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FORUM ? ? % Friends and strangers having fun Nigel Alston Motivational Moments " You cannot travel within and stand still without." - James Lane Allen My wife and I decided to change our weekend routine to 'inrfude taking in a college bas ketball game. Usually, the week ends with the two of us meeting at home after work and then back out for a bite to eat at one of our favorite restaurants. This weekend would be dinner and a game. The most exciting game of the night proved not to be the one we paid to see. It was a blowout. It was the impromptu game that started with three boys, a basketball and an empty basketball court. Before halftime was over and the teams resumed play, the fun the threeyboys were having attracted three more boys in the stands to join them and the game was on. It was the unofficial halftime entertainment. They grabbed my attention as I smiled, wishing I were a happy-go-lucky kid again. A two-day tournament, the C.E. "Bighouse" Gaines Classic, was scheduled on the campus of Winston Salem State University (WSSU). The tournament is named after legendary coach "Bighouse" Gaines - 828 wins in 47 years - who watched the games from the top of the bleachers in the gym that he built. Since students had not returned from their holiday break, those in attendance were primarily the faithful supporters, including Chancellor Harold Martin, who sat with his family right behind the team bench, cheering them on. It was a good crowd. We arrived right after the tip olT of the second game featuring the home team, the Rams of WSSU against Ferris Slate, from Grand Rapids, Mich. It was a close game for a few minutes and then the Rams started to walk away with the game. An almost 10-point lead would eventually approach 40. We were about to leave mid way through the seeond half. The game was so far out of reach hnd no longer interesting. Fortunate ly, that unanticipated surprise during halftime made the night. It should have made the evening sports news highlight reel. It started out as a one-on-one game between two boys, one white, and one black. They are friends. Philip, the son of the head coach at WSSU, and his buddy. Steven. Actually there were three boys, but the third one seemed to be trying to steal the ball whenever he could from the other two. While fans were getting drinks, popcorn and candy from the concession stands, the three boys were enjoying free control of the do?rt. They were running back and forth, up and down the court with enthusiasm and endless energy. No timeouts for them. They had to make the most of this opportunity. I remember those days - long ago now. "Usu ally they are eating more than anything else," said Rick Duck ett, the head basketball coach at the school. The two friends are ball boys and "don't miss a game," he said. Before too long, another little boy joined in and was running full speed with the big boys. He was pint size and took about 10 steps to the taller boys' three or four and had to stop and set up for his shot. He pushed hard with two hands and almost made it. The fans were with him and wanted him to make it. When he Si r Alston on A10 Democrats prepare to bloody Ashcroft Armstrong Williams Guest Columnist i I was zigzagging through the sea of faces at the first Million Family March, laughing and talking, when a voice collided with me. "Hey! Armstrong my brother, glad to see you could make it." I turned. Wading through the crowd was Sen. John Ashcroft, who proceeded to envelop me in a great, big bear hug. We proceeded to chat away, discussing how to build and affirm family values. In the years since, I have remained deeply sensitive to the sen ator's efforts in this regard. That's why it pains me to see the Democrats circling the wagons around his recent , nomination as attorney general. You see, Ashcroft - by all .accounts a man of honor and .integrity is staunchly opposed to abortion and affirmative action. In short, the Democrats do not see themselves reflected back in Ashcroft. Therefore, they intend to bloody him during the upcoming nomination proceedings. Already, battle lines have been drawn, with particular attention being paid to the fact that Ashcroft opposed President Clinton's nomina tion of Ronnie White the first black member of the Missouri Supreme Court for a federal judgeship last year. Now it's pay-back time. Along the way, the Democrats hope to keep blacks sucking on this bitter pill of racism. As the liberals learned long ago, playing the race card pulls black voters out to the voting booths Cur rently, they're keeping the wounds open by turning Ashcroft into a white Justice Thomas Recent salvos are all pretty much telling the same story. Each does a quick denouncement of Ashcroft's conservative views then savages the senator for blocking White's nomina tion. and concludes by implying, at best, that Ashcroft's staunchly con servative positions will interfere with his ability to enforce laws At worst, they suggest that he is a racist. For example, a recent New York Times editorial by Bob Herbert claims that "(Ashcroft had) no legiti mate reasons to oppose Justice White's confirmation by the Senate." Herbert then implies that the deci sion was racially motivated. In fact, concern over White's criminal record was pervasive enough to warrant opposition from his home state senators, the national sheriffs association and the Missouri law enforcement community. For obvious reasons, Herbert failed to mention any of these rousing points. Nor, for that matter, have the high priests of blackness mentioned that as governor of Missouri, Ashcroft appointed the first black judge to the Kansas City State Court of Appeals. Such omissions reflect the not-so subtle ways that Democrats manipu late racial fears in this country. Like popcorn to pigeons, the Democrats are readying to toss out charges of racism as a means of getting back at Ashcroft for opposing them. In doing so, they trivialize the very issue they claim to be defending. Even more hackneyed are the criticisms that some extreme feminist groups are launching against Ashcroft. Clearly, his opposition to abortion has the feminists on the defensive. "(Ashcroft is) a real danger to women's rights," snarled feminist Kate Michelman. The gist of her criticism, near as I can figure, is, by God. he doesn't believe in murdering / fetuses. In short, the feminists are pump ing their fists at Ashcroft's nomina tion because he ascribes to a different core value system and maintains dif ferent social circles than they do. In their egotism, they quiver at the notion of a social conservative pre siding so close to the law that binds them. None of which, incidentally, has anything to do with Ashcroft's duties as attorney general. As Ashcroft has plainly stated in his own writings, the law is not a philosophy and the attor ney general is not a social engineer. Just because Ashcroft is a conserva tive, there is no reason to believe that he will remake the law in his own image. Get it? Ashcroft's opponents are on the warpath not because he is a threat to our civil liberties ( he is not), but because he is a different sort of person than they are. Amid the corruption and privi lege that characterized the Clin ton/Reno Justice Department, this might not be such a bad thing. www. armstrong-williams. com Jesse Helms vs. Jim Wynn, round 2 Val Atkinson Jones Street I Judge James A. Wynn Jr. has been renominated for a seat on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. As one of Bill Clinton's final acts before the conclusion of his pres idency, he has once again nomi nated Wynn. Sen. Jesse Helms thwarted Wynn's previous nomi nation. Helms has claimed that his decision has nothing to do with race and that his opposition to Wynn's appointment had to da with the number of judges already on the 4th Circuit. Before Roger Gregory's recess appointment, the 4th Circuit was five judges short of its capacity but Senator "No" thinks that four or five judges short is actual ly too many judges. In addition to the 4th Circuit being five seats short, there were no African Americans or North Carolinians on the court. According to the latest census data. North Carolina has more than 8 million citizens, is the 11th largest state, has 13 representa tives and has the largest number of African Americans of any of the states in the 4th Circuit but no representation from African Americans in North Carolina. I wonder if Helms would think there's already enough judges on the 4th Circuit if the court were all black with no representation from North Carolina. Wynn is a moderate Democrat with impeccable credentials, a spotless record of service in the public sector as well as the private sector and his integrity is unques tionable. So why would such a well qualified man of high integrity be denied a vacant seat on a court which obviously could use his expertise, knowledge of N.C. law and minority sensitivi ty? Helms says it has nothing to do with race. I can't read Helms' mind so I don't know if his deci sion was based on race or not. I do, however, think the senator and his supporters know that Wynn is not a right-wing conser vative. And the lack of those cre dentials is what's keeping him off the court as much if not more so than his race is. Helms has told Wynn that his decision was not based on race and Wynn has taken the senator at his word. Wynn has to agree with Helms - at least publicly. Wynn is smart enough to know that you don't publicly call a guy a racist and then expect him to support your nomination. And for that mater, I don't think any of the rest of us is calling Helms a racist. A better I.D. might be that his decision on Wynn's nom ripation reflects his view of poli ticsfwhich sometimes tends to be tempered by his cultural affilia tion. But be that as it may, the bottom line is that NVynn still needs Helms' support to get a seat on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. 1 hope that round 2 is the final round and that the court finally has some representation from its most populous state, and that representation should be Wynn. And here's my surprise: I have a sneaky suspicion that Helms just might give in this time. Don't ask me why; I just feel that way. Stay tuned! Veil Atkinson's background: retired military (20 years in the U.S. Army); business officer. N.C. School of the Arts; Office of State Personnel; acting assistant secre tary, N. C. Department of Cultural Resources; assistant director, N. C. DMV; radio talk show host. Foxy 1071104 since 1989; columnist (N.C. African-American newspa pers) since 1998; B.A. degree, psy chology, Columbia College; M.A.. degree, business management, Central Michigan University; M. P. A. degree, public administra tion. N.C. Central University. Atkinson can be reached at Atkin Son@Africana.com. News Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Ellise-Marie's Boutique "The Ladies Fashion Store" Stack liquidation Sale Oodlii 58% IFF Ud noil Suits, Brtssat Evealng Wear Everything Must 60 Sale Eiis January Ust 2001 414 Laural Wall Blvd. Winston-Salem. NC 27101 (Across from Winston Mutual Bldg. on 5th Street! (336) 727-8847 Hope for2000 is gone, but... IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO GIVE A FUTURE TO A CHILD! CALL TO FIND OUT HOW! 1/800-632-1600 children's home society of nc ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE RESOURCE CENTER Wanda Starke WXII News Channel 12 Will Host the 16th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Cele bration Monday January 15th 7:00 p.m. Arts Council Iheatre 610 Coliseum Drive, Winston-Salem o The event will highlight comedian Debra Terry 6 over twenty of the Triad's most talented artists. Admission is Free, but reservations are recommended. (all 723-2Z66. ?mVDMM ?? The Chronicle en^^ The Choice for African American Ne ws 617 N. Liberty Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 ' The Chronicle was established by Ernest Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974, and is published every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc. The Chronicle is a proud member of National Newspapers Publishers Association ? North Carolina Press Association ? North Carolina Black Publishers Association ? Inland Press Association National Advertising Representative: Amalgamated Publishers, Inc.. 45 West 45th Street. New York. NY 10056 212/869-5220 Contact Us: phone /wnber 336 / 722-8624 fox 336 / 723-9173 website address www.netunlimited.net/~wschron email address. wschron@netunlimited.net Sports Editor 723-8428 Sam Davis Nevrs Room 723-8448 T. Kkviv Walker Copy Editor 723-8448 Paul Collins Editorials Carol Weathereord Circulation 722-8624 Vickie Warren Soles Staff 722-8628 jacynthia SPRI ill Business Office ErickaASBI RY Pallette Lewis The Chronicle IV Cht^tftrAfum-AmwmmHmud MfciawflM. Home Delivery Subscription Order ? YES. Please send me The Chronicle -J 2 years: $40.95 Oui of romy/statc j I year: $30.72 I vv7: ? 6 months: $20.48 m"s ",4? 3 mos. I .V.H o_ Some Address Phone City - Stoic Zip ? VISA ? Mastercard ? American Express ? Check enclosed -J Please bill me Account Number Expiration Pan Siynotim Send to: The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636, Winston-Salem, NC 27102
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