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BY BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS
Guest Editorial
Nothing can do more to perpetu
ate a problem than to deny that
the problem exists. Yes, inside the
United States there is an unprec
edented “urban crisis.” There is
the “crisis of the national
economy.” There is a devastating
“drug crisis.” There is a "health
care crisis.” There is the "AIDS
crisis.” And there is a glaring
“moral crisis” throughout the na
tion.
But the most dangerous and his
torically long-lasting crisis facing
this nation is the unmitigated de
nial that RACISM is one of the
major causative factors that de
termines massive social and eco
nomic inequity and injustice.
Beware of the national debates
about what caused the situation
in Los Angeles. It is interesting
how even some of the victims of
racism get lured into debating
whether or not they are respon
sible for their own victimisation.
Some of us get sucked into the
perennial argument of "class vs.
race” as an intellectual ploy or
diversion from reality.
Ws have been monitoring the
various theories, propositions, and
analyses in response to the so
called riot in Los Angeles. As we
have stated in an earlier commen
tary, it is a misnomer or mietefai
to characterise what happened in
Los Angeles as a "riot” It was a
social explosion triggered and ig
nited by the injustice of the ver
dict in the trial of the L.A police
officers who had brutally beaten
Rodney King.
King was not beaten because he
was"poorordisadvantaged.”King
was a victim of RACISM institu
tionalized in the "criminal” jus
tice system. The white police offic
ers who were involved in the beat
ing of King were found not guilty
because of the RACISM institu
tionalised in the court system.
RACISM was both the "spark” and
the “fiiel” for the explosion in Los
Angeles.
The volatile fuel that was ig
nited by the spark of the verdict in
the King case has been and con
tinues to be stored in gigantic so
cial fuel tanks located in nearly
every community and neighbor
hood in the country. The name of
this fuel is RACISM. The high
octane numbers of this fuel help to
generate poverty, exploitation,
degradation, oppression and geno
cide against people of color.
In soma instances this fliel even
has certain hypnotic properties
that case people of oolar to turn
against other people ofoolor. But,
let us be clear, the ftiel of RACISM
is not natural. It is synthetic, or in
other words it is man-made. RAC
ISM was created and is main
tained to fkdlitate, justify and
ensure economic domination and
exploitation of neonle of color.
RACISM is a sin before God.
The church and religious commu
nity must help our nation to con
fess and to repent from this sin
that threatens the future life of
the nation. The church commu
nity cannot afford to be silent in
the face of growing racial polar
isation of communities in every
section of the country.
Letter To The Editor
AN OPEN LETTER TO DIANE
PAYNE, PRINCIPAL OF
BROUGHTON HIGH SCHOOL
Dear Ms. Payne:
My name is Carla Monroe and I was
a member of the senior class this past
year. The reason I am writing to you is
that I am extremely disappointed with
the quality of education that I received
this past year, and I felt it was my duty
to bring these grievances to your
attention.
The first difficulty that I encountered
was the widespread use of profanity
among students. As I understand the
policy of Broughton, and all Wake
County public schools, it is against the
rules to use profanity on school
grounds. Unfortunately, I find that the
majority of Broughton’s students
ignored the rule, and faculty members
did little or nothing to correct the
disobeying students. On occasion, I was
even shocked to hear faulty members
themselves engage in such language.
Secondly, I find that teachers do not
exhibit acceptable behavior in the
classroom. All too often valuable
instructional time is wasted on sense*
less topics such as gossip, vulgar
remarks, sexual innuendos, and racial
jokes. Thecs items have no place in the
classroom, and teachers are wrong to
endorse them by allowing it to occur.
They simply must correct the disobey*
ing student and enforce the proper
punishment. If established principles
and rules were enforced instead of this
“go with the flow” philosophy that
Broughton has adopted, there would be
a turnaround in the teen pregnancy,
academic, racial and general apathy
problems that are so rampant at
Broughton.
Finally, I submit that a dress code be
put into effect for teachers and adminis
trators. The Jeans, tee-shirts, shorts,
tennis shoes and mini-skirts must go.
These articles of clothing are completely
inappropriate for the classroom.
Ms. Payne, I sincerely hope that you
will take what I’ve written to heart, and
I respectfully request that you address
these issues promptly. I am confident
that Broughton can overcome its
problems and become the center of
academic excellence, racial harmony
and unity that it is capable of being.
However, before it reaches this point, it
is imperative that the groundwork is
laid by expreeeing in no uncertain
terms that disrespect, profanity, anti
Semitism, vulgarity or racial Jokes will
not ho tolerated. It’s time for Broughton
to cut through the bureaucracy that has
plagued it in the past and allow for the
re-emergence of the positive role model
the flagship school was once known as.
Carla Monroe
Rnleigh
OPINION
Waiting for Perot —
and three VPs
By Chuck StOM
ST. PETERSBURG, Flu. - Even
non-pruaiduntlal candidate Dwight D
Eisenhower did not keep the elector
ate twisting in the winds of indecision
as long as non-candidate Ross Perot
has.
But the Texas billionaire continues
to tantalize the American public with
his cunningly cute non-candidacy and
Mario Cuomo-like dalliance.
‘My polls show that he cuts across
all segments of the American public,”
said Mervin Field, head of the highly
regarded Field survey. His poll was
the first to show Perot leading both
Bush and Clinton.
Field was one of the many polling
and survey experts at the annual
meeting of the American Association
for Public Opinion Research in this
sun-drenched Garden of Eden by the
Gulf.
When scholarly papers weren’t be
ing debated, conversations easily
drifted into speculations about why
voters find Perot so attractive Many
older voters see in his feisty success
story some of Harry Truman’s blunt
speaking, give-’em-hell style that up
set a favored Thomas E. Dewey in
1948.
Voters of all ages are sick with dis
gust by a morally corrupt Congress
that seems more concerned with its
members’ perquisites than its constit
uents’ needs.
Women now see more clearly than
ever the danger posed to their equali
ty by a male-dominated fiefdom in
fested with sexist inquisitors like Sen.
Arlen Specter, R-Pa.
And blacks caught between the
gcylla el Republican contempt ana
the Charybdit of Democratic Indlffer
•net are hungering (or signs that
Parot might be willing to reach out to
them. L t . .
But the voten who have already
jumped party ship to Perot's political
lifeboat haven’t the slightest idea
where he stands on most gut Issues.
Nor do they care. As Wendell Wilkie
said, “It's ail campaign oratory,
anyway." . „
More important to this turned-off
segment of the 1992 electorate is a po
litical upheaval that they hope will
accomplish two goals: throw the ras
cals out and provide a spiritual
catharsis.
Voters are also intrigued with Per
ot’s potential for winning enough
votes to permanently retire the favor
ite target of America’s comedians,
Dan Quayle. But that may be too
charitable a characterization for the
nation’s highest-ranking feather
brain, who blamed the Los Angeles ri
ots on the “Murphy Brown’ television
show.
Is it any wonder that voters have
beer waiting for P<--ot for a long
time?
Having raised potentially high
hopes for Perot’s candidacy, I am just
enough of a nistorian and political sci
entist to realise that he absolutely
cannot win the presidency, although I
would love to see that happen — as of
this moment, anyway.
Perot’s only hope is to siphon off
enough of the 537 electoral votes
from Bush and Clinton to prevent a
majority and thereby send the elec
tion to the House of Representatives
That kind of standoff could be
avoided If Buih switch#* to • more
electable running mate, Almoat no
body with an l.Q, above 50 would dis
agree that a Bush-Gen. Colin Powell
ticket would dramatically improve
the president'* prospects. Such a tick
et could make this the first year since
1936 with a Republican presidential
candidate positioned to win a major
ity of black votes.
On a more realistic side, however,
it is ironic that both Bush and Clinton
would benefit from vice presidents
who share a common athletic charis
ma — a former football quarterback,
Republican HUD Secretary Jack
Kemp, and a former basketball for
ward, Democratic New Jersey Sen.
Bill Bradley.
A woman, says pollster Field,
would help Bush, but would not do
much for Clinton or Perot.
As for Perot, his domineering per
sonality, cackling style and outside
the-beltway philosophy so over
whelms his candidacy that picking a
vice president to add political stature
would probably be futile.
Is there a demographically and
ideologically perfe^ ticket? The dou
ule-P F ’rot ana Pow 11 — would
wrap it up. But that’s the trouble with
perfection - it’s always so
unattainable. ,
® UN NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN.
CHUCK
STONE
ERNIE’S
WORLD
J BY ERNIE JOHNSTON, JR.
FORMAT CHANGE AT PREMIER BLACK RADIO
STATION
I first got an inkling of what was going on at radio
station WNJR-AM in Newark, NJ. when I heard the
news that Herman Amis, a popular radio personality at
the station who had been there fore 31 years, was let
go
A few days later as I talked to a friend, I was told
that the station had changed iU format and was broad
casting Various ethnic music (Haitian, Spanish, Portu
guese).
Bo when I switched my dial to 1480,1 was shocked
at what I was hearing.
When I first came to the New Jersey/New York
area, there were three radio stations that I listened to
constantly—WABC-AM, WWRL-AM and WNJR-AM.
Both WABC and WWRL have chanted their farmata
WABC to all talk and WWRL to religious program
ming.
•fte sign of the times. Bo now the sign of the times
has caught up with WNJR which has seen soma great
radio peraonalitiea pass in front of its microphones.
I remember at times traveling on the eastern part of
North Carolina and picking up WNJR late at night so
the station is bound to have had listeners ftur outside its
immediate listing area.
In its heyday there was a great lineup of radio per
sonalities—George Hudson, Hal Jackson, Amis, Danny
Stile tend others.
They kept the station moving and they were person
alities In their own right.
More recently there were people like Steel Colony,
Jerry Love and Henry Singleton and longtime news
personality Bill Franklin.
Franklin was a household word and a popular figure
in and around the station’s listening area. He had his
sources and stood ready at all times to put people on
the air to tell their story.
All of that is going to be missed through the format
that has been instituted by the station’s new owners.
The community at large will lose out, especially the
huge number of senior citizens who listened to pro
grams geared to them and to the religious program
ming.
It’s a personal loss to me after having on numerous
occasions broadcast part-time (news substitute and
hosting a sports news show) at WNJR.
Religious programming is expected to be a part of
the new format because independent producers will be
able to purchase blocks of time for their shows and
already churches have gotten their time in place for the
weekend.
But WNJR won’t be like it was before. It never is.
Onee a station loses its listening audience, it is hard to
reclaim it which is similar to a business losing its cus
tomers and attempting to get people back.
There aren’t too many AM stations around the coun
try (with the exception of talk radio formats) that are
personality-oriented. They are all going by the way ot
either all talk or pre-programrhed format.
WNJR is the last of the AM stations whers you
could turn it on, hear the personality talk heart to
heart with his or her listeners, get news and informa
tion about the community and feel a part of the
station’s operation.
COPING
BY DR. CHARLES W. FAULKNER
CON GAMES
“Mister, my car ran out of gas .and I
am broke. Can you let me borrow
money for gas to get homer
“I need to get to an important job in
terview on the other aide of town. Could
you pleaae let me have enough money to
catch the bus?”
“My children are sitting at home with
nothing to eat. They haven't eaten in
days. Can you give me enough money to
buy them a meal, please?”
These are just three of hundreds
(probably thousands) of “eon games”
currently being run on people. And
these an just the mild .ones. A gentle
man recently told me of a game that
was run on him, and I could hardly
stand the embarrassed look that was on
his free. He said that as he was walking
down the street, a man who was sitting
on the front porch of an expansive
house indicated that he wanted to talk
to him.
The man told Mm, in quiet, secretive
tones, that he had recently purchased
an expensive 88-inch television set and
wanted to sell it, because he had lost
his Job^and desperately needed the
money. He was asking for only $188 for
the set. This sounded like a deal that
w“ **° $®*$ to be true, so our friend
paid the $188 and was told to go around
cf the house where the man
would help lum to put Oils hugs, beauti
ful television set into his car. Our over
joyed friend went around to the back of
the house and waited... and waited...
and waited... and... Naturally, our
friend was the victim of a con game.
There was no television set, only a
shrewd con man. Our friend might still
be waiting at the Lack Jum, if he hadn’t
realised that he had been “taken.”
The fact is that many people are ma
nipulated every day by every kind of
scheme imaginable. Today, when so
many people find it necessary to resort
to unethical “tricks of the trade” to sur
vive, anyone could be easily victimized.
In some cases, people have been seri
ously injured in the process of accept
ing, or even rejecting, attempts at flim
flam.
I am going to write a series of col
umns on the most common con games
that are in use, so that you can protect
yourself by spotting them immediately.
Butt l need your help. If you have ever
been ripped off, or if you know someone
who hae, I want to know about it. Please
answer the questions below and send
your responses to me right away. Moll
to: Dr. Faulkner, P.0. Box 188476, Sac
ramento, Calif, 95818. Hurry! I’m wait
ing to hear from you (you don't have to
give your name).
Answer these questions, please:
•What trick was used on you (explain
it in as much detail as you can).
•Where did it happen?
•What did you lose?
•Who did it to you?
•What did you do about it?
•Did you get what you lost returned
to you? Why or why not? t
Send in your responses so that I can
write about them.