March 30, 20084 choices to fill seat, each one a winnerHere's some good city government news, folks: On Monday morning, whichever way the Roanoke City Council votes, it won't screw up. Continue reading "4 choices to fill seat, each one a winner" » March 27, 2008Question of the day:For those (including Hillary Clinton) so steadfast in saying that if they were Barack Obama, they would have bolted Dr. Jeremiah Wright's church: How often have you sat mum as you heard friends and loved ones tell racist jokes? Michel Martin of NPR suggests "if the tables had been turned, if it had been their church, their family, their friends, their turf, they would have sat right there." s March 25, 2008Grave duty at Springwood cemeterySpurred by the memory of his long-deceased mother, Junius Gaither answered the call of conscience. At 78, the Roanoke man has joined Scout Leader Bob Bird on several occasions in recent weeks to restore some semblance of dignity to Springwood Burial Park. The urban cemetery in Northwest is the final resting place of Gaither's mother and more than a thousand other area blacks who died between 1937 and 1979. "Personally, I just marvel at the amount of work they've done," Gaither said Thursday morning as he walked along a path that Bird and his Scouts have cleared. "It spurred me to come over." My wish is that others would follow Gaither's lead. March 23, 2008Furor over sermons needs more contextOn this, the holiest day in Christendom, when forgiveness and redemption are the center of our celebration, what would Jesus do about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? Well, I doubt he'd hijack the presidential campaign of one of Wright's flock. Any churchgoing voter in America knows you can't control what comes out of the mouth of clergy. Often the words are inspiring. Frequently they are benign. Occasionally they are outrageous. Whatever the pastor's words or actions, you don't hold members of his (or her) church individually accountable for them. Just ask the followers of Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, Al Sharpton, Oral Roberts, Ted Haggard or John Hagee. March 21, 2008Colin Powell: 2008 wild card?OK, folks, we broached the idea earlier of a McCain-Rice ticket. How's about a McCain-Powell ticket? More intriguing, but way too early to be considered is talk of an Obama-Powell pairing. Con: Powell has said repeatedly he's not interested in elective office. Additionally, would someone who supported the Iraq war (at least ostensibly) and sold it (and a bill of goods) to the American people make a good running mate for a man who has partially staked his fame on his opposition to America's invasion of Iraq? Let's not leave Clinton out of the mix: By showing all this love to John McCain, is she positioning herself for a No. 2 spot on the McCain ticket? OK, gang, maybe this all is sorta loopy...but hit me back with your thoughts. s March 20, 2008It's what they don't say that's a concernA Roanoke police officer shot an unarmed teenage boy after a traffic stop last month. The shooting in Northwest Roanoke set off a flurry of letters to this newspaper's opinion page about the dangers of law enforcement and what officers should or should not do in a given situation. No one disputes the risks of police work. But it's difficult for the public to arrive at a fully informed opinion -- whatever the opinion -- when it doesn't have the basic facts of the shooting. For that, Roanokers can thank their police department. Continue reading "It's what they don't say that's a concern" » March 16, 2008Bank's decision deserves thanksThank you, HomeTown Bank, on behalf of the Antoinette Kimbles of the Roanoke Valley. By backing off its short-sighted construction plans for a new branch on Electric Road, HomeTown will make the disabled feel welcome along with everyone else conducting business in the lobby. That's understandably important to people such as Kimble, who has been in a wheelchair for two months. She said she banks at Woodforest National Bank inside Wal-Mart, where the teller windows and automated teller machine are low enough for wheelchair users. March 13, 2008Home plan crumbles amid public ignoranceBatten down the hatches, folks. We may have witnessed a bit of immigration hysteria in Bedford County. Monday, the county board of supervisors rejected a proposal by Forest builder David St. John after he acknowledged the town houses he wanted to build would be for seasonal workers he hires from -- gasp! -- Mexico. St. John, a soft-spoken man, didn't want to wade into the fiery immigration debate that has engulfed this country when we spoke Wednesday afternoon. "I don't know what was in the thoughts of the board," he said politely. "That's a good question for the board members." But come on, what else can it be? Continue reading "Home plan crumbles amid public ignorance" » March 12, 2008Taking the song literallyWe've seen it before, we saw it again: Eliot Spitzer solicited hookers, and standing by her man was his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer. The Harvard-educated lawyer, I'm referring to Silda, looked as though she'd been up all night crying. She probably had been. Dag, the scenario has played out so often: Men have been in hot spots, and their loyal spouse has stood there, being, well, loyal. Is it me or am I the only one who'd seriously think, "Buddy, you're on your own on this one"? Think about how the scene has played out so many times: Gary Hart's wife, Lee, standing next to him when the world found out about his "Monkey Business" Dina McGreevey stood on the dais with her husband former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey after he admitted to having an extramarital homosexual affair And who can forget Effie Barry knitting (or was it crocheting?) in court as she sat in support of her husband Marion? Last month, in my home state, Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was foolish enough to lie under oath about his affair with his female chief of staff. Didn't he know that those steamy text messages that documented their trysts would eventually surface? They did. Guess who was there when he apologized to city residents? That's right: wife Carlita Kilpatrick.
To add a little levity to the moment, my favorite line in light of the Spitzer moment came from Joy Behar of The View: "Aren’t you sick of men? Viagra is destroying our government." March 11, 2008Not as simple as black and whiteWould I be wrong to assume your support of Obama is because he is African American? -- Feb. 28 e-mail from a Hillary Clinton supporter
Barack Obama, the presidential candidate who just last year was the subject of headlines asking whether he was black enough, has become a favorite of black voters. Apparently, that bothers some white folks. March 10, 2008Radford professor shares in limelightOf all the people James Perry could have asked to write a nominating letter for a prestigious scholarly award, he asked Radford University professor Reginald Shareef. Perry is a nationally recognized leader in public administration, the study of how public organizations are managed. He is a chancellor's professor at In- diana University. The honor, awarded by the American Society for Public Administration, is tantamount to journalism's Pulitzer Prize. It is given for lifetime academic contributions to public administration. Shareef said of Perry: "He could have picked anybody in business or the field of public administration. The guy's a real humble guy." "One doesn't have to be from Harvard," Perry said in a telephone interview Friday morning. "Reggie was probably as good as anybody. We sort of kept in touch based on our professional interests. He consented to do it." March 6, 2008Teen clinic is a good way to talk about sexBeginning this afternoon, area teens again will have a place to seek knowledgeable advice about sexual health. With teen pregnancy rates on the rise, thank goodness Planned Parenthood Health Systems has reopened its teens-only clinic for a few hours every month. From 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month, high school and middle school students can drop by the Peters Creek Road facility for free, professional help with confidential services including birth control, pregnancy testing, gynecological exams and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Abortions will not be offered as part of the clinic. But abstinence will be part of the comprehensive and essential discussion about sexual health. Continue reading "Teen clinic is a good way to talk about sex" » March 4, 2008Scouts, genealogist spruce up derelict cemeteryLoved ones laid the Rev. James D. Walker to rest in 1944 and later his wife, Maggie, in 1952. An elegant, granite headstone etched with the couple's names also contains the poignant words, "Gone, But Not Forgotten." "Those are the ones that get to you," Ann Bird, clutching a clipboard, said last week as she stepped over fallen limbs and navigated around prickly bushes in the abandoned wilderness that is Springwood Burial Park. "Gone but not forgotten," she repeated wistfully. "I'm afraid they've been forgotten." The Walkers' graceful, dark-gray tombstone has weathered the decades, but their resting place near Lincoln Terrace Elementary School has not. Continue reading "Scouts, genealogist spruce up derelict cemetery" » March 2, 2008Tragedy leads city to set up safe havenThe weekend child visitation exchange between Sabrina Reed and her estranged husband, Robert, had become a delicate transaction strained by fear and tension. Increasingly frightened for her safety in an abusive relationship, Sabrina Reed had filed for divorce. She and her husband were separated. On weekends, Robert Reed drove to his in-laws' home in Northwest Roanoke to pick up his and Sabrina's 7-year-old daughter, Asjah, for the usual visitation. On Sept. 2, 2005, Sabrina Reed's fears were realized. Continue reading "Tragedy leads city to set up safe haven" » March 1, 2008What voters say can get pols in troubleDuring Thursday night's debate, Hillary Clinton made such a big deal insisting that Barack Obama not only "denounce" but "reject" the endorsement of controversial Louis Farrakhan. The tables turned however when Clinton headed off to Texas. Latina supporter Adelfa Callejo told a Dallas TV station that blacks don't do anything to help Latinos. Callejo added: "Obama has the problem that he happens to be black." Confronted with the comments, Clinton couldn't stand the taste of her own medicine, initially failing to "denounce" or "reject" Callejo's remarks. Clinton said she failed to see the comparison of them to the Obama-Farrakhan situation. Hours later, likely after reviewing the interview, the Clinton campaign announced that the candidate indeed was denouncing and rejecting Callejo's remarks. Hypocrisy, as The Washington Post called it? Better late than never? I guess the voters will decide. s |
About this blog In her signature plainspoken style, Michigan native Shanna Flowers peels away the layers and gets to the heart of the issues. No pretense. Just straightforward perspective. Shanna writes about local people whose circumstances reflect decisions made as near as City Hall or as far away as the halls of Congress. Other times, she weighs in on a topic because it is incredibly ridiculous. Or heartening. Or fascinating. Read Shanna's column three days a week, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at roanoke.com
.....Advertisement.....
|
...Advertisement...
...Advertisement...
