Florida Courier, July 13, 2012, #28

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JULY 13 - JULY 19, 2012

VOLUME 20 NO. 28

ENOUGH ALREADY COMPILED FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Florida A&M University President Dr. James Ammons finally walks away amid concerns about a double standard and Gov. Rick Scott’s hidden hand.

F

lorida A&M University President James Ammons resigned Wednesday amid continuing fallout from the hazing death of Marching “100’’ drum major Robert Champion and other issues facing Florida’s largest historically Black school.

A month after he received a split vote of no-confidence from the FAMU Board of Trustees and nearly eight months after Champion’s death, Ammons sent trustees a resignation letter on Wednesday. Ammons had been president at the Tallahassee school for five years.

The announcement came the same day Champion’s family filed a lawsuit in Orlando against FAMU and the company that operated the charter bus in which the hazing allegedly occurred.

‘New challenges’ In a letter to A&M Trustees Chairman Solomon Badger, Ammons said he wrestled with the decision to step down as the university continued to face a number of challenges related to Champion’s death and other issues that have shed a negative light on the school.

“Now there are new challenges that must be met head on,” Am-

mons wrote. “I am determined to move all of the major challenges toward resolution and move our university toward success.

“Following the presidency, I will continue my work on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives as a tenured full professor on our great faculty.”

‘In school’s best interest’ In response, Badger, one of four trustees who did not cast a vote of no-confidence last month, accepted the resignation with regret.

“I am saddened by President Ammons’ decision to resign, but it is his choice to do so,” Badger said in a statement. “Given all that has transpired, it seems to be in the best interest of the University and I applaud him for putting FAMU ahead of his personal goals.”

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Dr. James Ammons won’t “strike, strike and strike again” as See AMMONS, Page A2 FAMU president, effective Oct. 11.

Into the lion’s den

NBA MIAMI HEAT / DEFENDING A CHAMPIONSHIP

Romney’s NAACP draws cheers, boos COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

HOUSTON – Mitt Romney’s speech before the nation’s oldest civil rights organization was framed by his campaign as an olive branch to the Black community and a promise to be a president for all people. But his sharp criticisms of President Obama and his vow to repeal Obama’s health care plan drew sustained boos – and some in the audience left more energized to work against his campaign.

Romney, whose father was a forceful advocate for civil rights as governor of Michigan, has campaigned before predominantly White audiences for much of the last year, but he received a standing ovation when he arrived to speak to the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Houston, where many members praised him for having the courage to show up – even though 95 percent of Black voters supported Obama four years ago.

Polite, then hostile The NAACP’s reception, at first, was polite and appreciative as Romney argued that he would champion school reform to close the achievement gap between White and minority students, and that his economic policies would help lift Americans from poverty and aid middle-class Americans “of all races.”

AL DIAZ/MIAMI HERALD/MCT

Instant upgrade Miami Heat President Pat Riley, left, answered questions during a press conference with Ray Allen on Wednesday in Miami. Allen signed a three-year contract with the NBA champion Miami Heat. The same day, the Heat signed former Orlando Magic sharpshooter Rashard Lewis.

See ROMNEY, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FOCUS | A2

First lady wows supporters in Orlando FLORIDA/NATION | A6

What will get Blacks back to the polls

FLORIDA | A3

West offers explanation about racist remarks

FINEST | B5

Meet Lynn and Kendall

State will release voter purge list

BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

State officials will release a list of 180,000 names at the center of a controversy over attempts to remove non-citizens from the voting rolls after determining that the information is a public record, according to the Florida Department of State.

The collection is essentially the master list that the Secretary of State’s office used to come up with a sampling of names of suspected non-citizens that was then sent to county elections supervisors.

Supervisors have since said

that many of the names either belong to citizens or to people who can’t be contacted.

Some non-citizens have been removed from the rolls as part of the voter purge.

‘Public record’ “The set of 180,000 names is a public record,” wrote Chris Cate, a spokesman for Secretary of State Ken Detzner, in an email. “We are in the process of redacting it now so that it can be provided to everyone who has made a public records request.”

The initiative has already See VOTER, Page A2

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Citizens wait to vote during the 2008 presidential election.

ALSO COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 INSIDE COMMENTARY: MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN: ENDING THE ‘CRADLE TO PRISON’ PIPELINE | A5

A2

FOCUS

JULY 13 - JUly 19, 2012

First lady wows supporters in Orlando

BY JAMES HARPER FLORIDA COURIER

stopped in Miami earlier in the day.

Editor’s note: This story has been edited for space.

Read the complete story online at www.flcourier.com.

Hundreds of people were turned away from entering the University of Central Florida Arena to hear First Lady Michelle Obama speak, validating the fact that she is as popular – if not more popular – than her husband, President Barack Obama.

Orlando was the first lady‘s second stop in Florida speaking to grassroots supporters and volunteers. She

Packed venue More than 2,200 people entered the arena (the official capacity is 1,600).

Inside the structure, supporters were packed in with most standing shoulder-toshoulder, with a selected few volunteers and workers sitting in the bleachers.

At least two supporters passed out from the heat in the room generated from so many bodies.

Though there was a sea of Whites, Browns and Blacks, there appeared to be a higher percentage of His-

panics in the crowd. Before Obama spoke, there was a pep rally of sorts getting the energized crowd even more pumped up. Based on those who spoke before Obama, it appears the rally targeted Hispanics. The majority of the speakers were of Hispanic descent.

‘We need help’ Obama spoke and began to mesmerize and electrify the audience. Just like four years ago, she said she and her husband will need help registering people to vote and then getting them to the polls.

In a second term, Obama

ROMNEY from A1 There were nods of approval when he noted that few had expected 50 years ago that a Black man would become the nation’s 44th president and asserted that despite the civil rights movement of that era “many barriers remain” and “old inequities persist.”

But murmurs of disagreement ran through crowd when he argued that his policies would help “families of any color more than the policies and leadership of President Obama.”

“I’m going to eliminate every nonessential, expensive program I can find; that includes Obamacare,” Romney said to a long chorus of jeers. A woman in the back of the hall shouted, “You mean Romneycare?”

For 15 seconds, Romney stood quietly, smiling at the audience as they voiced their disapproval.

Undaunted, Romney added: “If our priority is jobs – and that’s my priority – that’s something I’d change, and I’d replace it with something that provides the people something they need in health care, which is lower cost, good quality and the capacity to deal with people who have pre-existing conditions...I’ll put that in place.”

Lost the crowd And the former Massachusetts governor appeared to have lost his

AMMONS from A1 Ammons, who as president earns at least $325,000 a year, said he would stay on until Oct. 11 and remain on campus after that time as a tenured professor.

Champion died on a band charter bus in November after the university’s renowned marching band performed at the annual Florida Classic football game in Orlando. Thirteen band members have been charged in Champion’s death. Of those, 11 face felony hazing charges and could face up to six years in prison. Two others were charged with misdemeanors.

“Our hearts and prayers still go out to the Champion family; we are unable to comment further due to the pending litigation surrounding this matter,” the university’s chief communications officer, Sharon Saunders, said in a statement in response to the suit.

More challenges While the hazing case has drawn national attention, some university system officials have been at least as troubled by other issues.

A scathing letter sent to Badger by State University System Board of Governors Chairman Dean Colson alluded to several serious issues.

Among those were lower graduation rates, allegations of fraud having to do with summaries of an

COURTESY OF ABC.COM

Mitt Romney made his case to the NAACP on Wednesday. crowd when he said the president had failed in his promises to create jobs and “better educate tomorrow’s workers.”

“I have no hidden agenda. If you want a president who will make things better in the African-American community, you are looking at him,” Romney said to more boos. He paused and nodded firmly before carrying on with his speech: “Take a look.”

Romney’s audience, in many respects, was not the audience that sat restlessly before him in the Houston convention center, but rather the independent swing voters who are looking for signs that he will be a welcoming and inclusive leader.

His forceful language about the president’s peraudit that hadn’t actually been done, and a sexual assault of a minor at the university’s research school.

Then, as the hazing allegations came under the national spotlight, school officials learned that several members of the famous band weren’t even students at the university.

Double standard?

FAMU’s defenders point to a double standard, particularly with regard to Colson.

In 2001, Colson was a member of the University of Miami’s Board of Trustees when 18-year old UM student Chad Meredith drowned during a Kappa Sigma Fraternity hazing ritual. Colson supported UM President Donna Shalala, who did not take aggressive action to eliminate hazing on UM’s campus before Meredith’s hazing death.

According the Rattler Nation blogsite, Colson “continued to be one of her biggest cheerleaders during his tenure as board chairman from 2004 to 2007,” but Colson is now using Champion’s death to dump Ammons.

Shalala is still UM’s president.

Scott pulling strings?

There are also concerns that Gov. Rick Scott pressured FAMU’s board to dump Ammons and bring in a new president of his choosing, with the goal of enacting conservative educational reforms through the State University System, in-

formance and policies, although bold, surprised some members of the audience. Some attendees gave him kudos for not softening his message, but said they had expected a more statesmanlike and less partisan speech.

“I thought he would try to appease us. He didn’t.

He insulted us, with some of the things he said,” exclaimed Geraldine Alexis, a 51-year-old public school counselor from Sierra Vista, Ariz.

‘Sister Soulja moment’ Democratic Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta said booing was appropriate. Reed said Romney was looking for a “Sister Soulja moment,” referring to then-Democratic presidential candidate Bill

cluding weakening teachers’ unions and eliminating tenure – starting with FAMU. Scott has been actively involved – some say interfering – in policies and decisions that only the Board of Trustees controls. His call for Ammons’ suspension enraged FAMU students, who marched by the hundreds to the governor’s mansion in protest.

Scott’s attempt to control a board-appointed antihazing committee threatened FAMU’s academic accreditation.

Scott also has pushed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to launch its own investigation into Champion’s death, despite the fact that the criminal case was being handled by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. He also pushed the State University System Board of Governors to launch its own investigation in hazing at FAMU, despite the fact that the school had established its own anti-hazing committee.

“FAMU’s board is currently divided into two tiers,” according to Rattler Nation. “The first tier is made up of the trustees who are in good standing with the governor’s office and are trusted to do what they are told to do.

The second tier is made up of the trustees who are viewed with suspicion by the governor’s office and are not given full access to the behind-the-scenes talks of the first tier.”

Graduation concerns In a previous meeting,

said her husband will work to make sure “our kids have good schools that inspire them.” Speaking directly to the students in the crowd, Obama said re-election will allow her husband to help their parents and grandparents retire with dignity.

Obama concluded the speech talking about her father and mother and the impact they had on her and her brother’s life. She said though most of her tuition came from grants and loans, her father, a bluecollar worker, was proud of what he could contribute to help send his kids to college. Her mom made sure Clinton’s criticism of racially tinged comments by the rapper during the 1992 presidential campaign, a sign that he could stand up to his political base.

“It makes him look like he’s having character and integrity when he really wasn’t speaking to the NAACP audience at all,” Reed said. “He’s aware what’s going on in Congress today, and those are the individuals he was speaking to.”

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted Wednesday to repeal the health care law, a symbolic move that faces certain death in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The breadth of the problems require a major change, said university trustee Rufus Montgomery during a meeting of the board Wednesday, a meeting scheduled to talk about budget items before Ammons announced his resignation.

“This is not about hazing. This is about leadership or lack of leadership at FAMU,” said Montgomery.

“There have been over 30 serious issues over the past year that have come before this board ….This all

education they could only dream of. Education was everything in my family – everything. It was our ticket to the middle class. It was our pathway to the American Dream,” she added.

How U.S. Blacks compare

Blacks are 13 percent of the U.S. population. How they compare to other groups by selected economic and societal measures:

Median income

The recession’s impact

For families, 2009

$62,545 38,409

White

Median household net worth (assets minus debt)

39,730

Black Hispanic

High school grads

Graduation rates, 2008

78%

58

57

2005

White Hispanic

Unemployment rate

27.4

White

15%

14.4%

Black

Hisp.

10 White

’07

’09

’10

For 2009

’12

27.5

Hispanic

Other 2.8

Black Hispanic

47

’11

White

Black

50.4%

19.2

Prison inmates

For 2009

White

’08

7.4 11.0

HIV diagnoses 26.6

Home ownership 74%

June

By month

Black Hispanic

Poverty rate

5,677 6,325

18,359

5

White

2009

113,149

$134,992 12,124

Black

9.9%

NAACP Chairman Emeritus Julian Bond said Romney’s remarks were aimed more at White voters than an African-American audience.

“He’s saying, ‘Look here, I met with the Negroes. I talked to them. I argued my positions. I don’t think they took them, but at least I showed up,’” Bond said.

Hilary Shelton, the director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau, said Romney didn’t change any minds but “he opened minds to ask harder questions.”

“He recognized many of the challenges of our community,” he said. “The real concern is, what are the solutions? We don’t elect people just because they understand we have a problem. We’re looking for your

‘Deal with this’

they handled their business, such as getting their homework done.

“They held us to the same high standard of excellence because they wanted us both to have the kind of

For 2010

‘Met with the Negroes’

hostile board members focused their criticism on FAMU’s practice of allowing a sizable number of “profile admits” – students who don’t meet the same admissions standards as more traditional students – that reduces FAMU’s graduation rates.

FAMU’s six-year graduation rate for students entering college for the first time in 2005 was 39 percent, the lowest in the State University System and a number that has been flat over the last four years. Only three other state universities – Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University and Florida Gulf Coast University – have six-year graduation rates below 45 percent.

Ammons defended the practice.

“At the end of the day, FAMU has an historical mission even today where we allow students who have the potential to come to the university and have the experience of a four-year college,” he said.

JAMES HARPER / FLORIDA COURIER

A sea of cell phones record Michelle Obama’s appearance in Orlando.

46

Black Hispanic

Total 2009 prison population, 2.3 million Men Women White Black

Hispanic

693,800 841,000 442,000

92,100

64,800 32,300

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Pew Research Center, Alliance for Excellent Education, Bureau of Labor Statistics, University of Michigan National Poverty Center, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, avert.org Graphic: Judy Treible © 2012 MCT

recommendations, your solutions for those problems, solutions that recognize those disparities.”

‘More applause’

“They thanked us for showing up; they appreciate us for showing up. I will take that along with the applause over three (rounds of ) boos,” she said.

Tara Wall, who is handling outreach to AfricanAmericans for the campaign, noted that there was “a lot more applause than there were boos.”

William Douglas and David Lightman of McClatchy Newspapers and Maeve Reston of the Los Angeles Times (MCT) contributed to this report.

came under the watch of the current president.

For the last seven months we’ve danced around it week after week, problem after problem….

“We’ve got the FAMU students on trial this fall in the Champion case, we have no band this fall, we’ve got a drop in enrollment coming, I read the other day the Florida Senate’s (considering) investigating the school,” Montgomery continued.

“I mean, come on, you all, we need to deal with this.”

Was successful Ammons, who came to Florida A&M from North Carolina Central University, did enjoy important successes during his presidency. He was credited with increased prestige for the university’s pharmacy education program, which secured accreditation during his tenure.

The university notes that under Ammons’ leadership the school received its first “unqualified” audit in three years from the state, and that the school is about to start a new doctoral program in physical therapy.

Ammons is a Florida A&M graduate, with a B.S. in political science and an M.S. in public administration and a Ph.D. in government from Florida State. He also taught political science at FAMU and returns to the classroom in October.

Michael Peltier of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

VOTER from A1 caused a legal battle over access to voting rolls. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle rebuffed a request by the U.S. Department of Justice to issue a restraining order blocking the state from continuing its purge efforts, but only after receiving assurance from the state that it was no longer actively pursuing the initiative.

At least two other lawsuits have been filed against the state, which is in turn suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to gain access to a federal database that officials say would make future efforts more accurate.

Good news Some critics of the state’s purge program welcomed the news. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, which has filed a friend-of-thecourt brief in the Justice Department’s lawsuit, suggested the state should have been more open about the initiative from the beginning.

“Florida releasing its original eleventh-hour voter purge list is a step in the right direction, but the delay is just one more example of the state’s complete lack of transparency,” said Diana Kasdan, counsel for the center’s Democracy Project, in a statement issued Tuesday. “This list should have been released months ago.”

The fight over the rolls is just one in a series of skirmishes that have broken out around voting in Florida a few months before the November presidential election.

With 29 electoral votes, Florida is expected to be the largest swing state and could decide whether President Obama or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney wins the presidency.

JULY 13 - JULY 19, 2012

FLORIDA

A3

West offers explanation about slavery remarks compared to 3.1 million people added to Social Security disability. I am against the waste, fraud and abuse when it comes to social security disability, and I will not be silenced on that issue.

West: ‘Let’s get the facts straight He continued, “I am well aware hardworking Americans have paid into the Social Security Program and I am committed to protecting social security retirement benefits for retirees and future retirees.

“We are creating economic dependence. That is what I am calling out. This has nothing to do with the Americans who have earned their retirement.

“What the liberal media machine wants to hide from you, and distort with my comments, is that the policies of President Barack Obama are making our nation a nation based on economic dependency – and I call this a form of modern 21st Century slavery.

‘Let’s get the facts straight’ CAREY WAGNER/SUN SENTINEL/MCT

U.S. Congressman Allen West is shown in November 2010 in Fort Lauderdale.

Florida congressman calls reports of him equating slavery to Social Security ‘absolutely false’ FROM WIRE REPORTS

Congressman Allen West (RFla.) tried to do damage control this week after sparking controversy with remarks he made last

weekend blasting Social Security disability insurance as “a form of modern, 21st-century slavery.”

Since June of 2009 or so, we have seen 2.4 million private sector jobs created, but we’ve had 3.1 million people going on Social Security disability and, as we said just this past month, the 85,000 went on Social Security disability as opposed to 80,000 jobs created,” the Florida Republican said July 8 on Fox News.

“So once again we are creating

State Department of Health responds to TB reports NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Responding to media reports that he called “outrageous,” a top Florida health official late Monday said prudent steps already have been taken to contain what federal investigators have described as the largest outbreak of tuberculosis anywhere in the United States in the past 20 years.

Florida Department of Health officials said a spike in TB cases among homeless people in Jacksonville is being aggressively addressed and recent media reports that the outbreak has been kept secret are not justified.”

After these inaccurate reports, it is important for the public to know, the number of TB cases in Florida has been trending downward for several years,” said Dr. Steven Harris, DOH deputy secretary for health.

April CDC report raised alarm “The increase in this particular strain of non-drug resistant TB has affected approximately 99 people over the past eight years.”

Harris was responding to a news story first published in The Palm Beach Post and then picked up by other publications.

The story related to an April report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following a surge in cases of the highly contagious disease that appeared to

be clustered in a homeless shelter, a jail and an outpatient mental health clinic in downtown Jacksonville.

Palm Beach hospital closed The CDC report raised alarm by noting that the outbreak, first detected in 2009, represented the largest such TB flare-up the CDC had been involved with since the 1990s. The report went on to say most of the potentially infected persons remain undetected and highly mobile, a combination that makes it more difficult to contain and treat the disease, which requires a relatively long and deliberate regiment of drugs and can become resistant.

The report came as state health officials were in the process of closing down A.G. Holley State Hospital in Palm Beach County, the state’s last facility dedicated to tuberculosis treatment. Lawmakers involved in the closure have said they had no knowledge of the CDC report.

Slated for closure by the end of the year, state health officials accelerated the process and closed the facility six months early.

“I think the two issues are separate,” said Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, and chairman of a key Senate health care committee, who said he was unaware of the CDC report, which came out after lawmakers had already completed their work and gone home.

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D A T A A N D M E S S A G E R A T E S M A Y A P P LY.

the sense of economic dependence which, to me is a form of modern, 21st-century slavery.”

Explanation on Facebook On his Facebook page, he issued the following report: “Liberal media reports saying I am equating Social Security of hardworking Americans to a form of slavery is absolutely false.

“It seems that there is abso-

lutely no level the attack machine will sink to deliberately distort my comments.

“I was clearly talking about the number of people on Social Security disability – a completely separate issue then claims that I said I am against Social Security.

“The facts are that we have had more people added to Social Security disability then jobs created, and that is appalling.

“Since 2009, our country has seen 2.4 million jobs created

“For my comments in their entirety, watch the interview on the front page of my youtube channel youtube.com/allenwestfl or on west.house.gov page According to political analyst Stuart Rothenberg, West can be considered vulnerable in his campaign for a second term.

Running in a new district this election cycle, the Florida congressman is facing off against Republican challenger Martin County Sheriff Bob Crowder in an Aug.14 primary. Patrick Murphy is running as the Democratic candidate in West’s district.

FAMU assistant professor named interim band chairman FROM STAFF REPORTS

Dr. Kawachi Clemons, assistant professor of music and director of the Institute for Research in Music and Entertainment Industry Studies at Florida A&M University (FAMU), has been named interim chairman for the Department of Music.

Clemons’ decade of teaching experience includes posts at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) as former director of the Hip Hop Initiative, assistant director of bands and visiting assistant professor of Music at NCCU. Prior to his work at NCCU, he was an assistant director in the Office of Student Affairs at Florida International University (FIU).

“I am honored by the opportunity to serve as the interim chair of the School of Music,” said Clemons. “I look forward to building on the foundation laid by faculty members, staff, trustees, students, and alumni under the leadership of President Ammons.”

Vast experience Clemons has served on the production staff of The Academy Awards, Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show, and has managed numerous special events with Walt Disney Entertainment.

“Kawachi Clemons has the background to be a successful leader,” said FAMU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Larry Robinson.

“I am very pleased we can call on such experience to guide the music department over the coming period of growth and transition.”

A native of Florida, Clemons earned his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his master’s degree from Florida International University and

Dr. Kawachi Clemons, assistant professor of music and director of the Institute for Research in Music and Entertainment Industry Studies at Florida A&M University (FAMU), has been named interim chairman for the Department of Music.

FAMU announced late last month that it has begun a national search for a director of bands. The vacancy was created by the retirement of longtime band director Dr. Julian White.

The university said it hopes to attract a new band director by the end of the fall semester this year.

The school’s famed “Marching 100” has been suspended from all activities since the hazing-related death last November of 26-year-old drum major Robert Champion. The band will remain suspended through the entire 2012-13 school year.

The new director will report to the chairman of FAMU’s music department. That is a change from the previous director, who also served as department chairman.

Court rejects Orlando’s red-light law

decision that declared the ordinance invalid. It ruled against Orlando and Lasercraft Inc., a company that installed the cameras aimed at cracking down on drivers who do not stop at red lights.

The ruling said, for example, that the ordinance conflicted with state traffic laws because it allows city code-enforcement officers to review photos and help determine whether infractions have occurred. As another example, it said hearings

are conducted by attorneys appointed by the city.

Michael Udowychenko challenged the ordinance after getting cited for running a red light in 2009 and taking the matter to a hearing officer. The appeals court said its ruling differs from an opinion issued last year by the 3rd District Court of Appeal in an Aventura case and took a step known as “certifying” the issue, which can lead to the Supreme Court considering it.

An appeals court has ruled that Orlando’s red-light camera ordinance conflicts with state law, setting up a potential case for the Florida Supreme Court.

The 5th District Court of Appeal last week upheld a lower-court

his undergraduate degree from FAMU. Clemons assumed his role of interim chair effective July 2.

Search on for director

EDITORIAL

A4

JULY 13 - JULY 19, 2012

Florida A&M University needs a ‘wide receiver’ News reports suggest that university administrators are attempting to justify their actions in the aftermath of the death of a student band member by throwing former employees like Florida A&M University Band Director Dr. Julian White and Police Chief Calvin Ross under the bus.

I don’t personally know current FAMU President James Ammons, but I do know that folks at FAMU and everybody else in Tallahassee knows that hazing has occurred at FAMU and at most other college campuses across America.

After that, a new president can be

Lucius Gantt

selected to come

THE GANTT REPORT

to suggest an executive officer should not be punished or replaced. People are running to the White media and offering reasons why Ammons and people he hired should remain in their positions and maintain their lofty paychecks. Instead, they should be thinking, “How can FAMU be made better and safer for students attending the institution?”

Ignorance no excuse The job of FAMU presiIn the business world, ig- dent is a great job, but next norance of wrong or crimi- to being a third-string NFL nal activity is not an excuse quarterback, the best job

in and start to bring FAMU back to glory with a clean slate. you can get might be being an ex-university president.

Ex-presidents at Florida universities make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and do far less work.

They may teach a class or

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: SUMMER STORMS KNOCK OUT ELECTRICITY

NATE BEELER, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 144 Mitt Romney at NAACP – I grade him an ‘A’ for going into the lion’s den, but a ‘C-’ for his speech. It was a lost opportunity to speak to Black folks who are dissatisfied with Bro. Prez – and there are quite a few. Why speak to us? In a close race, every vote counts.

What could Romney have said? If he paid me, I’d have advised him to tie in the issue of jobs to reducing disproportionately high Black unemployment, to explain the impact such jobs would have in improving poverty-stricken, crime-ridden inner city communities, to give specifics on how he would increase Black employment – and to not directly criticize Obama.

Romney could have spoken about tax credits for small businesses that hire exfelons, and how America could save money by providing mandatory inpatient drug rehab instead of locking up nonviolent drug offenders – many of whom are Black.

He could have done a ‘Dubya’ (Bush) and spoken about how important faith-based initiatives are to decrease out-of-wedlock parenthood and strengthen Black families – and how his administration would support them.

I’m an undecided voter. (And I’m still Black!) I voted for Bro. Prez in 2008, but I am uncertain about 2012. I’m giving

quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

Romney a fair hearing. But where’s his policy “beef”? And if he wins, would he be in the pocket of the nutcase GOP House members who voted, for the 31st time today, to repeal ‘Obamacare?’ Or is he just pandering to the right wing for their votes, like Obama pandered to us in 2008 when he spoke about a civil rights-style “movement” he would lead to change America?

FAMU’s Dr. James Ammons resigns – Thanks, Doc; good move. Not because you failed, but because you’d become a major distraction. Contrary to a famous “Star Trek” quote, the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the one, especially when it comes to organizations as critically important as FAMU...

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccherry2.

Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

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two or head up some thinktank or research group.

In light of everything that is happening or has happened perhaps FAMU needs a “wide receiver” – not on the football field, but in the administration!

The appointment of a receiver is justified when property in dispute or disarray is allowed to deteriorate to the extent where emergency staff or program repairs are necessary, and where there is good reason to suspect that the property is going to be sold, wasted, taken out of state, misused, or destroyed.

A receiver is sometimes appointed to preserve property during litigation between two parties who appear to have an equal

right to use the property, but who are unwilling to acknowledge each other’s interest.

Necessary at FAMU A wide receiver is necessary to clean everything up at Florida’s most prestigious predominately Black university. Someone that does not want to be FAMU president can come to Tallahassee and change policies and procedures, fix the financing, fire incompetent staff and get the famed FAMU Marching “100” Band back on the field, the parades, and the concert halls. After that, a new president can be selected to come in and start to bring FAMU back to glory with a clean slate.

Any time you criticize

a Black school in a column, you will be hated, denigrated, despised and told “you’re just mad because you want a job there.”

My friends in Tallahassee might not like this column, but The Gantt Report has to write what is right, whether my friends and neighbors like it or not.

If I didn’t like FAMU and didn’t think it was a good educational institution, Lucius Gantt would never have allowed Lucius Gantt, Jr. to attend and graduate from there. I love FAMU, but I love the truth more!

“Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Where’s the Black agenda?

To make any progress economically, Blacks will need a plan. Blacks who aspire to the American mainstream would shudder at the thought, but contemporary Blacks could surely use leadership in the mold Elijah Muhammad exhibited in the 1950s.

Before the civil rights movement came about, Mr. Muhammad developed the Nation of Islam’s empire of schools in 46 cities, restaurants, stores, a bank, a publishing company, and 15,000 acres of farmlands in three states that produced beef, eggs, poultry, milk, fruit and vegetables.

The Nation of Islam delivered these products across the country to stores they owned via their own trucks and air transport.

A major example of Black self-help, Mr. Muhammad built The Nation on principles that “knowledge of self” is vital and “doing for self” is necessary. These principles brought The Nation scorn from both Black and White Americans.

WILLIAM REED BUSINESS EXCHANGE

George Schuyler, a columnist for the Pittsburgh Courier, wrote in 1959, “Mr. Muhammad may be a rogue and a charlatan, but when anybody can get tens of thousands of Negroes to practice economic solidarity, respect their women, alter their atrocious diet, give up liquor, stop crime, juvenile delinquency and adultery, he is doing more for Negroes’ welfare than any current Negro leader I know.”

The opportunity to be “somebody” was one of Mr. Muhammad’s major offerings to men and women who joined the Black Muslims.Mr. Muhammad was one of the few who has been able to combine religion and race with a continuing economic influence.

Mr. Muhammad’s concepts came from Marcus Garvey and Booker T. Washington ‘Bunch of thugs’ Mainstreamers such before him. as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall said Blacks fragmented The African-American that Mr. Muhammad’s organization was “run by a society is fragmented these bunch of thugs organized days because of an Amerifrom prisons and jails and can government covert inifinanced...by some Arab tiative called “COINTELgroup.” Justice Marshall PRO.” It was a program desaid that Mr. Muhammad’s signed to divide America’s followers were “vicious” descendants of slaves.So, and a threat to the Feder- it’s not so much that Black al Bureau of Investigation leadership is dead, as that and state law enforcement our standard notion of it is no longer useful. agencies.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad provided a platform of empowerment that taught individuals and families how to tap into the power within. Don’t we need some level of this discipline and dedication in our lives today? Mr. Muhammad said, “The slave master is no longer hindering us, we’re hindering ourselves. The slave master has given you all he could give you...Now get something for yourself.”

Obama’s presidency has African-Americans fawning over notions of a post-racial society and a contemporary definition of marriage. Neither champions the societal needs of Black Americans.

Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan responded to Obama’s politically expedient endorsement of gay marriage, calling him “the first president that sanctioned what the Scriptures forbid.” We doubt President Obama will miss the support of Min. Farrakhan, especially considering his support among Black voters is unfazed by his support of gay marriages.But some among us realize we need leadership who can act as guides creating a path for themselves and others through uncharted terrain.

William Reed is head of the Business Exchange Network and available for speaking/seminar projects through the Bailey Group.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.

It’s time to do business with Africa Trade and investment throughout the African Diaspora will create jobs, healthcare, infrastructure and wealth. Booker T. Washington told us more than 100 years ago that if we start our own businesses and begin to do business with each other, we would survive and indeed prosper. We should adhere to his wisdom and make it so that it becomes a campaign to incubate businesses wherever we are and start doing business with each other globally.

The land of our origin is blessed with more natural resources than any other continent on this earth. It is only fitting for us to use that as a basis for our newfound entrepreneurship.

Every child of African descent should have a focus on doing business in some form with Africa and creating business relationships with businesspersons from Africa. That will be the key to our commonality.

Billions of us There are 1 billion souls on the continent of Africa; more than 150 million members of the African Diaspora in South America; and 50 million in North America. The Caribbean is predominantly Black.Then there is the issue of adequate representation within the populations of other continents.

One thing, unfortunate-

HARRY C. ALFORD NNPA COLUMNIST

ly, is common in most places. Members of the African Diaspora are on the bottom rung of the economic ladder. This will not change until we communicate with one another, share best practices, and spend our money with one another.

Summits and conventions will organize our entrepreneurs and put them on the same page. Here are some events: • National Black Chamber of Commerce 20th Annual Convention, Atlanta, July 19 – 21. Theme: “Good Policies Lead to a Great Economy.” Includes a matchmaker for members and over 100 entrepreneurs from Africa (mainly Botswana). Online: www.nbccconvention.org.

• Trans-Atlantic International Trade and Investment Symposium, Aug. 1, Trinidad-Tobago. Includes entrepreneurs from North America, South America (inclusive of the Caribbean) and Africa. Theme: “Reinventing the Triangle” (revolving interaction among the three continents). Yours truly will give the keynote address. Details to follow.

• Leon H. Sullivan Summit IX, August 20 – 24, Ma-

labo, Equatorial Guinea: Learn the business environment of each sub-Saharan African nation at this very popular event. Online: www.sullivansummit.org.

• NBCC Trade Mission to Ethiopia, mid–September: This nation with the second-largest population in Africa is opening up its economy and is becoming a true free market. It is rich in resources and is cultivating a new entrepreneurial class. Details to follow.

• The First Pan African Entrepreneurs Conference, November 15 – 17, Houston: The intent is to organize Pan African entrepreneurs and set policy, issue positions and initiatives that relate to trade, business development and wealth building where African Diaspora populations exist. Online: www.panafricanec.org.

• Post-conference trade mission to Zambia, Nov. 21 – 26, Lusaka, Zambia: This event will take the momentum from the Houston conference and begin applying it to one of the most stable nations in Africa. Details to follow.

Harry C. Alford is the co-founder and president/ CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce.

Contact him via www. nationalbcc.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

EDITORIAL

JULY 13 - JULY 19, 2012

NAACP and Urban League have lost their way As the NAACP and the National Urban League gather this week and next for their annual conventions, this is a good time to challenge their agendas.

Questions: When “civil rights” are discussed in the media, you never have the reporter define what “civil rights” are? When you see Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton described as civil rights leaders, what does that really mean? Who made them leaders and what is their leadership based on?

How did civil rights come to mean protections and rights based on sexual preference, gender identity, and illegal status? If civil rights theory is based on the protection of the individual and his rights, how do you explain the constant demand for inclusion in the definition of civil rights by all kinds based on group identity?

Expending capital

RAYNARD JACKSON NNPA COLUMNIST

group – American citizens – and then to allow someone who is not a member to get the same benefit?

Are civil rights a universal right?

Who gets to define what those rights are? There are a lot of Muslim women in the Middle East who don’t want women to be able to dress like a “modern” woman, or have the right to vote. While there is some demand for reform, there is significant support for the status quo. Who’s right?

The NAACP and the National Urban League have both lost their way. Both are unofficial arms of the Democratic National Committee, though each claims to be non-partisan. They have strayed way off course from their original vision. Could this be, unlike the days of old, why high-profile professional athletes have no relationship with these groups? Could this be why people like me will never join these groups?

We have the NAACP and the National Urban League expending precious political capital on extraneous issues such as seeking equal rights for illegal immigrants. They want illegals to have every right that citizens have, including access to social programs, driver’s licenses, and in-state tuition for colWho pays? leges and universities.

Go to their Web sites. Look at What sense does it make to give benefits to members of a certain who is paying for their conven-

tions. You’ll see a Who’s Who of White corporate America. Why is there no financial support listed from any of the most successful Black businessmen in this country? If you can’t get support from within your community, how can you make the case for someone outside of your community to support you? Do you have “skin” in the game?

Maybe there is a reason for this lack of support. Maybe these groups are not saying or doing anything that is relevant. Political or financial capital tends to go where there is a need and where there is some hope of a return on investment. What do these corporations get in return, other than “race” insurance?

While the Black unemployment rate continues to linger around 14 percent, these groups are fighting to legalize 20 million illegals who are going to compete for lowskilled jobs with the very people these groups claim to represent.

While the Black family is disintegrating right before our eyes, these groups are focusing on homosexual rights – another sign they are out of touch with the Black community.

The first Black president is also out of touch with the people who gave him 96 percent of their vote.

Yet, these groups remain silent. Or

Michael Johnson, slavery and sports Recently, former Olympic superstar Michael Johnson argued that slavery is one of the reasons that Black athletes from the U.S and the Caribbean dominate certain sports. Johnson’s remarks raised eyebrows and got international attention.

Possible evidence in support of Johnson’s assertion is not hard to find. The final of the men’s 100-meter dash in the Olympics is almost always 100 percent Black.

Track and field purists understand that even though it takes a great deal of hard work to run that fast, a sprinter can’t make the Olympic finals of the 100 meters if he doesn’t possess the speed genes necessary to do so.

Something special Consider football and basketball. There is no White male equivalent to the strength, quickness and leaping ability of LeBron

Dr. Boyce Watkins GUEST COLUMNIST

James, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

These disparities don’t just exist because White guys don’t play sports. White men around the world love sports as much as we do and many perform at the highest levels. But anyone who follows sports knows that there is something special about the Black athlete that doesn’t just come from hard work at the gym.

We seem to think that you can force a group of people to do backbreaking work under extreme conditions for hundreds of years, while breeding the strongest slaves with one another, and not have

some kind of genetically unique outcome as a result. Black people were treated like animals during slavery, and a powerful testament to our collective strength is the fact that we survived all that was done to us.

No talking The problem with Michael Johnson’s comments might be threefold. First, people don’t like to talk about slavery. Some want to believe that you can erase 400 years of history by simply not mentioning it. They don’t realize that the aftermath of slavery is all around us, especially as it pertains to imbalanced economic systems, educational systems and systems of mass incarceration.

The second problem – Johnson argues that we somehow ‘benefit’ from slavery, as if we should be glad that slave masters beat, castrated, raped and murdered our

Single mothers, feminization, and false bravado Many boys who are raised by single moms can acquire the skills and maturity to lead healthy, full and productive lives. But they seem to be the exception rather than the rule. There are too many boys these days that are either feminized or reliant on false bravado.

My criticism is not to find blame with single mothers. They often do the best they can with limited resources. But I do believe many single mothers need to rethink their parenting philosophy.

My first substantial exposure to significant numbers of boys from families without fathers was while teaching at a public charter high school in Washington, D.C. It was easy to see basic problems, such as when boys earnestly asked me to teach them the proper way to shave, tie a tie and help them pick out clothing for job interviews.

Much the same I now live in a small town in rural Pennsylvania, where the problem changes from Black to White. I routinely see young men calling girls “bitch,” without realizing such crude remarks are the hyperbole and satire of old television reruns. With households devoid of encouraging male role models, they seem to have no other choice but to mimic what they see on television and from their peers.

The absence of fathers in both places leads to an exponential increase in “momma’s boys.” This occurs because a mother’s instinct to overlook a child’s character flaws goes unchecked. She instinctively defends that child’s bad behavior, and seldom wants to take corrective action.

The pampered momma’s boy often has few or no responsibilities around the home. His mother buys his clothes, cooks his meals, does his laundry and financially underwrites and countenances bad habits. She comes to his rescue, fights his battles, speaks up for him and even speaks for him. She blames others and protects her boy from harm, despite the fact he is old enough to be responsible for his own behavior.

These mothers need to cut the umbil-

COUNCIL NEDD II PROJECT 21

ical cord, and, to paraphrase Scripture, they should be dining on meat and not milk because they leave their boys unprepared for real life.

Dead or dysfunctional From my own experience, these unchecked household problems can have deadly consequences. Of the approximately 150 boys I taught over a two-year period in D.C., I know of 17 who have already died by gun violence.

Few of my former students sought education past high school. Of those who did, many never finished college, but are saddled with the tuition loans. They lack careers and rely on hourly wages and few (if any) benefits. Many are involved in the underground economy of the inner city.

In rural Pennsylvania, the situation is remarkably similar. Many boys who grow up without fathers aspire to work in the coal mine because their friends work there. Some are involved in a booming underground economy where the drugs of choice are crystal meth and heroin. Unmarried girls push baby strollers.

Young men spend too much money on pickup trucks.

The common ground between these two seemingly very different groups of young men is that they are still living with their mothers. They dare not venture too far from the person who has always provided for them.

Single mothers must ensure their boys have positive male role models in their lives. This may take some effort, but the reward is worth it. Boys may lack fathers, but they require real men to learn from.

Council Nedd II is a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 Black leadership network. Contact him via Project21@nationalcenter.org.

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VISUAL VIEWPOINT: ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

DARYL CAGLE, MSNBC.COM

worse, they compete to see who can get the president or his top cabinet members to appear before their annual convention.

Would we miss them?

So, while these groups are spending millions of dollars for their conventions over the next two weeks, what are they doing to shore up the economic infrastructure of our community? Would our community be better off if they skipped those annual gatherings and invested it in our inner cities?

If these two groups disappeared tomorrow, would our community be any worse off? What is the relefamilies for hundreds of years. If that was Johnson’s intention, then his remarks are every bit as misguided as the rapper Soulja Boy, who said that he “wanted to give big ups to the slave masters,” without whom he wouldn’t be in the U.S. “getting all this gold and ice and stuff.”

To say that Black Americans ‘benefited’ from slavery is like saying that a woman should thank her rapist for making her a stronger person by trying to kill her. There is almost no benefit from slavery that should make us happy to have experienced the Great American Holocaust for which we still have not yet received reparations.

The final problem with Johnson’s remarks is that some might interpret them to imply that Black athletes don’t work as hard as White ones. Black athletes don’t succeed just because they are genetically gifted. They succeed because they work as hard as they can to get the most out of their genetic gifts.

vance of these groups to our community if their mission continues to drift away from their core purpose?

I fully believe organizations must evolve to remain relevant; but you can’t allow the organization to morph into something that is not part of the core mission.

And that’s exactly what they have done.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC, a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.

It takes work So, while there is not a White man in the history of the world who can sprint as fast as Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, it would be an insult to presume that Bolt simply gets out of bed and breaks world records.

Discipline, training, diet and technique are necessary to be the best in the world at anything.

Johnson’s remarks open up a dialogue that is necessary and should never be taboo. Sports are not the only thing that reminds us that we were slaves. Racial inequality as a result of slavery is extraordinarily pervasive.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor of finance at Syracuse University. Read his columns and weblog at www.yourblackworld. net. Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.

Ending the ‘Cradle to Prison Pipeline’ A Black boy born in 2001 has a one-inthree chance of going to prison in his lifetime. A Latino boy has a one-in-six chance of the same fate. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world: 7.1 million adult residents. One in 33 are under some form of correctional supervision: prison, jail, probation, or parole.

Michelle Alexander writes in her bestselling book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” that there are more adult African-Americans under correctional control today than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began. In 2011, our state and federal prison population exceeded that of all European nations combined.

That’s why the Children’s Defense Fund will focus on this unjust crisis in one of the main plenary sessions at our national conference in Cincinnati on July 24. This epidemic of mass incarceration has created one of the most dangerous crises for the Black community since slavery and affects everyone in our nation.

Destroying family One in nine Black, one in 28 Hispanic and one in 57 White children have an incarcerated parent. Mass incarceration is tearing fathers and mothers from children, and economically and politically disempowering millions by taking away the right to vote and ability to get a job and public benefits in some states after prison terms are served.

Mass incarceration has also become a powerful economic force and drain on taxpayers. Annual state spending on corrections tops $51 billion, and states spend on average two and a half times more per prisoner than per public school pupil.

An added danger driving mass incarceration is the privatization of prisons for profit. The Corrections Corporation of America, the largest private prison corporation, has proposed to 48 state governors that it will operate their prison systems for 20 years with a guaranteed 90 percent occupancy rate. A majority of all those incarcerated have committed nonviolent offenses.

The toxic cocktail of poverty, racial dis-

Marian Wright Edelman NNPA COLUMNIST

parities in child-serving systems, poor education, zero tolerance school discipline policies, racial profiling, unbridled prosecutorial discretion, and racial disparities in arrests and sentencing are funneling millions of young and older poor people of color, especially males, into dead-end, powerless and hopeless lives.

Focus on solutions We are bringing an extraordinary group of experts together at our national conference to talk about how to halt the epidemic and get our nation back on course and our children into a pipeline to college and productive work.

They’ll share their thoughtful research and experience about how to better ensure public safety through prevention and early intervention and fairer law enforcement policies. They’ll also examine mass incarceration as a continuing method of racial control and discrimination and recommend measures to replace the Cradle to School to Prison PipelineTM to college and productive work.

The panel will lead into an interactive town hall discussion with various speakers, including formerly incarcerated participants, to focus on how we can close off the major feeder systems fueling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline and mass incarceration and create new hope and opportunity for children in their place.

Join us in Cincinnati to learn more and add your voice. It’s way past time to stop the uniquely American blight of mass incarceration permanently.

Marian Wright Edelman is president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund (www.childrensdefense.org).

Click on this story at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.

FLORIDA & NATION

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JULY 13 – JULY 19, 2012

What will get Blacks back to the polls Lawmakers list issues that would mobilize AfricanAmerican voters

BY HAZEL TRICE EDNEY TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Now that the Affordable Health Care Act has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court – a major win for President Barack Obama – other key issues of importance to Black voters also must be espoused by the Obama campaign, say members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

In some national polls, Obama is slightly ahead of Republican candidate Mitt Romney. In others, they are neck-in-neck. With African-American voters as a dominant base of the Democratic vote, many predict Blacks will once again be a major deciding factor in who wins the race.

In recent interviews, CBC members listed numerous issues that would incite African-Americans to the polls.

“I think African-Americans want to hear an agenda that’s going to really speak to closing the economic disparities and how the American dream is going to be afforded for all of us – what we’ve been about historically and we’re going to continue to fight until that dream is real,” says U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)

‘Long way to go’ “When you look, for instance, at the unemployment rate, still over 13 percent – unacceptable; when you look at health disparities, when you look at the disparities in education, when you look at environmental injustice, when you look at the foreclosure crisis, when you look at all of the systemic and structural issues that are still prevalent in the African-American community, we’ve come a long way and have a long way to go.”

So far, civil rights leaders have leaned heavily on the voter suppression issue to draw a distinctive line between Romney and Obama. A record number of states across the nation are engaged in changes to voting laws, many of which rights leaders believe are intended to diminish or discourage the Black vote.

The question is will this be enough to inspire African-Americans to return to the polls to vote in record numbers as they did in 2008 during the historic election of Obama, the nation’s first Black President. CBC Chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) doesn’t seem to think so. (“Make no mistake we do have an enthusiasm gap that was not present in 2008. And all of the

RON JENKINS/FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM/MCT

The Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairman Steve Maxwell speaks at the podium, backed by U.S. Congressional candidate District 6 Kenneth Sanders, standing just behind his left shoulder, on June 28 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Democrats were at the Tarrant County Public Health Department to show their support for the Affordable Care Act and President Obama. polling data suggests that while African-Americans are committed to supporting President Obama in the November election, the question is how many will come out?” Cleaver said.

“Many think that the president will get 95 percent of the Black vote, but the issue is 95 percent of what?”

Church is key To mobilize the maximum Black vote, Cleaver says strategy will be just as important as topic.

Interviewed during a Washington, D.C. convening of the Conference of National Black Churches, he says the Black church will be key in coming months.

“The only way to get that turned around is for the clergy to go back to their congregations and let them know that there is a concerted effort to try to discourage them from coming out to vote,” Cleaver said.

“I think when ministers lay out to them what’s going on in terms of government’s attempt to push them away from the ballot box, they’re going to be infuriated and we want that furor to propel them to come out and vote.”

Attention diverted But U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (DVa.), says despite the fact that the Republican voter initiatives are discouraging people from voting, other issues of equal or more im-

portance are being ignored.

“Unfortunately all of this voter ID stuff and voter registration has diverted attention from the fact that Republicans want to repeal Medicare, that they want to have tax care for the wealthy and pay for it with important programs,” Scott says.

“The Agriculture Committee was tasked with finding savings.

Rather than cut back on subsidies to millionaire farmers, they cut food stamps and WIC nutrition to pregnant women and children. They’re coming up with mandatory minimum sentences… We’re trying to repeal the ones on the books and Republicans are trying to pass new ones.

Those are the kinds of things we need to be talking about, but here we are talking about how to vote.”

Supreme decisions The Supreme Court decision in favor of the health care law last month was viewed as a fluke in that it was the first time conservative Chief Justice John Roberts actually voted 5-4 with the liberal members of the court.

This is why Congresswoman Donna Christensen (D-V.I.) says the issue of Supreme Court appointments – which are conducted by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate should also be on the minds of Black voters, given the risks of the court overturning key future

Former employee says lieutenant governor, aide caught in ‘compromising position’

BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – As part of her defense in a criminal trial, a former aide to Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll said she caught the lieutenant governor in "a compromising position" with another aide shortly before being fired last year.

The allegations are part of the ongoing prosecution of Carletha Cole, a former aide to Carroll who shared a recording of a conversation with Carroll's chief of staff with a reporter for the Florida Times-Union after she was fired.

Cole has been charged with disclosing that recorded conversation.

‘Loose cannon?’

Cole's motion, filed in response to the state's efforts to keep some records sealed, portrays a dysfunctional office where Carroll's aides frequently recorded conversations and the lieutenant governor pushed for a website where fans could follow her. It also says Steve MacNamara, former chief of staff for Gov. Rick Scott, viewed Carroll as a "loose cannon," in the words of the filing.

But its most sensational anecdote concerns Cole inadvertently walking in on what she believed to be a sexual encounter between Carroll and a female employee.

"When she entered the office, she found the lieutenant governor and her travel aide, Beatriz Ramos, in what can only be described as a compromising position," according to a motion filed by Cole's lawyer.

Passed polygraph A spokesman for Scott did not return a phone call and e-mail seeking a response, but Carroll told the Associated Press that the claims were "totally false and absurd."

Cole took a polygraph late last year concerning her claim. She answered "yes" to questions about the incident, including "Did you ever observe Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll and Ramos in a sexually compromising position in the Capitol?"

Timothy Robinson, retired chief polygraph examiner for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said that "Ms. Cole's charts were somewhat difficult to read," but he believed her.

"Her charts, in my opinion, are indicative of a non-deceptive examinee (truthful)," Robinson wrote. "Ms. Cole passed her polygraph."

Credibility questions The charges could prove explosive among social conservatives who form the backbone of the Republican Party and have long admired Carroll. But Carroll's defenders are likely to point to credibility questions arising from the criminal charges Cole faces.

But Cole goes beyond simply alleging an isolated incident, saying Ramos "jealously hoarded the lieutenant governor's attention in a manner which can only be described as bizarre" and that Cole was ordered to book adjoining rooms when Ramos traveled with Carroll.

Cole also said that policy was changed without explanation after Carroll's husband went along on one of the trips.

cases that might affect laws of importance to African-Americans, such as affirmative action and voting rights.

“Do we want to have another Roberts or Scalia on the Supreme Court?” she quizzed. “Their decisions, the Supreme Court decisions, have not gone in favor of African-Americans, of the poor of any racial and ethnic minorities and even women in some cases. So, this should scare you. The Supreme Court has been our last refuge when everything else has failed. And if it is not there for us then we’re in real trouble.”

Meaning of law However, now that the Supreme Court has voted in favor of the Affordable Care Act, it would help for Black voters to know the meaning of the law and how it will help improve their lives; therefore the need to elect Democratic lawmakers – including the president – who will keep it in place, says U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn. Clyburn is assistant Democratic Caucus chair, making him the highest-ranking Black member in Congress.

“All of us need to be talking about health care more than anything else,” Clyburn says. “The fact of the matter is that health care is not about Obamacare.

Health care is about those children born with juvenile diabetes being able to have insurance and they cannot have it otherwise; it’s

Finally, the filing implies that Carroll worked to snuff out an arson investigation at the Capitol that could have implicated Ramos.

Carroll personally met with the FDLE investigator looking into a fire in Cole's trashcan. Ramos later told the investigator she put a cigar that she thought she had extinguished into the trash can; the case was closed.

The day after the investigator met with Ramos, Carroll wrote a letter of recommendation for him to work in the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco.

Stephen Webster, Cole's attorney, argues in the motion that the incidents are relevant to Cole's trial.

"A juror could reasonably conclude that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigation into the Defendant was tainted by the Lieutenant Governor's Office in an effort to ensure the Defendant's arrest, prosecution, and ultimate assassination of her character in order to shield the Lieutenant Governor and her staff from legitimate inquiry into their own misdeeds," the motion said.

Trial delayed At the same time, Cole claims that Scott's press shop "had specifically instructed staff members to covertly record communications within the Lieutenant Governor's Office, as well as any and all communications with a member of the press in order to permit rebuttal of any misquotes or inaccurate attributions."

And the motion says that John Konkus, Carroll's chief of staff, used a "smart pen" that doubled as a tape recorder "Mr. Konkus regularly joked about his ability to covertly record conversations, allowing the participants of the conversation no knowledge that the recording was occurring given that Mr. Konkus' 'smart pen' looked like an unassuming writing implement," it says.

Cole's trial was scheduled to begin next week but has been delayed.

about women with breast cancer, men with prostate cancer not being denied treatment. It’s about children being able to stay on their parents’ insurance policies up until their 27th birthday.”

Promoting the president Clyburn adds that there are other issues and Obama policies that should inspire Black voters to the polls when weighing the difference between a President Romney and a President Obama.

One is the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, among the first pieces of legislation signed by Obama in late January 2009. It helps women more easily file equal-pay lawsuits in discrimination cases.

“Women, for the first time in their lives, got legislation that allows them to stand on equal footing when it comes to wages with men. No other president has done that. This president did,” Clyburn says.

“No other president gave us access to health care. This president has. No other president put Osama bin Laden where he needs to be. This president has…What we’ve got to decide is whether or not we want to have four years of Mitt Romney or whether we want to continue with Barack Obama.

That’s the only issue we ought to be thinking about.”

Candidates rake in $177 million in June Romney raises $35 million more than Obama in June for election campaign

BY MELANIE MASON TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU (MCT)

President Barack Obama raised $71 million for his re-election effort last month, marking his best fundraising month of the cycle but still falling $35 million short of Mitt Romney’s massive June haul.

In an email to donors, Anne Marie Habershaw, the campaign’s chief operating officer, announced that more than 706,000 people gave to Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee last month. But, she acknowledged, the financial tally fell well short of that of Obama’s opponent.

“We still got beat — and not by a little bit.

Romney and Republicans raised more than $106 million, not even including money to pro-Romney super PACs,” Habershaw wrote.

Plenty of money for TV ads “If we lose this election, it will be because we didn’t close the gap enough when we had the chance,” Habershaw continued, directing donors to the campaign’s online donations page.

The Romney campaign announced its ninefigure fundraising number Monday morning, notching the second consecutive month the presumptive GOP nominee has out-raised the incumbent president.

Obama raised and spent considerably more money in 2008 than did his Republican opponent, John McCain. This time around, that’s not likely to happen, although both sides are expected to have plenty of money for television advertising and get-out-the-vote operations.

HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD July 13 - July 19, 2012

IFE/FAITH

D’Angelo among artists coming to Florida See page B2

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Some light fare for outdoor entertaining See page B6

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

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SECTION

www.flcourier.com

Fullwood focused on community

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FLORIDA HOUSE PHOTO

Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, left, gestures while asking a question during a meeting of the Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee on Nov. 3, 2011 in Tallahassee.

The Jacksonville representative is striving to improve economic conditions in his hometown. Along with that is a determination to ‘right the ship’ for the district’s Black males.

BY PENNY DICKERSON SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

W

hile a majority Republican contingency challenged his bills during the 2012 Florida legislative session, freshman Rep. Reggie Fullwood of Jacksonville continues to maintain respectable traction where it matters most – in his community.

“I grew up in one of Jacksonville’s poorest projects called the Blodgett homes. We bounced from house to house, and I knew that if I wanted to be something in life and never live in the projects again, I had to go to college,” said Fullwood, who credits the influences of a resilient mother and grandmother for his desire to create personal chapters that reflect ambition, despite meager beginnings.

A political science major and graduate of the University of North Florida (UNF), Fullwood attended a monotonous conference in Atlanta while still a student. His professor, Dr. Matt Corrigan, passed a lifealtering note that read: “Hey, why don’t you run for city council?”

On Jacksonville council at 22 At age 22, Fullwood nurtured dreams of a political consultant career, but Corrigan’s inquiry became Fullwood’s most celebrated “aha moment.’’ “(Jacksonville) City Councilman Warren Jones had termed out and in 1998, 14 seats were open,” Fullwood said. “I had a lot of good ideas, wanted to change my community, and the decision was not ego-driven or inspired by money. Besides, none of the other students had the balls to do it.”

The endeavor ended with success, and in 1999 Fullwood became the youngest elected city council member in Jacksonville history and remained in office until 2007.

His most rewarding achievement was the passing of his first bill, which renamed 20th Street Expressway, a major thoroughfare, to Martin Luther King Parkway.

Elected to Florida House in 2010 Fullwood’s political career was further elevated in November 2010 when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives (District 15). Admittedly laid back, Fullwood exudes confidence knowing firstyear legislature results are not the Florida sole determinant of public service Representative triumph.

Reggie Fullwood “During session, the Florida Legislature acquired funding for the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAX Editor’s note: Port), which is an economic engine This is part of a in this city,” said Fullwood. “With series of profiles these additional funds, more opof Florida’s Black portunities for jobs are created.” state and federal He is a member of the Economelected officials. ic Development and Tourism SubAlong with outcommittee and co-sponsored a bill lining their mawith State Rep. Lori Bermin to crejor legislative ate state tax credits for businesses goals, the stothat hire the transitional and the ries offer a rare homeless. glimpse at their A staunch advocate for local empersonal side – powerment, Fullwood also serves from the people as president of Metro North Comwho influenced munity Development Corporathem to their fation, Inc. (MNCDC) and works tirevorite activities lessly to restore dignity to areas of away from the Jacksonville adversely affected by political arena. blight.

The Florida not-for-profit organization was founded in 2000 with a goal to improve the quality of life and restore pride in Jacksonville’s core city communities; single and multi-family housing serve as the core business.

‘Unique solution’ needed for schools Fullwood is most passionate about his district’s failing schools. Citing lack of motivation among both teachers and students, he takes into account overwhelming social and systemic issues that plague.

“We have a generation of parents that are not involved and desegregation is almost a double-edged

The state representative is shown with youth at MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation in North Jacksonville during Literacy Week. sword. Magnet schools take the best and brightest, which leaves low-performing students few role models,” said Fullwood.

The representative believes state leadership is responsible for establishing critical guidelines that determine school’s letter grades need to offer more “clear directives” regarding expectations for leaving an intervention status.

Jacksonville’s Andrew Jackson High School is ranked as one of the lowest schools in the state and is also in Fullwood’s district. He concedes that a “unique solution” is needed for Jackson and decisively knows that the short-term goal is to transition from a grade of F to C. “Our schools like Andrew Jackson Senior High School are losing their historic significance. Let’s tackle the problem by giving teachers a respectable incentive,” Fullwood explained. “Placing educators in the right locations with monetary incentives is key and perhaps sun-up to sun-down education.”

Committed to helping Black males Fullwood also has an unapologetic commitment to “right the ship” for his district’s Black males, many of whom are failing high school or have simply dropped out.

“Our Black males are on ground zero, existing as lost souls,” said Fullwood. “The pressure to be cool and hip conflicts with achievement, and I want them to know that the two can coexist. You can have “swag” and still graduate,” he added.

Although his perspective on the Black male’s plight is direct, Fullwood is careful to balance his views with compassion on pivotal subjects like the tragic death of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin whose murder case has become a controversial barometer for legal justice.

“Being African-American and having a teenage son, it goes without saying that my heart pours out to the Martin family,” offered Fullwood. “That could have been my son, my nephew, or my neighbor’s kid. This case is yet another reminder that oftentimes it feels like there are two Americas, and racial bias and stereotyping is still a major issue.”

Determined to be a more vocal presence as he enters his second legislative season, Fullwood will undoubtedly play a strategic role in the repeal or restructuring of Florida’s current “Stand your Ground” law, which is at the forefront of the Martin murder case and pending trial.

“While the premise of ‘stand-your-ground’ laws make common sense, the application of the laws are too subjective. Anytime you have a law that can not be equally applied, but is based on a prosecutor or police officer’s discretion, there is a problem with the law,” stated Fullwood.

“These laws create opportunities for the legal sheltering of people who commit murder under the guise of self defense. The Florida Legislature must act immediately to eliminate or more narrowly tailor the state’s stand-your-ground law.”

The former football player attributes his tenacity and focus to Paxon High School Coach Rob Jennis, who had a profound impact on his life and served as mentor during the formative years. His stepfather was murdered, but Fullwood has reconnected with his paternal father and enjoys the newfound bond.

The Jacksonville chapter of the 100 Black Men organization plays an integral role in helping Fullwood bridge gaps between young Black males and their el-

Rep. Reggie Fullwood is shown with a patient at a DaVita dialysis clinic. der counterparts.

Inspired by the group’s mentor component, he leads by example as mentor to Brandon Mitchell, a resident of Jacksonville’s Grand Park subdivision whose mother is a single parent. Mitchell is currently attending Florida A&M University.

Family life Fullwood integrates both his political career and heart for community with family life and is a father to sons: Rejenald, 17, and Garrison, 5. Daughter Zoie is 4 years old.

“Mentoring is a joint effort. We include Brandon on family outings, but balance is also important,” he said. “I am a committed, but don’t neglect my own house.”

Weekly treks to Tallahassee during the legislative session took a toll on Fullwood’s diet, which he said would include junk food everyday if his wife – Latasha Garrison – allowed.

“I could eat a burger and fries every day. Papa John’s pizza is an equal weakness,” he said.

Traveled to Turkey Taking his tourism committee membership to heart, Fullwood and his wife travel abroad once a year and have enjoyed Paris, London and the Dominican Republic.

Last month the two combined business with travel as he joined Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll and five other representatives for an organization sponsored trip to Istanbul, Turkey and surrounding areas, where they served as ambassadors, met with business leaders, toured historic sites and indulged in Turkish culture. His top three, future destinations include Nigeria, Egypt and Australia.

In November, Fullwood will enter his second term without election opposition. His new district number is 13, but superstition serves no positive role as he seeks to rely on experience and values versus luck.

“I thought I could change the world as a city councilman but constituents have high expectations,” noted Fullwood. “A mayoral run was an interest at one point, but after weighing the pros and cons, I realize I can have just as much of an impact as a successful businessman and father.”

Contact Rep. Reggie Fullwood at reggie.fullwood@myfloridahouse.gov; office phone (850) 488-7417.

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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Miami: The Second Chance Sealing and Expungement workshop will be July 26 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bethel Church, 14440 Lincoln Blvd. (Limited capacity, ID required). Pre-registration is available at www.miamisao.com. More information: 305-547-0724.

Vero Beach: The Christian Student Fellowship at Indian River State College is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration and fundraising banquet. The banquet is Sept. 21 at the college’s Richardson Center on the Mueller Campus. Seating is limited. Tickets are $20.

More information: Elsie Mokoban at 772-559-8325 or emokoban@aol.com.

Fort Pierce: The St. Lucie County Library System announces its parenting program “Father & Child Connection” for July focusing on “Discipline: To Teach and Lead by Example.” Sessions will be held at the Morningside Branch Library July 10 at 6 p.m. and at the Fort Pierce Branch Library July 24 at 6 p.m. More information: 772-579-3419 or seibenicke01@elcslc.org.

Miami: The King’s Men Tour with Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin and Israel Houghton is scheduled at the AmericanAirlines Arena

MCT

Mary J. Blige

MCT

D’ANGELO

MELANIE FIONA

Mary J. Blige will be in concert with D’Angelo and Melanie Fiona at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on Aug. 30.

on Sept. 30.

Fort Lauderdale: Live jazz, blues, pop and everything in between along Hollywood’s signature 2.5 mile Broadwalk is every Friday of every month. More information: 954-924-2980.

Fort Lauderdale: A threehour cooking class with professionally trained chefs

is scheduled at City College Fort Lauderdale, 2000 W. Commercial Blvd. The class is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. MondaySaturday. Cost: $39.99 per person per class. More information: 954-703-6745 or www.chef954.com.

Miami: The Funkshion Fashion Week Miami Beach will be held July 17- July 22 at various locations throughout Miami and Miami Beach.

More information: www. fashionweekmiami.com or 305-673-2756.

Boca Raton: An open mic night for 18 and up featuring comedy, poetry and music is held every Monday at the Funky Biscuit in the back of Royal Palm Plaza, 303 SE Mizner Blvd. Signup is at 8 p.m.; showtime at 8:30 p.m.

More information: Richy Lala

561-512-8472.

earth-learning.org.

Miami: Miami-Dade County hosts a Downtown Harvest Market every Friday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Residents and visitors have the opportunity to purchase seasonal produce directly from Miami-Dade growers at the Stephen P. Clark Center’s Courtyard, 111 NW 1st St. More information: www.

Miami: Nicki Minaj will be at the James L. Knight Center on July 24 for an 8 p.m. show.

Toni Braxton encourages you to learn the signs of autism at autismspeaks.org Early diagnosis can make a lifetime of difference. © 2010 Autism Speaks Inc. “Autism Speaks” and “It’s time to listen” & design are trademarks owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved. Courtesy of The Recording Academy.

Miami: Tickets are on sale for a show featuring Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez at the American Airlines Arena on Aug. 31.

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Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

FINEST

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Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

E-mail your high-resolution digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier.com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.

lynn College student and athlete Kendall is currently studying physical therapy.

He dreams of seeing himself in the lights of Times Square and on the big screen. Follow Kendall: @kroach2010 Credit: DC Bryant Photography

kendall Florida poet puts a beat to her spiritual message

BY KAILA HEARD SPECIAL TO THE NNPA

When Iona Gunn of Miami describes what she does when she steps up to a microphone to recite her poetry while music plays in the background, she typically says, “It’s poetry with an attitude.”

But in many other circles, Gunn’s artistry is described as Christian rap. However, the word can still conjure up negative images among some people, particularly for those from an older generation.

The 49-year-old poet, wife and mother of three can understand some elders’ reluctance to embrace the hip-hop genre.

“At first, I didn’t like it either because I couldn’t understand what people were saying, so [rap] was closed off to me,” she recalled. “So Iona my brother began Gunn to coach me and he said, rap ain’t nothing but with poetry with an

South Florida resident Lynn is very passionate about singing, dancing, and modeling. She can be contacted on twitter @_LynnAllen_.

attitude.”

She has gained popularity with her poetry and one in particular titled “The Hell That I Live With.’’

‘Poems with an attitude’ It was not until last year at the request of her nephew that Gunn recited her own poetry to a beat.

“I just tried it,” she said. Her nephew and his friends loved it so she began reciting her “poems with an attitude” at different venues, including a youth congress hosted by the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Orlando last year.

“They just went crazy and someone compared me to Nicki Minaj,” she said with a laugh. “ I did not know what that was sup-

posed to mean, but to the youth it meant something great so I realized that they really liked it.”

And although Gunn has loved to write for several decades, she makes sure to acknowledge that her creativity is a gift from a higher power.

“I don’t sit down and make up anything,” she explained. “The poems come when the Holy Spirit feels like filling my mouth or my mind with the words.”

Topics focus on faith, abuse, drugs Gunn began writing poetry in the early 1990s. One of her first, and now one of her most popular poems, reflects on the life and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Beyond famous figures, her

poems cover a vast array of topics including faith, abuse, relationships and, in particular, drugs.

“I want to reach those in the community that are struggling with drugs to let them know they … can have a better life without it,” said Gunn, who used drugs herself as a teen.

To help her poetry reach a broader audience, Gunn has begun to perform at more venues and posting on YouTube while also selling copies of her poetry and her own poetry CD, “The Hell That I Live With.”

For more information, contact Gunn at ioniaGunn@yahoo.com.

This story is special to the NNPA from The Miami Times.

My Skills. My Benefits. My Future.

Are you a 35 to 60 year-old unemployed Veteran looking for a new career?

Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) Provides eligible Veterans with education benefits for up to 12 months of training Now accepting applications

For more information visit

www.benefits.va.gov/VOW or call

888-442-4551 "Helping Veterans Attain Personal and Economic Success"

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Let the spectacle begin

By Linda Robertson McClatchy Newspapers

Triathletes swimming in Hyde Park’s Serpentine. Volleyball players diving onto a makeshift beach at the Horse Guards Parade. Marathoners running past Buckingham Palace. Tennis stars not wearing white at Wimbledon.

Athletes will transform iconic landmarks into sporting venues at the London Olympics, a summer spectacle that promises to be rich in pomp, circumstance and history.

Expect to see Queen Elizabeth II waving from the royal box during opening ceremonies July 27.

And perhaps the Rolling Stones performing at closing ceremonies Aug. 12.

Who will light the cauldron flame? Sir Steve Redgrave? Dame Kelly Holmes? Roger Bannister?

Daley Thompson? Derek Redmond and his father? Or it could be a young athlete symbolizing London’s theme — “inspire a generation.”

Security concerns Much stickier questions confront the 2012 Games. Security has been a concern since July 6, 2005, when London upset Paris in the bidding to be host. Less than 24 hours later, celebration turned to horror when suicide terrorists’ bombs ripped through three subway trains and a double-decker bus, killing 56 people.

Transport worries are growing in traffic-choked London, where the creaky Tube system experienced yet another breakdown in May when a train stalled underground on the Jubilee Line, a main Olympic artery, and passengers had to walk through the tunnels to safety.

As for competition among the 10,500 athletes from 204 nations in 26 sports, can the U.S. keep its place at the top of the medals table, or will China — which surpassed the U.S. in the gold medal count four years ago — assert its might? How many golds will swimmer Michael Phelps win in his last Olympic hurrah? Will Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt break any of his world records? How will the audiences react to women’s boxing and Saudi Arabia’s insistence on an all-male team?

Will the home team — known by its self-deprecating public for excellence in the “sitting-down sports” of cycling, rowing, sailing and equestrian — make Great Britain proud?

London is the first city to host

British royalty, iconic venues and compelling rivalries have all eyes on London this summer the modern Olympics three times.

In 1908, the games were reassigned to London from Rome after Mt. Vesuvius erupted. Following 12 years without the Olympics, the post-war 1948 “Austerity Games” were held in London.

Athletes stayed in military housing, Germany and Japan were banned, and Bob Mathias and Fanny Blankers-Koen were big winners.

Sandwiched between the 2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, London has also used the Olympics as a lever for redevelopment. The former industrial wasteland and garbage dump of East London and Stratford have found new life. The 500-acre Olympic Park, hub of the Games, is dotted with birdhouses and bat boxes. Surrounding neighborhoods of artists, immigrants and street markets are blossoming.

Sport venues will be an assortment of historic, temporary and newly constructed facilities. Some will be taken down and moved, others downsized and many converted for community use. The emphasis is on practical sustainability and avoidance of the white elephants that have saddled previous hosts with enormous debt and little-used arenas.

“Our vision is to use the power of the Games to inspire change in this country,” said Sebastian Coe, the gold-medal-winning middle

patriotic feelings (or at least interesting tabloid headlines) is England vs. Argentina in men’s field hockey. It’s been 30 years since the Falklands War, and an advertisement featuring an Argentine hockey player in the Falklands on “Argentine soil” was condemned.

Soccer will be especially popular in football-mad England, as will rowing in Eton, sailing in Weymouth, tennis on the All-England Club’s grass, track cycling inside the velodrome and road cycling on London’s streets.

Baseball and softball have been dropped from the Olympic program, women’s boxing has been added (five weight classes) and special dispensation was given to shooting, which would otherwise be prohibited by England’s gun laws.

Festive mood Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/MCt

The United States’ Rebecca Soni and the women’s swim team should be strong enough to fend off rival Australia. distance runner and former Parliament member who led London’s bid to the finish line.

Rivalries intensify

The sleek aquatics venue will be the stage for the world’s top swimmers and divers, including swimmer Rebecca Adlington and diver Tom Daley of Great Britain.

Michael Phelps won’t win eight gold medals again because he’s swimming in only seven events.

But if he wins three medals, he will supplant Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won a record 18 medals from 1956-1964, as the most decorated Olympian.

The rivalry that’s brewed for years between Phelps and Ryan Lochte will be one of the most tantalizing of the Games. Lochte beat Phelps in two races at the 2011 world championships, the 200-meter freestyle and 200 individual medley. That seemed to motivate Phelps, who said he has intensified his work ethic in the past year and is ready to peak for his Olympic finale.

Meanwhile, the American women — led by Missy Franklin, Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni and Dana Vollmer — look strong enough to upstage rival Australia.

On the track, the rivalry beBernd Thissen/DPA/Abaca Press/MCT tween Jamaica and U.S. sprinters has been intensifying for eight U.S. sprinter Carmelita Jeter years. The Americans failed to leads an ambitious women’s win gold in the 100, 200 or the track and field squad with 400-meter relay in 2008 while Bolt put on a show with world remedal hopes.

cords in the 100, 200 and sprint relay. He said he wants to become “a legend” by winning three more golds, although his coach said it may be too chilly for record times and training partner Yohan Blake could dash that goal. Americans Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix would like to have Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown chasing them this time.

In fact, the U.S. track and field team has a goal of winning 30 medals, and the men have a chance of sweeping the shot put, decathlon and 400-meter hurdles.

Lolo Jones is seeking redemption — and a chat with Prince Harry — after falling over the final hurdle while leading her 100-meter race in 2008. Heptathlete Jessica Ennis and marathoner Paula Radcliffe are popular picks among British fans to win medals — all being made at the Royal Mint.

In gymnastics, the United States and China pick up where they left off in Beijing, where the winning Chinese girls looked suspiciously young and some were later found to have altered birth dates. The much-improved American men have an outside shot of upsetting China for team gold. Michigan’s Jordyn Wieber, world champ last year at age 16, is favored to succeed Nastia Liukin as all-around winner while for Japan’s spectacular Kohei Uchimura, the men’s title is his to lose.

One rivalry sure to prompt deep

The city will rely on a huge security operation manned by 10,000 police, 13,500 troops and agents from the country’s crack intelligence services. There are plans to station missile launchers on rooftops, and the Royal Marines recently conducted exercises on the Thames.

Despite persistent complaints about the ticketing process, Londoners have been in a festive mood celebrating the queen’s diamond jubilee — her 60th year on the throne. She is a keen equestrian fan, and Prince William and Kate (officially the Duchess of Cambridge) plan to visit a variety of competitions.

Expect to see and hear many references to “Chariots of Fire,” the Oscar-winning film which will be re-released around the country prior to the Olympics. A play based on the film is scheduled to premiere in the West End. Director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “127 Hours,” “Trainspotting”) is organizing the opening ceremony, titled “The Isles of Wonder.” A short film starring Daniel Craig as James Bond will be shown.

Already receiving bad reviews are the London 2012 mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville (animated droplets of steel) and its zigzag logo, which English tabloid “The Sun” had redesigned by a monkey. Iran complained the logo spelled the word “Zion” and threatened to boycott.

Closing ceremonies will be a tribute to British music with surprise live performances.

“Music is something we’ve been very good at for the past 50 years,” said Artistic Director Kim Gavin.

Abaca Press/MCT

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, No. 2163, wins a gold medal and sets a world record in the 100-meter race during the 2008 Beijing Games. The rivalry between Bolt, the other members of Jamaica’s sprint team and the U.S. men’s sprint team has been intensifying for eight years.

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Swimmer Michael Phelps competes in the men’s 200 meter butterfly event at the Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix in May. Phelps has won 16 medals in two consecutive Summer Games, including a record eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Swifter, higher, stronger, older

Familiar faces return to the U.S. Olympic team as relaxed amateurism rules, sponsorship deals extend athletes’ competitive windows

By Gil LeBreton McClatchy Newspapers

Gymnastics, as most Americans know it, leaped into our living rooms in the summer of 1976.

A Romanian princess, barely tall enough to see over the balance beam, showed us what Olympic perfection can be.

Nadia Comaneci was 14 years old.

At those same Montreal Games, Nancy Lieberman was a member of the U.S. women’s basketball team. Lieberman had just turned 18.

Shirley Babashoff, expected to lead America’s female swimmers to the medals stand, was the team’s veteran — at the wise old age of 19.

Swifter, higher, stronger Teenagers can still readily be found on the U.S. rosters at the London Olympic Games. But in almost every sport, women’s gymnastics included, the old Olympic motto of Citius, Altius, Fortius — Swifter, Higher, Stronger — is being amended to include Antiquus.

Older.

The average age of a U.S. competitor at the 1976 Montreal Olympics was 24. Thirty-two years later in Beijing, that average had risen to 26.8.

The list included 21 athletes who were 40 years old or more.

Three of them were competing in their fifth Olympic Games. Twelve were in their fourth Olympics.

Twelve U.S. Olympians in 2008 were mothers. One, sailor John Dane III, was a grandfather.

This year’s U.S. roster includes Keli Smith Puzo, a 33-yearold striker on the field hockey team and mother of two.

“You can play pickup soccer when you’re 40, but you can’t play at this level forever,” Smith Puzo told The Baltimore Sun. “So just knowing that it’s going to end at some point brings you back to the reality that you might as well enjoy it while you still can.”

Once upon a time, the Olympic calendar hovered over amateur athletes like a birth curse. The Olympics came only once every four years, and an athlete was either at prime Olympic age, or he or she wasn’t.

The shackles of Olympic ama-

Michael Goulding/Orange County Register/MCT

Lolo Jones reacts after stumbling on a hurdle in the 100-meter hurdle finals at the 2008 Summer Games. Jones, now 29, will compete in the event this year. teurism and idealism had much to do with that. Every four years someone recounts the saga of Jim Thorpe, who was stripped of his 1912 Olympic decathlon and pentathlon gold medals because he had played semi-professional baseball. Amateurism was an underlying theme in the Academy Award-winning movie “Chariots of Fire,” whose co-protagonist, Harold Abrahams, employed a professional coach.

Committe relaxes rules But in the 1980s, behind the push of Juan Antonio Samaranch, the International Olympic Committee began to relax its rules on

athletes being paid. By 1991, the Olympic Charter had rewritten Rule 26, defining strict amateurism, and left it up to individual sports’ federations to determine who can compete in the Games.

In 2000, the U.S. Olympic Committee began paying qualifying athletes for their living and training expenses. World-class competitors can be eligible for group medical insurance. Olympic medal winners can receive performance bonuses.

Olympians can now be paid for public speaking appearances and for endorsing products. Swimmer Michael Phelps, who will try this summer to add to his 14 Olympic gold medals, has lucrative sponsorship deals with, among others, Hilton, Subway and Omega.

High hurdler Lolo Jones, 29, has endorsement contracts with Asics, Oakley, British Petroleum and Red Bull, though she has yet to win an Olympic medal. Jones was a solid favorite to win the gold medal in Beijing, but she crashed into the next-to-last hurdle in the 110-meter final and finished without a medal. Yet Jones, like dozens of others, was able to extend her Olympic career, where generations of Olympians before her could not.

Citius. Altius. Fortius. Antiquus.

Olympians are not only older these days, but they’re also more familiar. The sponsorship deals have made familiar faces of the likes of soccer’s Hope Solo and Abby Wambach and beach volleyballers Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

Familiar faces have meant more

Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/MCT

Kerri Walsh, left, and Misty May-Treanor, right, celebrate after winning the women’s beach volleyball gold medal match at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. It was the pair’s second Olympic gold medal in the event. media interest which, in turn, has led to increased television rights fees for the IOC. Samaranch’s dream of monetizing the Olympics has more than come true.

Phelps, Walsh among returning faces The list of U.S. Olympic retreads in London figures to be a long one, beginning with 25-year-old Phelps in swimming and continuing through flyweight Rau’shee Warren, also 25, who will be boxing in his third Olympic Games.

May-Treanor and Walsh, 34 and 33, respectively, will be back to try for their third consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball.

The list of veteran U.S. Olympians, meanwhile, will also include long distance runner Bernard Lagat, 37; the taekwondo family of Steven and Diana Lopez, 33 and 28, respectively; diver Troy Dumais, 32; shooting’s Kim Rhode, 32, and triathlete Hunter Kemper, who is 36.

Swimmer Brendan Hansen, 30, makes a return after winning gold medals in both 2004 and 2008. Cycling’s Sarah Hammer, embroiled in

Shooter Kim Rhode, 32, has medaled in four consecutive Summer Games, winning two golds, a silver and a bronze.

Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times/MCT

controversy for her surgical mask incident in Beijing, will be an Olympic veteran at 28 in London.

And volleyballer Logan Tom will be a three-time Olympian at age 31.

Gone are the days, it seems, when the Olympic calendar smiled upon athletes just once.

Swifter. Higher. Stronger. Older.

If you see familiar faces on TV this summer from London, it’s not a coincidence.

Distance runner Bernard Lagat, 37, looks to win his first Olympic gold medal at the London Games.

Jeff Siner/ Charlotte Observer/ MCT

FOOD

TOj B6

FROM Family Features

Warm weather calls for lighter fare and the simplicity of outdoor entertaining. So, take your enter­taining outdoors and chill out by serving up delicious small bites paired with crisp, refreshing white wines.

Pour a glass of Chardonnay and fire up the grill for savory mini pizzas topped with fresh asparagus and marinated artichoke hearts. End on a sweet note with zesty mini lemon cheesecakes paired with Mirassou California Moscato — as close as one can get to capturing summer in a bottle.

Get started with these recipe and wine pairings from California’s Mirassou Winery®. For more recipe ideas to brighten up your table visit www.mirassou.com or www. facebook.com/MirassouWinery.

Your Warm-Weather Wine Choice: White or Red?

White wines are perfectly refreshing for warm-weather fare, but what about options for red wine lovers? David Mirassou, wine expert and sixth generation of America’s oldest winemaking family, recommends Pinot Noir, a light and versatile red wine that can pair just as nicely with lighter dishes and small bites as many white wines. After all, Mirassou says, just because the weather changes doesn’t mean your prefer­ence for red wine has to change with it.

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july 13 – JULY 19, 2012

Mini Moscato Cheesecakes Pair with Mirassou California Moscato Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes Makes 24 mini cheesecakes 1 cup finely ground gingersnap cookies 2 tablespoons butter, melted 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons Mirassou Moscato 1 teaspoon each: vanilla and lemon extract 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk, beaten Store bought lemon curd, lemon zest, mint and fresh raspberries (if desired) Preheat oven to 350°F, and spray a 24 cup mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Stir together ground gingersnaps and butter in a small bowl. Press about 1 1/2 teaspoons into each cup then press firmly into the bottom of each. Brush any crumbs off the top of the muffin pan and set aside.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth; beat in flour, Moscato and extracts on low speed.

Add eggs and beat just until combined.

Spoon equal amounts into each cup (they will be very full).

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until filling feels set to the touch.

Let cool completely, and then run a small thin knife around the edge of each to remove from pan.

Place on a platter and top each with lemon curd, lemon zest, mint and fresh raspberries, as desired.

Grilled Artichoke and Asparagus Mini Pizzas Pair with Mirassou California Chardonnay Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Makes 4 servings 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided 1 cup 2-inch pieces fresh asparagus, halved lengthwise 1/2 cup pitted mixed olives, cut into wedges 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips 2 tablespoons chopped roasted garlic 1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 14- to 16-ounce ball of pizza dough 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup grated dry jack cheese (plus additional for topping) Toasted walnuts (optional topping) Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in olives, peppers, garlic and artichoke hearts; cook for a few minutes more to heat through. Season with salt and pepper; set aside and keep warm.

Divide pizza dough into two equal pieces. Roll each out into an 8 x 10-inch oval on a lightly floured board, and brush both sides with remaining olive oil.

Grill over medium-high heat for about 1 minute on each side or until puffed and lightly charred. Reduce heat to low and top with cheeses; cook for 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted, rotating pizzas once or twice to help cook evenly.

Top with vegetable mixture and additional dry jack and walnuts, if desired.

Come save where making shopping a pleasure is part of the deal.

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