Just Another Black Man With Bad Credit!
Last Sunday night, one of my parishioners emphatically made the statement that President Obama was “notjust another black man with bad credit.” She felt that class warfare and ancient racial wounds had not sosubtly become part of the national debate over our financial strategies and debt. Similar to unruly maritalarguments, many of our political leaders have stopped attacking our problems and have begun attackingeach other. Liberals are attempting to characterize conservatives as uncaring and racist. The fear mongeringon the left becomes very personal to large numbers of both the elderly and minorities. I was personally deeply offended by the fact that many well intentioned clergy met with President Obamatwo weeks ago and began to repeat the administration's partisan rhetoric about the debt. These men andwomen of the cloth were manipulated into saying, “Don’t balance the budget on the back of the poor andelderly.” In an attempt to save face for their lack of leadership, the White House is actually “attacking” theconservative messengers instead of the problem. The fact that we cannot continue to spend the way that we currently do is obvious. Our national need tore-craft our entitlement programs is also clear. Servant leaders would feverishly look at protecting the longterm interests of the entire nation. Instead, many liberal legislators continue to repeat ideological mantraslike: “don't support tax breaks for the rich” or “everyone should pay their fair share of taxes.” These sloganssound good to the average person but they presuppose that an equitable national tax structure is in place. They also assume a nationally agreed upon set of spending priorities. In reality, both liberal andconservative leaders in DC are guilty of the same poor communications practices we find in troubledmarriages. Our political leaders are focusing solely on what they want while demonizing the other side. The title of this article describes my parishioner’s (a black woman with a PHD in counseling) anger at theway the president allows himself to be pigeonholed. Many intelligent Americans of all ethnicities believesound bites and superficial stereotypes are dominating and confusing our nation's most importantdiscussions. As a political independent and a former Obama supporter, my PHD friend feels the presidenthas failed her through lack of positive, assertive leadership in this national crisis. It seems ironic to my friends and myself that this presidency that was supposed to usher the US into a postracial era, is actually being used to promote a resurgence of racism and ethnic division. This is not to implythat the administration is doing this intentionally. It is, however, an unfortunate fact many people whodisagree with this administration have been vilified as racists (if they are white) and sell outs (if they areblack). Fortunately for the nation, things are changing. More and more Americans are demanding resultsfrom our leaders. Even blacks and Hispanics from both sides of the political aisles are demanding morethan personality and posturing. Surprisingly, the president's latest critics are black intellectuals, who typically walk in “lemming like”fashion to the tune of Democratic Party talking points. Not surprisingly, Mr. Obama's first intellectual
critics were black conservatives. Over a year ago (June 2010) a well-known conservative, Dr. WalterWilliams, asked the question, “Can Black Americans Afford Obama?” Next, from a decidedly liberalperspective, Dr. Cornell West and Rev. Al Sharpton had a heated public argument this spring. West calledthe president “another black mascot” of “Wall Street oligarchs.” Dr. West's campaign against President Obama's policies did not stop with the spring diatribe. This monthDr. West and veteran broadcaster, Tavist Smiley, have begun a national “Poverty Tour” which has beenlabeled as an anti-Obama tour. In a DC interview this week Smiley said, “(Americans) want the President tofocus on jobs, they want to know he’s going to fight for them. The new poor are the former middle class. Itbreaks your heart to hear, to see former middle class people talking about losing their jobs.” At this sameevent Dr. West made the following statement, “There is a moral and spiritual as well as political andeconomic dimension in this.When you hit that moral and spiritual dimension you’re talking more thanDemocrat and Republican Parties; we’re talking something deep within the American people.” The fact that the criticism of the president is coming from both the left and right is not proof that he hasbecome a centrist or a consensus builder. The criticism from black intellectuals is rooted in their desire tosee results. People from every ideological perspective simply want the president and our legislators to lead. There is a message here for conservatives. Our fellow citizens want a clear, practical vision that works andthey want long standing problems solved. It is time for all conservatives to take up Herman Cain’s mantra to “be a problem solver” and promoteproven solutions, if we are going to win in 2012. In addition, we need to stay away from any slanderouscomments that can be misconstrued as racial epithets. This is especially important in light of thedowngrading of our international credit rating. It almost goes without saying we shouldn’t be runningaround the nation saying that President Obama’s just another a black man with bad credit!
The Duty of Good Faith in Patent Prosecution: Where Will It Arise Next? By Barbara Murchie and Christopher Heer, Bennett Jones LLP1 Under the Patent Act , an applicant for a Canadian patent has two statutory obligations to act in good faith. Section 53 requires the applicant to be honest and complete in the description of the invention in the specification; section 73 requires the appl
MEDICINA E SEXUALIDADE: PRIMUN NON NOCERE* Regina Moura** O que me motivou a aceitar participar desse Seminário e partilhar a mesa com pesquisadores que tanto admiro foi o fato de apesar de médica habituada a tratar de gente - tanto em ambulatório de hospital uni-versitário quanto na clínica privada - e profissional interessada nos estudos da sexualidade humana -, vivo de enfrentar desaf
Just Another Black Man With Bad Credit! 
critics were black conservatives. Over a year ago (June 2010) a well-known conservative, Dr. WalterWilliams, asked the question, “Can Black Americans Afford Obama?” Next, from a decidedly liberalperspective, Dr. Cornell West and Rev. Al Sharpton had a heated public argument this spring. West calledthe president “another black mascot” of “Wall Street oligarchs.” Dr. West's campaign against President Obama's policies did not stop with the spring diatribe. This monthDr. West and veteran broadcaster, Tavist Smiley, have begun a national “Poverty Tour” which has beenlabeled as an anti-Obama tour. In a DC interview this week Smiley said, “(Americans) want the President tofocus on jobs, they want to know he’s going to fight for them. The new poor are the former middle class. Itbreaks your heart to hear, to see former middle class people talking about losing their jobs.” At this sameevent Dr. West made the following statement, “There is a moral and spiritual as well as political andeconomic dimension in this.When you hit that moral and spiritual dimension you’re talking more thanDemocrat and Republican Parties; we’re talking something deep within the American people.” The fact that the criticism of the president is coming from both the left and right is not proof that he hasbecome a centrist or a consensus builder. The criticism from black intellectuals is rooted in their desire tosee results. People from every ideological perspective simply want the president and our legislators to lead.