OTHERS’ BITS
“You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.”
(Maya Angelou, Still I Rise)

BUD L. WILLIAMS
“Jesus is the reason for the season.”

WATCH OUT MAYOR SARNO
In view of the many controversies surrounding White cops killing Black young men, little known Springfield Mayoral candidate Johnnie Ray McKnight, who happens to be Black, made a good point in a recent e-mail news release. In a letter attached to his e-mail to Mayor Domenic Sarno and City Council President Michael Fenton, McKnight wrote: “Although I agree with the need for more police officers, and the desire to keep the streets of Springfield as safe as possible, I have reservations about this single change being the answer. Before we talk about adding 60 new police officers, we need to require all new and existing police officers to wear body cameras, and our police cruisers must be equipped with dash cameras. Most, if not all, of the new hires will be rookie police officers with limited on the job training, and limited interactions with the public they will be serving. As you know, this can be problematic and can present a learning curve in understanding how to analyze various situations and react appropriately.” McKnight’s comments bring to mind the rookie cop who shot and killed a twelve-year-old African-American boy who had a toy gun within 1-2 seconds of arriving on the scene and, of course, all of the other recent killings of Black young men by cops. It also brings to mind the huge payments the City of Springfield recently doled out in damages for police misbehavior, one of which resulted in the wrongful death of an innocent Black youngster. It also suggests that McKnight might be a viable mayoral candidate.

GO OBAMA!
Okay! President Obama’s rapprochement with Cuba is a good thing and will add to his legacy. Now, if he drops his misplaced opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, his legacy will be cemented.

GIVE US A BREAK?
Who do the mainstream media consult, as an expert on Black reaction to the Ferguson, Missouri grand jury’s failure to indict the White officer who killed Michael Brown, but Charles Barkley, the pontifical, retired professional basketball player whose bonafides leave quite a bit to be desired? Of course, he’s no worse a choice than Dr. Ben Carson, the presidential wannabe whose political precision is far from as keen as his pediatric scalpel. My bet is that he will flame out as a viable presidential candidate quicker than Mr. 999 Herman Cain did. Both Charles Barkley and Dr. Carson would be much better off staying in their respective lanes and the mainstream media should look to the real experts for a constructive dialogue on race. INTERESTING RACIAL DISPUTE
Actress Halle Berry, who is a product of Black and White parents, has a daughter whose father is Halle’s White, ex-boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry, who, pursuant to a court order, shares custody of their daughter, whose hair is naturally curly. Halle, who says she considers her daughter to be Black, recently took Aubry back to court claiming that when he has custody of their daughter, he straightens and lightens her hair in an effort to make her more White. She articulated her rational in an interview: “I feel like she’s black. I’m black and I’m her mother, and I believe in the one-drop theory…I’m not going to put a label on it. I had to decide for myself and that’s what she’s going to have to decide – how she identifies herself in the world.”  Interesting! Halle has a point. Back in the day if you were known to have one drop of Black blood, you were considered and treated as Black. Of course, some, whose skin looked White enough, hid their Black blood and crossed over. Today, for whatever it is worth, we know that if every person with a drop of Black blood were to be considered Black, America would probably be very majority Black. The judge, in his infinite wisdom, told both to cease altering their daughter’s hair and hair color.

ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1934 AND 2014?
“Colonel Norwood (a White plantation owner) ordered the colored rural Baptist minister to start a revival and keep it going until he said stop. Let the Negroes sing and shout their troubles away, as in the past.  White folks had always found revivals a useful outlet for sullen over-worked darkies. As long as they were singing and praying, they forgot about the troubles of this world. In a frenzy of rhythm and religion, they laid their cross at the feet of Jesus.” (Langston Hughes, The Ways of White Folks: Father and Son)

CHARLIE BAKER’S PROGRESS
Governor Charlie Baker’s government is shaping up to be the diverse group that he promised it would be. He has selected Democrats and Republicans, Black and White, Hispanic and women to serve in key positions in his cabinet. Good for him!

THAT’S NO WAY TO CAP OFF A DEMONSTRATION!
The fact that students from our elite colleges, who joined the street protests over White police violence against Black and Brown men, would turn around and demand a delay in taking their finals is disturbing. What happened to the notion of sacrificing for a cause like the student demonstrators of days gone by? Nobody spent more of their college days on Civil Rights demonstrations than Howard University student Stokely Carmichael and I can tell you from first-hand knowledge, he spent many a night making up for his time away from his studies cramming at Howard’s library. And I don’t recall him ever crying for extra time. And he was not alone. These modern-day, elitist kids need to grow backbones.

JEB IS IN
Jeb Bush all but announced his candidacy for President and some potential candidates are in trouble as a result. Chris Christie, for one. He is an attractive candidate but he comes across as too mean which may play well in New Jersey but not across the country, especially when he will be contrasted with the mild-mannered Jeb Bush throughout the primary campaign. Mitt Romney is in no better position. As a two-time loser, he starts out with a handicap. Factor in his inability to “fake it” for the conservative Republican base and you can count him out. If his two terms as a solidly conservative Florida governor are any indicator, Jeb Bush does not have to fake it. And Marco Rubio can forget it, too. He has no choice other than to step back and support his mentor Jeb Bush. The most Rubio had going for him, anyway, was his Latino background. Bush has much more going for him and he has Hispanic “creds” too since his wife is Mexican and his kids mixed-race. And the money from the candidates’ overlapping political machines will surely flow to the much more connected Jeb. Look for Rubio to run for re-election to the Senate for sure. And, finally, Hillary. I’ve said it time and again. The one Republican who can defeat Hillary is Jeb Bush. He comes off as genuine and she does not. It may not seem like much but that is exactly why she was defeated by a first-term, Black senator from Chicago. Trust me. The Hillary mania will fade and the rise of Elizabeth Warren will hasten its demise.

THE BLACK ON BLACK CRIME MYTH
“…what exactly is “black on black” crime? Do black people kill one another? Sure they do. Ninety percent of black murder victims are killed by black assailants. But guess what? White people kill one another, too. Eighty-three percent of white victims are killed by white assailants… See, the vast majority of violent crime is committed within – not between – racial groups. Crime is a matter of proximity and opportunity. People victimize their own rather than drive across town to victimize somebody else. So another term for “black on black” crime is crime. (Miami Herald’s Leonard Pitts, as reprinted in The Republican, December 2, 2014) ■