The Institute (協会)

Romney, Thompson criticize Confederate flag (It's About Time Somebody White Had The Fortitude To Say Something)

From CNN:

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee criticized the Confederate flag, which happens to be hoisted on the Statehouse grounds in the early primary state of South Carolina.

"I know that everybody that hangs a flag like that in their room is not a racist," Thompson said, acknowledging that others may be offended by the flag. He also said he is "glad people have made the decision" to keep the Confederate flag out of public places.

However, Thompson held a campaign event earlier this month on the Statehouse grounds, just yards from where the Confederate flag still waves along Gervais Street in Columbia.

As for Romney, he said, "that is not a flag I would recognize … that flag is frankly divisive and it shouldn't be shown."

Both candidates are front-runners in South Carolina. Both may have to answer questions about those comments next time they hit the state.

I am now a Romney/Thompson fan! That would be a wonderful ticket!! Both against the confederate flag! Awesome!

"It's heritage, not hatred" Fellas, you gotta admit that's a pretty silly (some would say "stupid") distinction. Why would you want to fly a flag that you know is going to offend people: evil maybe? I dunno?

Flying the confederate battle flag is equivalent to flying a flag of the swastika.

The Swastika--"it's heritage, not hatred"

Why are there still lovers of the racist Southern (Baptist and Presbyterian supported) confederacy? Loving the confederate South is equivalent to loving apartheid South Africa (which, by the way, was developed by Reformed "Christians").

Apartheid--"it's heritage, not hatred"

Many blacks would see it odd that there are people who are actually proud to be associated with America's pre-1965 apartheid South, even people who identify themselves as "Christians." For you blacks in the South in evangelical contexts there is some wisdom, as I was taught, to be a but suspicious of those who love Southern pre-1965 heritage.

Robin Thicke Is White?

Ok, so a few weeks ago I'm in my sister's Volvo waggon (a true suburban soccer mom) and "Lost Without You" by Robin Thicke (the son of Alan Thicke) played on the radio and she said, "hey, you know he's white, right?" I didn't believe her.

This dude's crossed waaaaaaaaaaaaay over into R&B more than Justin Timberlake ever will. He's mostly and R&B artist whose concert audiences, I imagine, are probably made up of predominantly Latina and black women.

How did he learn how to sing like that? And for those you who are actually familiar with the history of R&B you will remember that a man with a high-pitched singing voice is much beloved by women (for some reason).

Fellas, thoughts?

Redskins Safety, Sean Tayor, Dies From Gunshot Wound

From CNN:

Story Highlights
# Friend: "His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried"
# Redskins safety was shot early Monday in upper leg, damaging an artery
# Friend says he was told Taylor never regained consciousness
# Taylor played at University of Miami, where he was 2003 All-American

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died, a day after he was shot in the leg, said family friend Richard Sharpstein. He said Taylor's father called him around 5:30 a.m. to tell him the news. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event," said Sharpstein. "He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

Fellas, lots of questions here. What happened? Allegedly he was fighting off the assailant with a machete. Taylor did have some gun-related misdemeanors, several NFL fines for various reasons, and so on. Who knows what's going to come out on this case. Sad, fellas. Just sad.

Trent Lott Announces Retirement

Trent Lott's leaving the Senate.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, plans to resign his seat before the end of the year, congressional and Bush administration officials said Monday.

Lott, 66, scheduled two news conferences in Pascagoula and Jackson later in the day to reveal his plans. According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, Lott intends to resign effective at the end of the year.

Don't let the door hit ya.

Fellas, any thoughts on Lott's tenure?

How Trent Lott ended his political career:

The smooth-spoken Lott found himself in hot water in December 2002 after going too far in his praise of GOP Sen. Strom Thurmond at the South Carolinian's 100th birthday party. Lott said Mississippi voters were proud to have supported Thurmond when he ran for president on a segregationist platform in 1948, and added: "If the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years either."

A few days later, Lott issued a statement saying he had made "a poor choice of words" that "conveyed to some the impression that I embraced the discarded policies of the past. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by my statement."

But the damage was done. President Bush distanced himself from Lott's remarks, telling an audience the comments "do not reflect the spirit of our country."

Lott then made a round of public appearances, apologizing for his gaffe. He called his remarks "insensitive" and said he regretted "reopening old wounds and hurting so many Americans." He also apologized on Black Entertainment Television and promised to use his position to help push through initiatives that would benefit minorities.

Lott later wrote in a book — "Herding Cats: A Life in Politics" — that President Bush hurt his feelings by disavowing the comments in a tone that was "devastating ... booming and nasty."

The South's past is so complicated and unresolved. Lots of touchy stuff yet to address.

Who's No. 1--College Football's Craziest Season

From Brad Edwards at ESPN:

Perhaps for the first time all season, the national championship race can be explained very simply.

If No. 1 Missouri (vs. Oklahoma) and No. 2 West Virginia (vs. Pittsburgh) both win on Saturday, they will play each other for the BCS title. If one of them loses, No. 3 Ohio State will slide into the national championship game. If Missouri and West Virginia both lose, a two-loss team will probably meet the Buckeyes in New Orleans for all the marbles.

Fellas, what's going on?

This weekend I will be the biggest fans of Missouri and West Virginia because I have NO interest in seeing Ohio State (from their pathetically weak conference) squeak their way a national championship game.

This ought to be a new NCAA rule: No team can go the national championship in college football unless they play at least one SEC school to get there. Haha!

Black With An English Accent? Not Used To That, But It's Really Cool

Fellas, it was so weird to hear a black woman with an English accent. Juliet Foster does business news on the daily BBC world news broadcast that I sometimes watch in the mornings on PBS.

Fellas, I highly recommend watching BBC news on your public television station (but it probably comes on really early in the morning).

80-Year-Old Pastor Of Megachurch Exposed By Sex Scandal

Bishop Faulk (Left); His son, D.E. Paulk and wife (Right)

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - The 80-year-old patriarch of a suburban Atlanta megachurch has admitted that he slept with his brother's wife in the early 1970s and fathered a child by her.

That child is now the head pastor of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church.

Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk's family stood at the pulpit of his independent charismatic church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered paternity test.

This isn't the first sex scandal to engulf Paulk and his church. But this time, he could be in trouble with the law for allegedly lying under oath about the affair.

Pastor D.E. Paulk, who is 34, was known publicly for years as Earl Paulk's nephew. The younger Paulk became head pastor a year and a half ago. He says he was surprised and disappointed by the parentage discovery.

At its peak in the early 1990s, it claimed about 10,000 members and 24 pastors and was a media powerhouse. By soliciting tithes of 10 percent from each member's income, the church was able to build a Bible college, two schools, a worldwide TV ministry and a $12 million sanctuary the size of a fortress.

Today, though, membership is down to about 1,500, the church has 18 pastors, most of them volunteers, and the Bible college and TV ministry have shuttered — a downturn blamed largely on complaints about the alleged sexual transgressions of the elder Paulks.

The rest of the story is here.

Fellas, this is really bad news. I wonder what non-church-going people think when they read stories like this? Thoughts?

"I am so very sorry for the collateral damage it's caused our family and the families hurt by the removing of the veil that hid our humanity and our sinfulness," said D.E. Paulk, who received the mantle of head pastor a year and a half ago.

D.E. Paulk said he did not learn the secret of his parentage until the paternity test. "I was disappointed, and I was surprised," he said.

Wow, what's it like find out that man you thought was your uncle is actually your father?

Kanye Breaks Down At Paris Concert

Kanye West Reportedly Breaks Down In Tears During Paris Concert: MC reportedly attempts to dedicate 'Hey Mama' to Donda but can't continue song; finishes concert with 'Stronger.'

From MTV News

Just a week after the death of his mother, Donda, Kanye West launched a European tour in Paris on Saturday, but broke down after performing for an hour, according to People.com.Toward the end of the hour-long show at Le Zenith, as "Hey Mama" began, West attempted to introduce the song, saying, "This song is for my mother ... " but could not continue, the magazine reported.

"He said the word, 'Mother,' and just couldn't go any further," Le Parisien journalist Meddy Magloire told the magazine. "A back-up singer, the DJ and a guitar player came over to console him. It looked like he might collapse. He just couldn't continue. He just stood there in a spotlight, crying, while the band continued playing." The song, from 2005's Late Registration, is a dedication to Donda.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Magloire said, the audience offered shouts of encouragement, which grew into applause.

West reportedly restarted the song but was unable to finish. He left the stage, returning after 10-15 minutes to conclude the concert with "Stronger," the magazine reported.

"He was very nervous, seemed to have gathered himself up, and had a lot of energy," Magloire told People. "He kept shouting out to the audience, 'I need you ... I need you right now.' and the public was screaming back. It was magic."

It's amazing he's even on tour this soon after her tragic death. I'm not even sure why this is even news. Of course, Kayne is going to break down singing a song with a line about his mom, she just died about a week ago.

Anyone surprised that he's even on tour? Thoughts, fellas?

Three Boys, 8 and 9 Years-Old, Accussed of Raping 11-year-old girl In Acworth, GA

By MIKE MORRIS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 11/19/07

Acworth police Monday were investigating the alleged rape last week of an 11-year-old girl by 8- and 9-year-old playmates.

The mother of the victim reported the incident on Sunday, Acworth police Capt. Wayne Dennard said.

"The juvenile victim stated that an 8-year-old boy and two 9-year-old boys, that she had been playing with earlier, pulled her into a wooded area, where one of the boys raped her," Dennard said.

Dennard said the incident allegedly occurred on Thursday.

All three boys, whose names were being withheld because of their age, were taken into custody overnight and taken to the Cobb County Youth Detention Center, charged with rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual assault, Dennard said.

The masculine crisis.

Acworth is 28 miles north of Atlanta in the city's fast-growing outer suburbs. In the suburbs?

Fire Tommy Bowden? Clemson Loses 20-17 To Boston College (at home, again)

Boston College beats Clemson at home, again, 20-17. Lots of people will be calling for Bowden to resign.

Clemson fans all over America are asking tonight if Clemson should fire Tommy Bowden. Yeah, Bowden's been there for 9 years. Yes, we've gone to 7 (irrelevant) bowl games. But the constant up-and-down seasons of absolutely inconsistency is making some of us wonder if it's even worth it to keep the guy.

Should we fire him and just start over and either be consistently bad or consistently good--but be consistent nonetheless.

Clemson's football coaching staff just can't ever seem to "finish the job."

Unbelievable. I'm going to have a bad week. I guarantee it.

The Suburban Church: Ushering Kids Into Counseling In Their 20s and 30s

I posted this over at World Mag's website:

Raising church kids in the suburbs may be setting them up for psychological distress in their 20s and 30s. A few weeks ago at a youth group from a very large church in a middle class suburb of St. Louis, I asked the following question: “What are your parents doing to you right now that will probably guarantee that you will be in counseling when you’re in your 20s and 30s?”

I knew about the nearly irreversible lacerations of divorce or the nuclear fallout when negative comments about appearance are delivered to daughters. I was shocked by the other laments. Here is just a small sample from that night.

Parents should not say, “I wish I never had.” Parents should refrain from “name calling,” telling their son that he’s “not manly enough.” The following is ushering kids right into counseling later in life: “Babying,” “over-punishing,” “not accepting their [child’s] preferences” (meaning that children should be free to have different interests than parents), “putting a lease on a child”(literally), “showing favoritism with other siblings,” “living their lives through their children,” and “spoiling their kids.”

The mood in the room grew even more gloomy as students mourned “being ignored,” parents “being absent from home,” “giving up on difficult kids,” offering “negative comments about physical appearance,” fathers being “too passive,” parents “overprotecting” their kids, “pressuring to be the best among [our] peers,” “not saying ‘I love you,’” having “too high of expectations,” “constantly fighting,” girls not hearing that “[they] are beautiful.”

Once this dam broke the youth pastor had to cut it off so he could give his talk about how the Gospel addresses all of their issues related to past pain. Many hands were still up in the air. It was sad. Dr. Madeline Levin, in The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids (2006), summarizes new national data saying, “America’s newly identified at-risk group is preteens and teens from affluent, well-educated families. In spite of their economic and social advantages, they experience among the highest rates of depression, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, somatic complaints, and unhappiness of any group of children in this country.” It seems that this is no different in churches of affluence. What happened?

Fellas, thoughts? Would you add anything to this list?

President Hilary Clinton

World Magazine has a spread about the remaking of your next president Hillary Clinton:

Michael Medved hadn't seen Hillary Clinton in years when, in 1991, he tuned into C-SPAN to watch presidential hopeful Bill Clinton give a stump speech in Iowa.

Medved, now a conservative radio host and author, had been friends with Hillary Rodham when the two were classmates at Yale Law from 1969 to 1971. Another young law student named Bill Clinton began a year behind them.

Medved knew Bill had married Hillary after graduation, and that the two had been together when Bill became attorney general, then governor, in Arkansas. That's why Medved was surprised as a man on C-SPAN made the introduction: "Please welcome Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and Mrs. Clinton!"

The Iowa crowd erupted into cheers. Medved stared in astonishment at the woman who appeared on the television screen.

Why are Republicans even running in this election? I don't get it.

Megan Meier, 14-Year-Old, Committs Suicide From A Myspace Practical Joke

This is a pathetically sad story.

A 14-year-old girl in the St. Louis area committed suicide after being "dumped" by her myspace boyfriend. A group of people allegedly were contributing to the profile of a fictious boy named Josh Evans.

Read the details here.

His name was Josh Evans. He was 16 years old. And he was hot.

"Mom! Mom! Mom! Look at him!" Tina Meier recalls her daughter saying.

Josh had contacted Megan Meier through her MySpace page and wanted to be added as a friend.Yes, he's cute, Tina Meier told her daughter. "Do you know who he is?"

"No, but look at him! He's hot! Please, please, can I add him?"

Mom said yes. And for six weeks Megan and Josh - under Tina's watchful eye - became acquainted in the virtual world of MySpace.

Josh said he was born in Florida and recently had moved to O'Fallon. He was homeschooled. He played the guitar and drums. . .

And then on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006, Megan received a puzzling and disturbing message from Josh. Tina recalls that it said: "I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends. . ."

Megan went to her room and Ron went downstairs to the kitchen, where he and Tina talked about what had happened, the MySpace account, and made dinner.

Twenty minutes later, Tina suddenly froze in mid-sentence.

"I had this God-awful feeling and I ran up into her room and she had hung herself in the closet."

Megan Taylor Meier died the next day, three weeks before her 14th birthday.

I don't even know what to say.

Anthony Bradley's Appearance On NPR (National Public Radio) Part II

Friends, I had the privilege and honor of being invited to offer some comments on NPR for the second time.

I was on the show "News and Notes" with two other wonderful guests.

November 12, 2007 · Up for discussion on the bloggers' roundtable: a decline in black military enrollment, a top immigration official gives a prize to a blackface costume, Oprah joins up with YouTube and questions about Jena 6 donations.

Joining Farai Chideya are Monroe Anderson, a columnist for EbonyJet.com and creator of his own blog, Kim Tempest Bradford of the blog The Angry Black Woman and Anthony Bradley, creator of The Institute blog.

Farai Chideya is an absolutely brilliant interviewer. Lots of fun. It's been one of the coolest things I've been able to do in a long time. It's very humbling.

American Gangster: Fellas, Go See This Movie

Here's the trailer:

American Gangster is a 2007 crime film written by Steve Zaillian and directed by Ridley Scott. The film stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Washington portrays Frank Lucas, a real-life heroin kingpin from Harlem who smuggled the drug into the country in American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. Crowe portrays Richie Roberts, a detective who brings down Lucas' drug empire.

I saw it over the weekend. Here's the website.

This movie is an amazing example of what can happen when good business skills are put in the wrong context. If Frank Lucas could have been in any other business (legal) his probably still would have been a millionaire.

I always walk away from movies like this and want to be in the mafia. Why is this?

Women Sexually Assaulting Teenage Boys: What?

(From CNN)

Are boys safe in an education system dominated by women, some are asking?

From CNN:

OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) -- A 13-year-old illegal immigrant who fled to his native Mexico amid a sex scandal with his schoolteacher could be eligible to return to the United States under a new visa the government started granting the week before he disappeared.

Teacher Kelsey Peterson, shown in 2006, is charged with kidnapping and child abuse. The visa helps illegal immigrants who are victims of sex crimes. If the boy, who spent most of his life in Lexington, Nebraska, qualifies, he could stay legally in the United States for four years and eventually apply for permanent residency.

It also would extend temporary residency to his parents and his unmarried siblings under 18, if they applied for it. "It's a win-win," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokeswoman Marilu Cabrera said of the "U" visa. "It helps us and law enforcement be able to solve a crime, and it certainly helps the individual who is a victim of a crime."

The boy and middle-school teacher Kelsey Peterson were found in a mall parking lot in the border town of Mexicali, Mexico, 1,500 miles from where the pair disappeared on October 26. Authorities searched for them for one week.

Fellas, check this: what's up with America's young women molesting teenage boys? I thought men were the one's with all the sexual dysfunction and sexual aggression. Some are suggesting, for the sake of saving boys, that we have more all boys schools because female teachers seem to either emasculate boys or sexually molest them.

This actually happen to a friend of mine. His female P.E. teacher molested him in middle school. He never reported it.

Fellas, thoughts?

More Men Die In Russian Oil Tanker Sinking

(one of the many ships damaged by the storm: from CNN)
From CNN:

Highlights:

# Rescuers recover three bodies from sunken Russian ship, five still missing
# The Nakhichevan was one of two freighters that broke up in heavy seas
# Fuel oil and sulfur spilled into sea and is washing up on nearby shores
# Officials: Could be the worst environmental disaster in the region in years

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (AP) -- Rescuers on Monday recovered the bodies of three sailors after a Russian freighter sank near the Black Sea, while officials assessed damage from an oil tanker spill that could be the worst environmental disaster in the region in years.

The Nakhichevan was one of two freighters that broke up as 18-foot waves battered ships throughout the region surrounding the Strait of Kerch, a narrow strait linking the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov.

The dead sailors wearing life vests washed up near Tuzla on the western side of the strait, said Emergency Situations spokesman Sergei Kozhemyaka. Rescuers were looking for five others.

As many as 10 ships sank or ran aground in the strait and the northern Black Sea region during the fierce storm, including the tanker, the Volganeft-139, loaded with nearly 1.3 million gallons of fuel oil. Nearly half that amount had spilled into the strait and had begun washing up on nearby shorelines.

The Russian tanker's 13 crew members were rescued, authorities said.

Officials said it could be the worst environmental disaster in the region in years, and could take years to

Fellas, this is tragic. Strong winds and high surf caused the Volgoneft-139 to split in two, spilling up 560,000 gallons of fuel oil. WOW!!!!!

Get The Government Out of the Church--Somebody Stop Grassley

(Meyer, Hinn, Dollar)

From the New York Times:

Senator Charles E. Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is investigating six prominent evangelistic ministries to determine whether they have illegally used donations to finance opulent lifestyles.

Mr. Grassley said yesterday that he sent letters to the six Christian ministries on Monday requesting documents to answer a long list of questions about their compensation, housing allowances, checking and savings accounts, cars, airplanes and overseas trips. They have until Dec. 6 to respond.

The inquiry focuses on some of the flashiest preachers now popular on television and the Internet, many of them proponents of the prosperity gospel — that God will reward believers who open their hearts and wallets.

Mr. Grassley, of Iowa, said in a telephone interview: “Jesus comes into the city on a simple mule, and you got people today expanding his gospel in corporate jets. Somebody ought to raise questions about is it right or wrong.”

¶The Rev. Creflo A. Dollar Jr. and his wife, Taffi, of World Changers Church International, based in College Park, Ga., popular prosperity preachers with churches and homes in New York City and Georgia.

¶Paula and Randy White, a dynamic young couple who started Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries in Tampa, Fla., but who are now divorcing. Mr. Grassley wants them to document clothing expenses and any cosmetic surgery from 2004 to the present.

¶Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church, a showy faith healer based in Grapevine, Tex., who holds large crusades around the world. Mr. Hinn is being asked how he handles cash collected on his overseas crusades and how much he spent on hotels and food for himself and his staff members during layovers on his trips from 2001 to the present.

¶Joyce Meyer, who with her husband, David, runs Joyce Meyer Ministries from Fenton, Mo., and who is popular especially with women for her no-nonsense brand of self-help. Mr. Grassley wants her to explain the “tax-exempt purpose” of purchases including a “commode with marble top” bought for $23,000 for her headquarters.

¶Bishop Eddie L. Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., a megachurch in the Atlanta suburbs with an active media ministry.

¶Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Tex.

This is ridiculous.

This is exactly why churches should forgo being "tax exempt." With tax exemption comes the poisonous tentacles of the our government (the kremlin, some would call it). Since the IRS can't investigate such matters because of a 1984 law, senate committees have the freedom to coerce in this way.

If government has the power to do this, what will happen when anti-church folks are positions to wield the same power of coercion? Answer: all churches that don't comply with federal preferences, including the state's definition of marriage.

This is scary. I'm not a fan of the prosperity folks but the Senate's role is NOT in this area.

I think it may be time for churches to restructure financially and pitch the tax-exempt perks. It may not be worth it in the long run.

By the way, how is it that some churches as tax-exempt, yet the sell books and merchandise in their bookstores?

Fellas, theology aside, is this the role of government?

New Trend: Vasectomies For Single Men Under 30

Like many men, Toby Byrum decided to have a vasectomy to end his reproductive years. Unlike most of them, Byrum had his at the age of 28 while he is still single and childless.

Two years later, the Web consultant from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has no regrets.

“I view the next 15-20 years of my life as some of the best years I’m going to live. I wanted to make sure those years were . . . going to make me ultimately the happiest person I could be,” he told TODAY co-host Matt Lauer.

He’s not alone. Urologists around the country say that they are seeing a small but growing number of young men who are deciding to have vasectomies when they are young, all but insuring that they will never be able to have children of their own.

“It’s kind of getting to be a departure from this society – a wife, a husband, have kids, live in the suburbs, – and instead is more, ‘Maybe we don’t want to have kids,’ “ Byrum said.

This was on the Today show!! Here's the rest!

Fellas, WOW!!!! More and more younger guys are making themselves infertile with NO regrets.

Makes sense. Kids mess up your ability to enjoy your life and since sex doesn't really have much to do with procreation, as many religious people practice, what's the point? Is that right?

Thoughts?

Viacom Ain't The Only Problem Rev.--Placing The Blame For Stupid Hip Hop In The Right Place

The Rev. Delman L. Coates organizes for Enough Is Enough in Washington.
(Photo by Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times)

I posted this over at Acton.org:

The New York Times reports of a well-intentioned protest by a pastor to protest the ridiculous and dehumanizing lyrics of the type of hip hop shown on networks like BET and MTV.

Wearing white T-shirts with red stop signs and chanting “BET does not reflect me, MTV does not reflect me,” protesters have been gathering every Saturday outside the homes of Viacom executives in Washington and New York City. The orderly, mostly black crowds are protesting music videos that they say degrade women, and black and Latino men.

Among other things the protesters want media companies like Viacom to develop “universal creative standards” for video and music, including prohibitions on some language and images. Video vixens and foul-mouthed pimps and thugs are now so widespread, the protesters maintain, that they infect perceptions of ordinary nonwhite people.

“A lot of rap isn’t rap anymore, it’s just people selling their souls,” Marc Newman, a 28-year-old car salesman from New Rochelle, N.Y., said on Saturday. He was among about 20 men, women and children from area Baptist churches marching outside the Upper East Side residence of Philippe Dauman, the president and chief executive of Viacom Inc.

Rev. Coleman must be commended and applauded for having the fortitude to take and stand and being to speak against the dark side of hip hop. His efforts are well intended but I doubt they will help much. Perhaps the Pastor should focus more on preaching about Jesus to fans of hip hop music as opposed to attacking the media corporations. Here's why:

(1) As long as consumers want music that degrade women and celebrate stupidity someone is going to produce it and distribute it. No one forced to buy stupid music.

(2) The best way to protest is with your wallet. If people didn't buy this music, or attend the concerts of the artists who produce the music, this type of hip hop would die.

(3) Viacom does not force artists to rap lyrics that degrade themselves and women. They freely choose to rap about those things on their own volition.

(4) If the public wants Viacom to act virtuously consumers are going to have change their preferences, artists are going to have to refuse to rap about ignorance, and, then, Viacom executives are left to make the risky decision to opt out of distributing filth. If Viacom could make money off of virtue it would.

Viacom does NOT need to create universal standards for content. Maybe morally debased consumers need to embrace virtuous preferences. If the culture is not morally formed citizens will not make moral decisions. Why isn't this group protesting the malformed desires of hip hop's consumers and artists as well?

PS By "stupid" hip hop I do not mean that all hip hop is stupid. I referring to a particular type of hip hop that degrades both women and men--that is the "stupid" type. Most of the underground hip hop, for example, raps about great things!! But the hip hop that contains a lot of stupidity is the type shown in BET and MTV. The quality hip hop is not mainstream.

Anthony Bradley's Appearance On NPR (National Public Radio)

I was invited to join a conversation on NPR regarding the black family last Thursday on the show "News and Notes"

From NPR:

This month, we launch a series that takes an introspective look at the black family unit. Farai Chideya talks about the future of the black family, pegged to comedian Bill Cosby's recent admonitions about parenting.

Joining in are Jerry Large, staff columnist for The Seattle Times; Theresa Mohammed, an English professor at Onondaga College in Syracuse and editor of the book, Essays in Response to Bill Cosby's Comments About African American Failure; and Anthony Bradley, a research fellow at the Acton Institute and a professor at the Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.

Farai Chideya is an amazing interviewer I was honored to be on the show. You can give a listen here.

You can find my full comments about Cosby's new book here at the Acton Institute.

My Testimony Before The Missouri House of Representatives

At the invitation of Rep. Cynthia Davis (R--O'Fallon, MO) I testified today before the Interim Committee on Poverty of the Missouri House of Representatives for the great state of Missouri. My testimony dealt with better solutions to poverty that targeted the truly disadvantaged, rejected minimum wage increases, and understood that marriage the single greatest variable in keeping mothers and children out of poverty over the long-run.

My testimony followed an excellent testimony on health care and poverty by Michael F. Cannon, Director of Health Policy Stuides, at the Cato Institute.

Lots of fun!!

Driscoll On Osteen

Fellas, thoughts?