HBCU FOOTBALL PREVIEWSBethune-Cookman Wildcats

and Edward Waters Tigers B1

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

MAILU.S. POSTAGE PAID

DAYTONA BEACH, FLPERMIT #189

AUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2012VOLUME 20 NO. 34 www.flcourier.com

REAd US OnLInE

Like us on Facebook-www.facebook.com/flcourier

Follow us on Twitter-@flcourier

Fwww.flcourier.com

C

ALSOINSIDE

COMMEnTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RAndOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MInd | A4

COMMEnTARY: GEORGE CURRY: ROMnEY’S BUdGET CUTS dEEPER THAn RYAn’S | A5

FREE

WHERE WILL ISAAC GO?

COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

Tropical Storm Isaac emerged in the Atlantic on Tuesday after-noon, and it’s one Florida needs to keep an eye on.

By Saturday, the system is pro-jected to aim into the Caribbean, strengthen into a Category 1 hur-ricane and threaten Hispanio-

la and Cuba. From there, it is ex-pected to turn north, possibly to-ward the Gulf of Mexico, Florida or the Bahamas.

If it were to approach Florida, much of the state could start feel-ing its fringes as early as Sunday.

As of the Florida Courier’s press time Wednesday night, a strong area of high pressure was guid-

See ISAAC, Page A2

State, activists fight over details

FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

The battle over the state’s con-troversial elections law reignited Monday –four days after a three-judge federal panel rejected a move to reduce the number of days of early voting in five coun-ties.

Two state lawmakers joined a group of elected officials and

civic leaders who unsuccessfully sought a meeting with Gov. Rick Scott to get him to roll back the blocked provision in the other 62 counties. Meanwhile, the elec-tions supervisor of one of the five counties where the measure was barred by the federal court said state officials pushed local governments to try again to get a similar change approved.

Reduced by politiciansThe Florida Legislature ap-

proved a measure in 2011 that would reduce the number of early voting days from 12 to eight while allowing – but not requir-ing – supervisors to make up for the difference by extending the voting hours on those days.

At the center of the battle is the intersection of that law with Florida’s obligations under the federal Voting Rights Act. Be-cause of a history of racial and language discrimination, the five counties – Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Mon-

roe – have to get any changes in voting procedures approved by the U.S. Department of Justice or a three-judge panel.

The other 62 counties don’t face the same “preclearance” hurdle, though they still have to comply with the provisions of the Voting Rights Act meant to secure everyone’s right to cast ballots.

Statewide impact?Critics of the early-voting

change say the federal court rul-ing proves the law should be void across the state. “It’s slightly axi-

See VOTING, Page A2

THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY / CAMPAIGN 2012

POOL PHOTO/PETE MAROVICH/BLOOMBERG VIA ABACA PRESS/MCT

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama had dinner with three winners of the “Dinner with Barack and Michelle” fundraising contest in Washington, D.C. on Monday. Michelle Obama campaigned in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.

So, who pays the dinner bill?

SNAPSHOTSFLORIDA | A3

Governor respondsto complaintsabout FCAT

NATION | A6Blacks on team trying to unseat Obama

Chavis Carter’sdeath ruled suicide

FINEST | B5

Twenty years after Hurricane Andrew wrecked South Florida, a new hurricane may threaten the Republican National

Convention in Tampa. Keep up with Isaac’s progress at www. flcourier.com.

CARL SEIBERT/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL (KRT)

Hurricane Andrew destroyed pleasure boats docked at Dinner Key Marina in Miami-Dade County in August 1992.

Early voting dates uncertain

Meet Davon

A2 AUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2012FOCUS

Before I made my decision to relocate to Miami, I asked a very important question: “Are you ex-pecting a hurricane this year?”

I was informed that instead of hurricanes, there were hurricane parties. So since it had been de-cades since a hurricane had hit, I thought Miami was a great place for my children to grow up.

Then, it was fun in the sun. When we got hurricane warnings, we stocked up on emergency supplies, which we kept through-out each hurricane season. And we went merrily on our way.

That was B.A. – “Before An-drew.”

On Aug. 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew turned our South Flor-ida paradise into a battle-torn war zone. Three days before I was to celebrate “the big 5-0,” An-drew tore through Kendall like a freight train. My youngest daugh-ter and her two little ones spent five hours with me in my upstairs walk-in closet – a horrible experi-ence I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

The funniest part of this expe-rience was when my 6-year old grandson proclaimed with his arms flailing, “Mommy, Nana, don’t worry. We have prepared for Andrew!” My daughter and I broke down in laughter. He was partly right. We had shopped for water, canned goods, batteries, snacks, gas and cash – the usual for hurricane preparedness.

Watching TVHere we were sitting on the

edge of my bed in the master bed-room at 4 a.m., watching WFOR-

TV Channel 4 Meteorologist Bry-an Norcross describe this vicious, tree-bending storm as 150-plus miles per hour winds whistled through the sliding glass doors to the upstairs patio, forcing the gold metal vertical blinds to play-ing an eerie tune.

As we laughed at my grand-son’s innocence, the entire ar-ea lost power. Dropped into total darkness, we found our way into the closet. The tension was pal-pable.

Never had I experienced so much fear. The clothes hung on the east wall seem to shake as An-drew’s winds and rain beat down on the outside concrete walls of the townhouse. My 3-year old granddaughter was oblivious to the danger as she played with hundred of pennies in a large glass bottle with only the light from a lantern.

Nothing familiarFive hours later, we emerged

to what looked like a scene from “The Twilight Zone” – huge trees uprooted, fences, utility poles and traffic lights strewn on the side-walks and in the streets. Nothing looked familiar in our gated com-plex as neighbors walked around in a daze, not caring about the slow drizzle as we checked to see if everyone was all right.

But nothing would prepare me for the trip further south – houses destroyed, cars damaged, streets littered with debris. It looked as if bombs had been dropped on neighborhoods previously lined with beautiful palm trees.

I cried as I drove through Coco-nut Grove, where a boat had been thrown from the marina across the parking lot to the other side of Bayshore Drive, and where the trees that had formed a can-opy across Main Highway were ripped away; you could see the sky for the first time in more than 40 years.

My family was blessed. We had a blackout for only four days. Hundreds suffered up to four months or more. Friends stood in food and supply lines because the stores were closed. Others were in gas lines because most gas sta-tions were shut down.

We had to drive more than 40 miles north to get gas, and more than 20 miles for groceries. Peo-ple guarded their houses with guns and scribbled on the walls that were left standing: “Looters will be shot.”

We’re preparedAndrew prepared us for any fu-

ture hurricane. When Katrina hit, it dumped more water than An-drew and the levies broke, adding murderous flooding to the Gulf Coast. Thankfully Katrina missed us here in South Florida.

Hurricane Andrew brought new building codes, new traffic patterns, new demographics and a new look. Happily there were very few deaths, even though it

looked like Afghanistan in south Miami-Dade.

We thought we would never get back to normal. But the cavalry finally arrived. The military and National Guard gave us a sense of security and hope.

Now 20 years later, Hurricane Andrew is nothing but a vague memory.

Barbara Howard is a South Florida public relations, media and governmental consultant, political talk show host and freelance journalist. Contact her at bhoward11@bellsouth.net. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Hurricane Andrew, 20 years later

BARBARA HOWARD

GUEST COLUMNIST

omatic that if you discriminate in five counties that there’s discrim-ination in the other 62,” said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa.

Joyner, who has filed a le-gal challenge to the Depart-ment of State’s order to the oth-er 62 counties to go ahead with the law, was among a half-doz-en leaders who tried to meet with Scott on Monday to discuss the ruling. They were turned away, though the governor’s legislative affairs director, Jon Costello, said Scott’s office would try to arrange a meeting before the November general elections.

Leon County Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho, who was also in the group looking to meet with Scott, said the extra early voting days were needed to avoid particularly long lines on Elec-tion Day.

“The issue is that the state is playing dangerous games with Florida’s electoral infrastructure,” Sancho said. “We do not have a number of precincts necessary to accommodate all the voters on Election Day.”

Joyner and Dale Landry, a vice president of the State Conference of NAACP Branches, suggested more legal challenges could be on the way to try to get the early voting change blocked in the oth-er counties.

Possible compromise?Shortly before the group tried

to meet with Scott, Secretary of State Ken Detzner held a confer-ence call with elections officials from the five counties, follow-ing up on a similar call Friday. A spokesman for Detzner said he was simply trying to lay out the options for the counties in the wake of the ruling.

The judges seemed to leave some room for a compromise, saying that they might be able to preclear going from 96 hours of voting spread over 14 days to 96 hours spread over eight days, as-suming 12 hours was offered each day. The spokesman, Chris Cate, said the meetings were necessary because the state was technically filing for preclearance on behalf

of the five counties.“Our recommendation is for

them to use as many hours as their county needs,” Cate said.

But Harry Sawyer, supervisor of elections in Monroe County, bristled at that description.

“They in no way left us with any other thought in our mind that there was any other choice but theirs,” he said.

Sawyer said the other four su-pervisors appear likely to go along with the state’s decision to try to get the eight-day, 12-hour solu-tion precleared – but he won’t, saying he believes “it’s the days that count, and not the hours.”

Sawyer threatened?On Tuesday, Scott issued a

statement that some read as a

veiled threat to Sawyer, the Re-publican supervisor in Monroe.

“There is an easy and clear path for the five supervisors of elections to comply with their le-gal duties under both state and federal law,” Scott said in the statement. “I applaud the four supervisors who have unequiv-ocally stated that they will adopt an early voting plan that allows 96 hours of early voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ... Moving forward, I will continue to take all neces-sary and appropriate action to ensure that the laws are faithful-ly executed, that supervisors are fulfilling their duties, and that the voters of this state have free and fair elections.”

That was interpreted by some as a threat to remove Sawyer if he doesn’t go along with the state’s plan to try to get preclearance for the changes. Democrats, who have largely opposed a reduction in early voting days as an attempt to discourage Black voters from turning out, slammed the state-ment.

‘Florida, Inc.’“I strongly urge the governor

to clarify or retract any remarks that would suggest he would re-move the supervisor, who is set to soon retire, for simply carrying out his constitutional duties and responsibilities to voters,” said outgoing House Minority Leader Ron Saunders, D-Key West, who represents Monroe.

Joyner said Scott “should be ashamed of himself” for issuing the statement.

“Republican Governor Rick Scott’s actions and implied threat to remove the Monroe County Supervisor of Elections – who he considers an obstacle to his voter suppression goals – are a slap in the face to all people who believe in free and fair elections,” Joyner said. “And he continues to govern as if the state is his very own Flor-ida Inc., and he’s the CEO.”

VOTINGfrom A1

BRANDON LARRABEE/NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

State Sen. Arthenia Joyner, State Rep. Alan Williams, the Rev. William Foust of SCLC/Florida, and Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor tried to meet with Gov. Rick Scott about the state’s early voting laws. Scott refused to see them.

Ten costliest U.S. hurricanesBased on damage figures that have been adjusted for inflation and current levels of building

© 2011 MCT

Sept. 18,1926 (4)Sept. 08,1900 (4)Aug. 29, 2005 (3)Aug. 17,1915 (4)Aug. 24,1992 (5)Oct. 19,1944 (3)Sept. 21,1938 (3)Sept. 10,1960 (4)Sept. 16,1928 (4)Aug. 17,1969 (5)

Florida – UnnamedTexas – UnnamedLouisiana – KatrinaTexas – UnnamedFlorida – AndrewFlorida – UnnamedNew York – UnnamedFlorida – DonnaFlorida – UnnamedLouisiana-Camille

145 (233)145 (233)125 (201)130 (209)170 (274)120 (193)120 (193)145 (233)150 (241)160 (257)

$180.8994.0691.4875.6366.1946.1945.2144.1742.3225.63

Source: U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Roger Pielke Jr., University of Colorado Graphic: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Hurricane Hugo

Record-breaker when it hit, but

only $18 billion in adjusted

dollars

Rank/date(hurricane category)

Landfall state –storm name

Top wind speed inmph (kph)

Adjusted damage, in

billions

ing Isaac west. That area is expected to weaken by Sat-urday and allow the system to turn northwest or north, senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven said.

The timing of that turn will determine whether Florida faces a threat – and what part of the state is most at risk. Beven noted that the five-day forecast track error is about 255 miles.

Of some consolation to the state: If Isaac plows over Cu-ba as forecast, it likely would be weakened by the interac-tion with land. Further, the overall forecast already has been reduced – the system previously had been fore-cast to reach Category 2 sta-

tus – because of its struggle against dry air, Beven said.

The Gulf, then Tampa?

According to Jeff Mas-ters, chief meteorologist of Weather Underground, some models aim Isaac in-to the Gulf of Mexico and curve it back toward Florida next week. Under that sce-nario, the storm could end up being a threat to Tampa during the Republican Na-tional Convention, Aug. 27-30, he said. Florida officials said the state is as ready as it can be.

“I am confident in our preparation, and the deci-sion process in place to en-sure the safety of both our residents and visitors during the convention,” Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement.

With thousands of dele-

gates and media scheduled to begin arriving in a mat-ter of days, Bryan Koon, di-rector of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said preparations that began months ago continue, but fi-nal decisions are still days away.

‘Complicating factor’

“The (Republican Nation-al Convention), I will tell you, is a complicating factor,” Koon said in an inter-view with the News Service Wednesday. “As far a hurri-cane goes, we will be prepar-ing much like we normally do in these situations.”

The state had already planned to elevate its emer-gency response level on Sunday in anticipation of the convention. That may now happen sooner.

“There are a lot of peo-ple interested in the poten-tial overlap of the two events there so we have to make sure we are coordinating properly with the (RNC’s) Committee on Arrange-ments,” Koon said.

Evacuation possibleConvention goers will be

treated like any other visi-tors. That means they may be required to move de-pending on the path of the storm.

“There are many parts of Tampa Bay area that are in evacuation zones because of the low lying nature of the terrain there,” Koon said.

Ken Kaye of the Sun Sen-tinel (MCT) contributed to this report.

ISAACfrom A1

Florida not getting delegates back

Florida is still going to see its delegation to the Republican National Convention – held next week in Tampa – cut in half for breaking party rules on when the state could hold its presidential primary.

But all of the would-be delegates will be al-lowed on the convention floor, Republican Na-tional Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told the Tampa Bay Times’ political blog The Buzz.

The other half of what would have been the Florida delegation will instead be designated as “honored guests,” Priebus said. The state will also lose 160 guest passes.

“They received 90 percent of every penalty available to us,” Priebus said.

–News Service of Florida

A3NATIONAUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2012

BY DAVID ROYSE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – As stu-dents return to school in many parts of the state this week, some will no doubt already be thinking about tests.

Florida’s Republican leaders also have long thought about tests, and their role in education, but there are signs that Gov. Rick Scott may be thinking at least a little differently about the future role of ex-ams in student learning.

Scott had hinted earlier this summer that he had at least heard the com-plaints of parents, teachers and an increasing number of school boards that have fumed about the FCAT, the standardized test that they complained had become too much the focus of Flor-ida’s schools.

New ad deals with testing

But it was a quick hint with no follow-up and it wasn’t clear where stan-dardized testing really played into the governor’s thinking about education overall.

Now, however, Scott is in a new ad, in which he makes it clear that he agrees, at least in part, that high stakes testing as it has been used for 15 years in Florida, may have been overly emphasized.

“I’ve learned a lot as gov-ernor - you can study all the numbers you want, but listening to parents and teachers is still the best ed-ucation,” Scott says in the ad.

“I’ve listened to the frus-

trations parents and teach-ers have with the FCAT,” Scott says. “Next year we begin improving our test-ing system. No more teach-ing to the test.”

FCAT already was on the way out

While that sounds like a bold change for a gover-nor in a Republican Party that championed the FCAT at its outset and defended it for more than a decade, it actually comes behind a change that’s already start-ed.

The students that will take the dreaded FCAT this year will be among the last – it’s on the way out al-ready, replaced by a new set of tests that measure more narrowly what stu-dents have learned in spe-cific courses.

Critics say it’s easy for Scott to criticize something that’s already going away, and take credit for helping end the unpopular exam. It actually was phased out by legislation that passed in 2010 before Scott was gov-ernor and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist.

FCAT critics say that’s what Scott is doing – get-ting on board with bashing the problems with the test now that it’s on its way out, and now that he’s starting to think about re-election in two years.

“This video is a cam-paign ad designed to calm folks down about testing and a PR move to improve Scott’s image,” said Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education As-sociation, the state’s larg-est teacher union, and a longtime critic of the FCAT. “And I think it’s designed to tamp down any chance

that testing becomes an is-sue in legislative races.”

Complaints now more intense

Even fellow Republicans acknowledge that Scott may be a bit late to the idea, but some say that’s OK.

Sen. Nancy Detert, the Republican who sponsored the bill phasing out the FCAT for a new “end-of-course” exam, said even if the idea has already left the station, it’s better for Scott to board late than not at all, because he can help sell the new testing scheme.

“We’re happy to have him on the train,” said De-tert, of Venice.

“He’s done an excellent job of listening and not just hearing what he wants to hear, he’s heard the com-plaints about FCAT,” De-tert said. “And I think now everybody is on the same train.”

Those complaints have gotten more intense lately. The state’s school boards this year passed a resolu-tion completely panning high stakes testing gener-ally and calling for the state to move away from it.

Moving toward ‘Common Core’

Under the 2010 law, Florida is moving to end of course exams intended to measure whether students have mastered the mate-rial from specific courses, rather than broader skill sets like reading and writ-ing. Understanding of alge-bra, geometry and biology are already tested this way, and are based on master-ing of a certain set of ideas that all students should be expected to learn.

The move comes as part of a broader shift to teach-ing a “Common Core,” a set of national standards to be phased in over the next three years that is aimed at helping boost the nation’s performance in areas in which the United States has fallen behind other countries. It’s intended to be more rigorous – that is, the courses are going to get tougher - and kids around the country will be expect-ed to essentially learn the same things.

Detert and others say the difference between the old testing and the new testing isn’t really that profound, that at the bottom line the goal is the same: to make sure children are learn-ing the things our society thinks they need to learn.

Pushed hard by former governor

The FCAT, which be-

gan in Florida in 1998, was a central element of a move to better measure the successes and failures of schools pushed hard by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.

The test has high stakes for students because it is necessary to graduate or move on, though there are multiple opportunities to re-take it. It’s also been a key part of measuring schools.

Democrats have com-plained about the role of the FCAT in the education system nearly since it start-ed. Several said it was too integral to the measure-ment of students’ abilities, and that it fostered teach-ing to the test, something a number of teachers have told lawmakers over the years.

Republicans, led by Bush, generally respond-ed that teaching to the test wasn’t necessarily bad if it got students to learn the

material.The state’s former edu-

cation commissioner, Scott appointee Gerard Robin-son, recently urged Flori-da’s school boards not to adopt a resolution critical of the FCAT.

The Florida School Boards Association did so anyway, adopting a docu-ment broadly slamming the FCAT and high stakes, standardized testing in general, as over-empha-sized. Such testing, “when used alone, is an inade-quate and often unreliable measure of both student learning and educator ef-fectiveness,” the resolution said.

The association called on Scott and the Legisla-ture to eliminate the use of standardized tests as the “primary basis for evaluat-ing teacher, administrator, school and district perfor-mance.”

Gov. Scott: No more teaching to the test

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush listens to kindergartner Ja’Nae Thompson as she whispers in his ear during a visit to Tangelo Park Elementary School in Orlando on Oct. 7. 2010. The FCAT, which began in Florida in 1998, was a central element of a move to better measure the successes and failures of schools pushed hard by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.

QFRC10070000_AA_10_EasyHome_BW_FloridaCourier(10x10).indd 1 7/27/12 2:14 PM

AUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2012A4 EDITORIAL

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1929-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra Cherry- Kittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Chief Executive Officer Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources Lynnette Garcia, Marketing Consultant/Sales Linda Fructuoso, Marketing Consultant/Sales, Circulation Angela VanEmmerik, Creative Director Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Starla Vaughns Cherin, Karin Davis-Thompson, James Harper, Andreas Butler, Ashley Thomas, Staff Writers Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists

MEMBER National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association

W W W . F L C O U R I E R . C O M

Central Florida Communications Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, Fl 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877-352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call Lyn-nette Garcia, 877-352-4455 ext. 4; e-mail lgar-cia@floridacourier.org. Subscriptions to the print version are $59 per year. Mail check to 5207 Washington Blvd., Tampa, FL 33619, or log on to www.flcourier.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.

SUBMISSIONS POLICYSEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO NEWS@FLCOURIER.COM. Deadline for submitting news and pictures is 5 p.m. the Monday before the Friday publica-tion date. You may submit articles at any time. However, current events received prior to deadline will be considered before any infor-mation that is submitted, without the Publish-er’s prior approval, after the deadline. Press releases, letters to the editor, and guest com-mentaries must be e-mailed to be considered for publication. The Florida Courier reserves the right to edit any submission, and crop any photograph, for style and clarity. Materials will not be returned.

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.

THE CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESSThe Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national

antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal

rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm

belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: PAUL RYAN

BoB EnGlEhArT, ThE hArTford CoUrAnT

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 150

Men and abortion – People like Repub-lican U.S. Senate candidate Todd “Legiti-mate Rape” Akin are stupid and inconsis-tent. Akin also said he believed that a wom-an who was ‘legitimately’ raped couldn’t get pregnant. INSANELY wrong. Otherwise there wouldn’t be a light-skin'ded, high-yaller, redboned, or pecan-tanned person in ‘Black’ America...

Abortion should be safe and avail-able. With proper sex education (includ-ing teaching the advantages of abstinence) AND the ready availability of contracep-tives, abortion is becoming increasingly more rare – which is as it should be.

I’ve sat with women who’ve made that traumatic “have it or not have it” decision. I’ve witnessed three of my own kids born – including one who was stillborn and never drew breath. I understand what having an abortion means.

But until either divine intervention or scientific advances allow me to get preg-nant and give birth after nine months, I have no right to ‘force’ a grown-ass woman to give birth, even if that child is undoubt-edly mine. If human and constitutional rights mean anything, the pregnant wom-an herself must be the final determinant as to whether a child is born – age, marital sta-

tus, rape, or the woman’s own health not-withstanding.

Yes, we men can argue, fuss, cuss, beg, and cry to convince a woman to have it – or not to have it. And we can walk away if they don’t do our bidding. But ultimately it’s HER decision and hers alone – and re-gardless of what she decides, it’s something we’ll all have to live with.

With regard to abortion rights, men shouldn’t even be allowed to submit leg-islation or vote on measures that constrict a woman’s right to control her own repro-ductive capability. We men should all sit down, shut up, and let women make the laws –until God or science steps in to get us pregnant.

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccher-ry2.

PUBLISHER

ChARLEs W. ChERRy II, Esq.

quICk TAkEs fROm #2:sTRAIghT, nO ChAsER

It was the 1992 Bill Clin-ton-George H.W. Bush presidential campaign that introduced the memora-ble political slogan: “It’s the economy, Stupid.”

That slogan was a way of explaining why Bush was in danger of losing his job.

During the 2012 cam-paign between President Barack Obama and for-mer Massachusetts Gover-nor Mitt Romney, a clarify-ing explanation as to why the president is in danger of losing his job is similar: “It’s race, Stupid.”

Of course, one would never know this if depen-dent upon commentators on radio and television and op-ed columnists with major newspapers and magazines.

Obama’s re-election threatened

They go on and on about everything that threatens President Obama’s re-elec-tion prospects except the fact that many, if not most, Whites in this country, es-pecially White males, have had more than enough of seeing a Black man in the White House.

For example, hosts of public affairs programs on television and radio and newspaper and magazine columnists have analyzed and discussed the speech made by Rep. Paul Ryan af-ter he was chosen as Rom-ney’s running mate with-out once dealing with the most revealing statement he made.

After citing several ac-tions that must be taken by those who detest Obama being in the White House, Ryan noted that if those things were done “We will get our country back on Nov. 6.”

In all the vitriolic, parti-san attacks made on pres-idents Clinton and George W. Bush by their oppo-

nents, I don’t recall a sin-gle attacker insisting that the president must be de-feated for re-election so “we can get our country back.”

That has been the man-tra only about President Barack Obama. Rep. Ry-an and those who share his sentiment believe the following: That the Unit-ed States must be res-cued and that President Obama - with his Muslim father from Kenya, Afri-can-American wife, Asian-American sister and oth-er Kenyan blood relatives - is an outsider who can’t possibly be as American as they are.

President’s policies successful

They insist this is so de-spite the fact that the pres-ident’s policies helped save thousands of jobs in the automobile industry, have maintained the Bush tax cuts focusing on help-ing those who have mon-ey get more money, have provided health care sup-port for working class and middle income mostly White families that are one catastrophic illness away from financial disaster, have provided a stimulus package which gave mon-ey even to the congressio-nal districts of hypocritical anti-stimulus politicians such as Rep. Ryan, and have created an econom-ic climate in which corpo-rations have made record-setting profits.

His policies also resulted in the killing of U.S. public enemy number one, Osa-ma bin Laden, have near-

ly crippled al-Qaeda with constant drone attacks that also killed dozens of non-combatants, have continued the neo-cons’ war of choice in Afghani-stan and have significantly expanded economic sanc-tions against Iran, among other things.

Most notably, President Obama has determinedly avoided any kind of ges-ture or policy that could honestly be described as reaching out to African-Americans. And he has kept his cool, even when Glenn Beck mocked his daughter and when per-sonally insulted by code names such as Food Stamp President to avoid being labeled an angry Black male.

No need for rescueThough one may oppose

these policies or regard them as insufficient for what is needed, they don’t remotely reflect a person from whom the country must be rescued.

So what is left but the conclusion that for Rep. Ryan and his cohorts, a Black man in the White House, any Black man, in-cluding brothers from an-other mother such as Her-man Cain, Rep. Alan West of Florida, Rep. Tom Scott of South Carolina, Artur Davis and others of that ilk, is unbearable, a severe shock to the White psyche. In other words, “It’s race, Stupid.”

Peter Bailey, a former associate editor of Ebo-ny, is currently editor of Vital Issues: The Jour-nal of African American Speeches. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

It’s race, Stupid

Editor’s note: BET Net-works recently partnered with several of the coun-try’s largest African-Ameri-can media outlets to form a media and marketing con-sortium aimed at encourag-ing advertisers and market-ers to invest more resources in the Black consumer mar-ketplace. The campaign, of which the National News-paper Publishers Associa-tion is a part of, is called #InTheBlack.

Last month, we partnered with some of the country’s leading African-American media outlets to launch the #INTHEBLACK campaign. We wanted to speak with one loud collective voice to educate advertisers and consumers about the pow-er of the African-American consumer and the unique ability the African-Ameri-can media has in reaching this base directly.

Through our market and audience research we know African-Americans repre-sent over 42 million strong mega-consumers and brand influencers with a buying power of nearly one

trillion dollars annually.Is there enough invest-

ment in the strong Black audience from advertisers and key stakeholders?

Just the beginningThis has been a conver-

sation happening in the in-dustry for a long time. At our upfront presentation this year, we tackled the is-sue head-on, but realized we needed to do more.

We knew we needed to bring together the media entities that are closest to our audience and come up with a unified strate-gy to address this problem. I couldn’t be more proud of all my peers who have joined this effort.

However, this is just the beginning of an effort with a very long tail. As a next step, we will educate and

engage the media buying community.

Buying strengthI grew up reading Jet and

Ebony and am so proud to be able to see my daugh-ter, Ava, flip through those same magazines today. It is important that we preserve our historically Black media publications and demand sufficient investments from advertisers as they are the pulse of what is relevant and topical in the African-American community.

As we continue down this road to truly vocalize the depth of African-Amer-ican spending power, you can visit our website arey-outintheblack.org to keep track of our progress and find out how you can help make sure all our voices are heard.

Debra Lee is chair-man and CEO of BET Net-works. Click on this col-umn at www.flcourier.com to write a response.

Are the companies you support ‘in the Black’?

DEbRA LEE

GUEST COLUMNIST

Doesn’t truth matter anymore?I was listening to Chuck

Todd of MSNBC as he in-terviewed Iowa Gov. Ter-ry Branstad regarding the drought conditions in his state and how they would impact Iowa farmers.

Without prompting and surprisingly to me and, I suspect, other viewers, the conversation leapfrogged to a totally unrelated matter – the Romney team’s accusa-tion that President Barack Obama had arbitrarily taken away the work requirement from the “Welfare to Work” law.

Without regard to com-mon television etiquette, Governor Branstad talked over his host, Chuck Todd, as though he did not even hear the corrections that Mr. Todd attempted to in-sert in the discussion. With-out any acknowledgment of the misinformation he was spewing, Governor Bran-stad seemed determined to get his talking points out—true or false.

If he were the only person doing that, I don’t suppose it would matter so much, but just before that interview I had heard Congressman Paul Ryan use the same talk-ing point, and before that I had seen the Romney attack ad doing the same thing – using information to make a point that has been de-bunked by reliable sources over and over again. I asked myself, “Doesn’t truth mat-ter anymore?”

Public being misinformed

Shelton Gragg and Stefan Petrucha authored a book called, “What the____Is Wrong with the Right?’’ and

I have been asking myself that a lot lately. Almost any day, we can see someone on the right disrespecting the Office of the President, hurl-ing coded insults about ev-erybody who is not white, male, wealthy and on the far right on every issue.

In other words, as far as the right is concerned, there is something wrong with Af-rican-Americans, women, Progressives, seniors, Dem-ocrats (all of which I am), Latinos, LGBT persons, poor people, working people, la-bor unionists – well you get the idea.

Not so long ago, the right said President Barack Obama was too cool! Sud-denly, Ryan and Romney decided the President is a “hateful, angry Black man!” They need to get real! They’re working from a script that is designed to drag the Presi-dent down.

They’ve had a measure of success when you see a group of unknown Black preachers standing at a mi-crophone talking about blocking the President’s re-election or when a few Blacks seeking attention ask, “What has the President done for Black people?”

Black women are not pleased at hearing the “an-gry” label applied. We like it even less when it’s used to denigrate us. We sure don’t like it when Ryan, Romney and right-wing types use it on our President. God knows

we have much about which to be angry – lynchings, cas-trations, forced family sepa-rations, miseducation of our children, thefts of our prop-erty under the cover of law, no payment and/or under-payment for services ren-dered, shooting our sons and brothers down in the streets of cities across Amer-ica, and the list goes on.

Right to be angrySure, we get angry, be-

cause we have done far more to make our commu-nities better than the right has ever helped us to do.

The Ryan-Romney team stands ready to take back from us hard fought gains we have earned. They don’t mind using lies and laws to limit our voting rights. They threaten our health by threatening to end Medicare and to take away affordable health care.

They try to impose their will on what women do with our bodies and frighten im-migrant children who were brought here as babies.

Ryan and Romney want to force the most draconi-an, extreme budget upon us and, then, make us believe they are on our side. Truth just doesn’t matter to this crowd. Please! Give me a break! Do they think we are stupid, crazy or what?

Dr. E. Faye Williams is National Chair of the Na-tional Congress of Black Women, Inc. 202/678-6788. www.nationalcon-gressbw.org and Board Chair of the Black Leader-ship Forum. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own re-sponse.

DR. E. fAyE WILLIAms, Esq.

TRICE EDNEY WIRE

TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

A. PETER bAILEy

A5EDITORIALAUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2012

Romney budget cuts ‘substantially’ deeper than Ryan’s

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: AUGUSTA NATIONAL

Presumptive Republican pres-idential nominee Mitt Romney has been carefully trying to put some distance between him and running mate Paul Ryan’s radi-cal budget proposal but he has a major problem – his plan would make even deeper cuts than the Ryan plan.

A careful analysis of Romney’s plan by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) observed: “Governor Mitt Romney’s propos-als to cap total federal spending, boost defense spending, cut tax-es, and balance the budget would require extraordinarily large cuts in other programs, both entitle-ments and discretionary pro-grams.

“For the most part, Governor Romney has not outlined cuts in specific programs. But if policy-makers exempted Social Security from the cuts, as Romney has sug-gested, and cut Medicare, Med-icaid, and all other entitlement and discretionary programs by the same percentage – to meet Romney’s spending cap, defense spending target, and balanced budget requirement – then non-defense programs other than So-cial Security would have to be cut 29 percent in 2016 and 59 percent in 2022.” That would shred the social net that Romney claims to support.

Program cuts“Governor Romney’s cuts would

be substantially deeper than those required under the aus-tere House-passed budget plan authored by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI). Over the 2014-2022 period, Romney would require cuts in programs other than Social Security and de-fense of $7 trillion to $10 trillion, compared with a little over $5 tril-lion under the Ryan budget,” the analysis pointed out.

As I wrote in this space last week, another Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report stat-ed, “Combined, the Bush and Ry-an tax cuts would provide an an-nual windfall of nearly $400,000 apiece, on average, to people with incomes over $1 million. By com-bining large budget cuts (and tax increases) that disproportionate-ly harm lower-income Americans with big tax cuts that dispropor-tionately help those at the top of the income scale, the Ryan bud-get would significantly worsen inequality and increase poverty and hardship (and reduce oppor-tunity as well, through deep cuts in programs such as Pell Grants to help low-income students afford college).” And Romney’s budget proposal is worse than that.

Poor, elderly affectedA May 21 updated analysis by

CBPP revealed, “The cuts that would be required under the Romney budget proposals in pro-grams such as veterans’ disability compensation, Supplemental Se-curity Income (SSI) for poor elder-ly and disabled individuals, SNAP (formerly food stamps), and child nutrition programs would move millions of households below the poverty line or drive them deeper into poverty.

“The cuts in Medicare and Medicaid would make health in-surance unaffordable (or unavail-able) to tens of millions of peo-ple. The cuts in non-defense dis-cretionary programs – a spending category that covers a wide vari-ety of public services such as el-ementary and secondary educa-tion, law enforcement, veterans’ health care, environmental pro-tection, and biomedical research – would come on top of the deep cuts in this part of the budget that are already in law due to the dis-cretionary funding caps estab-lished in last year’s Budget Con-trol Act (BCA).”

During the campaign, Rom-ney has listed four key proposals that would affect federal spend-ing, taxes and the deficit: reduce federal spending to 20 percent of GDP by the end of first term and cap it at that level; increase “core defense spending” – roughly 93 percent of defense spending – at

4 percent of GDP; extend the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts and other tax cuts set to expire; reduce in-come tax rates by another 20 per-cent, making the top tax rate 28 percent; eliminate the estate tax; reduce the corporate income tax and balance the budget.

Cuts in Medicare“Although Governor Romney

has not proposed specific Medi-care policies, it would be virtual-ly impossible to achieve his bud-getary objectives while sparing Medicare from substantial cuts. If Medicare as well as Social Secu-rity were protected, all other pro-grams – including Medicaid, vet-erans’ benefits, education, envi-ronmental protection, transpor-tation, and SSI – would have to be

cut by an average of 40 percent in 2016 and 57 percent in 2022, just to limit federal spending to 20 per-cent of GDP,” the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities stated.

“If the budget also had to be balanced, all government pro-grams other than defense, Social Security, and Medicare would have to be nearly eliminated: six out of every seven dollars going for them would disappear.”

And you thought the Ryan bud-get plan was bad.

George E. Curry, former ed-itor-in-chief of Emerge maga-zine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publish-ers Association News Service. Click on this story at www.fl-courier.com to write your own response.

NATe Beeler, The ColUmBUS DiSpATCh

Our nation’s democracy is in a crisis. We are facing the biggest challenge to our na-tion since its inception. No, there is not an armed rebellion going on, but, oh, is there a war—a silent, insidious, invidious, nefar-ious, absolutely downright ugly war. And the war is on the right to vote for Ameri-can citizens.

– Barbara Arnwine, July 2012At the Children’s Defense Fund’s recent

national conference Barbara Arnwine, the executive director of the Lawyers’ Commit-tee for Civil Rights Under Law and a leader of Election Protection, the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, is-sued an urgent call to action. Right now as-saults on voting rights across the country in advance of the 2012 elections are keep-ing her very busy.

Arwine said 25 million Americans who had voted in 2008 did not vote in the 2010 midterm elections, and when new state legislators came into power after those elections, their first priority was figuring out how to keep those 25 million people from returning to the polls.

Legislators in 35 states quickly drafted bills making it harder for people to vote: “everything from photo ID laws, to laws restricting early voting, to laws making it harder for third party registration groups to register people to vote, to laws making it harder for people to vote on Sundays be-cause in many states that’s when Latinos and African Americans voted the heaviest, to laws restricting student voting.”

Remembering giantsArnwine said the lawmakers behind

these bills were counting on the targeted voters not noticing what was happening until it was too late. But, she said, “They forgot that we stand on the shoulders of gi-ants who we will never let down. We get up in the morning and we say that we cannot negate the legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer;

that we will never forget the legacy of Ce-sar Chavez; that we never will negate the legacy of Mr. Korematsu; that we never can sit back and let rights be stolen.”

But as Frederick Douglass taught us, “Power concedes nothing without a de-mand. It never did and it never will.”

Know your roleArnwine and her colleagues are doing

their part by suing states whose proposed laws violate the Voting Rights Act. But Arn-wine stressed that every person can do something to fight in this war on the right to vote, and we each need to decide now how we will execute our roles. Begin by us-ing traditional networks and social net-works to make sure every single person you know is a “V.I.P.”: they have verified their voter registration status; they have the right identification for their state; and they know their precinct.

Arnwine summed up this way: “There is a role for everybody. Don’t forget. If you forget everything that I said today, if you re-member nothing, just remember this one thing: that we can only win this fight if you fight.” We cannot stand by and let the right to vote be taken away again on our watch. Every one of us must decide what we can do in the fight to protect voting rights to-day. There’s no time to waste.

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.

Mapping the war on the right to vote

As millions of college students return to campus, a recent set-tlement by the Federal Depos-it Insurance Corporation (FDIC) may become a financial blessing to students and their parents. An estimated 60,000 students are ex-pected to share $11 million in res-titution from two financial firms – Higher One Holdings, Inc. and Bancorp Bank.

According to FDIC, beginning in July 2008, the firms charged multiple nonsufficient fund (NSF) fees from a single merchant trans-action. By allowing student ac-counts to remain overdrawn for long periods of time, the firms were able to collect more NSF fees while also charging more fees for subsequent deposits to student accounts.

Most importantly, these prac-tices exposed an often hidden role that financial institutions have on college campuses. As stu-dent monies were eaten up by these fees, the remaining avail-able funds diminished the avail-ability of monies intended for tu-

ition and other student expenses.

Unfair, deceptive actsFDIC held that Bancorp Bank,

based in Wilmington, Del. was responsible to ensure that High-er One operated the OneAccount program in compliance with all applicable laws. Unfair or decep-tive acts or practices are viola-tions of the Federal Trade Com-mission Act.

According to the U.S. Public In-terest Research Group (PIRG), Higher One has card agreements with 520 campuses that enroll 4.3 million students. Commenting on the settlement announcement, Rich Williams, higher education advocate for U.S. PIRG said, “We commend the FDIC for holding

Higher One accountable. Student aid should not be a piggy bank for banks to dip into especially when their practices are unfair or de-ceptive.”

In May, U.S. PIRG released “The Campus Debit Card Trap,’’ a report that found banks and fi-nancial firms now control or in-fluence federal financial aid dis-bursement to more than 9 million students by linking checking ac-counts and prepaid debit cards to student IDs and providing finan-cial aid disbursement services.

Significant fees chargedAccording to the report, stu-

dents can pay significant fees that are charged against their student aid, including per-swipe fees of 50 cents, inactivity fees of $10 or more after six months and over-draft fees of up to $38. Financial institutions use aggressive mar-keting to maximize these fees, the report found.

The FDIC settlement will al-so require the two firms to pay a

combined $282,000 in civil pen-alties. In addition, should Higher One fail to fully repay the $11 mil-lion in restitution, Bancorp Bank will be financially responsible for restitution payment. Higher One expects to pay credits on current and charged-off accounts. Closed accounts are expected to be paid by check.

Additionally, the settlement or-ders multiple changes to practic-es by the two financial firms.

Higher One has agreed to: not charge NSF fees to accounts that have been in a continuous neg-ative balance for more than 60 days; not charge more than three NSF fees on any single day to a single account; not charge more than one NSF fee with respect to a single automated clearing house transaction that is returned un-paid within any 21-day period; re-frain from misleading or decep-tive representations or omissions in its marketing materials and/or disclosures; and

institute a sound compliance management system.

Similarly, Bancorp Bank is now required to: correct all violations; significantly increase its manage-ment of third-party risk; increase board oversight of all compliance matters; and improve its compli-ance management system.

Today, a series of recent en-forcement actions in financial services are giving hope to con-sumers: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent $140 million action against Capital One, the Department of Justice’s $175 million action against Wells Fargo and the newest FDIC $11 million settlement signal that reg-ulators are heeding the concerns of consumers.

Charlene Crowell is a com-munications manager with the Center for Responsible Lend-ing. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

$11 million FDIC settlement to benefit 60,000 college students

Lincoln’s words, included in the Get-tysburg Address, “…and that government of the people, by the people, for the peo-ple, shall not perish from the earth,” take on an esoteric meaning as we look at to-day’s political situation. A brief look at politics will show anyone with an ounce of sense that “we the people” have not, do not, and will not run the U.S. govern-ment.

The silly name-calling among politi-cians, the bought-and-paid-for mem-bers of Congress, the lack of progress on anything related to our economy, the absolute lack of concern for the poor, the elderly and veterans, the kowtowing to Wall Street puppet masters, and the total aloofness of those whom “we the people” sent to Washington are blatant examples of how screwed up our politi-cal system has become.

Just who was Lincoln referring to when he spoke his famous line about “the people”? One thing we know for sure is that he was not talking about Black folks, and I would venture to guess he was not talking about poor White folks either.

Black Folks ‘the people’?And that whole thing about the gov-

ernment being of, for, and by “the peo-ple” is in no way applicable to us, which leads to the logical conclusion that “we the people” must mean those who have the most money.

So where does that put Black people when it comes to the current econom-ic state of this country and its future? What does it say about our political clout? Do “we, the Black people” and “we, the poor people” have a dog in the hunt as regards economic security, po-litical influence, and/or power?

We will see no relief prior to the elec-tion because the two parties are squab-

bling and posturing for votes and dol-lars right now.

There will be no solution to unem-ployment, the housing market, tight lending policies, Medicare, the national debt and deficit, and all the other fiscal ailments that have beset us, simply be-cause the folks we sent to Congress are more interested in keeping their jobs and all the accoutrements thereof.

No longer neededI don’t claim to know much, but one

thing I am certain of is that politicians, no matter what stripe, are not going to do anything about the conditions we, the Black people, face. I believe it was Marcus Garvey who said, “All the shoes have been shined and all the cotton has been picked.” He went on to suggest that Black people were no longer need-ed by white folks, therefore, if we did not change our ways when it came to busi-ness development we would indeed be-come obsolete.

So I ask again: Just who are “we the people”? Another thing I know for sure is that, it sure ain’t us.

James E. Clingman is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincin-nati’s African American Studies De-partment. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own re-sponse.

Blackonomics: Just who are ‘We the People’?

NNPA COLUMNIST

MARIAn WRIghT EDELMAn

NNPA COLUMNIST

JAMES CLIngMAn

NNPA FINANCIAL WRITER

ChARLEnE CROWELL

gEORgE E. CuRRy

NNPA COLUMNIST

TOjA6 NATION augusT 24 – augusT 30, 2012

‘Diverse group’ hasbeen meeting for months, Romneycampaign advisor says

TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

As the GOP prepares to meet in Tampa next week, Republi-can presidential candidate Mitt Romney has been meeting with a team of politically diverse Black advisors as part of his growing campaign strategy against Presi-dent Barack Obama, confirms a campaign spokesperson.

“There is a Black coalitions group that meets regularly with the Romney campaign,” says Tara Wall, senior communica-tions and coalitions advisor for the Romney campaign.

“This is not new. This is some-thing that’s been going on for several months.”

Speaking guardedly about the advisors during an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire, Wall declined to give names of any Democrats who might be in-volved. “They are not just Repub-licans. They’re a diverse group,” she said.

She did mention the Rev. Jeff Brown as being someone to whom Romney listens. Brown is the African-American co-found-er of the Boston Ten Points Coali-tion, who spoke highly of Rom-ney during his appearance at the NAACP Convention in July.

Brown said he was not endors-ing Romney per se, but told the media how Romney had worked “in a bi-partisan fashion with in-ner-city Black clergy” when he was governor of Massachusetts.

‘A seat at the table’Wall said of Romney, “He has

worked in a bipartisan fashion; he had to have Democrats to help him pass legislation in Massachu-setts. He’s not immune to that … At the end of the day, if he does become president, he does want to become president and will be-come president for all Americans and we have to have a seat at the table. Black America wants to have a seat at the table.”

President Obama, who won nearly 98 percent of the Black vote during his historic campaign in 2008, has come under signifi-cant criticism by Blacks who are dissatisfied with the steadily high jobless rate in the Black commu-nity. Despite the disparate eco-nomic impact on African-Amer-icans, Obama is still expected to win heavy support among Black voters, though grassroots orga-nizers are complaining about a lack of motivation.

For example, Baltimore Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant held what he called a “Code Red” confer-ence, sponsored by his “Empow-erment Movement” last week in an attempt to get African-Amer-ican church leaders oriented to get out the vote.

Seeking defecting DemsWall, a former CNN contribu-

tor and deputy editorial page edi-tor for the conservative Washing-ton Times, indicated that Rom-ney will attempt to take advan-tage of every slip in support for Obama.

“Obviously a majority of Black Americans are going to once again vote for President Obama,” Wall said. “But he doesn’t enjoy the large margins that he once en-joyed. I’ve seen polling numbers where those margins have been reduced to 85 and 90 percent among Black Americans. That alone is significant enough to put Mitt Romney in the win column.”

Wall says she has heard some Blacks who voted for Obama in 2008 saying they will not do so again. However, she stressed that Black support for Romney does not have to mean defecting Black Democrats. She acknowledged

that some Black Republicans al-so voted for Obama the last time. Among Obama’s Black Republi-can supporters in 2008 was for-mer Secretary of State Colin Pow-ell, who has not yet endorsed anyone in the current campaign.

“I think we also want to get out our base of Black Republicans and conservatives and moder-ates and some folks who vot-ed for President Obama the last time that we want to make sure they check the box for Gov. Rom-ney this time,” Wall said.

‘Diversity of viewpoints’She said in order to achieve

that, Republican Party leaders must recognize and embrace the diversity even among Black Re-publicans.

“Republicans can’t be mono-lithic when it comes to Black Americans; not even Black Re-publicans. We are not monolith-ic-thinking and Black Republi-cans are not monolithic- think-ing. Within Black conservatism there is diversity. There is di-versity of viewpoints – moder-ate, liberal, conservative Black Republicans,” Wall said. “And I think anybody, whether it’s the [Republican] Party, Democrats or

the President, runs a risk [when] painting a broad brush. You can’t cast everyone in one category.”

One example of a conservative Black Democrat is former Con-gressman Artur Davis, a former Obama supporter-turned Re-publican, who will be speaking at the Republican Convention in Tampa Aug. 27-30.

Davis’ recent party switch comes as no surprise to political observers, particularly since he was the only member of the Con-gressional Black Caucus who vot-ed against the President’s Afford-able Care Act.

Not fazed by boosWall says that Romney at-

tempted to show his desire to di-alog with Blacks when he accept-ed the invitation to speak before the NAACP.

“He said he would be back to the NAACP if they would have him. So, he is very open to that. He has made that known and will make no bones about it,” Wall said.

Despite Romney’s outreach to the NAACP, saying he desires to “represent all Americans”, the audience of civil rights lead-ers booed him heavily when he

said he would “eliminate expen-sive non-essential programs like Obamacare.”

Apparently unfazed by the boos, Wall said, “There are going to be areas of disagreement. You’re not going to agree a hundred per-cent. But I think that the point is he’s also not going to pander and change his message because it’s a different audience.”

Wall expressed hope that the “business acumen” of Romney will appeal to African-Ameri-cans amidst racially disparate economic struggles. Romney is a multi-millionaire, mainly from his own businesses.

“I think they know that Gov. Romney brings some economic change and opportunity with his message,” she said.

“At this point where it comes to economics and jobs and small business I think there are a lot of folks who believe this is an im-perative and are willing to listen to Gov. Romney as to what the he brings to the table to help close the gap economically between Black and White…Romney – he has a strong record, he has busi-ness acumen. I think those are the principles that should apply to help bring this country back on track.”

Blacks on team strategizing to beat Obama

ROBERT COHEN/sT. LOuIs POsT-DIsPaTCH/MCT

Republican commentator Tara Wall, right, is shown during a July 2007 forum on the Black vote at the National Urban League con-vention in St. Louis, Mo. Making a point on the left is the Rev. Al Sharpton. Wall is senior communications and coalitions advisor for the Romney campaign.

Four-star general faces demotion over excessive spending

U.S. Army Four-Star Gen. Wil-liam E. “Kip” Ward, the first leader of the U.S. Africa Com-mand (AFRICOM), is facing the prospects of demotion following a lengthy investi-gation of allega-tions of excessive spending and oth-er financial impro-prieties, includ-ing inappropriate travel expenses, according to the Associated Press and CNN.

Defense Secre-tary Leon Panet-ta received findings from the Defense Department’s inspec-tor general this week and is ex-pected to rule soon on Ward, a Morgan State University gradu-ate and one of only five African-Americans in history to reach the rank of a four star general, among the Army’s highest ranks, CNN said.

The action comes 15 months after he retired following a 40-year career that began when he graduated from Morgan with a bachelor’s degree and was capped by a three and a half-year tour as the first leader of AFRICOM, a military unit creat-ed in 2007 to monitor threats to U.S. national security in Africa.

The inspector general’s report is said to detail a history of over-spending by Ward that includes what the network characterized as government funds misuse,

“extravagant and unacceptable” expense charges and inappro-priate use of military staff.

Lavish lifestyleAccording to the Associated

Press, the investigation of Ward covered 17 months and exam-ined what the wire service said was hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on “lavish hotels, travel and other items.”

The Huffington Post said Ward’s spending covered hun-dreds of thousands of dollars applied to travel on government airplanes for unauthorized peo-ple, including family members, and for travel and hotel accom-modations incidental to his role as leader of the Army command on the vast continent.

Panetta could reduce Ward to a two-star general, an action that could trim $1 million from the flag-rank officer’s pension. Since a lavish retirement ceremony for him in April 2011, Ward has been serving as a special assistant to the vice chief of the Army, a po-sition often used as a holding ar-ea for flag-rank officers who are being promoted or demoted.

Ward’s awards and badg-es include: the Defense Distin-guished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Su-perior Service Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Legion of Merit (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Defense Meritori-ous Service Medal, the Meritori-ous Service Medal (with six Oak Leaf Clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Ar-my Commendation Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Ar-my Achievement Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), the Expert In-fantryman’s Badge, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Master Parachutist Badge.

Gen. William E. WardMom, others

outraged about Arkansas case

FROM WIRE REPORTS

JONESBORO, Ark. – A med-ical examiner has ruled that Chavis Carter, the 21-year-old man who sustained a gunshot wound to the head while hand-cuffed in the back of a police car, died from suicide.

According to a report by Deputy Chief Medical Exam-iner Stephen A. Erickson of the Arkansas State Crime Lab, the bullet that killed Carter entered his skull near his right temple, four inches from the top of his head.

“At the time of discharge, the muzzle of the gun was placed against the right temporal scalp,” wrote Erickson.

He added, “The manner of death is based on both autop-sy findings and the investigative conclusions of the Jonesboro Police Depart-ment.”

Last week, Jonesboro po-lice released video of a police officer approxi-mately the same size as Carter reenacting what may have hap-pened the back of the police car on the night of July 28, when Carter and two other men were pulled over in a traffic stop. Police searched Carter twice but have said they did not find a gun.

Mom: Carter was never suicidal

Theresa Carter, his mother, doesn’t believe police claims

that her son shot himself to death with his hands cuffed behind his back in a police cruiser.

She is hurting and wants to know what happened in the last moments of life. A grow-ing number of people also want the truth and others believe the young Black man was killed by police. The suicide story, they say, is ludicrous.

“I’m just heartbroken. I just want to know what really hap-pened. … My child was nev-er suicidal. He would never kill himself. My son was full of joy, full of life, full of ambition,” Mrs. Carter somberly yet emphati-cally told The Final Call in an ex-clusive interview.

Mrs. Carter said her son’s fa-ther and two brothers are also having difficulty coping. “A day don’t go by I don’t cry. I’m just trying to be strong and hold up. I just want justice served,” she added.

The case has led to a number of protests. More were sched-uled this week.

The Associated Press, The Final Call along with the NN-PA News Service were used in compiling this report.

Death of man wearing handcuffs ruled suicide

Theresa Carter, mother of

Chavis Carter, is interviewed by a news sta-tion following

the candlelight vigil held in her son’s honor on

Aug. 6 at the First Baptist

Church in Jonesboro, Ark.

THE jONEsBORO suN/NNPa

Chavis Carter

LIFE | FAITH | HEALTH | MONEY | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD

www.flcourier.com

BSHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE | SECT ION

HEALTH | FOOD | TRAVEL | SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS

LIFE/FAITHS

Forever R&B concertfeatures Shirley Murdock See page B2

SouTH floriDA / TreASure coAST AreA

August 24 - August 30, 2012

Recipes for a better picnic See page B4

B-CU begins seasonon Sept. 2 againstAlabama State inMEAC/SWAC Challenge

BY ANDREAS BUTLER FLORIDA COURIER

Bethune-Cookman Universi-ty has returned to relevance on the gridiron. The Wildcats were HBCU national champs, MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Confer-ence) champs, made the play-offs in 2010, and had another good campaign in 2011. Expec-tations are once again high as B-CU looks to regain the MEAC ti-tle and take a shot at a national title.

Here is a look at the 2012 Wildcats.

2011: 8-3 overall, 6-2 in MEAC, second place

Head Coach: Brian Jenkins, third season, 18-5 overall, 13-3 in MEAC.

Gone: DL Ryan Davis (65 to-tal tackles, 21.5 TFL, 12 sacks); LB Ryan Lewis (41 total tackles, three interceptions); LB Reggie

Sandilands (58 total tackles, 11 TFL, two sacks, one intercep-tion); safety Jean Fanor (74 to-tal tackles, three interceptions), WR Maurice Francois (29 re-ceptions, 530 yards, one TD); QB Jamar Robinson (607 pass-ing yards, five TDs, five rush-ing TDs); RB Johnathan Mo-ment (207 rushing yards, four TDs); DB Daniel Rhodes (22 to-tal tackles, two interceptions); DL Jameil Farrington (28 total tackles, two sacks); OL Nathan-iel Curry; OL Corey Mason.

Back: QB Jackie Wilson (920 passing yards, five TDs, 423 rushing yards, five TDs); RB Isidore Jackson (866 rushing yards, seven TDs, 171 receiv-ing yards, one TD); RB Rodney Scott (563 rushing yards, one TD); RB Anthony Jordan (249 rushing yards, nine TDs); WR Eddie Poole (41 receiving, 421 yards, four TDs); OL Terrance Hackney; TE Patrick Murphy (130 receiving yards, one TD); OL Marquell Rozier; OL Alex Monroe; DL Harold Love III (37 total tackles, six TFL, 1.5 sacks);

Jacksonville team starts football season on Aug. 25 against Point University

BY ANDREAS BUTLER FLORIDA COURIER

The Edward Waters College Tigers are ex-cited about the upcoming football season. The Tigers compete in the National Asso-ciation of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as an independent. Last season, they made vast strides of improvement on the field and looks to do more in 2012. Here is a look at the 2012 Edward Waters Tigers.

2011: 5-5 overall Head Coach: Brad Bernard, second sea-

son, 5-5 overall.Gone: Wide receiver Samuel Charles, A-

Back Antonio Bellamy, defensive end Randy Wilson and offensive lineman Willie Hub-bard.

Back: Quarterback Brandon Turman (953 pass yards, 12 TDs; 740 rushing yards, four TDs); B-Back Phillip Teamer (780 rush yards, two TDs); safety Tony Goodman (66 total tackles, four interceptions, 391 return yards); defen-sive back/linebacker Kam-ron Mitchell (59 total tackles, one interception); A-Back Anthony Wallace (115 re-ception yards, one TD; line-backer Bernard Dawson (56 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, DL Richard Copeland (43 total tackles, two sacks); LB Jufferson Joseph (43 total tackles); OL Nathaniel Bran-ford; OL Chris Hawkins; and OL Christopher Pettaway.

New: WR Jamiel McCloud (Bethune-Cook-man transfer); A-Back Ray Dukes; WR Keith Patrick; DL Robert Huggins; OL Marcus Tay-lor; DB Derek Owens (transfer from Geor-gia); DB Demarko Huntley (transfer from Shorter University).

Base Offense: Multiple Base Defense: Multiple Strengths: Depth and experience in sec-

ondary and at linebackerWeaknesses: Inexperience and youth.Honors: DB Tony Goodman was named to

the NAIA Preseason All-American first team.

See B-CU, Page B2

See EWC, Page B2

HBcu fooTBAll PreView

wildcats have high

expectations for 2012

edward waters Tigers ready to roar

ABBreViATioNS KeY

QB: quarterback�

RB: running back�

FB: fullback�

WR: wide receiver�

A-Back: Combination of �running back and slot receiver in an option offense.B-Back: More of a fullback �and running back type in the option offense.DL: defensive lineman�

OL: offensive lineman�

LB: linebacker�

DB: defensive back�

S: safety�

K: kicker�

P: punter�

Rush: to rush or run with the �ballPass: to pass or throw the ball�

TDs: touchdowns�

Rec: receptions or catches�

TFL: tackles for loss�

COURTESY OF B-CU

Shown above are members of the 2012 Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats at Larry Kelly Field in Daytona Beach.

Q&A: coAcH BrAD BerNArD

Q: What can we expect to see with this team on the field?

A: You can expect a group of guys to come out and compete. Ninety percent of our kids are not on scholarship. They are excited about the opportunity to play and they will give it all they have.

Q: How is the mood on campus surrounding the team and this season?

A: We have a lot of buzz both on campus and in the Jacksonville community. We have been practic-ing hard and we have had a lot of people watching us practice. Our administration is doing some good things. They have us back on cam-pus practicing. We have a wonder-ful academic coach in Nathaniel Glover. He is a sharp individual.

Q&A: coAcH BriAN JeNKiNS

Q: What will people see out of this team?

A: You will see a group of guys who will go out and compete each and every day. We will work hard. We are trying to perfect the fundamentals of the game at each phase.

Q: This is your third year. What is different about this season?

A: Other than having some new

coaches and some new players, everything is the same.

Q: What has to happen for you to be successful this year and have your type of season?

A: We have to stay in the mo-ment. We have to focus on the moment and live in the moment. We can’t look ahead. We must take it one game at a time.

Q: Is winning the national title your goal?

A: Hell yes. Anything else will be unacceptable or a disap-

pointment to us. To win eight or 10 games is nice, but we want a title. That is what we strive for.

Q: On your schedule, there are a lot of road games with some tough opponents like South Carolina State and Miami.

A: Every game is a tough game and we are looking forward to tackling the schedule once it starts. Also, we have some tough teams in our conference and our conference is up for grabs.

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

The Wildcats face Prairie View A&M in last year’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando. B-CU trounced the Texas team 63-14.

Brad Bernard

TOJCALENDAR AUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2012B2

St. Petersburg: A commu-nity vigil and march willbe held as the RepublicanNational Convention kicks-off Aug. 26 at 5 p.m. Faith leaders from the Tampa Bay area will convene a gather-ing of concerned citizens from the “99 percent to voice hope that the 99 per-cent’’ will be heard during the RNC. Site: 719 Arlington Ave. N. More information: www.fcan.org.

Tampa: On Aug. 29, the Florida Chapter of Black Women for Obama will host a town hall meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. at Mt. Zion AME Church, 5920 Robert Tolle Drive, Riverview Florida (Southeast Tampa Bay). The meeting will be broadcast live via Internet and radio. More information: www.blackwomenforobama.org.

Jacksonville: Nephew Tommy of the “Steve Harvey Morning Show’’ and Friends will be live at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville Sept. 14 for a 7:30 p.m. show. Orlando: Comedian Sinbad will be at the Hard Rock Live Orlando Oct. 12 for an 8 p.m. show. Jacksonville: The Back to Love tour featuring Anthony Hamilton and Estelle stops at the Times Union Center Performing Arts Moran The-ater on Sept. 9 for a 7:30 p.m. show.

Orlando: The Summertime Labor Day kickoff featur-ing Ca$h Out /Infamus New Money will be at Firestone Live Orlando, Aug. 29 for a 10 p.m. show.

Jacksonville: A new art

exhibition “The Roaring 20’s Transportation Beaches Style,” a series of paintings based on the Jacksonville Beaches area, and “Nehe-miah - Leader and Servant” will be on display through Aug. 30 at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, 101 W. First St. More infor-mation: 356-2992.

Tampa: Girl Scouts of West Central Florida is seeking troop leaders, both men and women over age 18, to volunteer as positive adult role models for girls to build courage, confidence and

character. Training provided. More information: Kristie Wiley: 813-262-1765, vol-unteer@gswcf.org or www.gswcf.org/volunteer.

Ocoee: The City of Ocoee’s Human Relations Diver-sity Board will host its third annual Fiesta de Colores in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Bill Breeze Park, 125 North Lakeshore Drive, offering Latin cuisine, salsa dancing, vendors, games, bounce house, face painting and door prizes. A vendor

application is available at www.ocoee.org. Deadline is Sept. 5. More information: 407-905-3100.

Jacksonville: Comedian and actor Kevin Hart will be at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts Oct. 12 for a 7 p.m. show.

Tampa: CredAbility will be hosting a homebuyer’s workshop Aug. 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 5421 Beaumont Center Blvd, Suite 600. Workshops are open to the public. Topics include closing on a home loan,

qualifying for a mortgage loan and free financial coun-seling. More information and reservations: 800-251-2227.

Jacksonville: The Jack-sonville Tattoo Convention featuring live tattooing by some of the nation’s top artists as well as contests, seminars, giveaways and more will be held Sept. 14 -15 at the Wyndham Riverwalk Hotel Conven-tion Center. Price: $15 day pass- $35 weekend pass, tickets may be purchased at the door.

St. Petersburg: First Fridays are held in downtown St. Petersburg at 250 Central Ave. between Second and Third Avenues from 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. More infor-mation: 727-393-3597.

Orlando: Tyga will be in concert at the University of Central Florida Arena on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.

Miami: Tickets are on sale for a show featuring Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez at the American Airlines Arena on Aug. 31 for an 8 p.m. show.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

LB Jarkevis Fields (76 total tackles, one sack, one inter-ception); safety D.J. Howard (45 total tackles, three in-terceptions, one TD; kicker Sven Hurd (seven of 13 field goals, 42 yards long).

New: Quarterback Quen-tin Williams (red shirted in 2011); safety Nick Addison (red-shirted in 2011); ATH Broderick Waters (transfer from Louisiana Tech); wide receiver Akeem Dunham (transfer from Vanderbilt).

Base offense: Multiple Base defense: Multiple Strengths: Secondary,

experienced at skilled posi-tions on offense, depth.

Weaknesses: Kicking game.

MEAC prediction: Third by coaches and sports writ-ers in the pre-season poll.

All MEAC preseason: First team – RB Isidore Jack-son, OL Terrance Hackney, LB Jarkevis Fields, DB D.J. Howard. Second team – WR Eddie Poole, OL Mar-quell Rozier and DL Harold Love III.

All-American pre-season: OL Terrance Hack-ney.

Offense: B-CU has been mainly a spread option team. Everything starts with the offensive line, which is anchored by Hackney. Rozier and Monroe have played well in recent years while Jacob Palmer will re-place Curry at Center. Wil-son is the quarterback and David Blackwell has moved to wide receiver. The run-ning back corps is loaded with Jackson, Scott, Jordan, Andronicus Lovette, Ange-lo Cabrera and David Allen. The Wildcats have Poole as the go-to receiver. K.J. Stroud and Pat Harris have experience. Coaches are looking for Jhomo Gordon and Tyree Green to step up. B-CU will look for balance with the right combination of passing and running.

Defense: The second-ary is solid with Howard at safety and returning cor-ners Dion Hanks and Tim Burke. Addison is high-

ly touted at safety too. The defensive line features Love, Tevin Toney and An-thony Woodard, who re-places Ryan Davis. Fields is a tackling machine at mid-dle linebacker while Tav-arus Dantzler and Al-Gha-far Lane replace Lewis and Sandilands on the outside. The Wildcats must be stin-gy and create turnovers like in recent years to be suc-cessful.

Special teams: Kicker Sven Hurd has a strong leg but has been inconsistent. He has to become that de-pendable leg to take B-CU over the top. Kory Kowal-ski (36.7 yards per punt in 2011) must also improve punting. The Wildcats need some big returns from the speedy Cabrera and Pres-ton Cleckly.

Key gamesSept. 2. Vs. Alabama State

in MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Wildcats open season in national spotlight).

Sept. 8 at South Carolina State (Wildcats face one of MEAC’s best).

Sept. 15 at Miami (Wild-cats face FBS program whom they hung with last season).

Sept. 22 vs. Tennessee State in Hall of Fame game (Wildcats face HBCU from Ohio Valley conference). Oct. 6 vs. North Caroli-na A&T (Homecoming/Wildcats look for revenge against team who beat them last season).

Oct. 13 vs. Norfolk State (Wildcats host defending MEAC champion).

Nov. 17 vs. Florida A&M in Florida Classic (rivals battle in Black college foot-ball’s biggest game, which could decide MEAC crown and playoff spot).

Outlook: Once again B-CU is loaded with talent and expectations are high. They return a lot but lost some defensive stars. The schedule may be the tough-est ever. Nonetheless, the Wildcats will compete for a MEAC crown and playoff spot. If youngsters catch on and they fill some big shoes on the defensive side, this could be a spectacular sea-son.

B-CUfrom A1

EWCfrom A1

Offense: The Tigers use multiple sets, but you will mainly see either a triple option or spread option attack. Everything starts with Turman behind cen-ter. Teamer is also pro-ductive in the backfield and look for Dukes and Wallace to contribute out of the A-Back position. Turman has a few return-ing receivers, but one of his best targets could be transfers McCloud and Patrick. Hawkins and Pet-taway will anchor the line, which will battle to con-trol the line of scrimmage.

Defense: EWC mainly used the 3-4 defense last season and will likely do it again this year. The sec-ondary is once again good led by Goodman. They also have Mitchell and Hutchings back. The line-backer corps is also ex-perienced and should be strong with Joseph, Ber-nard Dawson and Arthur Smith back. Copeland is the anchor upfront and coaches are high on Hug-gins.

Special teams: Good-

man is the return special-ist and big playmaker. The team will look for him to be a game changer. Wal-

lace also will return kick-offs. Jerry Martin returns to do the kicking and Kamron Mitchell punts.

Key gamesAug 25 vs. Point Univer-

sity (home opener); Sept. 8 at Morehouse. Sept. 29 at Valdosta State; Oct. 13 vs. Webber International (Homecoming, Webber is ranked No. 25 in pre-season polls and is an in-ner-state foe); Oct. 20 at Savannah State Universi-ty (SSU is a MEAC school and FCS opponent); Oct. 27 at Charleston South-ern; Nov. 3 vs. Ava Ma-ria (home game against second year in state pro-gram).

Outlook: The Tigers im-proved from 2-8 to 5-5 last season. They haven’t had a winning season since 2004. Achieving that will be tough this year with a tough schedule of NAIA, Division II and Division I (FCS) opponents. None-theless, spirits are high and the coaching staff likes the talent, work ethic and camaraderie. If they get confident and pull off some early wins, this could be the year.

Note: All EWC home games are played at Earl S. Kitchings Stadium at William M. Raines High School in Jacksonville.

Q&A: CoACh BRAD BERNARD

Q: What’s different about heading into your second season with the program?

A: We are here to develop a program. These new kids are also our first recruiting class. The team also has knowledge of the coaching staff and know what our expectations are.

Q: What’s the difference between the NAIA level and NCAA Division I Football Championship Series (FCS), which you previously coached?

A: When I was an assistant at Bethune-Cookman, a MEAC and FCS school in the NCAA, I was there dur-ing a good stretch from 99-05. We didn’t lose many games. At the NCAA Division I level, schools get 85 scholarships. While here at Edward Waters we are eligible for 24 scholarships but we got 18. Here, kids are mostly playing for the love of the game. They may be smaller and not as fast. Also, here you depend more upon the relationships with the players and coaches. At the NAIA level, we give kids a different opportunity. We also get a lot of kids who return home for various reasons rather because their mom got sick or they had a child. There are also some different re-quirements of eligibility between the NAIA and NCAA.

KEMNew Edition, KEM and Tye Tribbett will be among the performers at the 2012 Allstate Tom Joyner Family Reunion Aug. 30- Sept. 2 at the Gaylord Resort in Orlando.

SHIRLEY MURDOCKA Forever R&B concert is scheduled at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables on Sept. 22. Shirley Murdock, who in the late 1980s peaked on the R&B top 10 with the hit “As We Lay,’’ will be one of the performers.

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

The Edward Waters Tigers are shown in a game against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

B3STOJ AUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2012

tojtojB4 FOOD august 24 – august 30, 2012

Trailblazer Cookies Wine matches: chilled FishEye Moscato or Sweet Red. Makes about 4 dozen

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened�

1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar�

3 large eggs, at room temperature�

2 teaspoons vanilla extract�

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour�

1 cup whole wheat flour�

1/2 cup quick cooking (not instant) oatmeal�

1 teaspoon baking soda�

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon�

1 teaspoon coarse salt�

2 cups chocolate chips�

2 cups dried fruit (combination of raisins, figs, prunes, �dates, cherries, cranberries and/or apricots, snipped into small pieces)1 cup coarsely chopped almonds�

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray with nonstick spray or lightly butter two large baking sheets.

Beat butter and brown sugar in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Add vanilla.

In separate bowl stir flours, oatmeal, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until blended. On lowest speed, gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended.

Add chocolate chips, dried fruit and almonds and fold into batter with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until blended.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto prepared pans, plac ing cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges of cookies are golden and tops are set, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly on pans before removing.

Recipes for a better picnic

GOURMETON

THE GO

PaCking TiPs

Tables at established �campgrounds or parks can get pretty grungy. Bring a plastic tablecloth with you and secure it with duct tape so it doesn’t blow away. Or, pack some cloth napkins that can do double duty as placemats wherever you decide to picnic.

Just because you’re �roughing it, doesn’t mean you can’t add a little panache to your portable feast. For extra impact, serve foods on non-breakable plastic ware in an array of vibrant colors.

Packing wine bottles for �a picnic or camping trip can be cumbersome. To avoid breakage and lighten your load, opt for a three liter wine box with its own pouring spout. It holds the equi-valent of four standard size (750 ml) bottles, making it an environ-mentally-friendly wine choice that’s easier to transport and serve by the glass. Learn more at www.fisheyewines.com.

sweeT and sPiCy glazed ChiCken legsWine matches: with a spicy glaze, FishEye Shiraz. For a mildly spiced glaze, FishEye Riesling.

Makes 4 servings1/2 cup white wine�

1/2 cup honey�

1 tablespoon light soy sauce �

2 to 3 teaspoons dry mustard powder, to taste�

1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot chili sauce, to �taste8 to 12 chicken drumsticks�

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper�

Whisk wine, honey, soy sauce, dry mustard and sriracha in a small saucepan until smooth. Heat, stirring, over medium low heat until simmering. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Cool.

Heat oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with foil. Arrange chicken on the pan and sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Brush chicken legs with half the honey mixture.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn chicken legs over and brush other side with remaining honey mixture and drippings on the pan. Bake 25 minutes more, brushing one more time with pan drippings, until the chicken is well browned.

Cool. Wrap in foil or place in a plastic container and refriger ate until ready to go. Serve with finger wipes for sticky fingers.

ChiCkPea-PePPer diPWine matches: FishEye Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. Or FishEye Shiraz or Pinot Noir, both spicy reds. Makes 4 or more servingsDip:

2 cans (15 to 16 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained�

1/2 cup drained jarred Piquillo or other roasted red �peppers, patted dry1/4 cup fresh lemon juice�

2 to 3 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika, or to taste �

2 teaspoons ground cumin�

1 garlic clove, chopped�

1 teaspoon coarse salt�

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil�

Vegetables: 3 heads California endive or 3 romaine lettuce hearts, �stem ends trimmed, leaves separated1 cup mini peeled carrots �

1 cup trimmed celery pieces (1 1/2-inch lengths)�

1 cup broccoli or cauliflower florets�

1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut into 1/2-�inch wedgesIn food processor, process chickpeas, peppers, lemon

juice, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic and salt to rough puree. With motor running, gradually add oil and process until

mixture is creamy. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt, if desired.

Transfer to shallow plastic container (for easy dipping) and refrigerate until ready to go. Pack raw veggies in sealable plastic bags and refrigerate.

Pack veggies with ice packs to keep crisp.

brown riCe, aPriCoT and walnuT saladWine matches: FishEye Chardonnay or FishEye Pinot Grigio. For red wine drinkers, FishEye Pinot Noir. Makes 4 servings

1 cup raw short grain rice (or �substitute 2 1/2 cups cooked short grain brown rice)

1 cup coarsely broken walnuts�

Dressing: �

3 tablespoons mild olive oil or �other vegetable oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice�

1 tablespoon honey�

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt�

Freshly ground black pepper�

1 cup snipped (1/2-inch pieces) �dried apricots

1/2 cup thin diagonally sliced �scallions (white and green parts)

1/2 cup finely chopped celery�

2 tablespoons finely chopped �tender pale green celery leaves

Cook rice in 2 3/4 cups boiling salted water until tender, about 45 minutes. Do not stir. Spoon into a strainer and rinse with cool water. Let stand.

Heat oven to 350°F. Spread walnuts in a shallow baking pan and bake until toasted, 10 to 15 minutes.

In large bowl whisk oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and a grind ing of black pepper. Add cooled cooked rice, walnuts, apricots, scallions, celery and celery leaves. Toss with fork until combined.

Spoon into a plastic container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

FROM FaMily FeatuRes

Just because you’re go-

ing on a picnic, hiking

or camping out, doesn’t

mean you can’t have great

food. These recipes and wine

pairings will take your out-

door fare from good to gour-

met — and you don’t have to

be a chef to make them.

B5FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT ToJ AUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2012

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.

FLORIDA'Ssubmitted for your

approval

Meet some of

finest

A Philadelphia native, Davon Beale started his career as a hairstylist, model and actor atage 20, graduating from the Paul Mitchell School with his cosmetology license. He has been in such productions as “The Hunger Games” and has received his SAG-AFTRA certification. Additionally, he has participated in runway shows, including Charlotte and Charleston Fash-ion week. His goal is to create a brand for himself that will inspire others to be themselves

and ultimately encourage them to inspire someone else.CREDIT: LakeNormonPhoto

Indiana native TikaD, 31, has been in Florida for nine years. She graduated with acriminal justice degree at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. She loves

to travel and is very serious about fitness with plans to enter a fitness competition in the near future. Tika says her friends would describe her as a free bird, down to earth,

carefree and sweet.CREDIT: TikaD

TikaD

Davon

BY HoWARD PoUSNERATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION (MCT)

ATLANTA – When she saw the YouTube trailer and heard the music for the remake of “Sparkle,” it put a twinkle in Altheida Mayfield’s eyes.

See, she was right there be-side her husband, the late, great Curtis Mayfield, when the R&B singer-songwriter-producer was working up the songs for the original “Spar-kle,” the 1976 musical drama about a three-sister girl group who become Motown stars.

Because of some long-term legal drama with a for-mer estate trustee over her husband’s copyright and publishing rights, Mayfield’s widow isn’t always the first to know when his music is be-ing revived for a new project. But she wasn’t surprised that four of his eight tunes from the original “Sparkle” sound-track are being resurrected for the remake 36 years later.

Timeless songs“Most of the songs that

Curtis did, they’re just time-less,” recalled Altheida, who moved with Curtis and their growing family from Chica-go to Atlanta in 1979. “I don’t know where it came from, but he seemed to have a fore-sight.”

If Mayfield indeed could see the future, he would have known that his songs – rang-ing from socially hopeful hits such as “People Get Ready” and “Keep on Pushin’” to lat-er, grittier compositions such as “Superfly” – would never fall out of vogue.

This year in particular is shaping up to be a fine one for a reappreciation of the musi-cian who died here in 1999, a decade after being paralyzed from the neck down when stage lighting toppled on him during a Brooklyn sound check.

More Mayfield projects

In addition to “Sparkle,” which opened last week na-tionwide and stars Jordin Sparks and Whitney Hous-ton in her final role, a trib-ute to Mayfield sold out Lin-coln Center’s 2,700-seat Av-

ery Fisher Hall in New York last month.

Artists as diverse as Mavis Staples, Sinead O’Connor, the Roots, TV on the Radio and Mayfield’s old band the Impressions delved into his songbook during “Here But I’m Gone: A 70th Birthday Tribute to Curtis Mayfield.”

Other projects are bub-bling up as well. A proposed “Superfly” Broadway show featuring Mayfield’s music was the subject of a devel-opmental workshop in New York in March, and director-choreographer Bill T. Jones (“Fela!”) is reportedly pre-paring for another one soon.

Altheida’s ideasAt 67, Altheida, who con-

tinues to call Atlanta home, as do most of their six chil-dren and 13 grandchildren, has ideas of her own, in-cluding a line of red wines (named after Curtis’ songs such as “Gypsy Woman”) she’s planning to launch later this year and a biography that she hopes would be made in-to a movie.

Among the many things she would like the world to know is how Curtis, inspired by a gospel-loving grand-mother and an opera-loving mom who struggled to keep her kids fed, made himself into a professional musician in his early teens.

Altheida Mayfield recalls her husband as an artist of humility who could turn out polished song lyrics in mere minutes but who had a per-fectionist’s streak in terms of how they went down in the studio.

Toilet paper songFor instance, when the film-

makers behind the original “Sparkle” wanted young star Lonette McKee to sing May-field’s songs, he insisted on bringing in Aretha Franklin.

“And she laid it out!” his wife recalled. Happy mem-ories play in her mind, such as that day in the mid-1970s when they were hanging around the house all day in Chicago and, around 5:30, he told her he had to get to work.

The project was the sound-track for “Let’s Do It Again,” an Atlanta-set Sidney Poitier-Bill Cosby film.

“He runs in, takes a show-er and writes a song out on a piece of toilet paper,” she re-counted. “I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ “He said, ‘I gotta get to the studio and put down this song.’ “I was laughing at it, and said, ‘But you wrote it on toilet paper!’ “And he stuck it in his pocket, and out the door he went.”

All these years later, Cur-tis Mayfield’s widow said of what became the movie’s ti-tle tune, “I still can’t hear that song and not want to get up and dance.”

36 years later, Mayfield’s songs still ‘Sparkle’

PHoToS BY CURTIS CoMPToN/ATLANTA JoURNAL-CoNSTITUTIoN/MCT

Curtis Mayfield’s widow Altheida Mayfield flips through old family albums of her late husband in Atlanta on July 12.

Curtis Mayfield’s widow Altheida Mayfield holds her two-months-old granddaughter Taylor Mayfield-Scott in Atlanta on July 12.

“Most of the songs that Curtis did, they’re just timeless. I don’t know where it came from, but he seemed to have a foresight.”

Altheida Mayfield Curtis Mayfield’s widow

stojtojB6 AUGUst 24 – AUGUst 30, 2012

You can power your refrigerator for 29 days

With the savings you get in one month by switching to high-efficiency light bulbsGet energy fit with the improved FPL Online Home Energy Survey,and make your bill even lower, visit www.FPL.com/energyfit