How do you view the world and it's leadership? There are Black leaders, White leaders, Tan leaders, all sorts of colors. While I would love to sit here and write about Kwame Nkrumah or Abe Lincoln, or Teddy Roosevelt, Simon Bolivar, or Lord Walpole; the greatest leaders of our time have not been politicians. They have been those people who stood for something so strongly that they motivated people to believe in a cause. So I call the name of Martin Luther King, I call the name of the reformed Malcolm X, I call the name of an enlightened Ronald Reagan (while in Europe), I call the name of a Mother Theresa, of Ghandi, Sun Yat-Sen, Mandela and DeClerq, Molly Yard, William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, The Quakers, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, Hapshetsut, and even to Richard Nixon. Review the lives of these individuals and you will see how much good they did for society. They all had their faults, but true progress cause by an individual is often not recognized until long after they are gone.

My point here is that leadership has no color. It has no gender, it has no religious denonimation, or sexual orientation, if the messenger is selfless instead of selfish. When the masses can be inspired because one stands up to tyranny and injustice, then the person is truly a leader. Too many follow and follow like blind turkeys happily on their way to the Butterball Factory. If you see someone offering leadership, be it however small, thank them, encourage them, and protect them. The world needs more leaders.

COMING SOON - HIP HOP CULTURE: PROS AND CONS

I would like to get straight to the point. Perhaps President Bush's policy on raising the minimum wage has worked in part. A few states raised it without him. These states however are already high cost of living states. Major corporations have made billions under this administration while the average family continues to struggle. Sure I received a tax rebate check for $600 twice, but GAS PRICES nearly tripled in my state (NC at the time).

I cannot imagine how low wages and high gas prices have affected the poor. The gas prices also caused inflated prices for other goods and necessities. All of this while Congress gave it self several raises to offset inflation. What did the poor get to offset inflation. Nothing! Something is wrong when Congress says it will not raise the minimum wage because rich business men will lose profits. What about when poor people loses their cars and homes?

There is no legitimate reason why the minimum wage has not been increased in 10 years. It is morally reprehensible and it is the shame of America.

Have you every truly considered writing a book about your life? Each time I think about it, I just smile and wonder if people could even believe the things that have transpired in mine. I also wonder if I could write it without bias. Trust me, it would sound more like fiction than an autobiographical account. Then I think about my friends and I can only smile again, because based on what I know about their lives, the things that have occurred there are equally unbelievable. I guess that is why reality shows are doing so well. Everybody can actually relate to them. One thing is for sure, whatever anyone would believe about a successful African American male with a good education, would be challenged based on what I could say. But I am thankful for my experiences. But I also realize that I did not need them all to make me what I am. If I had listened to my parents, I could have avoided lots of pitfalls and lots of unnecessary grief. I keep wondering if I should write the book.

There are some rather prominent black politicians that have been in the limelight recently. Many are very well respected and are no doubt trying to affect change. While I cannot imagine how anyone can make sense of whats happening in Georgia with the House race with two Black candidates, I must say that it has been painfully amusing. Then what of the senate races in Maryland and Tennessee?

Let me make my point quickly. There is a theory of homosocial reproduction that basically means whatever the color, whatever the gender, whatever the sexual orientation, in order to be a part of some exclusive clubs, you must become like those with whom you chose to be associated.

This means black politicians would behave no differently, would not have opininons that are distinguishable from, and would conform to the platform of whichever party they are associated? Does this happen in reality? Is it happening now? What do you think?