Frontline

For most Americans, the meaning of marriage is simply common sense. Marriage as the union of one man and one woman is at the heart of what most of us believe family should be. Even if we don’t all manage to live out that belief as perfectly as we would like, not everyone who opposes …

Same-Sex Marriage: Still a Tough Sell Read More »

Years ago, a tough private TV detective softened his crazy appearance by chewing on a lollipop instead of a cigar. To those he had rescued by brute force, he also frequently uttered the phrase, “Who loves ya, baby!” For those of us that have dared to oppose the LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered] community’s stance …

Who Loves Ya, Baby! Read More »

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) activists would have us believe that the issue of marriage is about the “rights” and “equality” of homosexuals. But in reality, the push to redefine marriage is about demanding public approval and celebration of homosexuality. There is a difference. Slot machines are legal in some areas, but if the …

Same-Sex Marriage Thought Police? Read More »

Legislators and regulators need to observe a fundamental Golden Rule: Do not implement new laws if you have not considered or cannot control important unintended consequences. A perfect example is the Obama administration’s plan to increase new car mileage standards, from the currently legislated requirement of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 to 54.5 mpg …

54.5 MPG and the Law of Unintended Consequences Read More »

Earlier this month, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual (LGBT) activists reacted with predictable outrage to Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operating Officer Dan Cathy’s admission that he believes in traditional marriage. Again, predictably, various organizations including the multimillion-dollar Human Rights Campaign (HRC) organized a boycott of the popular chain of more than 1,600 restaurants. Taking it …

Gay Rights Activists Attempt to Bully Businesses Read More »

Last Thursday marked the end of the NAACP’s annual meeting and 103 years of faithful service to the black community. Members and their families gathered from around the world. Their annual pilgrimage celebrates the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, Medgar Evers and thousands of patriots who believed in the American dream. When I personally think …

The NAACP No Longer Speaks for Me Read More »

Summer is here, and everyone expects to pay a little more to keep the temperature in the house bearable. But do you expect to pay eight times as much as you have in previous years? Unfortunately, that is exactly what will happen to consumers in some parts of the country unless Congress stands up to …

Energy Wars Discourage the Poor Read More »

The Supreme Court ruled Obamacare constitutional, and I’m concerned about its effect on the poor and vulnerable. They are the ones who need quality health care the most. The Court, of course, was not called upon to determine whether Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, would actually have its intended effect. While the …

Obamacare Negatively Impacts Minorities Read More »

Several years ago I came across a well-written book that outlined a step-by-step process for personal change. The book, Change Or Die, actually explored the psychology of change. The author, Alan Deutschman, helped me to focus several important health changes in my personal life. I chose to “change,” not “die.” The Obama administration is at …

Energy Policy: ‘Change or Die!’ Read More »

I have always appreciated President Obama as a family man. He and first lady Michelle have popularized several healthy family practices. For example, his practice of date night is something that thousands of congregations have taught for several decades. In some ways, he is the nation’s father in chief! He has had the opportunity to …

Father in Chief? Or Just Another Politician? Read More »

The scene in North Carolina was a familiar one: Traditional marriage supporters were outspent two to one and were subjected to smear campaigns that painted them as bigots for merely upholding their moral convictions. Yet despite irresponsible and deceptive media coverage, North Carolina voted overwhelmingly to affirm the traditional definition of marriage, 61 percent to …

What Money Can’t Buy Read More »

Last week (May 23 and 24), 175 Christian leaders from around the country gathered for a 24-hour marriage summit in the Washington, D.C., metro area. The small group represented nearly 100,000 individual churches and several denominations. The purpose of the summit was to strategize how we would respond to President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage.

The group, which included pastors, community activists and denominational leaders, decided to send out a group letter to the president and to develop a pro-biblical marriage resource that could be used around the country.

The summit culminated with a press conference in which black, Hispanic, white and Asian leaders stood shoulder-to-shoulder. We wanted to let the nation know that Christian leaders will not be silent on the issue of same-sex marriage. We also wanted to ask the president and the legislators of both parties to convey to us their specific strategies.

The president’s decision to endorse same-sex marriage is a great disappointment for many people. His statement—which he announced Wednesday—is of great concern to those who still believe in traditional marriage.

These people fall into two major categories—those whose belief systems are informed by their spiritual background and those who have been convinced that redefining marriage will be a horrible social experiment that will further weaken America’s declining structure.

Many in the faith community have suspected for some time that the president’s announcement was coming. It seems as though the administration feels that this moment will bolster the same-sex marriage movement from the crushing defeat it experienced in North Carolina.

I remember sitting at the dinner table with my parents at 8 years old. During that season, the “no elbows on the table” rule was in full force. In addition, my mother constantly chided me for using slang as opposed to proper English. Those three to four years seemed like hell on earth. Nonetheless, years later, I could trace my success in school to my family dinner table and a few great teachers.

My parents always said, “For a black man to do half as well, he must be twice as good!” For them, education was almost a “sacred privilege,” which had been denied my ancestors because of the black and Native American social status. Today, I am shocked by the almost unfathomable swing from my black community’s sense of excellence and purpose to an entitlement mentality.

Not long ago, both The Washington Post and The New York Times reported a growing national trend: Black students are suspended and expelled from school at two to five times the rate of white students. Both articles highlighted the unintended bias of teachers and administrators, zero-tolerance school discipline policies and school leadership styles as possible causes for this development—and undoubtedly they are contributing factors.

But I wonder whether forcing teachers to sit through another mandatory sensitivity seminar or lobbying to relax school discipline policies will improve the long-term prospects of black students in America?

It appears Mitt Romney has virtually won the GOP race for the nomination. Therefore, it’s time to focus on the race between him and President Obama for 2012. From now until November, I’ll occasionally write about the candidates from a media perspective, so I’ll start here with a couple of recommendations. This isn’t about ideology, it’s about perception and how the candidates engage the media. Here’s one bit of advice each could use: