Blacks, Education and the 21st Century

I recently experienced a fantastic piece of journalism from Soledad O'brien of CNN on her presentation of the state of the black community in America today. Many topics of high importance were covered and what stood out to me among other things was the state of education in black America.

I have made extensive policy prescriptions and advocated for a greater re-emphasis of education in minority communities hardest hit by the shortfalls of public education. The graduation rate for Hispanics and blacks hover around the low 50s for blacks and the high 50s for Hispanics. However given the fact that blacks have been in America longer than the Hispanics it is fair to claim a lack of fast moving progress in education of black children.

I have voiced my grave fear and worry, at outside forums and gatherings about the increasing effects of globalization in the 21st century. American students in Detroit or Springfield Massachusetts will now be competing in this century, with students in Bangalore and Tokyo for the same job. In this globalized 21st century the playing field will broaden from the boundaries of the united states to the boundaries of the world. What I fear from all this is a devastation in the black community from joblessness and hopelessness, due to the lack of skill sets for a global world, which could only be achieved through a rigorous education process.

The black community will cease to be relevant if blacks don't begin to value education. There seems to have been over the years, a sense of dismissal when it comes to the pursuit of an education as a path to financial success. This maybe due to the still prevalent but subtle barriers placed in front of not just blacks but ethnic minorities in the work place. However this defeatist attitude must give way to sense of urgency, which I sense is not being recognized by the black community.

In this new and global world, a high school education will probably get you a job of little worth if any at all, and a college degree may make you somewhat more competitive. However to gain an upper hand on "Chong Sin" in Beijing, Graduate programs must be aggressively pursued.

I know I may be guilty of sounding overtly optimistic and maybe ridiculous. The point is not to have everyone with graduate degrees, some are just not in the economic circumstances to accomplish that. The point however is to create a sense of urgency in the black community, for the need for education in order to compete in the 21st century. More black leaders, preachers, those in positions of influence must focus exclusively on this major issue and encourage parents to step up their responsibilities and not place overwhelming burdens on teachers who have to cater for other children in increasingly overcrowded schools in minority communities. There is only so much others can do, but the real work begins with the parents. Black parents must brainwash their children into knowing that education is the golden key to unlock the door into the 21st century.

Iran

Let me first start out by saying unequivocally. IRAN MUST NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. Period end of story, no second guessing. This impending national security crisis that has the potential to descend into full scale conflict must be dealt with and handled with logical reasoning and reasonable modification of preconditons.

Recently I saw a far left group called CODEPINK, campaigning for no sanctions against Iran. This made me wonder who these fanatics are. I am not a war advocate, but I understand that in grave circumstances, war is necessary. The security of free societies depend on the stability of key allies such as Israel and other NATO allies. Iran's development of a nuclear weapon will not only jeapordize the security of our allies, but it will also effect a nuclear arms race in the middle east, the likes of which we have never seen.

Iran is a government run by extremist apocalyptic ayatohlas and a fanatic president. The Iranian people are a peace loving people and have no interest in large scale conflict, however their leaders seem to be on different wavelengths with their own people. It seems to me that the way one can stop Iran's nuclear wepons ambitions is to combine multiple incentives and ultimatums.

It is also imperative that we do not reach a stalemate over political positioning and arcane international negotiations. The objective must be constructed and planned for, and that is the complete disarmament of Iran's nuclear program, and any such plans of action must include aggresive diplomatic engagement as well as military alternatives.

On the diplomatic front, Tehran must be offered carrots and sticks, with a lot more of the latter. Any such packages must include a service to the Iranian people, who have grown increasingly anti-american ever since the unfortunate invasion of Iraq. The United States, The EU and Israel must get the Iranian people on the side of reason and let the Iranian people decide for themselves which path their leaders will take.

Currently there are smart negotiations taking place. However when negotiating with fundamentalists and fanatics such as those who seem to be governing in Tehran, grandstanding should be limited and hard-lining sustained. We must not give in to these fanatics the way Neville Chamberlain gave into Hitler.

IRAN MUST NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. If diplomacy fails, then war is inevitable.