetwriters, there will be no UNC campus shutdowns in the two-year budget that is now being devised. Last month, Sen. Pete Brunstetter, a top GOP budgetwriter, told reporters that at least one or two schools in the UNC System might have to close in order to make the system more efficient. Leaders of the system’s historically black universities feared that one of their schools would be targeted, but were assured Tuesday that that wouldn’t happen in this budget.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DEATHS INCREASED IN 2012

            [CHARLOTTE] The number of fatalities due to domestic violence in North Carolina last year increased dramatically in 2012, according to the NC Dept. of Justice. According to official figures, 122 victims, 78 of whom were females, were killed last year, 16 more than 2011’s 106. Wake County had the most with 11, followed by Mecklenburg County with eight, and Guilford County with six. “I have great concern about this increase,” NC Attorney General Roy Cooper said. “It’s clear that North Carolina must do more to stop domestic abuse before it turns deadly.”

FIVE-YEAR-OLD’S ACCUSED RAPIST/MURDERER TURNS DOWN DEAL AS TRIAL BEGINS

            [FAYETTEVILLE] The accused rapist and murderer of five-year-old Shaniya Davis turned down a plea deal from prosecutors this week that would have given him a life sentence in prison, so now the trial of Mario McNeil is underway in a Cumberland County courtroom. McNeil, 32, has pleaded not guilty to charges that in November 2009, he kidnapped, raped and killed young Davis, who was given to him by her mother to settle a drug debt. Her body was found off NC Highway 87 near the Lee-Harnett counties line. McNeil took authorities to the body. The trial may take two months. If convicted, McNeil faces the death penalty.

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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 4-11-13

WAKE SCHOOL BOARD TO PROTEST POSSIBLE 400 JOB LOSS

            The Wake County Board of Education plans to lobby the Wake legislative delegation to restore funding that Gov. Pat McCrory cut from his education budget that would allocate $12 million less to WCPSS, and cost 400 teacher assistants their jobs. Interim Wake Supt. Stephen Gainey says with student population growing and the need for more school construction and classrooms, this is not the time to cut staffing. He says he’ll lobby Wake legislators at the General Assembly. "Let them know our concerns and how this impacts Wake County classrooms," said Wake School Board Chair Keith Sutton. "Hopefully, they'll hear us and see where we go from there."

UNC BOARD OF GOVERNORS TO ANNOUNCE NEW UNC-CH CHANCELLOR FRIDAY

            All eyes and ears will be glued to the UNC Board of Governors announcement Friday afternoon of the new chancellor who will lead UNC Chapel Hill after current Chancellor Holden Thorp leaves that post July 1^st. Thorp has been hired as provost at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. He headed UNC-CH since 2008. A string of scandals involving the schools football program ended his tenure.

INNOCENT CHAPEL HILL MAN RELEASED FROM PRISON AFTER 17 YEARS

            A Chapel Hill man, who spent 17 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, finally had his conviction dismissed last month. LaMonte Armstrong, 62, was falsely convicted for the 1988 murder of a NC A&T University professor in her home. It was not until the Duke University Wrongful Convictions Clinic got involved, and researched Armstrong’s case, did reexamined evidence convince investigators, and ultimately the court, that he had nothing to do with the crime. Armstrong now lives in Chapel Hill and works at a peer-counseling house.

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CASH IN THE APPLE

By Cash Michaels

            EBERT – The world said goodbye to Chicago Sun Times film critic Roger Ebert, who died last week at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer.

            I liked Ebert because he was fair to the films he reviewed, and took the time to look for a movie’s deeper meaning.  He would give credit for performance or music or direction or photography where it was due. But most importantly, Ebert was a critic who really respected the art of filmmaking.

            I was pleased to see the world give this man the ultimate respect this week as he a laid to rest. His wife, Chaz, who had been by his side for over 20 years, gallantly paid tribute to her late husband in a way that made us all proud.

            Goodbye, Roger Ebert, and thumbs up for a job well done.

RIGHT-WING FROLICS – Now that the “Einsteins” in our Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly have proven to the world that, beyond wanting to establish a state religion and make you wait two years for a divorce, among other things, that they don’t have a clue as to just how backwards they really are, it is even harder now to take anything the Tea Party crowd and their ilk say seriously at all.

            For example, take the conservative brouhaha over what MSNBC host Prof. Melissa Harris-Perry said in a recent promo for her weekend show. Harris-Perry essential said that one of the main reasons why our public schools are not funded to the levels needed to properly teach our children is because we, as a society, don’t see public school children as “our” children. If we did, if we realized that the investments that we, as a society, make in public education reap crucial rewards down the road in terms of better and brighter students who can more than compete in the global marketplace, our whole nation would be the better for it.

            That was the meaning of what Harris-Perry said.

            But here’s exactly what she said that got her in trouble with conservatives:

            "We have never invested as much in public education as we should have because we've always had kind of a private notion of children. We haven't had a very collective notion of 'these are our children.' So part of it is we have to break through our kind of private idea that 'kids belong to their parents,' or 'kids belong to their families,' and recognize that kids belong to whole communities."

            The operative word that was missing from the Harris-Perry’s remarks was “too” (or “also”), as in, “…recognize that kids belong to whole communities too.”

            That would have at least added some clarity to the spirit, if not the exact meaning of her words.

            But I have the funny feeling that wouldn’t have stopped right-wingers like Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck from pouncing on what they perceived to be a Communist-inspired statement on the part of one of MSNBC’s premier black liberals.

            “Apparently MSNBC doesn’t think that your children belong to you. Unflippingbelievable!” tweeted Palin.

            Limbaugh is quoted as saying that Harris-Perry’s remarks are “as old as communist genocide.” And Glen Beck just completely lost it.

            “What’s really horrible about this is that the idea behind this is going to be so appealing to so many people,” Beck said. “So many people are going to say, ‘I love that, because I’m freaked out. I don’t know what to do with my kids. I don’t know how to parent them. I don’t know what to do. I’m losing control of them. They’re unruly. They’re whatever. I don’t know what to do.’ And, so, the State will relieve you of that.”

            “This is not a mistake,” Beck said. “This is the announcement of where they’re headed.”

            You see, this is why, once again, it’s hard to take these folks seriously.

            Prof. Harris-Perry is certainly not talking about the state taking anyone’s children. She has two kids herself, so I doubt she would be in favor of such a thing.

            Secondly, the very fact that we’re having a gun control debate in our nation now is based on the fact that that all of us, collectively, must do more to protect our children. In that regard, we have to look at the young victims of gun violence (especially here in the black community) as if they were our own children.

            Common sense says if we took more communal ‘it takes a village” posture on protecting our children, then more, indeed, would be protected.

            Well the same holds true for education.

            Of course all of us are responsible for what’s best for our own children. That’s a common sense “given” that anyone who doesn’t have a right-wing bone to pick would understand.

            But making sure that our tax dollars go to making sure that all children in our given city, county and state receive the best education possible requires as sense of community and inter-connection that right-wingers don’t want us to have. Don’t think on various levels about how to solve problems or do better by ourselves and our children.

            Just listen to Rush, beck, and “unflippingbelievable” Sarah Palin, and we’ll be alright.

            Yeah, right.

            Prof. Harris-Perry, by the way, did have response to the three stooges. On April 8^th she tweeted, “Matthew 5:44.”

            And exactly what does that Bible verse say?

            But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

            I must say that Prof. Melissa Harris-Perry is a better human being than I am. I just as soon cuss these morons out.

            LADIES, PLEASE – A lot of unnecessary noise and hot air was spewed last week when Pres. Obama, while introducing California Attorney General Kamala Harris at a Democratic fundraiser on the West Coast, noted her skills and accomplishments, and then ended his remarks by complimenting her as “the best looking attorney general” in the nation, which is true. AG Harris is a stunning woman; of this there can be no question. And in the old days, it wouldn’t have raised even an eyebrow for the ultimate gentleman, like the president of the United States, to pay such an obvious compliment while introducing someone we are all very proud of.

            But some women took offensive, saying that by paying AG Harris that compliment, the president undermined her credibility for the serious work she was doing, in addition to her accomplishments.

            These women continued that such remarks should not be tolerated in the workplace, for they reduce women to sex objects, and not to be taken seriously for their work.

            They cite both past and current workplace discrimination by men (many of whom are superiors and supervisors) as the reason for their alarm.

            I understand their concerns. Indeed, their case is borne out about workplace sexual harassment. It should not be tolerated. Indeed, it is illegal.

            And yes, if male professionals are not giving their female counterparts the due respect they deserve in the workplace, then those women have the right to stand up and speak out about that. It should be stopped.

            Having worked with women for the better part of my career, I certainly understand that in order for the team to do its best work, everyone must be respected, and feel respected for what they bring to the table.

            But having said all of that, ladies, I have to tell you that you picked the wrong example in going after the president.

            Even though Pres. Obama did call AG Harris afterwards to apologize (which being both a gentleman and a politician was the wise thing to do), to say that he, in any way, disrespected the attorney general of the state of California is a stretch.

            First of all, the Democratic fundraiser was not an official government event, but a social occasion where food, drinks and light banter is the rule of the day. So folks are working hard to keep the atmosphere light, and keep things friendly.

            That means that everyone there, including Barack Obama and Kamala Harris, attended in their roles as Democrats, not as government officials.

            Obviously the president, being a Democrat, attended in his role as titular head of the Democratic Party, so he’s the main attraction of the event. And it is not uncommon for him to add some extra comments about some of the other fellow Democrats present.

            Indeed, NBC News found a tape of the president at an earlier event saying how good looking a member of his Cabinet was upon introduction.

            Secondly, Pres. Obama, no matter what even his enemies say about him, is a family man, father of two beautiful young ladies, and husband to a beautiful and talented First Lady Michelle.

            He has never been linked to any sexual scandals. Indeed, one of his closest senior advisors is Valerie Jarrett, who has been with him for years.

            So to all of a sudden accuse the man of something he has no record or pattern of doing before is a bit of a stretch, and a waste.

            But it also points to something unfortunate in our society now, and the problem could very well be generational.

            There was a time in this society when “gentlemen and ladies” coexisted with little problem. That’s because the social mores dictated certain behaviors to assure some modicum of respect.

            Thus, gentlemen watched their language around ladies; held doors open for ladies to go through first; pulled chairs out for ladies to sit down on in restaurants; in short, made sure that ladies were deferred to.

            Such social training buttressed good manners and etiquette, even in the workplace, where males pulled out seats for female coworkers at meetings and lunches.

            So what happened to us? Where did all of that go to?

            Apparently down the drain, because today when I do so much as even hold a door for a lady to walk through first, she looks at me as if I’m from outer space.

            And then she gives a startled smile and says “thank you.”

            I’ll be the first to admit that we are not training our young boys to be gentlemen, and that’s a big problem because that means they’re not being reared to learn how to respect ladies.

            But breaking news – we aren’t teaching our young girls how to be ladies either. Thus the shock when a young man they don’t know does something nice for them.

            And that, in my opinion, is where this foolishness about the president comes from. As I said before, Barack Obama is the ultimate gentleman. Through all of his cool, there is something very refreshingly old-fashioned about him. That’s why so many of us old –timers like “the cut of his jib” as they used to say.

            Obama is hip, but in an “old school” kind of way.

            But here’s the other problem – because so many young women voted for him, and he has spoken out forcibly on many women’s issues through the years, they assume that the president is a feminist.

            I can’t say that he is or isn’t. But I don’t think a man has to be in order to have enough common sense to know how to treat ladies.

            To accuse the president of trying to diminish the female attorney general of the state of California with a compliment, which came after he hailed her professional achievements, if going too far. The women who accused him want men to treat them like landmines. If one man has done something wrong, then all of us, apparently, are smeared with the same guilty brush, even if we’ve never done anything to earn their wrath.

            Some of these women counter, “A man would never say the same thing to another man in a business setting, so why should we accept his saying it to a female.”

            Correction – I’ve been to plenty events where if a male official is wearing a particularly snazzy suit of something, the person doing the introductions  - be it male or female – would say so, to applause and good cheer.

            But I also have a question. During sporting events, men at times slap each other on the butt. They know, however, that they can’t get away with doing the same thing to women, and vice versa (unless they know each other well enough to do so).

            That butt slap is a sportsman compliment for “nice job” that men give each other all the time. But our society urges men to keep their hands to themselves in those same scenarios (generally women athletes allow short hugs).

            Bottomline is, if you’re going to accuse a man of trying to undermine the accomplishments of working women, at least make sure that obviously what he was doing. I’ve seen men of older generations pay young women compliments about their beauty, only to be blasted for it afterwards when they meant nothing bad by it at all.

            Y’all need to realize that every man isn’t your enemy. If you want to everyone to respect your work, then let’s see your work so we know what we’re supposed to respect.

            Some women have told me that they want to be respected because they’re women.

            I’m not doing that, because I’ve never done that.

            I don’t respect women for being women, men for being men, blacks, whites, Hispanics or anybody for being what you were born as. That’s GOD’s work, NOT yours.

            I respect what you’ve done with being a woman, or a man. What you’ve done with GOD’s work. He didn’t fulfill your order. It’s your job to fulfill the promise and purpose GOD put you here for.

            So let’s have this conversation, and let’s get some sort of social etiquette back into our lives, shall we?

            By the way, if you disagree with me, let me hear from you.

            I may be a gentleman, but that doesn’t mean I won’t stand up for what I know.

Make sure you tune in every Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. for my talk radio show, ''Make It Happen'' on Power 750 WAUG-AM, or online at www.myWAUG.com. And read more about my thoughts and opinions exclusively at my blog, ‘The Cash Roc” (http://thecashroc.blogspot.com/2011/01/cash-roc-begins.html). I promise it will be interesting.

Cash in the Apple - honored as the Best Column Writing of 2006 by the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Columnist Cash Michaels was also honored by the NNPA for Best Feature Story Journalist of 2009, and was the recipient of the Raleigh-Apex NAACP’s President’s Award for Media Excellence in Sept. 2011.

Until next week, keep a smile on your face, GOD in your heart, and The Carolinian in your life. Bye, bye.

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