If MJ Sides with Owners, He’s a Sellout?

Tonight I will indulge my thoughts on the intersection of race politics and NBA basketball. No, it’s not cooking, relationships or theology but it’s what interests me today.

I regularly read Jason Whitlock’s column on FOX Sports.com.  I like his style even when I disagree but  it never fails that when he ventures into the topic of race, I vehemently disagree. I disagree because I don’t believe every successful black person is obligated to view everything they do through the prism of race.

Whitlock  most recently took Michael Jordan to task for “taking the side of” the owners in the ongoing labor dispute which has resulted in a lockout and postponement of the start of the NBA season. He conveniently fails to understand that as a team owner Jordan’s no more obligated to take sides with the players than those players who’d rather be playing ball right now are to side with the owners:

Sellout.

Now that NBA superstars have decided to fully engage in the lockout negotiations and threaten union decertification, David Stern and ownership have decided to unleash their token minority owner from the house to play hardball. According to The New York Times, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, the greatest player of all time, is the owner most determined to bury the union financially. Jordan allegedly wants current players to take a 10- to 20-point basketball-related-income pay cut.

Sellout.

This is the ultimate betrayal. A league filled mostly with African-American young men who grew up wanting to be like Mike is finally getting to see just who Michael Jordan is. He’s a cheap, stingy, mean-spirited, cut-throat, greedy, uncaring, disloyal slave to his own bottom line.

Nike’s “Air Jordan” marketing strategy was based on getting black inner-city kids to worship Jordan and his shoes. Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce, the Fab Five, etc., made Michael Jordan a billionaire. The NBA Players Association fought like crazy so the Bulls could make $30 million balloon payments to Jordan in each of his final two seasons in Chicago.

And now Jordan, as the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, wants to be the face of ownership greed and vindictiveness.

Sellout.

A couple of thing come to mind as I read Whitlock’s column. The first is that while I admired Jordan’s athletic prowess as much as any of his fans, I have never gotten the impression that he was in any way interested in being a role model, black spokesman, or even a  stellar human being to tell you the truth. He often came across as unlikable off the court. He was just a gifted athlete who’d parlayed his talent into endorsement success.

While it’s probably true that the inner city boys that grew into young men coming into the league after him helped build his empire by buying his exorbitantly priced sneakers, no one forced them to do that. That was a choice they and their parents made, to spend their money enriching Nike and Michael Jordan. Does that mean he is eternally indebted to them? I think not.

Further, given the plight of the average man in this country and black men in particular, why would any person who was interested in taking a stand on behalf of beleaguered black men choose NBA players as the beneficiaries of such an effort? Why is it that people in the media and on the left insist that every black person view life through the lens of race rather than being allowed to simply live their lives the best way they see fit, helping whomever they choose on the terms they choose?

If Whitlock had written his column from a business standpoint rather than castigating Michael Jordan for failing “this generation of black men”, I might have received it better. But this notion that Jordan is betraying black men is laughable on its face. How exactly is Jordan betraying black men? What does he owe them in the wake of his success, and how is he to repay this supposed debt? I haven’t seen much to like about Jordan in the years since he left the court, but I’d certainly argue that his legacy helped to enrich the players who came into the league after him.

I don’t know who has the stronger case here, the management or the players. I haven’t been closely following the details of this dispute. I am far more interested in watching a good game of hoops than I am interested in who gets paid what. I don’t envy the guys who play NBA ball their success but I’m not indignant on their behalf either.  I do however, think that expecting Michael Jordan the owner to betray his business’s interest by behaving as if he still Michael Jordan the player is expecting too much. To expect it as a show of misplaced racial solidarity is over the top.

I’m really just a sports fan who could care less about the politics of it all. When they start playing again, I’ll watch. I the meantime, let’s not paint the most handsomely paid  men (of any race) in this country as oppressed poster children for the masses of unemployed and underemployed black men in the inner cities.

That’s just stupid.

Somebody Grab Satan A Parka! I Agree With Maxine Waters.

What’s the weather like in Hades? It must be frozen over  because I agree with ultra-liberal Congresswoman Maxine Water (D-CA).

As a conservative (for lack of a better term) firmly against the basic ideals of liberal politics, I don’t have a dog in this hunt. There are no circumstances under which I could ever see my self voting for the President. Ever.

But Waters was 100% right in her mild rebuke of President Obama’s speech to the Congressional Black Caucus this past weekend. The caucus has been very vocal about their dissatisfaction with Obama’s response to the exceedingly high unemployment in the black community, implying that he hasn’t done enough to address the issue.He basically told them to shut it up (“You’re makin’ me look bad!” is my translation). Here’s part of what he had to say:

Waters asserts that what he said there are things he would never say to the other parts of his base. She’s right. He wouldn’t. You can find her response here  (Scroll down for video). Part of her remarks:

“I found that language a bit curious because the president spoke to the Hispanic caucus and certainly they are pushing him on immigration and despite the fact that he has appointed Sotomayor to Supreme Court, he has office for excellence in Hispanic education in the White House,” Waters told CBS’ Erica Hill. “He certainly didn’t tell them to stop complaining.”

“And he never would say that to the gay and lesbian community who really pushed him on don’t ask, don’t tell or even in a speech to AIPAC, he would never say to the Jewish community, ‘Stop complaining about Israel.’ So I don’t know who he was talking to because we are certainly not complaining. We are working. We support him and we are protecting that base because we want people to be enthusiastic about him when that election rolls around.”

We talked a bit about this Monday when we touched on the problem of “pigeonholing” groups of people. This is definitely one such case. But this is one pigeonhole the black community has built around itself when it comes to politics. When a group votes as a guaranteed monolith (92-95% Democrat votes) is it any wonder that group is taken for granted?

Yes, the LGBT, Jewish, and Latino communities break Democrat most of the time, but not nearly at the levels of the black community. And as a Floridian, I know for a fact that there are Hispanic subgroups, such as the Cuban community, where the split is much more even and occasionally even tips the other way. In other words, there is something to be gained by campaigning to them, unlike the black community.

Obama has no reason to pander to a group for their votes when those votes are virtually guaranteed.

Monday’s Musings

As always, I do hope your week is off to a good start!

Reason #3,896 that I stopped watching Christian television: I’m a little late getting to this one, but when the story broke I was livid on behalf of spouses who have been faithful partners and then find themselves stricken with Alzheimer’s disease. For those out of the loop, televangelist and talk show host Pat Robertson recently advised a man weary with the toll of his wife’s Alzheimer’s and eager to date that he could divorce her and it wouldn’t be wrong because Alzheimer’s is “a type of death”. Therefore he wouldn’t be betraying his marriage vows. I don’t think there is anything to add to that. And yes, I know that not all televangelists are like that. Duly noted.

It Ain’t Always About Race, Folks: Apparently acclaimed Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman has come out to say that the Tea Party is racist. That they want to defeat the President solely because they feel that they need to “get this black man outta here.” I think this is ridiculous on its face, to assume that anyone who opposes the President is doing so on the basis of race.

Now understand, I am no fan of the Tea Party movement mainly because I believe they’re a bunch of hypocrites on the very fiscal issues they claim to be crusading on. But being a cognitively dissonant hypocrite doesn’t make one a racist. Whatever happened to being able to argue something on the merits instead of using inflammatory language and accusations to shut the voice of the opposition?

Herman Cain wins Florida GOP Straw Poll: And make no mistake about it folk, this was an upset to the Perry campaign first, and the Romney campaign as well. Apparently the FL straw poll has predicted the GOP nominee in the past several presidential contests. I still don’t know that Cain, a business man and ordained minister can go the distance. If he does it certainly would take the race card off the able, wouldn’t it?

Homeschooling update: We’re settling into a nice rhythm now that I have resolved to focus on what I think is important and not on all the things I could be teaching Lil’ Princess and all the things we could be doing based on reading too many homeschool books, blogs, and websites. They have inspired me greatly but I also found myself overwhelmed. I have resolved that as Lil’ Princess is only 5 years old, this year will be centered largely around four things: reading, writing, mathematics, and Bible. That’s it. We learn science as the situation arises, conduct impromptu experiments as well, which is almost daily as it happens, and we touch the edges of all kinds of topics from geography to government in our day to day conversations. However, with 5 children and all the demands that come with a large family, I had to streamline this first year. We are making much more progress now that I have relaxed a bit. And having much more fun!

Homeschooling Specifics: For reading we are using The Ordinary Parents’ Guide to Teaching Reading. We were using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons but for some reason that wasn’t going over as well as the ordinary parent’s guide. Lil’ Princess likes the Jessie Wise book much better. Go figure. For math we are doing Saxon K. For writing, I put together sheets from this site to help Lil’ Princess learn to write legibly and properly. For Bible we are using BJU Press’ K-5 Bible Truths.

I’m unclear on how we can help Europe with its debt woes: But, our government is joining the rest of the Western world in trying to surmise how we can “contain” Europe’s debt crisis before they plunge the world into an even deeper depression recession. Well okay, then. The stockpilers and survivalists don’t sound as extreme to me as they did a few years ago.

What’s cooking:

Sunday: Baked chicken, mushroom risotto, broccoli

Monday: BBQ Chicken tacos, salad

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Potato soup

Thursday: Chicken Alfredo bow tie pasta, salad

Friday: Toasted roast beef subs, baked french fries

Drawn Out Of Hiding…

Few things get me going like the feeling my man (or one of my children) is being targeted, and that’s the very thing that prompted me to take a minute to post today. Secret Agent Man is a big boy and can take care of himself  but he didn’t pledge his life, name, and the whole of his worldly posessions to a woman who won’t have his back.

Apparently, there is an online revival of the old 1950′s scare tactic claiming  that pure, demure white women are under siege from black men who are busily stalking out and raping as many of these angelic creatures as they possibly can.

I first saw this piece at The Thinking Housewife and restrained myself from commenting. Thankfully, I didn’t have to because the wonderful Alte at Traditional Catholicism has done a better job than I ever could have fleshing out the historical realities here. Alte is black, but if memory serves me correctly, her husband is white. I offered that bit of intel to make clear that she doesn’t have the same axe to grind here as me. In fact, her overall point isn’t about race at all but about how a feminist society, where the word of any woman is accepted as truth when weighed against the word of any man regardless of his race, has gotten us to the place we are today, where every man is presumed guilty simply because he is accused. She writes here:

  In revenge for crimes that were not being committed, white men increased the incidence and brutality of black women’s rape and abuse, and started arresting and executing (or just skipping the pretense, and lynching) black men in large numbers. Hundreds of black men died that way, and many still do, to promote the cause of White Womanhood.This is the same ideology that feminists and social conservatives utilize, in order to enforce unjust laws (such as VAWA or modern rape laws) protecting white women from facing the consequences of their own bad taste in men and their sluttish behavior. The reason? Many white men see black men when they hear the word “rape”, just as European men see Muslim men. These “other men” (read: male interlopers) are the monsters who come at night to rape their Pure White Women, so all legal chicanery and trickery is allowed in order to punish this heinous crime.The law has been repeatedly bent and twisted in order to allow the convictions of such men on the most flimsy evidence, or even with a complete lack of evidence. That white women, at their political peak, would start using such laws against white men themselves, is a given. That is what happens when you feed corruption and debase truth; it comes back at you eventually.

This is the comment I left on her piece:

You, friend have stirred a hornet’s nest. And I’m going to fan the flames by linking to it at the top of my blog today. I saw the piece at The Thinking Housewife and despite the fact that I know my husband is a good and honorable man, I couldn’t help but feel anger rise up in me on his behalf.His grandmother, incidentally has skin so fair and hair so fine she could’ve passed for white in her day. So did her mother, and the family has acknowledged that this was because of the very thing you wrote about here.

I would never attempt to brush away the realities of disproportionate crime rates among young black men, but this notion of “pure” white women being under siege from black men is a load of garbage. The white women (and there have been more than 1 or 2) that hit on my husband surely didn’t get the memo that their safety and virtue are on the line simply because he exists!

Read her entire piece here. As I said above, I am not one for denying reality and I know there is a serious crime problem in the black community. But these problems are a direct result of cultural and family breakdown, and the sin nature we are all born with not some kind of inherent racial defect as was implied in the first piece I linked to.

Was there a defect in white men during the time when it was common for them to sexually assault black women?

I did a bit of research some time ago when I first heard this theory espoused. Still, I cannot claim any level of in-depth knowledge on the subject. I do know that I live with, raise a family with, love, and care for a black man who is an excellent human being. I was raised by a black man who is an equally exceptional human being. It is virtually impossible for me NOT to take such a thing personally.

There are various spiritual questions this subject raises but I am not prepared to get into that today.  Maybe I’ll give it some more mental energy at a later date.

I need to go get my Bible and  some egg nog or something. Get my Christmas cheer back.

A Great Article

I’d call it Men Under Seige, but it’s actually called The End of Men. It’s not the piece from the Atlantic that I linked to before. An excerpt:

When it comes to sex scandals, there really is no such thing anymore as “innocent until proven guilty.”  If you’re accused, you’re guilty.  And with this attitude, the atmosphere at work has been transformed.  I went to employee training a few weeks ago, in a room filled with women.  The sexual harassment video featured numerous video clips of male actors harassing women.  There was no such thing as a woman harassing anyone.  The message was clear: ladies, you should be afraid of the five men in the room.

That’s not fair.  It was embarrassing to me.  Men don’t victimize others.  Very few men victimize others.  But no matter how well my co-workers or church members know me, they just might, for a second, wonder if I’m the next guy to molest some kids.  Because every child molester is the guy you’d “least suspect,” right?  Guilt by association.  As a Christian, a pastor, a teacher, and a man, my character is slandered and my credibility questioned because of the actions of others.

Read the rest here.

As an aside, I am familiar with Pastor Eddie Long and the recent sexual allegations against him. That scandal was just the backdrop and impetus for the article this blogger wrote. The questions are already beginning: will the black church finally relax its position on homosexuality? Well, no, because the “black church” (whatever that means), if it’s  a Biblical church, has no authority to do such a thing.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

ht: Mrs. C

The Next Black President? No Time Soon.

Herman Cain is considering a run for president in 2012. I don’t give his candidacy much of a shot.

And I say this as someone who has known of and admired the work of Mr. Cain for a few years, probably long before he made his way onto  WorldNet Daily’s radar screen. I am on his Intelligent Thinkers email list, having first come in contact with his unique delivery of common sense when he was a regular stand in for conservative libertarian talk radio host Neal Boortz. It has been several months since I have listened to talk radio though, so I haven’t heard him in a while.

When Joanna sent me the link to the story above, I was momentarily intrigued because all things being equal, Herman Cain would certainly have been my choice for the “first black President” over the current occupant of the White House.

 My curiosity was piqued for only a moment however because from where I sit, the chances of Herman Cain mounting a serious presidential campaign were doomed probably long before he ever even thought of running. What follows might sound terribly jaded and I know that, but it doesn’t make it any less true. America gave the “first black president” thing a try in 2008. On the heels of such a dismal return on that misplaced trust, it’ll be quite some time before she rolls the dice again.

One of the comparisons I read from conservative columnists over and over again is between Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. And every time I see it, I find it terribly simplistic. Jimmy Carter presided over a failed administration, but he wasn’t the first to do so. In that regard, he wasn’t a “first” at all. When he left office, his thumbprint on history was a small one and his presidency isn’t one that even the most avid historian feels inclined to dissect.

I understand the comparison. I even appreciate the fact that conservatives pride themselves on their ability to rise above race-based politics and hold every one to the same standard. Because of this they will be loath to admit that Barack Obama’s ultra-left, fiscally disastrous, foreign policy bumbling presidency will have any effect on future black presidential candidates. But it will. Which is ironic since our president is half-white and so radically liberal on marriage and abortion that he is actually out of step with most of the black community on those issues. I do realize that the black community mostly votes for liberal candidates based on fiscal policy, not social and religious values. Herman Cain fails liberal litmus tests miserably and cannot win the black vote based on race alone.

Factor in Cain’s southern twang and the elitist media types who determine which candidates are worth our time and effort will see to it that this potential candidacy doesn’t get very far off the ground. They will vilify him in much the same way they did Ward Connerly and Alan Keyes. Barbara Curtis also has a few choice words about the way he will be handled by the liberals media. The fact that he is an ordained minister (a Baptist one at that) will fling open the door to the Roe v. Wade question any time he is fortunate enough to get any media attention at all.

Herman Cain is politically savvy, but he falls on the wrong side of the issues as far as the “main stream” media is concerned. The lack of awareness and knowledge that characterizes most of  the American electorate dooms any candidate whose views are as “extreme” as Mr. Cain. But that’s not his biggest hurdle.

Did I mention that we already tried the whole “black president” thing and it didn’t work out so well? I would vote for him of course, but I just don’t think many other folk would.

I know how bad that sounds, but it’s just the way I see it.

On the bright side, if he makes enough waves, maybe the Fair Tax  might get some attention and gain some traction.

Why Am I Not Jumping Up and Down?

The much hailed Financial Reform Bill that was passed by the Congress last night has a provision calling for an “Office of Minority and Women Inclusion” in every U.S. financial regulatory agency.

Because there aren’t enough laws on the books already that favor women and minorities.

I was much happier during my political moratorium.

Monday’s Musings

It’s Monday,  let’s muse:

• I simply must highlight this recent post by JulieMom. It’s over on my Delicious links list, but it bears mentioning here for those who haven’t seen it. She explores the church trend of attempting to be “culturally relevant.” If you haven’t read it, go take a look.
• Old stereotypes die very hard.  I read this little snippet where Rod Blagojevich (why is this guy newsworthy?) says President Obama is “henpecked.” Frankly, I could care less about it, and the person who sent me the link sent it not because of the article, but because of the comments. The stereotype of the domineering, angry black woman was front and center. I resent the implication, for obvious reasons. This is America 2010, and there is no shortage of henpecked men or bossy women. And it has absolutely nothing to do with race or ethnicity. A wife either submits to her husband or not. I have repeatedly been questioned, as has my husband, about why I defer to him and how he gets his wife “to behave” the way he does. Even Christian folk have a hard time believing that Biblical marriage stands on its own merits, no manipulation required.
• Cooking school update: My girls and I are having some great times in the kitchen, and they are learning a lot. One of my twins has fairly well mastered our favorite hamburger bun recipe, which I picked up from Diane. They’re so good I don’t even buy buns anymore. Bright Eyes baked and decorated the twins’ birthday cake and did a pretty good job. Each night of the week, one of the girls prepares dinner using a recipe of her choosing and I offer supervision and support.  They also help me with pantry cooking and menu planning. Things are going well.
• Shaking off the summertime slump: I am that homemaker who must have a list and a plan to be productive, and as my school year schedule doesn’t work as well in the summer, I have been far less productive the past couple of weeks. I’ve had to work out a new schedule, and I’m gonna hit the ground running this morning. Between daily chores, a sewing project, and a garage that desperately needs purging (the big girls are doing most of the work to earn some extra cash), I have a lot to tackle. I’m still perfecting the schedule, but maybe I’ll post it soon.
• On the fitness front: Things are going well. I have made a major decision. No more refined sugar, period. At least for the next couple of months and possibly forever. For a good baker like myself, married to a guy with a wicked sweet tooth, this is a big deal. My kids are already begging me to wait until after my 39th birthday (right around the corner!) since they usually present me with a decadent chocolate cake. But I figure there’s no need to wait. When they see me pass up birthday cake, they’ll know I mean business! I’m not sure if it’ll be too much of a disappointment to them. Thoughts?
• What’s Cooking: The plan is to eventually have about 70% meatless meals, but I need to use the meat on hand in the freezer, as well as be very diligent to find good recipes. Sweetie pie (2) is quite the carnivore and any vegetarian meal I put before her has to be tasty. I have 2 vegetarian dishes, and one with fish as the main course. Here’s the menu. (all rice is brown, all pasta whole wheat)
• Sunday: Broiled Tilapia Parmesan, Baked sweet potatoes, steamed green beans, Parker house rolls.
• Monday: (Bright Eye’s Birthday meal) Orange Chicken w/brown rice, stir-fry spinach w/garlic,  and peanut butter pie instead of  a birthday cake. 
• Tuesday: Spinach-Cheddar Quiche, Mixed Greens salad
• Wednesday: Chicken pot pie w/biscuit topping, sautéed cabbage
• Thursday: Portobello Penne, steamed broccoli
• Friday: Grilled Tuna melts w/ baked breaded onion rings
• Saturday: Spanish rice bake, corn, tomato and black bean side dish.

Tips for great meatless main dishes are solicited and welcomed.

Happy Monday, all!

Monday’s Musings Are Back!

It’s summertime, and though the living is easy, it is also busier, with all the kids in the house full-time. I’ll be very fortunate to write one post of substance per week. So I figured this to be as good a time as any to bring back an oldie but goodie from days gone by- Monday’s Musings. Without further adieu:

• I have been brainstorming ideas for keeping the girls busy and productive over the next 10 weeks. I already shared our book club selection for the summer. I have also decided to have a “cooking school” for all the girls. My teenagers can cook a little bit, but they are still far behind where they would be if I had more time to work with them. High school is interesting in that it simultaneously manages to be very demanding while not at all challenging. So now that they are home for the summer, it is my intention that they become much more comfortable and accomplished in the kitchen than they have been to date. We also have a few other things planned as well.
• Speaking of cooking: The kids wanted peanut butter cookies recently but we were out of eggs. We’ve never made eggless cookies so I went online looking for a recipe, and found this one. It is quite good. Feeling as though I may be on to something, I decided to look for recipes for eggless oatmeal cookies and eggless chocolate chip cookies. Both of these looked very promising, though I haven’t tried them yet. What a great way for people with egg allergies to still enjoy home-baked cookies.
• Has anyone noticed how any and every business seems to offer a summer camp? Does it bother y’all as much as it bothers me, that people who don’t deal with children at all much during the school year suddenly advertise themselves as safe havens for parents to drop their little ones off for day care (all day!) during the summer? The demand is so great for childcare that just about anyone can make money providing it. I have thoughts about that, but I’ll keep them to myself right now since I’m not feeling particularly controversial.
• I have to admit, this story saddened me greatly. Regardless of how I feel about Al Gore and his politics, the demise of a 40-year marriage is jaw dropping. When I first heard the news, I thought it was a lie or tabloid rumor. There was no way that these people, after 40 years, could be throwing in the towel. But it appears that these things can happen to any marriage. Very, very sad news.
• Somehow, via a random click, I stumbled into what I guess I’ll call the Afrocentric blogosphere. It has been a fascinating foray. I have run across all kinds of posts written by all kinds of people, from a young black woman who has somehow bought  into the notion that blacks are genetically inferior to other races (she considers herself a rare exception), to religious blogs written from a black perspective, to a blog written by a very intelligent brother who sees feminism for what it is (which is good), while stopping short of believing in traditional family structure as a part of the cure (which is not so good). I’ll say here what I said there: I am much more comfortable in the realm of the Christian mommy blogs. However, it has been quite interesting!
• When I altered my blog name and template, I mentioned my new focus: learning. I have made it my goal to pay attention and learn the lessons every day. Lessons about God and His word, myself, marriage, motherhood, or even random bits of this and that. There is always things to learn and opportunities to grow for those of us willing to slow down and pay attention. So far, it’s been great. Challenging in ways that I hope to share and other ways I dare not, but challenging nonetheless.
• I am currently praying for a deeper understanding of the lessons I need to learn from this passage in 2 Peter:  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
  Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;  for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1: 5-11.

 I like this idea, of bringing back the Monday Musings posts. I hope you all agree!

Happy Monday all!

Links That Made Me Think

freephoto.com

There are so many interesting topics of discussion to be found online. Things that give you pause, or just make you think. Here are a few posts and articles that I find worthy of contemplation and discussion. Happy Reading! 

A Wise Mother Guards Her Time, by Mrs. Fuentes at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home. This was a shot in the arm for me and a good reminder to make good use of the limited number of hours I have each day. It was timely because I’ve felt compelled lately to get into some in-depth Bible study. Of course, that will require better time management. 

Black Americans and Liberty, by Walter Williams at Townhall.com. This resonated with me because like Mr. Williams, I have often thought that if there were ever a  group of people in America who should be deeply distrustful of excessive government intrusion, it should be the black community. But for reasons that he, and I for that matter, cannot fathom, the black community continually and enthusiastically welcomes the taking of our liberties in exchange for unfulfilled promises and unearned handouts which are basically bribes in exchange for votes. There was one area with which I took exception, and that was his neglect to mention the lack of  personal responsibility in the black community that has contributed to many of the problems there. I’ve read enough of his writing to know that it was probably an oversight on his part, but it was a big one. 

Abortion’s Long Route to Rare, by Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post. As many states are passing and debating legislation requiring ultrasounds for women getting abortions, the “pro-choicers” are in an uproar. Ms. Parker, whom I often disagree with, makes an excellent, rational point this time: Why is this medical procedure the only one where people actively campaign for a lower threshold of informed decision-making? Well, we know why, don’t we? 

Busy Doing What?, by Tracey at In Word Adorning. Tracey contemplates the busyness that encompasses much of church life compared to the percentage of said activity that adds to spiritual growth or the vitality of our Christian walk. Like me, she has concluded that it’s okay to sit out some of this stuff. This was excellent. I hope you have time to read it. 

Does Anyone Remember 1931?, at The Market Ticker. I am an economy watcher. There, I admit it. I don’t often blog about it for several reason, not the least of which is that many people find it boring. I’m no economist, of course. I am only marginally competent about the basics of how our economy is supposed to work. But I do know that one of the glaringly distinguishable marks of a growing economy is that people who want a job can find one. There is no such thing in reality as a jobless recovery, even though the media keeps cranking out the good news that the worst is behind us. This piece takes the indicators apart in understandable terms and sets the record straight. 

Everyday Miracles, by Diane at Tomato Soup Cake, written for LAF. One of the sweetest women in the blogosphere, Diane tells her story of God’s favor and her triumph against all odds in a society which insists that what she is doing can’t be done. She is a single, homeschooling mother. And did I mention that she’s a full-time homemaker as well?  Enjoy this story of faith in God and His provision.