THE CASH STUFF FOR 10-31-13

NNPA STORIES -

http://nnpa.org/many-poor-blacks-in-the-south-will-remain-uninsured-by-freddie-allen/

http://nnpa.org/health-insurance-website-stumbles-on-launch-by-freddie-allen/

                                                W-ed-ELECTION DAY TUESDAY

            With all that’s been going on in the state and nation, it’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since the presidential and gubernatorial elections, and that we’re a year away from the crucial Congressional midterm and state legislative contests.

            Crucial if we want to take our government back from the Tea Party.

            What all of the above means is that we’re in an off-year election next Tuesday, and while it may not be as loud or as high-profile as the other contests, in many way off-year local elections are more important because we are choosing people who will serve in our city and county governments, and whose decisions will have a direct impact on of our lives.

            The Wilmington Journal has reviewed most of the candidates running for local office in our area, and we’ve chosen three who we feel deserve not only your attention, but your vote come Tuesday, Nov. 5^th.

            Polls open at 6:30 a.m., and close at 7:30 p.m. in both New Hanover and Brunswick counties.

            Here are our recommendations:

                                            Earl Sheridan for Wilmington City Council

            Now serving his second term in office, Councilman Earl Sheridan has been a strong advocate for economic growth in the impoverished areas of the Port City, not to mention affordable housing and fighting gang violence. Sheridan, currently a professor of political science at UNC-Wilmington, former served as the president of the New Hanover County NAACP. He is the council representative on the Cape Fear regional Community Development Corp. Board.

            The Journal thoroughly recommends that Councilman Earl Sheridan be elected to serve a third term on the Wilmington City Council.

                                                Eulis A. Willis for Mayor of Navassa

            He has been the mayor of the Brunswick County town of Navassa for the past eleven years, and each and every year he’s been in office, he’s fought hard to deliver reliable city services to the population there. Improving the quality of life from the citizens of Navassa has been the singular goal of Mayor Willis since he took office, and he continues to fight for much needed economic empowerment. That’s why Mayor Willis has joined forces with the mayors of neighboring Sandy Creek, Northwest, Leland and Belville to collaborate on joint projects to attract more business, and ultimately, more families to North Brunswick County.

            The Journal says Navassa Mayor Eulis Willis has the drive, commitment and experience to continue to lead his community toward better days. We recommend his re-election to office.

                                    Charles Warren for Mayor of Oak Island

            Former Brunswick County Commissioner Charles Warren is vying to unseat incumbent Betty Wallace as mayor of Oak Island. He says his one-term on the commission board has given him a unique perspective on the issues currently affecting the small community, and ways to protect the taxpayers’ dollars. Warren is a former Republican now turned Democrat, and is known for being a straight talker, speaking his mind and being a strong advocate for his constituents.

            The good citizens of Oak Island need a strong fighter who knows the issues, and will make sure that they get the best services possible, as well as a wise steward of their tax dollars.

            Vote for Charles Warren for Oak Island mayor on Tuesday, Nov. 5^th.

                                                            -30-

NEW REPORT BLASTS NC’S

SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE

By Cash Michaels

Editor

            A new report cites poor education policies for contributing to North Carolina’s growing school-to-prison pipeline problem, a problem which disproportionately impacts poor students of color, and threatens the state’s economic future.

Black students are at the top of this troubling list.
            Because of  “poorly funded schools, punitive disciplinary practices and inadequate education placements for suspended North Carolina students that push some out of classrooms  and into courtrooms for minor misconduct…,” the study, titled, ‘From Push Out to Lock Up: North Carolina’s Accelerated School-to-Prison Pipeline,”  by Action for Children North Carolina, a statewide research and advocacy group, says that those at-risk students are “…four times as likely to drop out of high school as their peers, and eight times as likely to end up in jail or prison.”

            The more this cycle persists, the ACNC report continues, the more likely the expansion of an underclass of people who will lack the required skill-set to compete for jobs in the national and global economies.

            "Skilled workers are the basis of economic growth and North Carolina's prosperity is inextricably linked to our education system," said Deborah Bryan, president and CEO of Action for Children North Carolina. "When students slip out of the educational mainstream and into juvenile or adult courts we all pay the consequences through lost opportunity, productivity and wages--costs that are entirely avoidable."

            The good news is that the rate of high school dropouts and overall suspensions in North Carolina has gone down in recent years. But for black students, the numbers are still troubling.

            According to the ACNC report, “During the 2011-2012 school year, North Carolina public schools handed out more than 258,000 short-term suspensions, approximately three-fifths of which (146,639) were applied to black students who comprise  just one-quarter (26 percent) of the student population. Previous analysis of statewide school discipline data shows black students are more likely to receive short- or long-term suspensions for first-time infractions than their peers often for minor, discretionary offenses like disruptive behavior or dress code violations.”

            The report continued, “Disparities in school discipline are linked to gaps between and within groups throughout the education system. Black boys who receive 5.22 short-term suspensions for every 10 students enrolled graduate at a rate 9 percent lower than other boys and 15 percent lower than black girls.”

            And unlike the rest of the nation, North Carolina treats juveniles 15-years-of-age and up as adults in the criminal justice system.

            “As a result…,” the ACNC report says, “… students in North Carolina encounter a shorter, more accelerated pipeline than their peers across the country.”

             So how can North Carolina’s unique school-to-prison pipeline be dismantled?

             The report recommends:

           -    Raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 16 to

                18 for youth who commit misdemeanor offenses;

           -    Implement evidence-based reforms to ensure

                equitable treatment for all North Carolina students;

           -    Improve data collection and reporting requirements to

                better inform and empower school administrators,

                parents and policymakers; and

         -    Establish a legislative task force on school discipline

               practices.

         Bryan says North Carolina has the “infrastructure and know-how” to effectively solve the school-to-prison pipeline problem, and can also draw on the experiences and programs of other states with similar problems.

          "Across the country, school districts and law enforcement are taking leadership on the school-to-prison pipeline by establishing diversion programs that empower schools to better manage minor student misbehavior without referrals to juvenile courts," said Bryan.  "We have sound evidence that a systemic approach to student discipline which establishes clear behavioral expectations and reinforces appropriate social behavior pays dividends through reduced disciplinary issues, improved student achievement and higher school completion rates."

            From Push Out to Lock Up: North Carolina's Accelerated School-to-Prison Pipeline is available online at www.ncchild.org.

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PROTESTS ACROSS THE SOUTH

TO DROP MORAL MONDAY CHARGES

Special to The Carolinian

            On Friday, November 1, 2013, the Southern Workers Assembly will picket in several Southern cities including Raleigh, N.C., Charlotte, N.C., Goldsboro, N.C., San Antonio, T.X. and Columbia, S.C. to demand that the conviction and all charges be dropped against Saladin Muhammad and all other Moral Monday arrestees. Saladin Muhammad is a North Carolina labor leader who was arrested on May 13, 2013 with 48 others in Raleigh while participating in the North Carolina Moral Monday’s, Forward Together Movement.

Muhammad was one of more than 940 protestors arrested during the weekly civil disobedience actions at the North Carolina General Assembly, organized since the spring this year.
Friday's Raleigh protest will be in front of the Old Wake County Courthouse, 316 Fayetteville Street at 12 noon.

On October 4, 2013, Mr. Muhammad was the first case tried in the Wake District Court, where he was found guilty of “trespassing,

disorderly conduct, and violating the rules of the General Assembly” for peacefully protesting with hundreds of others inside the state legislative building.

Labor activists, such as Mr. Muhammad, were among the first Moral Monday protestors and arrestees at the North Carolina General Assembly. Since Muhammad’s conviction, two white Moral Monday protesters have been found “not guilty” by the same judge that convicted him of the same offenses.

Many labor and community leaders believe that the disparity of the court rulings points to racially motivated inconsistencies in the treatment of protestors by the chief of the General Assembly police in using his discretion to decide that a Black labor activist was disorderly and prone to violence as compared to others also arrested.

Muhammad and the labor delegation placed emphasis on the attacks against labor and worker’s rights as part of the broad issues raised by the Moral Monday protests that have been mobilizing thousands to speak out in protest. These anti-worker legislative attacks have created a repressive climate at the workplace where workers are experiencing an increase in management’s abuse of power on the job.

Last week an online petition was launched that has collected thousands of signatures. 

Demonstrations are organized by the Southern Workers Assembly. For more information contact us at 919-637-6949  or visit http://southernworker.org 

                                                -30-

STATE NEWS BRIEFS 10-31-13

SEN. GRAHAM HOLDS UP WATT NOMINATION

            [WASH. DC] A conservative senator from South Carolina is refusing to allow Pres. Obama’s nomination Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency to go forward to confirmation until the survivors of the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya testify before Congress. Sen. Lindsay Graham has accused the Obama Administration and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of a cover-up of the attack that claimed four American lives, including that of US Ambassador Chris Stevens. The president nominated Rep. Watt for the post last May, but it has been held up since then.

STATE FAIR RIDE OPERATOR CHARGED IN VORTEX INCIDENT

            [RALEIGH] The operator of the Vortex ride at the NC State Fair is facing three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon after investigators say he allegedly tampered with the safety mechanisms after it was repaired, thus causing the ride to malfunction last Thursday, injuring five people. Three of injured, including a 14-year-old child, were listed in critical to serious condition. The operator, Timothy Dwayne Tutterrow of Quitman, Ga., is being held in the Wake County jail under a $225,000 bond. Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison says more arrests are forthcoming.

JESSE JACKSON JR. IN BUTNER FEDERAL PRISON

            [BUTNER] Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the famous civil rights leader and former Illinois congressman, reported to the minimum-security Butner Correctional Center this week to begin serving his two-an-a-half-year federal prison sentence for misuse of $750,000 in campaign funds for personal use. Jackson, 48, was accompanied to the facility by Congressman G. K. Butterfield [D-1-NC], who said that Jackson was in good spirits, “all things considered.” Jackson’s wife, Sandi, was sentenced to one year for filing false income tax returns. Her sentence was staggered in order for her to care for the couple’s two young children.

MCCRORY REFUSES TO CALL SPECIAL SESSION FOR MEDICAID EXPANSION

            [RALEIGH] Despite calls from the NCNAACP and state Democratic lawmakers, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory says calling the NC General Assembly back for a special session to reconsider Medicaid expansion was “out of the question.” McCrory and GOP lawmakers blocked extension of Medicaid federal health insurance to over 500,000 North Carolinians last spring, saying that the program was in fiscal disorder, and needed to be fixed first. Democrats called McCrory’s decision “short-sighted.”

                                                                        -30-

TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 10-31-13

SEANNE WINTERS BARNETTE LAID TO REST; BROTHER IN CUSTODY HERE

            Seanne Winters Barnette, daughter of late Sen. John Winters Sr., was remembered last Friday during funeral services at Upper Room Church of God in Christ as a loving and thoughtful human being who was always willing to help others. Her brother, John Winters Jr., is currently being held in the Wake County jail after being brought back from Virginia, where he was found with his sister’s vehicle. Authorities say Winters told hospital personnel that he had killed his sister. Barnette’s body was found in her Knightdale apartment two weeks ago, stabbed multiple times and with an American flag draped over it. Wake authorities have not charged Winters, who had lived with his sister because he was homeless, with Barnette’s death. It was revealed during her funeral that Barnette had asked for prayers for her brother.

CARY CLAIMS LOWEST 2012 CRIME RATE IN THE NATION

            The bedroom community of the Triangle now claims that last year, it had the lowest crime rate in the nation. The town of Cary, home to over 146,000 residents, says that according to FBI crime statistics, it has 14.4 crimes per 1,000 people in 2012 for areas with populations between 100,000 and 500,000. That was a tick better than Naperville, Ill., which logged a 15.1 per 1,000-person crime rate for the same period. The claim is important, Cary officials maintain, because being known as the safest town in America is a major draw for families elsewhere who are interested in moving to the area.

RALEIGH TAKES DOWN OUTDATED GUN RESTRICTION SIGNS

            At the insistence of local gun rights advocates, Raleigh city officials are taking down city signs that ban concealed weapons in parks and city property. A state law allowing firearms in parks and school campuses went into effect in October. However, city officials say signs that generally say that visitors cannot “possess firearms or other weapons” on city property will stay in place. Gun rights activists say all the city has to do is put duct tape over the that line.

                                                            -30-

CASH IN THE APPLE

By Cash Michaels

            YELTON AND THE GOP – Well of course the NC Republican Party got rid of Buncombe County Republican precinct Chair Don Yelton after his extraordinary, and yes racist performance on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” last week. His blunt, but honest remarks about “lazy blacks” complaining about voter ID, and that the true purpose of North Carolina’s voter ID law was to hurt Democrats, were further proof of the corrupt thinking behind that law.

            Yelton, who we have been aware of some time, was just saying out loud what most Republicans already knew and supported, but were afraid to say out loud.

            Don Yelton actually did us all a favor. By being a state GOP official at the time of his racist remarks, his words could be referenced in the pending lawsuits against the state’s voter ID law.

            Gee, thanks, Don. It will be very hard for the NC GOP to now say that you just turned crazy when you turned up on national television. They thought you were perfectly fine before you opened your mouth on “The Daily Show.”

            Seriously though, watching Don Yelton and wondering what the reporter had asked, namely, “Are you aware that we can hear you?,” made it clear that we are going to have to do more than watch Tea Party folks get on TV, speak their warped minds, and we just sit there and say, “I knew it.”

            There are many who are likeminded with Yelton, and if they had their way, and the power, they would turn the social clock back before the civil rights movement.

            Way back! Don’t believe me?

            According to the website, therawstory.com, a Republican Tea Party state assemblyman, in an Oct. 28^th story in the Ls Vegas Sun, said that if his constituents wanted him too, yes, he would vote to bring back slavery.

            You read it right.

            “If that’s what they wanted, I’d have to hold my nose, I’d have to bite my tongue and they’d probably have to hold a gun to my head, but yeah, if that’s what the citizens of the, if that’s what the constituency wants that elected me, that’s what they elected me for,” Assemblyman Jim Wheeler, a Republican from Gardnerville, NV, is seen telling a group of Republicans during a meeting in August. “That’s what a republic is about. You elected a person for your district to do your wants and wishes, not the wants and wishes of a special interest, not his own wants and wishes, yours.”

            Now unlike Don Yelton, who has stuck by his “lazy blacks” guns, Wheeler, apparently taken by surprise that the video got out, is now tat he wouldn’t vote to actually “legalize” slavery, and that he was only exaggerating to make a point about constituent service.

            Wheeler is also accusing liberals for trying to smear him as a ‘bigot’ by spreading the video online.

            So let’s get this straight – this clown gets before his brethren, tells them that he would vote to bring back slavery, and then gets upset when folks playback a video of him saying such an idiotic thing.

            But at least we have confirmation as to the kind of archaic thinking that comes from these Tea Party clowns when they think no one beyond their brood is listening.

            So the question is, what are we going to do about this? It was the ballot box that got them in, and it’s going to take the ballot to get them out. Are we ready, committed and organized? Have we seen enough, or do we need more convincing that the same people who were willing to shutdown our government and take our nation to the very brink of economic disaster, are indeed more than willing to hurt our community because they have a profound hatred for us, and a president for the United States who happens to look like us?

            This is why, more than ever, we need the Black Press.

            The perspective and understanding that meets the needs of our community is what this black newspaper is all about. And that’s why we try to take the time at last once a month to remind you that supporting your African-American newspaper is the best way to continue to get the kind of news and views you can trust.

            We can’t do it without you!

            Please, continue to support the Black Press.

            IMPORTANT COMMEMORATION – One of the people who worked extremely hard with us during our Wilmington Ten Pardons of Innocence Project was Sonya Bennetone of Wilmington. Recently she wrote us a note I want to pass on to you.

            Dear Cash:

On November 9, 2013 at 2pm at Central Missionary Baptist Church; 702 Red Cross Street; Wilmington, NC. The New Hanover County Chapter of the NC Black Leadership Caucus and local ministries of all religious backgrounds and race will have a statewide program "Observance of 1898, Reverse The Curse" honoring the victims and the memory of Rev. Dr. J. Allen Kirk who was the Pastor of Central Missionary Church during the 1898 Massacre. He is the author of "A Statement of Facts of the Bloody Riot In Wilmington, NC Of Interest to Every Citizen of the United States.” 

             Rev Dr. Kirk was the only pastor in Wilmington, NC during the 1898 Massacre with a written account of his experience. The original copy is at UNC Chapel Hill University. Rev. Dr. Kirk was the head of the Ministerial Alliance and gave Alex Manley, publisher of the Daily Record, money to start the black press. Rev. Kirk was a strong leader in the community and believed in the power of God. In 1898 white ministers waited outside Central Baptist Church with guns, while they thought he was conducting a funeral service.  In 2013 ministers of all races/beliefs are coming together in prayer and unity breaking the walls of racism.  We honor his memory by bringing healing to this city. Special recognition will be given to the NNPA publishers.

            So if you’re in the Port City on November 9^th at 2 p.m. Central Missionary Missionary Church is the place to be.

            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.

                                                                -30-

THE CASH STUFF FOR 10-24-13

NNPA STORIES -

http://nnpa.org/black-farmers-finally-collect-in-1-2-billion-in-discrimination-case-by-freddie-allen/

http://nnpa.org/supreme-court-hears-michigan-challenge-to-affirmative-action-by-george-e-curry/

MONDAY, OCT. 28^TH IS DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON EUGENICS CASES

 The public has until Monday, Oct. 28^th, to weigh-in on how the state of North Carolina should handle claims by those who were victims of the state’s infamous forced sterilization program , otherwise known as eugenics.

            The NC General Assembly set aside $10 million to compensate an estimated 1,800 eugenics victims – mostly poor white and black women from 1929 through 1974. Many have already died. Thus far only 146 have been located. Family members of those who have deceased are not eligible for payments.

            Claims for payments will be administered by the NC Industrial Commission, and payments will be made starting in June 2015.

            Public comments may be sent to Abigail M. Hammond by email at abigail.hammond@ic.nc.gov, by fax to 919-715-0282, or by mail to 4336 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4336.

                                                                    -30-

MEDIA

CASH IN THE APPLE 10-24-13

By Cash Michaels

            DON’T FORGET LYNNETTE’S MAHALIA JACKSON SHOW – Don’t forget, mark it down, this Sunday, Oct. 27^th, 4 p.m. at Lincoln Park Holiness Church at 13 Heath Street in Raleigh, Lynnette Barber sings gospel legend Mahalia Jackson In Concert.

            I told you last week that this is an event not to be missed. If you enjoy great gospel music like they used to do in the old days (when folks really knew how to sing), then you simply can’t afford to miss this one.

            Lynnette’s rendition of Mahalia Jackson songs is spot on. It’s the second time that she’s done this show at Lincoln Park Holiness Church, where she’s been a member of the past 27 years. It was a big hit then, so Lynnette is bringing it back again.

            You may recall last week that I wrote that Lynnette is singing the theme to the NNPA/CashWorks HD Production documentary presentation of “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten.” So you know she has to be the best if we have her opening our film.

            So don’t hear about it the day after. Make sure you’re there to see it for yourself. Lynnette Barber sings Mahalia Jackson In Concert, this Sunday, Oct. 27^th, 4 p.m. at Lincoln Park Holiness Church, 13 Heath Street in Raleigh.

            There is no admission charge, but feel free to bring a little somethin’ to put in the plate. You won’t be sorry!

            And, in case, you’re wondering, why am I pushing this program so much? Because when I know that a talent from our community is THAT good, I want you to know it too, and SUPPORT that talent!

            Cool?

            GOODBYE, IRONSIDE – The show never really had a chance. Last week, NBC announced that it was canceling the new show, “Ironside” starring Blair Underwood. It was a remake of the old 1970’s Raymond Burr series about a police detective paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair while he and his team solve crimes.

            The original “Ironside” lasted on NBC for at least five years.

            Underwood’s new “Ironside” only made it on the air for three weeks before the plug was pulled, and mercifully so. Coming after the still powerhouse, “Law and Order: SVU,” “Ironside” was pulling the kind of ratings you only see on the Paint Drying Channel.  To say the audience didn’t buy is an understatement.

            Raymond Burr was an old, stodgy white guy whose wise demeanor and considerable girth made him perfect to play someone who was wheelchair-bound.

            Blair Underwood is still a sexy black actor who has a lot of action left in him. It was very hard for audiences to accept him solving crimes from a wheelchair, let alone knocking out bad guys and going cuddles (or more) with the ladies.

            Besides, there wasn’t anything special about the crimes he was solving, plus, “Ironside” was competing with the everlasting CBS procedural “CSI,” which surprisingly still has some life in it.

            The other show NBC quickly cancelled was “Welcome to the Family.” Don’t ask me what it was about or who was in it. I don’t know, and now, never will.

            BIG FLOP – Wow! Every time I turned on my TV to watch something, I couldn’t get away from seeing that commercial from the film, “The Fifth Estate” over and over and over again. The film is about Julian Assange, the international activist and head of WikiLeaks who disclosed a good deal of US intelligence before hiding in a foreign government’s embassy to escape sexual misconduct allegations that he denies.

            Well, there have been a lot of flops this year, but apparently none bigger than “The Fifth Estate,” which on its opening weekend brought in only $1.7 million after debuting in over 1,500 theaters. That’s less than $1,000 per theater, and the flick between $26 million and $30 million to make, not counting production costs. That’s a poor return on the investment, folks. Looks like we won’t be seeing anymore more political thrillers based on real life events anytime soon!

            OH SAM – Have you seen that new Samuel L. Jackson credit card commercial where he actually says, “Damn”? It is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone use the word, “Damn” in a commercial. Check it out. It is funny!

            REPUBLICANS, FIGHT FOR YOUR PARTY – Monday I was in Fayetteville doing an on-camera interview with former Secretary of Correction Rev. Aaron Johnson for the upcoming film, “Pardons of innocence: The Wilmington Ten.” Rev. Johnson served on North Carolina’s Good Neighbor Council during the early 1970’s, and went to Wilmington in early 1971 hoping to end tensions between boycotting black high school students and white authorities. Johnson tells that story and more in his book, “Man from Macedonia.”

            After we finished what I think was an excellent interview, Rev. Johnson and I spent a few minutes talking politics, since he is a black Republican. I wanted to get his take on the recent federal government shutdown spurred by the Tea Party movement in Congress.

            As you know, the House finally agreed to a last-minute 90-day deal to reopen the government and stave off a default on the national debt last week right before the deadline. The 16-day stunt by the Tea Party ended up costing the United States economy $24 billion.

            Rev. Johnson is an old-school “Christian” Republican, and rightly so. He made it clear that he doesn’t not agree with the tactics of the Tea Party wing of his party, who have an admitted hatred of Pres. Obama and his policies. But even in the midst of all of that, Johnson still believes that African-Americans have a place in the Republican Party, and should join in order to help fight against the Tea Party.

            Johnson is earnest in his belief that if more blacks joined the GOP, the party of old white men would have to change its ways and start speaking to the community’s needs in earnest.

            He also talked about how, through the years, he has been maligned in the community for being a black Republican, particularly when he would run for local office. Rev. Johnson said it was unfair, but he also agreed that when party leaders screw up, that puts a burden on him and other black Republicans to have to address it in some fashion.

            Rev. Johnson admits that there are problems between the Republican Party and the African-American community, but he also makes clear that there have historically been problems between blacks and the Democratic Party as well. He holds firm that because the Democrats hold the lion’s share of black voters, the party still takes the African-American support for granted, and does little to speaks to our needs.

            And Rev. Johnson reminds all as to Republican Party support in Congress for the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act. At a time when so-called “Dixiecrats” from the South stood against civil and voting rights for blacks, the Republicans stood firm for it, Johnson maintains. Indeed, things did not change politically until President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed both laws, thus losing Southern white males, who then went to the GOP, and have basically been there ever since.

            Rev. Johnson agreed that one of the vital things that is missing today is civil political discourse. One could argue that that’s because of the brutal echo chamber that is cable television, with its loud, combative TV talk shows on both the right and the left.

            Plus, the country is very angry, right now, fed up with everyone in Washington. Folks have taken sides, and instead of seeking compromise in order to make sure that the country is best served, they are digging in their heels, not giving an inch, and demanding to rule over the whole pot.

            This is not the way it should be, Rev. Johnson says. He maintains that he is not for Republican or Democrat, but for what is ultimately right, regardless of party.

            If only people could talk with each other, and to each other, again, and not at each other.

            Rev. Johnson and I may differ politically, but we do certainly agree on the desperate need for things to improve in our nation, and among ourselves as a citizenry. When we hate each other to the point of being willing to shutdown the government and hurt others, that shows that we all have a lot of growing up to do.

            Thank you, Rev. Johnson. It was great talking with you, sir.

                                                            -30-

         MAYOR CORY BOOKER WINS SENATE SEAT - Democratic Newark N.J. Mayor Cory Booker won a special election against a Republican challenger last week to finish out the term of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, also a Democrat. Booker is now one of two blacks serving in the US Senate, joining Republican Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina. [file photo]

BUTTERFIELD, PRICE BLAST

GOP FOR SHUTDOWN

By Cash Michaels

Editor

            The long national nightmare that was the 16-day federal government shutdown is over, but according to North Carolina Democratic congressmen G.K. Butterfield and David Price, the reasons for it have not been solved, and the people behind it aren’t finished.

            Indeed, after costing the American economy over $24 billion and bringing the nation to the very edge of default on the national debt, Republican Tea Party members of Congress like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows say they’re only just beginning to fight what they say is the ‘evil’ of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (aka ‘Obamacare’), and runaway federal spending.

            The US Senate bill that the House begrudgingly passed last week to end the shutdown and stave off default on the federal debt ceiling is only a 90-day reprieve to buy time for Republicans and Democrats in Congress to come to a mutual budget agreement that cuts spending, but raises revenue.

            If they can get there.

            Rep. Butterfield [D-NC-1], who calls the shutdown a “unfortunate tragedy,” is not sure that they can.

            The federal government is running a $17 trillion debt, with a deficit between $500 billion and $1 trillion per year. Butterfield says there’s no question that something needs to be done to cut the deficit, and Democrats in the House, where the budget is devised, have been trying to work with the Republican majority on ways to cut the deficit without further hurting social programs that aid the nation’s poor.

            After the 2011 debt ceiling crisis, where House Republicans first refused to raise the federal government’s ability to pay its bills, Pres. Obama agreed $2 trillion from the budget over the next ten years in what has become known as sequestration.

            But weeks ago, when it was known that the debt ceiling was due to be raised again, House Republicans, spurred as always by their 40-member conservative Tea Party contingent who were elected to Congress to curb federal spending, demanded not only more cuts, Rep. Butterfield said, but also serious changes in the Affordable Care Act (otherwise known as “ACA” or “Obamacare”) that would effective cripple the health care program.

            “They are so loud, so mean and so vicious…they hate Pres. Barack Obama, they hate Obamacare and would do anything in their power to discredit the law and the man,” the First District congressman said.

            Indeed, published reports allege that one Republican House leader, during a meeting at the White House during the crisis, told the president that he couldn’t stand the sight of him.

            Butterfield said Democrats said no to the GOP demand, and the president stood firm that discussions about changing ACA was off the table until a continuing resolution (CR) to continue to fund the government had been passed without strings attached, and the debt ceiling raised.

            “We were very proud that he took this stand, and drew that red line in the sand,” Congressman Butterfield said.

            The 16-day near national catastrophe which followed, where House Republicans caved at the last minute to a Senate measure which reopened the government and temporarily raised the debt ceiling, was the result of national poll numbers showing the American public holding the House Republicans primarily responsible for the pain and grief being felt as a result.

            Rep. Butterfield says even though both the House and Senate are in conference now to try and reach some “grand bargain” agreement before the Jan. 15^th deadline arrives, another confrontation could occur if both sides can’t see eye-to-eye by then.

            “Sequestration is still the law of the land, and every year (for the next ten years) a discretionary pot of money will be cut by some eight or nine percent. Why is that important? Because discretionary programs are what we depend on in the African-American community. Support for public education in low-income communities. It’s Headstart and daycare vouchers; its public housing and nutrition programs…everything we depend on in our communities,” Butterfield said. “And discretionary programs are under attack. The grand bargain is going to be very painful, and everybody is going to have to give up something,” meaning that the Republicans will have to bend on raising revenues, and rich people will have to pay more in taxes.

            ‘The path forward is that the Tea Party must go away, and the mainstream Republicans must defy the Tea Party element of their party,” Rep. Butterfield says, adding that jobs must be created. Private industry is sitting on $2 trillion that must be invested to expand the economy, and create those jobs.

            Butterfield says Republican House Speaker John Boehner “caved” to the Tea Party, thus allowing the shutdown crisis to occur, and he will never forget it.

            Butterfield says North Carolina voters need to pay closer attention to what is going on in Washington, discuss it, and then act when the 2014 elections come next year.

For his part, Fourth District Congressman David Price [D-NC-4] is focused on why, during the 16-day federal shutdown when federal workers were furloughed and funding for various federal programs stopped, that North Carolina was the only state out of 50 that would not step in to temporarily prop up vital social service programs like WIC (Women, Infants and Children), which provides food vouchers for poor families, and TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), a Work First welfare assistance program.

            Only after a torrent of criticism did the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services find the funding to keep the WIC program going through the shutdown, but DHHS suspended TANF, maintaining that it could not do anything about it.

            Congressman Price was not pleased.

            “My concern was that North Carolina, alone among the fifty states, was putting its most vulnerable citizens at risk,” Price told The Carolinian during a phone interview last week. State officials had received assurances that no matter how long the federal shutdown took, that the federal funding per those programs would reimburse any dollars the state put out.

            But the McCrory Administration, as it did when it refused to extend Medicaid benefits to 500,000 poor North Carolinians, said that it didn’t trust that the Obama Administration would keep its word to pick up the costs.

            “It seems to me there was no reason for the state to cut these people off,” Rep. Price said, adding that thus far, the McCrory Administration has not responded to a letter he sent them asking for justification.

            “This is a script that we’re getting pretty familiar with, and it’s unfortunate,” Price said. “I defy anyone to show me an example where the federal government has reneged on its share of Medicaid.”

            “I just think the McCrory Administration, I have to conclude, they’re just making excuses. They don’t like health care reform, they certainly don’t like the president, …but to say that the reason is we don’t trust the federal government, hoping to play into that cynicism on the public’s part, I think is reprehensible.”

            Rep. Price acknowledged that the rollout of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), thus far, has been a rough one, with the www.health.gov website not properly functioning, frustrating millions of people hoping to take advantage of the health insurance exchanges in their states to get coverage at the cheapest rate possible.

            On Monday Pres. Obama acknowledged the problems, offered no excuses, and vowed to have the glitches fixed in a timely manner. House Republicans, who are vehemently opposed to the ACA, have called for hearings into the problems.

            Price indicated that with such an immense program, problems could be automatically expected in the very beginning. He said the healthcare program could have been much simpler if it were just Medicaid for everyone, or a single-payer system.

            But because the Republicans insisted in 2009 that the private insurance industry remain the primary provider of health care coverage, the ACA was designed accordingly, thus making it more complicated.

            Congressman Price says now thanks to the GOP opposition, in addition to the ACA website problems, it is now twice as hard to make it work than before.

            The Fourth District Democrat called the McCrory Administration’s refusal to allow Medicaid coverage to be extended to a half million North Carolinians, “…is really a disgrace to this state. I can’t put it too strongly.”

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STATE NEWS BRIEFS 10-24-13

MCCRORY ADMINISTRATION DENIES VOTER LAW BIAS

            [RALEIGH] Despite charges and lawsuits from the NCNAACP and other progressive groups, Gov. Pat McCrory and his attorneys deny that new restrictive election reform laws passed by the Republican-controlled NC General Assembly violate the constitutional rights of African-Americans. Attorneys for the state Monday responded to two of the three federal lawsuits filed against the state alleging that GOP lawmakers knew that voter ID and other laws they ratified would negatively impact black voters. McCrory says the “common sense” laws are designed to combat fraud. The NCNAACP counters that there is little evidence of voter fraud that requires voter ID.

MCCRORY’S SPENDING QUESTIONED

            [RALEIGH] First it was bloated state salaries for two former campaign workers. Now it’s tens of thousands of dollars spent on bathrooms for his office and living quarters that Gov. Pat McCrory is having a hard time answering for. Published reports indicate that the Republican governor spent $19,000 in taxpayer money to remodel a small bathroom in his state office bathroom because of a “bad smell.” That news came on the heels of reports of McCrory canceling plans to renovate six bathrooms in the Executive Mansion at the cost of $230,000, after word got out that he accepted that bid because it was the lowest. At least $100,000 of the work would have included fancy décor. McCrory spokesperson Kim Genardo said the work was needed because of none of it was fixed by the previous governor, meaning Democrat Beverly Perdue. Because of the uproar, Genardo said the work and cost had been scaled back.

EMBATTLED REP. ELMERS GETS TWO DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS

            [DUNN] Tea Party Congresswoman Renee Elmers [R-NC-2], who got in trouble with her conservative base for not initially supporting the federal government shutdown, and then got in trouble again for saying, “I need my money” when asked if she would do without her paycheck while federal workers were furloughed, is now seen as being vulnerable for re-election in 2014. Two Democrats have already announced that they will vie for her seat. Houston Barners, the owner of a business law firm in the RTP, announced this week that he seeks Elmers job. Barnes joins former state Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco in vying for the Elmers seat. Meanwhile, more trouble for the congresswoman. Dunn police are probing an apparent break-in at Elmers home, from where an AR-15 assault weapon was taken.

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 TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 10-24-13

POISONOUS SNAKES ARE OUT BEFORE HIBERNATION

If you’ve lived in North Carolina for a while, you know to expect to see snakes crawling around starting during the spring when they come out of hibernation in time for mating season. But what many people don’t reason is that snakes of all stripes stick around even as late as October, looking for one last meal before going back into hibernation. A Raleigh boy was bitten by a copperhead snake this week near Glenwood Avenue, and had to be hospitalized. Experts say watch out for snakes in your surroundings in the coming weeks, and if you see any, leave them alone, and they won’t bother you.

DURHAM SCHOOL BOARD CANCEL’S SUPT.’S CREDIT CARD

            Durham Supt. Eric Becoats is in hot water with his superiors on the Durham Board of Education. First he was found to have used a Durham school bus and driver to chauffeur his family around in August. He reimbursed the school system and promised not to do that again. But now Becoats is found to have put thousands of dollars on his school system credit card. The Durham School Board met behind closed doors Monday and voted to terminate Becoats card. Becoats again reimbursed the system, and promised to do better in the future.

GET YOUR UNCLAIMED CASH AT THE STATE FAIR

            Does the state of North Carolina owe you money? The best way to find out is to go to the NC Cash Booth at the NC State Fair and find out. The Unclaimed Property Division of the NC Dept. of the State Treasurer says there over $340 million in unclaimed money and property. During the fair’s opening weekend, over $100,000 was claimed. If you need more information, go to www.nccash.com.

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THE CASH STUFF FOR 10-17-13

NNPA STORIES -
http://nnpa.org/md-in-violation-of-hbcu-students-constitutional-rights-by-zenitha-prince/

http://nnpa.org/u-s-increases-un-needed-surveillance-of-citizens-by-freddie-allen/

LEADERS CRY, “TAKE

BACK OUR STATE”

By Cash Michaels

Editor

            From the NC NAACP state convention in Rocky Mount last week, to the NC Legislative Black Caucus town hall meeting in Raleigh this week, the cry was the same.

            It’s time to organize to take back North Carolina.

            Civil rights leaders and Democratic officials, already weary from what they call the “repressive path” of the recent Republican-led legislative session, and even more disturbed by the dramatic shutdown of the federal government by House Republicans and likely forced default of the nation’s debt ceiling, beckoned all who would listen that strong, decisive and sustained organization and action is needed now to take back the NC General Assembly in 2014, as well as hold onto the US Senate, and take the Republican-led US House during the midterms that same year.

            It will be tough to do because so many Republicans, thanks to redistricting, were elected from virtually “bulletproof” districts, meaning their district lines are drawn to keep Democrats from winning. But leaders believe if they can at least keep pounding the issues, organizing and registering people to vote in many of those districts, they may be able to make inroads, and make the 2014 election contests closer than experts are currently predicting.

            And even though he isn’t on the ballot for reelection until 2016, Gov. Pat McCrory, still struggling to fully establish his leadership brand after a series of political missteps and snubbing by GOP leaders in the Legislature, is already being targeted as well.

            During his “State of the State” address last Saturday at the State NAACP Convention in Rocky Mount, NCNAACP Pres. Rev. William Barber, who also serve as the leader of the successful Moral Monday movement, laid out a progressive agenda for NAACP members designed to put pressure of McCrory and other state Republican leaders to backtrack on many of their controversial policies.

            Rev. Barber called on Gov. McCrory to call a “Special Redemption Session” in the coming weeks “…to persuade [state lawmakers] to rescind their decision to strip Medicaid from 500,000 North Carolina families and unemployment benefits from 170,000 North Carolina families.” Barber said the Forward Together movement would work to collect petitions during Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.

            The NCNAACP leader also called for a mass Moral Monday – Forward Together movement gathering in Raleigh on December 23^rd, “…to either celebrate Gov. McCrory’s redemptive decision, or continue our protest…”            

            But Rev. Barber is just stopping with the governor and the Republican-led General Assembly. He’s going after the proverbial “power behind the throne” as well, in the person of state budget director Art Pope, the wealthy conservative businessman who bankrolled the GOP takeover of the state Legislature, and is advising Gov. McCrory on various budget cuts to state education and the social safety net.

            Barber says he is petitioning the national NAACP for permission to “…set up an informational picket campaign at Maxway and Roses stores, owned by state employee Art Pope.” Rev. Barber further states that the pickets will pass out fliers to shoppers informing them of how Pope used his family fortune to, “…finance extremist campaigns by tea party politicians, and the cuts pope made in his state budget to harm the poor and help the rich.”

            The Moral Monday movement leader also announced that the NCNAACP will support lawsuits against the state over severe budget cuts to education; will fight to defeat “the worst voter suppression bill in the country” in time for the 2014 elections; and will mount a statewide voter registration/education program in time for the November 2014 elections.

            Barber also announced the eighth annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street march and rally people’s assembly will convene on Saturday, February 8^th, 2014. Last year’s event is said to have been the largest with over 15,000 attendees. Rev. Barber said people will rally in front of the Legislative Building on Jones Street, “…to protest the immoral, unconstitutional, mean spirit that has taken over the People’s House.”

            On Monday evening at Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh, Wake County members of the NC Legislative Black Caucus conducted what they called, “What’s Up: Taking Back Our State Town Hall Meeting.”

            Moderated by State Rep. Rosa Gill [D-Wake], a variety of state lawmakers and public policy analysts gave an overview of everything from the federal shutdown to the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, to what all of them saw was the repressive policies of the Republican-led NC General Assembly, and how all of that negatively impacted the African-American community across the state.

            Speakers like state Sen. Dan Blue [D-Wake], Rep. Yvonne Holley, Rep. Darren Jackson and state House Democratic Leader Rep. Larry Hall of Durham, all assured attendees that the GOP was roiling back the clock on hard-fought for civil rights and privileges that African-Americans had earned, like the right to cast an unfettered ballot during election time.

            The elected leaders all urged citizens to stay active and involved in the political process, and work together to bring about needed change, starting in 2014.

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STATE NEWS BRIEFS 10-17-13

DHHS RESTORES WIC PROGRAM, THEN SUSPENDS WELFARE AID

            [GREENSBORO] Under blistering criticism last week, the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services found funding, in spite of the federal government shutdown in Washington, DC, and resumed its Women, Infants and Children program, otherwise known as WIC. North Carolina was the only state in the nation to stop its WIC program when the federal government shutdown, refusing, at first, to supplement it. Poor families in the state will now continue to have their WIC vouchers honored by designated vendors.

            But no sooner did DHHS announce the resumption of WIC, that it then announced the suspension of its federally funded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, saying that no more applications would be accepted. A DHHS spokesperson said it would not be able to make any TANF programs until the federal shutdown ended. Almost 21,000 North Carolina residents are served by the TANF program, with over 13,000 of them dependent children. The state is directing those needing food to check with their local food banks for assistance. Thus far, North Carolina is, again, the only state that has not temporarily used state funding to supplement the absence of federal funds during the shutdown.

SHUTDOWN HURTING NEEDY FAMILIES, CHILDREN, AND FURLOUGHED STATE WORKERS

            [DURHAM] In North Carolina, federally funded childcare programs, programs that assist needy families and the elderly, and even state employees who jobs are partially funded through federal funds, are feeling the increasing pressure of the shutoff of federal funding during the now three-week-old federal shutdown. County governments are making emergency supplemental funding to social service programs that normally receive federal aid. But that local funding will only last until the end of October, thus leaving programs that help seniors and the handicapped in desperate trouble. State government agencies are feeling the pinch as well, furloughing employees for hours, and even days, to make up for the shortfall of federal dollars.

                                                                       

STATE SUPREME COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS IN PRE-K CASE

            [RALEIGH] Is the state of North Carolina obligated to provide thousands of children living in poverty across the state a pre-kindergarten education? The North Carolina State Supreme Court heard arguments pro and con Tuesday in a 19-year-old case that started when five low-wealth counties sued the state, alleging that it had failed to adequately fund their local public school districts, and thus denied their poor children a constitutionally guaranteed “sound, basic education.” In 2011, the GOP-led state Legislature cut funding to the state’s pre-K program for at-risk children, and changed the eligibility requirements so that less poor children could be served. The state argues that it should be obligated to serve only Hoke County’s children because it was the originally complainant, and that there is no constitutional right to a pre-kindergarten education. Attorneys for the plaintiff school districts countered that the state decided to make the remedy to the original court case statewide because of the constitutional guarantee, and that has been upheld by the court ever since. A decision is expected by the state High Court in a few months.

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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 10-17-13

BROTHER A SUSPECT IN MURDER OF SEANNE WINTERS BARNETTE

            Knightdale police say the son of the late state Sen. John Winters is a in the weekend murder of his sister, Seanne Winters Barnette, 55. Ms. Barnette’s body was found in her Knightdale home Saturday morning, authorities say. Her brother, John W. Winters Jr., 70, was arrested two days earlier in Prince William County, Va. driving his sister’s 2008 PT cruiser. He was charged with stealing Barnette’s vehicle, and hospitalized with an unspecified illness. Winters has not been charged with her murder, though Knightdale investigators say that thus far, he is their only suspect. Barnette’s vehicle has been returned to North Carolina for evidence gathering. Ms. Barnette had served as a teacher at Holt Elementary School in Durham for several years. Winters Jr. reportedly was homeless recently. Their father, state Sen. John Winters, had served as the first black Raleigh City councilman in 1961. At presstime there was no word on funeral arrangements.

WIFE TURNS HUSBAND IN AS SUSPECT IN ARMED THEFTS

            The wife of the suspect in a series of armed robberies actually called Raleigh police last Friday to tell them there was evidence “all over the house,” but she couldn’t find “the damn gun.” The tape of a 911 call from the wife of the suspect, Walter Kevin Johnson, has her telling Raleigh police that she suspected him of the crimes, that he had been acting “weird”, that she had a newborn in the house, and there were things there she knew didn’t belong to them. Raleigh police later arrested Johnson during a traffic stop near his home. He was arrested, charged with the robberies, and jailed under  $4 million bond. Johnson’s family reportedly was having financial problems. Police say several of the robberies happened near Johnson’s home.

“NEW FALLS OF THE NEUSE ROAD” NOW JUST “FALLS OF THE NEUSE ROAD

            As of Tuesday this week, the two-lane stretch of road in Wake County that had been named “New Falls of the Neuse Road” was changed to simply “Falls of the Neuse Road.” The Wake County Commission Board made the change to the portion of the road that started in Raleigh, and ran to through the unincorporated part of the county. A new section with a bridge over the Neuse River had been constructed in recent years.

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Wake Leadership Academies to partner with Saint Augustine’s University to provide students with college-level curriculum

The Wake County Board of Education took its first formal step on October 15 to secure Saint Augustine’s University of Raleigh as the college partner for the Wake Leadership Academies.

"This partnership creates an exciting and rare opportunity for our high school students to attend college-level courses on campus, where they will be exposed to the rigor and academic culture of a four-year university," WCPSS Superintendent Jim Merrill said. "This collaboration will allow our school system and Saint Augustine's to fulfill a mutual mission to provide students with the skills, leadership development, and pathways for academic and personal success."

The partnership will allow Leadership Academy students to enroll in university courses to pursue the Early College portion of their rigorous academy experience, through which they may earn a high school diploma while also earning transferable college credit.

“Traditionally, Saint Augustine’s University has provided access to education, opportunities and programs for a widely diverse population of young people. This partnership is a perfect fit for our long range goals as an institution," said Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber, president of Saint Augustine’s University. “Historically black colleges and universities will continue to play a critical role in the education of a significant percentage of the population who are both positioned and postured to become effective leaders and change agents in this rapidly changing world."

Beginning as early as their sophomore year, students will participate in the Saint Augustine’s Transformative Education Program, a four-year, competency-based curriculum that spans all academic programs at the university.

“As an Early College partner, Saint Augustine’s has an inclusive vision for our students and our schools,” said Teresa Pierrie, principal of the Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy. “I believe they see the academies becoming a part of the university and this will translate into even greater opportunities for our students.”

Representatives from WCPSS and Saint Augustine’s University have been working together since March to develop the partnership and establish the Wake Leadership Academies as an Early College High School.

“In working with the team from Saint Augustine's for the past six months, I can say without equivocation that this institution is the perfect fit for the Early College component for our school,” said Ian Solomon, principal of the Wake Young Men’s Leadership Academy.

The partnership with Saint Augustine’s University will also allow the academies to add a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) focus to the curriculum beginning in 2014-15. To enhance the STEM curriculum, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences will create learning opportunities for students and professional development for faculty at the leadership academies.

Schools will be providing updates to academy parents as the Wake County Board of Education and Saint Augustine’s University Board of Trustees work together in the coming months to finalize the formal partnership.

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CASH IN THE APPLE 10-17-13

By Cash Michaels

            LYNNETTE’S MAHALIA JACKSON CONCERT – We are still in production of the CashWorks HD Productions documentary presentation of “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten”, which will make its world premiere in Wilmington next February. Thus far, though it’s hard work, I’m enjoying the experience immensely, and can’t wait for the world to see and experience this historic film.

            The documentary opens with an original song we wrote exclusively for the film titled “That Freedom”, and it is sung by one of the finest singers I’ve ever heard – Ms. Lynnette Barber.

            I’ve known Lynnette since she was a student at St. Augustine’s College (now known as St. Augustine’s University). She is a member of Lincoln Park Holiness Church in Raleigh, and as strong a Christian as Lynnette is, she is just as powerful a  singer, which is why we asked her to sing for the documentary.

            If you want to both see and hear just how great Lynnette is, mark down Sunday, Oct. 27^th, 4 p.m. at Lincoln Park Holiness Church. She will once again don a costume, and perform as gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, in concert. I’ve seen Lynnette’s performance as Mahalia, and I’m hear to tell you, it is more than a treat.

            It is an experience!

            So if you want a true gospel singing experience, in addition to a real good time, make sure you and your family come to Lincoln Park Holiness Church, 13 Heath Street in Raleigh, Sunday, Oct. 27^th at 4 p.m.. Lynnette Barber sings Mahalia Jackson In Concert. For more information call 919-673-6392 or contact Lynnette at lynbarber@yahoo.com.

            Trust me, you won’t regret it. And next February, get ready to hear Lynnette sing the heck out of the theme to “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten.” That, will be unforgettable as well!

            SPIELBERG TAPS BERRY FOR CBS SERIES – Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry is set to return to television next season as an astronaut in new TV series produced by master filmmaker Steven Spielberg called “Extant.”

            Berry’s character returns to Earth after a year on a solo mission to find out that things have changed, and she doesn’t know why.

            Normally, given the stated plotline, I’d say this may or may not work. But with Spielberg at the helm a producer and Berry in the starring role on TV’s Number One broadcast network, and I think it has a shot. How long the series lasts depends on the strength of the scripts, and of course, cast performance.

            But at least “Extant” will have the star-power to give us something to look forward too.

            ANDERSON ABC COMEDY ABOUT BLACK LIFE – Word is that a major broadcast television network, in this case ABC, is considering a new situation comedy that explores what it means to be black in America today. I raise this because it is a poorly kept secret that ABC, NBC and CBS got out of the black situation comedy business some time ago, leaving that fare to BET and the now defunct UPN network, where the popular show “Girlfriends” held roost.

            The show ABC is considering is titled “Black-ish” and it stars Anthony Anderson, the roly-poly black actor we’ve seen star in TV shows like  “Law and Order”, and in movies like “Barbershop.”

            According to published reports, “…Black-ish centers on an upper-middle-class black man who struggles to raise his children with some sense of cultural identity despite constant contradictions and obstacles coming from his liberal wife, old-school father, and his own assimilated, color-blind kids.”

            We’ll see if the pilot for the show makes it to first base.

            What makes this notable is that unlike our black sitcoms of the past, like “Good Times”, “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford and Son”, “Black-ish” is produced by African-Americans – Kenya Barris, who brought us BET’s “The Game”, and actor Lawrence Fishburne’s production company Cinema Gypsy.

            So let’s see what transpires, shall we?

            BREAKING BAD – I know that a few weeks ago, a long-running, very popular  TV series called “Breaking Bad” ended on the AMC cable channel. It won an Emmy Award, and critics that it was addictive television. Even veteran thespian Sir Anthony Hopkins, one of my favorite actors from “Silence of the Lambs” and “The Mask of Zorro”, sent a fan letter to lead actor Bryan Cranston, who stars as “Walter White”, the chemistry teacher who learns he has cancer, and becomes a meth manufacturer, telling Cranston that the series had some of the best acting he’d ever seen.

            That’s high praise, indeed, coming from a master actor like Hopkins.

            So why am I writing about all of this? Because a popular as this series was, and apparently still is (they’re talking about a sequel), I’ve never seen one episode.

            As hyped up as I get about good TV shows and movies, this one, I must admit, never flew onto my radar. So I guess I’ll have to one day do what Sir Anthony Hopkins did – get the complete 62-episode set, and watch the series over a two-week period.

            This way, then, I’ll be the last person on Earth to know whether “Breaking Bad” was really that good or not.

            DON LEMON SAYS SO – Was at BlackAmericaWeb.com the other day, and saw an interesting op-ed piece by CNN weekend anchor Don Lemon titled, GOP “Stop Drinking the [Obama] Hater-aid.” In the piece, Lemon talked about the disgraceful display by Tea Partiers last weekend when they marched to the White House, and throw barricades in front of it.

            One moron (and yes, I’m calling people names here), had the disgraceful gall to grab a microphone, act as if he were talking to President Obama, and tell the Confederate flag waving Tea Party revelers, “ Take your hand off the Quran, come out with your hands up.”

            And then, guess who shows up to further enflame the crowd? Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz – man who has led the way to the federal government shutdown for the past two weeks.

            Both Palin and Sen. Cruz hail from the extreme right-right-wing of the Republican Party, the part that the rabid Tea Partiers lay claim to, and Don Lemon, after some careful analysis, made something very clear.

            “They’re only thinking about to stop a President they hate for whatever reason.”

            Then Lemon posits an extraordinary prediction. “For that reason, and [the Republicans’] inability to embrace the winds of change sweeping through our country, there will never be another Republican President in our generation. In our lifetime.”

            “Republicans, here’s the bottom line…you are blinded by the Obama hate trees, fighting amongst yourselves, in a death spiral,” Lemon continues. “Get on the same message…and stop drinking the hater-aid. It is leaving a bad taste in your mouths and the majority of Americans is recoiling from your bad breath.”

            Wow! That’s powerful stuff, Don. But more importantly, it is true as gold.

            The Republicans hate this black president so much, they are even willing to destroy this nation just to sully and tarnish the legacy of Barack Obama.

            The bad part about it is, innocent people, the poor, furloughed federal and state employees, families and small businesses are the ones suffering as a result. The federal government has been shutdown for three weeks now, and at presstime, while talks were ongoing about salvaging the federal debt ceiling, the House Republicans looked like they were not interested.

            Yes, hold tight to your Bibles or Q’urans or Torahs, for Lord knows we need strength. But then just don’t sit there. Get involved in taking your country back.

            For if you don’t, our children will be denied that which our ancestors fought and died for.

            And make sure during this struggle, that you support this black newspaper. We were born in struggle. We report truth to power. We are owned by our community, therefore we will always stand for and with our community.

            But only if you stand for and with us. Subscribe to us, get advertising with us, and be there for us.

            Don’t let our voice disappear!
            FREDERICK DOUGLASS ON OBAMA - This was sent to me. I double-checked it. I think you should read it too:
             Many people wonder why Republican legislators are so unrelenting on President Obama.Frederick Douglass gave us the answer many years ago. 
             "Though the colored man is no longer subject to barter and sale, he is surrounded by an adverse settlement which fetters all his movements. In his downward course he meets with no resistance, but his course upward is resented and resisted at every step of his progress. If he comes in ignorance, rags and wretchedness he conforms to the popular belief of his character, and in that character he is welcome; but if he shall come as a gentleman, a scholar and a statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to the national faith concerning his race, and his coming is resented as impudence. In one case he may provoke contempt and derision, but in the other he is an affront to pride and provokes malice."  Frederick Douglass September 25, 1883

               So true, so true! 

              NO SHAME - By the way, and I may start a fight here, but many of you online are saying how "ashamed" you are of North Carolina and America because of what the Republicans are doing. I'm not! I'm proud, VERY proud, to stand with those of you of all stripes who KNOW better, do better, and are planning to DO your very BEST to take back our state and nation. I'm not ashamed of the wrongdoing of others, because they are not doing GOD's will, nor do they represent me. Why should I be ashamed of what they’re doing, when they are NOT ashamed of it? I pity them, because the shame is ALL theirs, and I refuse to share it with them. Instead, I am committed to sharing the mission of fighting for our state and nation, and ALL of our children...even theirs...so that we can put this country back on the right track, and be the kind of America the election of our first black president showed us we can be. So feel free to continue to be "ashamed" of someone else's demented tomfoolery if you will, but for me and mine, we're DAMN proud to STAND UP to evil, and fight it with EVERYTHING we have! 'nuff said.

            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.