OPINION/ FORUM Oh RON 1C LE ERNEST H. PlTT Pub)isher'Co-Foun. no swi... \ Tb \f?fcK rofc 3H OUTVTT iwrr 3ND &aC?&SW^-raoC? Obama, Justice Thomas and Lil Wayne Rev. Barbara Reynolds it . v Guest Columnist ?The greatest gift of all this Christmas was the emancipation of the human spirit, a present everyone can receive, but virtually no one can buy. With plant closings, homeowner evictions and unemployment on a frightening rise, this Christmas w?js not jusr another celebration of the .acquisition of more stuff. As we lost stuff? wages, stocks, houses - we were forced to see what else there is about our selves that gives us meaning and purpose. ? And when the euphoria fades from the election of our first Black President Barack Ohama, we must still face those issues of self-hate and cultural rot that no one person in the White House can fix. But for now at the highest level, virtue is making a comeback. For eight long years under George Bush, we have seen how mega-lies, cronyism, unbridled greed and cor ruption have destroyed our economy, tarnished our image around the world and at the very worst cost the lives of thousands of our own soldiers and Iraqi civilians needless ly v ' ' Today, with the election of President Obama we see the re-birth in the American character of the blessings of hard work , integrity and the pursuit of excellence as reali ties rather than storybook . fantasies . 1 see the torch pass ing. not just from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Baraek Obama, but from our African slave ances^ tors to every living soul with a vision, a dream, a legacy to be built and to pass* on. .1 first noticed that foreigners were looking at African- Americans differently, perhaps as an extension or a reflection of a rejuvenated spirit, when T was touring Egypt this summer along with *a group from the Howard University School of Divinity. t)ther tourists, not only from Africa, but European countries were smiling and waving at us calling us "Obamas," which, based on past experi ences abroad, 1 found surprising. ? Chart-topper Lil Wayne Now as. the entire world looks at" African- - , Americans differently because riot only is one of our own the leader of the most pow erful governmental Earth, but he's also the new face or symbol of professional excel lence and morality. - - . . . Nevertheless there is still a demand for a change in our culture to embrace this new global reality. The greatest gift we can give to our first Black President is to put forth our best efforts on all fronts: the best parents, the best students, the best politicians, and the best caretakers of our senior citizens. For those who believe in miracles, there are a few more we need. Barack cannot fix all our problems; .some- solutions must come from above. For example, my Christmas wish is that a lightning bolt hits the Supreme Court building and knocks Justice Clarence Thomas to the floor, and miraculously revives him as a principled Black man. He .continues to be an embarrassment. The latest -scandal is how Uncle Thomas took up the cause to deny Barack- Obama his history-making presidency based on the stupid challenge th.it he was not a "natural borrt" American, which would forbid him from becoming president under, the Constitution. None other than Republican Alan Keyes. who had parachuted into Illinois tu run against Obama for president, teamed up. with Thomas to press the case even after other Justices ignored it. .The argument was that since Obama was born in Hawaii and his father was a Kenyan national. Obama had dual citizenship at birth, which disqualified him from the presidency. Happily on December R. thts Court rejected the case. Only a lightnifig bolt from heaven could release Thomas of his inbred self-hatred, which he bit terly projects on other Blacks . . Second on my wish list that we can't expect President Obama to fix is the obsession with thug culture. The spectacle of so many "credible" adults stafiding and applauding Lil Wayne at a recent BET event was typical of why'so many of our young people are drugging, gang-banging and busting through the charts with HIV/AIDS. Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (Lil Wayne) has a CD on the charts called, "Ttye Lollipop " While the lewd lyrics are too pornographic to be quoted here, 1 assure you the lollipop Little Wayne is encouraging our hoys and girls to lick is not candy. Yet, respectable adults who appear, to be in their right minds stand and cheer this porno graphic rapper with his pants down showing his underwear. Lil Wayne, who is up for several Grammy awards, is a hero to many young peQple partto because of his thug cred??fi^ds. which includes several arrests for possession of drug^ind guns. The rappers and the thug culture are chsjUing a homicidal environment for our young people as more Blacks die in Black-oji-BlacWiolence than soldiers killed in a declared war in Iraq Again, as HIV is pandemic ifi our community. those who sing about ram pant sex are cheered instead of denounced. If we can elect a Blackjyesident surely we can achieve the next miracle of creating a culture where a Supreme Court Justice and a pornographic rapper can stop projecting values that kill and destroy The Rev. Barbara Reynolds is an adjunct professor at the Howard University School | of Divinity and the author of several hooks, including "Out of Hell A Living Well: Healing From the Inside Out. " Now a Digital TV Divide? When most te^ision broadcasts in the US go all-dipHffin February, it will mark a new JHurflph tor communications technolo gy. Across the country, the conversion from an older method of transmitting TV signals, known as analog, will give way to digital technology The transition to digital TV, which is tak ing place around the world, will bring vast improvements in both picture (high defini tion) and sound quality, and the ability of broadcasters to multicast - sending multiple signals over the same airwaves used for one analog signal There are other benefits as well. There will be more space on the air waves for public safety communications, allowing police, fire and rescue squads to keep, us safer. In addition, it will make a new gen eration of wireless technolo gies avail Wade Henderson Guest Columnist able. * Multicasting may allow more free ethnic media broadcasts. Yet, there may also be a serious down side: We may be creating a new digital divide. While many Americans take their cable and satellite TV services for granted, mil lions of families still rely on rooftop anten nas and rabbit ears to receive their television stations. On February 17th, when most tele- ? vision stations must broadcast digitally, those old over the air televisions sets will not pick up the stations many Americans rely on. . <>;? -;v. .? Not surprising, low income families and communities of color will be impacted the most. The Nielson Company, leaders in tel evision viewer research, has completed a study with stunning results. Their report shows that 12 .5 percent of African American households and 1 3' percent of Hispanic households are using analog televisions and are not ready for the digital transition. Moreover, households with annual incomes less than $25,000 are five times more likgly to be unprepared for the digital con- , version than households earning, over $75,000. The impact on communities of color is underscored by Nielson 's listing of locations with the highest percentage of households with analog televisions; most have large ..,, minority populations. For instance, 15.8 per cent of Houston households aren't ready for the conversion. 14.3 percent in Dallas-Ft Worth, 14.1 percent in Tulsa, 13.4 percent in > Salt Lake City, 13.3 in Milwaukee, 12.7 per cent in Albuquerque-Santa Fe, 12.0 percent in MinneapOlis-St. Paul. It.tf percent irt Austin. 1 1 .6 percent in Los Angeles and 1 1 .6 percent in Memphis. The data paints a disturbing picture. Many low-income and people of color who were part of the broad coalition that lifted Illinois Sen. Barrack Obama to the presiden cy face- the real possibility of not being able to follow his progress once he takes office. Moreover, as the nation confronts one of its most challenging economic crises ever, mil lions of people won't be getting the latest news and information about public policy changes from their television sets. It's crucial that public officials, as well as corporate, community and. civic leaders join in the effort to inform those with analog televisions how they can obtain converter boxes that will allow their televisions to con tinue receiving stations after the conversion. ' The government is sponsoring a conver sion assistance program. A Digital-to Analog.Converter Box. Coupon is available; households can receive two MO coupons for ? the purchase of-cotiverter boxes. Depending on the television . converter boxes cost between $40 and $70. For more, informa tion, visit www.dtv2009.gov, or call 1-888 388-2009 (voice). The process can take up to six weeks, so people must order their coupons now. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights is urging civic, community and polit ical leaders to help their constituents keep their televisions on. Here are ways to assist those who need our help: Post flyersto com munity and office bulletin boards; Place announcements in newsletters, bulletins, and newspapers; Send postcards or emails to everyone in your address book; Give book marks out at your neighborhood school; Attend conversion education events in your community *"*" & , There are 2 1 million households current ly relying on analog television. As our nation breaks many barriers, including the election of its first African American presi dent, we can't allow millions of people to lose their source of news and information. That would be taking a giant step back wards. Let's help those who can't afford new televisions keep their access to the airwaves. Wilde Henderson is the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, which is the nation's premier civil and human rights coalition. Information regarding the digital conversion can he found on their website at wwwjcivilrights.org/dtv/.