Some things seem to take on a different tone; we become mindful of what is really being said. The tone of our language whether in writing or speaking is extremely important; words can be interpreted in so many ways depending on how the sentence is structured.

When someone [Ruben Navarrette Jr.] writes, "If controversies were sitcoms, the ruckus over Barack Obama's decision to have the invocation at his inaugural ceremony given by Rick Warren -- bestselling author and pastor of the 20,000-member SaddlebackChurch in Southern California -- would be the "Seinfeld" of the bunch. After all, it's about nothing."

He then goes on to say, "Don't misunderstand. I don't mean that the concerns of those liberal groups, pro-choice activists and gay rights proponents who are upset with Warren's selection are nothing. I admire their passion. In fact, I suspect, my worldview isn't so different from theirs." This to me sounds a little condescending, with a bite of arrogance. 

Basically it sounds as if he is saying, that he doesn't don't know why gays are upset that President Elect Barack Obama chose Rick Warren to give the invocation. Gay people wouldn't come out and say something like that, nor would anyone else had they read or heard certain incendiary remarks. It's the same as when certain remarks were said about Blacks. Someone would flippantly say something like, "well I don't know what all the fuss is about, don't they have the things that they need, what more do they want, and don't they have enough?" Well black or gay, it's the same. Minorities know their own suffering more than anyone else; one suffers when they hear inhumane remarks made by those who are not in the same category, so others cannot feel the pain that is felt in the lives of African American People of Color or gay people, when remarks like those are made. One has to be gay and fighting for their rights, just as people of color in this country had to and still have to fight for certain things. There is a certain understanding that comes with being born gay or black; certain prejudices you just feel, you might hear certain words, but unless you're that minority, you won't really feel how certain words cut and sting; those words don't bring smiles to our faces.

Dear President Elect Barack Obama:

First let me start by telling you how proud I am of you; you are the first African American Person of Color to win the national presidential election, becoming the first elected president in eight years. You are most definitely the first African American Person of Color to become the President Elect of The United States of America.

I love and admire you Mr. Barack Obama, even though right now I believe that you're in a bit of a quandary with gay people in America. To many your choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at your inauguration is controversial. What disturbs me is the fact that Rick Warren hasn't been inclusive of any gay people in his church.

I feel that a President Elect has to be very careful in the choices being made, especially an invocation. Perhaps someone mistakenly advised you. Does anyone want someone praying for them who really doesn't have their best interest at heart? Alienation is not a good thing; it could really send the wrong signal to a particular group of people, a group that helped you get elected to the white house.

Though you've been honest from the beginning about your stance on gay marriage, to choose someone like Rick Warren, who is totally opposed to Proposition 8 looks like it may be sending the wrong signal to most of your gay supporters; some gays may look at this as a wall between them and you. Some may ask are you aligning yourself with Rick Warren in a closer way, especially because of the things that he has said.

When Rick Warren says, "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand." I ask when or where has he walked hand in hand with the gay population?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/a ... 1D6U4Qv18s_K5LIQD9575K5O0

Rick Warren also said, "...that he has nothing personally against gays," he has condemned the same-sex marriage.

Do you remember when people used to say and probably still say, "I have nothing against blacks, but I don't want to live next door to them." Also people used to say, well some of my best friends are black or gay, and they still say that too.

Then when someone says, "I have many gay friends. I've eaten dinner in gay homes," I ask myself, has he ever had any of these gay friends dining with him in his home? Or is it like when people used to say and probably still say, "you know I don't have anything against you, but I can't bring you home, it's my parents or they'll say their roommate." Then in another conversation when it becomes heated, they say something like, "you know that those blacks and gays are..," and they catch themselves and say to you, not you, you're different." Then you ask them to tell you what they meant, and "they say, oh I didn't mean you, you know that."When I've been in those conversations I would say, no you tell me exactly what you mean. I used the same anomaly in my book, "Born In The Wrong Country," which is soon to be released. What I want to know as an African American Person of Color, who is a gay man, how much of a friend is Rick Warren to the gay community?

Rick Warren also contends that "no church has probably done more for people with AIDS thanSaddleback Church." Unfortunately later in an interview with BeliefNet, "he compared the "redefinition of marriage" to include gay marriage to legitimizing incest, child abuse, and polygamy." If one wants to talk about legitimizing incest, child abuse, then perhaps he should look at the priests in the Catholic churches.

When someone speaks like that, one has to wonder about these so-called gay friends of his. Are these gay people that he speaks of having really friends of his? It seems to me that perhaps his ego is overblown.

Since Rick Warren has a formidable tongue, his arrogance could be a potential problem in your office. Though you don't support gay marriage, couldn't you have chosen someone who didn't alienate so many gays by their incendiary remarks?

A blessing is something that everyone should be grateful for. Words are powerful; they tell who you are, and once released, you can't call them back; the harm has already been done, and I'm sorry, or I really didn't mean that doesn't count for much. Gays have been slapped in the face far too many times to believe that their adversary is really going to give a blessing that includes them, and if he does, after his statements or misstatements, would we believe him?

With this in mind, I don't believe that it is asking too much for you to reconsider and chose someone else. As a concerned African American Person of Color, and a gay man, I am now asking you, President Elect Barack Obama, will you please rescind your choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation to your inauguration and chose someone that can more unite your party and our country?

As someone who I admire and respect immensely, I can only hope that you take my thoughts, the thoughts of many gay men, gay women and transgender people to heart, and change your mind by choosing someone else to give this extremely important invocation at your inaugural address.

Sincerely,

Milton Lee Norris

It is a violation of an unnerving kind. We read so many things that sometimes we become desensitized, but when I read about two young black girls being violated by their own teacher, I was upset. The way they were violated sent chills down my spine. When a teacher is so bent on demonstrating her lesson to students, but fails to think things through before going through with such a bizarre way of demonstrating something, this clearly shows lack of forethought and preparation. When you tape the hands and feet of children together to demonstrate something, one has to be very careful. When you tape the hands and feet of anyone together, I would think that one should think about what they are doing, and what will be the repercussions of doing something so bizarre. I believe that this demonstration was a violation of those students' rights. I also believe that this teacher should be taught a lesson that she will never forget.

This teacher picked two young black girls from her class and bound their hands and feet, and then made them crawl under a desk so that she could demonstrate what the conditions were like for slaves on a ship coming to America during the Middle Passage. This part of America's history was a very dark period; Black Africans that were stolen, kidnapped and taken captive were brought to this country and sold into slavery. The dept of this period in American history was not taught where I grew up.

The American history that was taught left out of so much of the real history of the United States of America; many students that are now adults were never taught this integral part of what led to the America dream. As students they never realized to what extent their ancestral history played in building this country. So many sacrifices have gone unnoticed; sacrifices of a beaten enslaved people that were used to build this country were treated as if we were invisible. 

If this teacher was so bent on demonstrating and teaching this particular lesson in this way, why didn't she demonstrate this herself? It would have been easy enough to have the students tape her hands and feet, just as she'd done to those young black girls. Perhaps it would have been harder for her to make her way underneath a desk because of her size, but it would have demonstrated how tough it was on those ships.

This was not Hollywood where a film was being made, where actors might have done something like that to get a feeling of what that ordeal to be bound was probably like. Actors and directors do many things so that they could better portray a more realistic picture, perhaps they would have used something like this to get a feel of what it was like on those ships, but this was not an acting class or film, nor was it a theatre history class.

Why didn't the teacher present this idea to the school administrators beforehand, so that she could get some feedback on her project? Did she think that it didn't matter, and that this was the norm? This was a flagrant abuse of those students' human rights. How dare this teacher or any teacher put a child on that spot and humiliate and frighten them the way this teacher did.

In my opinion this was like a rape. This was unnecessary trauma; it was a violation, which was the rape of two young black girls' minds, which could possibly leave scars and affect them in years to come. One might say that this could be considered a kind of terrorism in a classroom.

Why weren't white students chosen to demonstrate this lesson, so that they could possibly feel how those slaves must have felt, so that they could identify more with their fellow black classmates and African American People of Color?

We read many times where the criminal binds their victims, where children and adults were bound and gagged by the rapist. Why use something like this which makes one think of the ugly things that have been done to women, children and some men? The imagery is not pleasant, and for young girls it can be horrifying. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage ... ;spon=&pagewanted=all;
http://www.courts.state.va.us/opinions/opncavtx/1749061.txt

Did the teacher ask them had they been beaten by anyone, tortured or forced to comply with any demands? Did she ask them would they be afraid or if they were afraid of being bound, and did she ask if they were willing to do what she told them to do? Did she ask the parents if it was okay to have their girls participate in this kind of class activity?

Did she ask them what they were told about slavery, or and what their thoughts were at their tender age about what happened to their forefathers and foremothers? Did she ask them any of these questions, or did she not think period? Did she tell them that many of those slaves were bound and beaten, and some of those beatings were so brutal that many were scarred for life and that others didn't survive?

Antagonism is not nice. Arrogance is really the epitome of stupidity at times. Ego has no place in any classroom, whether it be a White, Black, Hispanic, Chinese, Indian, or whoever is teaching. Teaching should be done in an unbiased way when one is attempting to impart knowledge to their students. Unbiased doesn't mean binding your black students, black girls and making them crawl to demonstrate what this teacher says that she wanted to teach.

How dare she make a mockery out of black history, our ancestral history and say that it was done so that a lesson could to be taught! This was unconscionable, a travesty and an abomination of how a teacher should teach.

How dare she do this. Did she all of a sudden become stupid or was she always this way? Was she waiting for this moment to pull a stunt like this, and make a name for herself? Well if she was, the name is shame and she should be without a job. Also if one has to wait until the student is upset to define whether something is a bad idea, then perhaps this superintendent should be replaced. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,462785,00.html

What if these two young black girls had been previously victimized, and this only reminded them of that frightening ordeal? Children are tender; they are not as tough as their elders.

What if a Black teacher took two young white girls, and one of the student mothers was black, and did something like this to them; what would the school superintendent say then? What would New York State say if this were the case instead of two black girls? Imagine taking two young white girls and binding their hands and feet, and making them crawl under a desk to demonstrate a history lesson, what would New York State and America say then?

You see this is a black vs. a white issue, and once again it is black people that have been humiliated and terrorized so to speak. Unfortunately, it is two young black girls that have been taped and made to carry out an act by their white teacher.

For those of you who ask why is it or why does it always have to be a black vs. white issue? Well it should be crystal clear; it was white America who started slavery in the United States; it was Africans, Black Africans that were enslaved and made to serve white folks, made to harvest this land, made to build this country; it was the Black African American ancestry that was bound, their hands and feet tied to keep them in place, not white, so you made it black vs. white a long time ago.

Now that this issue has become a focal point, it is high time that American history became complete. The whole ugly story which is very real needs to be taught to everyone, and published in the history books of our students so that all children know that what this country did was a disgrace. Records need to be set right in telling the story that lets everyone know that this new history is the unabridged version of what really happened in this country.

If America is going to rise up to the top again, the entire American history must be told, not just the history of convenience, and not the history that involved a kind of amnesia. We don't need the United States of Amnesia; we need the United States of America standing for truth and equality. It was white America that chose Black Africans for slavery; we did not volunteer to be bound, beaten, enslaved or murdered.

One might wonder how I got to this point by speaking of two little Black girls; I wanted this story to be powerfully told in a way that would not be forgotten or pushed under the rug. There are so many things that have happened to the Black Americans that have been dismissed. I wanted to help publicize an injustice, a scandal and a crime so that it is not pushed to the back of the burner. I believe that every time that there is an injustice, that we the American people should blow our horns just as drivers do when someone gets on their nerves when driving, like when someone cuts them off. If you can get enraged and blow your horn about something like that, then why not get enraged and blow your horns loudly against injustices of the children?

Two little black girls, what have their lives taught them; do you know? Do you think they were ready to be bound by a white woman or by anyone, especially their own teacher, and then forced to crawl under a desk? Do you think that their bodies, minds and their spirits were ready for this ordeal, this rape?

How can New York allow this teacher to continue teaching or this superintendent to continue to head a school, when it seems as if he condoned such behavior by his arrogant answer, "If a student was upset, then it was a bad idea?"?

How can New York allow or condone this kind of behavior from any teacher? What is this state, this country and the NAACP going to do to make sure that this kind of action never takes place again? This haphazard teaching stunt should never be tolerated.

A stunt like this which seems to have been done without any forethought is unacceptable. When a teacher overlooks what the repercussions of something like this could cause, or the harm that it could possibly do, then they should rethink their profession.

Now that this incident has been brought out into the open, it is my hope that school systems all over start talking seriously about what roll their teachers play in child development. Parents and children need to know what to expect from their teachers, and when their children can say no to their teachers. Teachers are not above the law, and if they cannot follow instruction of how to teach without bringing harm to children, then they should resign.

The school systems should make sure that they incorporate African American History into the history that they are teaching all over America; this country would have never been built if it were not for the back of Black slaves. This dark and ugly period of American history should be taught to everyone, so that they could learn to appreciate what the African American People of Color contributed to this country of ours long before any Civil Rights Movement was started.

When America lets children go to bed hungry, one must wonder what's next? When you know that children are hungry for food in your own country, and your government fails to address this by feeding them, then what are you telling your people? The amount of food in many American households is inadequate, yet our government continues feeding the military budget, the Iraq and Afghanistan war budgets. What is that telling the American people and the world about the home of the brave? 

One has to wonder what the American government means when they speak of terrorism and torture; isn't letting children go hungry another form of torture, and is it any better than terrorism? When the mind and body want and need something as simple as sustenance, and you deprive those bodies of this, isn't that a form of torture? What do you think these children will think of their country as they grow older, when they find out that their country was too arrogant and too busy fighting a war to feed them? What will they think as they grow up and find out that this war was created by their own president, and that the profits that were generated from this war were for the rich? What will they think when they find out that buying weapons of mass destruction was more important that purchasing food to nourish them? 

Refugees are treated better; America feeds those who come from other countries seeking political asylum, yet they let their own citizens continue wanting and needing, and more than not, they are the poorest of poor, and minorities. 

America must realize that their dirty ugly truth is being exposed, so all of these things must be addressed now because tomorrow will be too late. People in this country know this, that's why we elected Barack Obama. He knows that Americans are not refugees and deserve much better treatment than they have been getting. He has been working to help correct some of America's ills, but no one can do it alone. As president, he will need all the help that he can muster when he takes office on January 20, 2009. 

When children don't have the proper food, it is hard for them to go to school and study to be the best that they can be. The article on cnn.com tells of over 600,000 children that hunger in America, which is nothing to be proud of; it is downright shameful. How can this country so rich have allowed our children to feel hunger? Actually the number in the cnn.com article is 691, 000, much closer to 700, 000 in 2007. The number of adults is over 36 million that struggled with hunger in the same period. Millions of Americans were said to have gone hungry at some point last year. 
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/18/hungry.kids.ap/index.html
America feed your children; feed your people. 

Barack Obama's plate is full because the Bush administration neglected the poorest of poor. These numbers should make everyone in this country feel outraged, angry and hurt; other countries are probably looking at America with great disdain. 

There has been all the talk about foreclosure of homes, loss of 401Ks, skyrocketing unemployment, and in 2004 there was talk about bread lines in Ohio. 
http://www.democraticunderground.com/ ... ll&address=105x138934 Our soup kitchens are overcrowded to a point that many can no longer feed all that come; they must turn people away.

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/34768404.html
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/470520.html 

When the executives on Wall Street and other firms are making millions of dollars a year, and their bonuses are much more than many people will ever see in their lifetime, shouldn't that have told this government that things were really out of sorts? Shouldn't that have created a strong desire for this government to want to help feed hungry Americans and their children? Shouldn't that have told this government that hunger is like a disease that destroys? Bodies break down when they aren't fed properly, or was this something that was okay with the Bush administration? Was his administration designed to let the poor and minorities continue to suffer, so that they'd be too weak to be able to put up a good fight; was this his plan? Well Mr. Bush, God had another plan. 

The American people spoke out on November 04, 2008; too many people are hurting in unbelievable ways. Pride keeps a lot of Americans from saying anything because they feel ashamed. They are not the ones that should feel ashamed; it is this government that is supposed to be for all the people and not just a few; they are the ones that should feel ashamed. Unfortunately because of America's arrogance, taking care of some wonderful people that number in the millions was not a top of priority. Thank God Barack Obama stepped up to take the challenge to change the dynamics of this country. 

When people are tired that's one thing, but when people are hungry and tired, that combination can produce an entirely different people. People start erupting because they need, and what they need is to feel that they matter more than weapons of mass destruction. If they aren't able to eat, if they go to bed hungry, what do those weapons of mass destruction matter? Someone who is hungry couldn't care less about those weapons; people want and need food all the time. Part time nourishment is not an option. 

Now that the real weapon of mass destruction is finally leaving the White House, America will have a chance to bring back the America that has always been dreamed about. We've got to make sure that our government has our backs, and then we must put safeguards in place so that our government is never allowed to turn its back on us again. The real safeguards are all of the people in this country, especially the poorest of the poor and minorities; we are the people who yield the power when we get out and vote. We showed this country and the world what we could do on November 4, 2008, and we must continue to fight, lifting ourselves and our government up daily. Our weapons are ourselves and we must never lay down.

On November 4, 2008 something happened; it was truly beautiful, extraordinary, wonderful and inspiring. The day was already forecast to be a historical day. When Barack Obama became victorious, the day became an enormous historical election day that will go down in history. He became the first African American Person of Color to be elected as president of the United States of America.

Barriers had been broken and millions of hearts here in this country became overjoyed as we watched and heard the newscasters say those magical words; Barack Obama has become the President-Elect of the United States of America, and the first African American to win a presidential election. I am still thrilled. It is wonderful to be alive at this time and moment in history, and to have witnessed what so many thought was impossible not too long ago.

For the African American people of color in this country this is monumental. There are many who have fought a war in this country called the Civil Rights Movement, who were beaten as if they were not human. Many of us have been treated inhumanely in one way or another, whether in the streets, the market places, in the courts, by the police, the hospitals or in school classrooms. For us this day became a moment of truth for this country. It became a moment of truth for America too; God had a plan and revealed it. Those walls which kept separating the American people finally came down. One might say it that it's akin to the walls of Jericho in Biblical times, and like the Berlin Wall in our own time.

As an AAPC, African American Person of Color who is a very emotional, I am truly grateful for the immense turnout that this historic election brought. One can see and hear the gratitude that is felt all over this country and the world; the American people came together making this result possible.

The eloquence of Barack Obama's words and the magnitude of his website are unparalleled. It is unprecedented how he used the Internet reaching out to millions of people in this country for their support. He made people like me feel as if they were really a part of his campaign, and we were. People all over the world were watching how he orchestrated this magnificent support system. A man of his character who never lost sight of what he is being called to do, who kept moving forward no matter what obstacles were thrown in his path, and who never wavered says a lot about his calm forceful way of dealing with dilemmas. Knowing when and when not to speak, and then what to say is a mark of a true calling and of genius. Knowing how to use common sense is also a key factor in his ability to communicate so well.

For me being born in the south and raised in the north in the fifties and sixties showed me a multitude of sins that plague our country. I've not only seen signs in the south that read Whites only, and others that read for Colored, but experienced them first hand as a child. These were the signs that one saw at the water fountains, bathrooms, restaurants, movie houses, and they didn't make you feel good in any way; their purpose was to keep you out, and the message was crystal clear. These things along with other stark racism in the south and in the north too, especially in my school system left a bitter taste in my mouth and was ingrained in my mind. This is just some of treatment, which doesn't include the many murders and bombings, along with school segregation that continued to cause severe pain for African American children and adults; that's only part of what was done.

Watching and being a part of this transformation brings tears to many hearts and eyes because though we are witnessing a change, what went before can never be forgotten. I am not disillusioned to think that all of the ills of my country have disappeared because this is just another step. Though enormous as this transformation is, it is a new beginning and a wonderful time in America. It will be the continuation of things to come which will be of prime importance. One might categorize what happened as America's awakening; it is monumental and the whole world knows this.

Another thing that we must keep to the front of our minds is the fact that the world is watching America; they are cheering with us and for us, but they are also keeping a watchful eye to see if President-Elect Barack Obama can live up to the promises that he made. They will also continue to watch and see how the American people continue to respond to his calls; everyone will be watching Mr. President-Elect and America.

As he has told us time and time again he needs our help, so let us not renege and just cheer; let us work with him. Let us continue to fight and show ourselves and the world that America will help President-Elect Obama with his enormous task at hand. We had our awakening; now let us continue the journey to make America the country where hope is not just a dream, but a continued reality as it is for Barack Obama.

Barack Obama was criticized when he said that many working class Americans are angry. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/0 ... olitics/main4010972.shtml 
Now CNN has a poll that says not only are Americans angry; they're worried because of the state of their country. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/21/america.poll/index.html 

You see this is a double standard. Why did it take so long for the media to finally pick up on this? Aren't they the ones who are supposed to be giving America and the world the facts? Perhaps it is the media that is biased; perhaps it is they that want to take credit for what Barack Obama said months ago. Perhaps it is their ego that wanted to be the first to divulge and disseminate this to the public. 

The media should have conducted their polls when Obama made his statement, rather that waiting six months to make virtually the same statement. The fact is people were angry then, and more people are angry now. Since then the economic picture has become more dismal, and the crisis seems to be snowballing. 

Americans have been watching their tax dollars being spent on fighting a war, a war that was created by Bush and his administration. People in this country are hungry and some have been pictured on food and bread lines. http://www.democraticunderground.com/ ... ll&address=105x138934; http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/08/60II/main535732.shtml Americans see their jobs disappearing; factories are closing and other jobs are sent over seas. People are watching the unemployment lines grow, while others are being forced to cut way back. Many families have seen their medical bills pile up beyond imagination. The cost of food, gas, electricity, schools, life and health insurances seem so intolerable that families feel choked. Unfortunately with this mass flux of things going out; there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Three years later Americans are learning that people in New Orleans are still in dire need of help. Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005; it is now 2008 and so much more needs to be done. Common sense should tell our government that Americans are angry. How happy would you be if you watched your jobs and your money disappear? Things like these are monumental in size, and the calamity of these things doesn't make anyone happy. 

Does anyone ever get the feeling that their country is moving or has moved, but has forgotten to tell its people? This thought really troubles me; I can't help but wonder what's next. 

When you're told that $9 billion dollars have been lost in Iraq, that they can't account for this money, what do you think? http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.audit/ 
There are just too many inconsistencies that this government hasn't been made to answer. 

When people watch their livelihood drowning, their source of income drying up like a vast drought, and when this government continues with the same old politics, how should the American people feel? The rich are getting huge tax cuts; the poor are not getting any relief. Politicians should know that discontentment leads to anger, and common sense should tell this government that people are not only annoyed, but very tired and angry. 

Perhaps this is what common sense should tell these politicians, but you can't expect all politicians to use what they don't have. All politicians don't have the foresight or common sense that Barack Obama has. Let's get real and give credit where credit is do; let's stop using double standards. The Bush administration hasn't used common sense in the past eight years, but Obama will. Common sense should tell a country that it must first take care of its people; things that are left on the back burner for too long burn. 

It's time that we all enjoyed some of the finer things, and we can. We must get rid of the Bush-like agenda of McCain/Palin, who continue sucking up to the Bush saga. This saga is lame and very troubled, and it has been selling you out for eight long years. Eight years is enough of the failed politics that have been robbing you of your jobs, money, homes and your lives. Vote common sense, vote on November 4, 2008 and say no to the old way of living. Vote yes for a new way by voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who already know that Americans are hurting and angry. Vote for them so that we can take back what is rightfully ours, our country, The United States of America for all people.