Race

When a farmer leaves the doors to his barn open, the animals get out and the wolves typically enter. Well, such seems to be the case today, a day after “Black Thursday” where there were many people in Jena, LA supporting the famously-known Jena 6.

People made their way to Jena, Louisiana, population 2,867 in 2006, to show their support for the 6 black male high-school students who beat-up a white male high-school student due to their being a beef over the self-marked white-only-tree, that white students hung nooses on after black students decided to cool out under the tree.

Now, we at Worcester Is MAJOR! ™ do not condone violence or excessive use of force to make a point, so we go on record to state that the Jena 6 should be punished for their actions, but certainly not to the extent to which they’ve been prosecuted.

The pundits have hit the airwaves and are condemning those that marched in Jena, LA, Washington, D.C. and in any city were there was a gathering of people showing their support for a fair trial.

After yesterday’s news coverage and visible sign of solidarity, are the young men in Jena, LA going to get a “fair” trial? I certainly hope so, now that the world has seen the case on national television. But the question that begs to be asked still remains…. what is going to come of race relations in the United States?

This is the million dollar question that no one seems to have an answer for, especially in this day and age when there are more and more family that are multi-ethnic and multi-racial in their make-up.

People in the United States have been able travel more and have become exposed to more and more people of various backgrounds and cultures, thus there are more opportunities to learn and become more worldly.

Do you believe that cases such as the Jena 6 set us back in race relations? Feel free to post a comment or email us here.

It's Friday!

Well, it's Friday and it looks like a great weekend weather-wise, as well as there are a number of things to do in the city. Head on over to eWorcester.com for a calendar of events and be sure to send us an email or pictures from your excursions over the weekend. Email us HERE

Support Jena 6

DeJongh from Worcester Is MAJOR! supports the Jena 6.
www.worcesterismajor.com

Sites

It's a good day in Worcester & the weather is beautiful! Who knows, maybe summer was given the Heimlich and we're in store for a few more days or weeks of warm weather.

In other news, the rally is taking place in Jena, LA and from numerous reports, it appears that 5,000(unofficially) people have shown up from states throughout the United States.

I have heard that some folks from Jena are saying that the media and everyone is, "blowing things out of proportion". Well, if you ask me, the same thing could be said of the bigotry that was taking place in Birmingham, AL some 40-years ago.

Have we become a more inclusive country?

Some would say that we have, just as there are many that would aruge otherwise. What do you think? Email us at Worcester Is MAJOR@gmail and let us know what you think.

Walk good & be a Change Agent....the world needs you now more than ever.

Reminder: Wear Black to support Jena 6

The rally is taking place tomorrow, September 20, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana. For those that can't attend the rally are being asked to wear black to show support.

If anyone is planning on attending the rally, please do email us with pictures as well as your story about the days events.



Related Links:
Michael Baisden- Information regarding Rally & March for Peace & Justice

Politics: From the mind of a 6-year old

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, 'What are Politics?' Dad says 'Well son, let me try to explain it this way: 1. I'm the head of the family, so call me the president... 2. Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government... 3. We're here to take care of your needs, so we'll call you the People... 4. The nanny, we'll consider her the Working class... 5. And your baby brother, we'll call him the future. Now think about that and see if it makes sense.

So, the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper So, the little boy goes to his parents room and finds his mother sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he looks in the peephole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed. The next morning, the little boy says to his father, 'Dad I think I understand the concept of politics now: The father says 'Good son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about' The little boy replies, 'The president is screwing the working class, while the government is sound asleep. The people are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit.'

News: Mychal Bell not released from prison

After sitting in jail for 10 months and having his conviction thrown out of court last Friday, Jena 6 defendant Mychael Bell was not released from prison yesterday as expected because neither the prosecutor nor the judge showed up for his bond hearing.

"We showed up. There was nobody there," said Bob Noel, lawyer for 17-year-old Mychal Bell of Jena, La. "No DA, no judge." A woman who answered the phone at District Attorney Reed Walters' office said he had no bail procedure on his calendar.

Ante up or Not?

Let the soap box preaching and the boisterous debates begin. No, we’re not talking about the upcoming municipal elections taking place on November 6, 2007; it’s the debate regarding Governor Patrick giving approval for 3 casinos to open in the Bay State.

There are some that argue that it will further decimate the state as compulsive gambling is invisible and, oftentimes, exacerbates other issues such as domestic violence, homelessness and alcohol and drug addiction.

It’s estimated that 2-4% of the Bay State’s population suffers from gambling addiction, thus equating to 250,000 people that struggle with the disease. Yes, gambling addiction is a disease that has become more prevalent.

Massachusetts has long debated if casinos would be good for the state and there are a number of arguments for and against them, but one thing is for certain, with the amount of revenue that casinos generate, they certainly could help lower property taxes and improve the road ways. The kicker remains, at what cost do those less fortunate and already poor pay for the state having casinos? Is it time to ante up or say no?

Related Links:
Telegram & Gazette
Boston Globe-Debate Flares

It's Official

This past weekend, word from Dennis Irish was that he’s not going to pursue running for mayor, rather he’s keeping his head-in-the-game by running for Councilor At-Large.

It comes as no surprise that Mr. Irish is saying “No” to the mayoral seat, especially with the City facing a $2 million budget deficit and it doesn’t appear to be shrinking anytime soon.

With the already belt-tightening taking place, where can more cuts be made?

It certainly isn’t in education where Worcester Public Schools are already struggling with over-crowding in classrooms and with the lack of funds to provide books and other amenities that the children deserve and need i.e. computers.

The other areas where cuts can not be made are related to the safety and security of all residents. When there is talk of cutting money from the Worcester Police and Worcester Fire Departments, residents are quick to respond with an boisterous “NO”, but it’s a tough argument when I drive by a construction site and see 2 to 3 officers standing around swapping stories and laughing. Is this where you'd like your tax dollars to go towards? It’s a simple question that takes less than 5-seconds to contemplate and come to a finding of "No".

So, what are we supposed to do? How can we get elected officials to take a closer look at the issues facing Worcester?

The answers are simple: learn what the candidates’ platforms are and, secondly, get off your derriere and VOTE!

With municipal elections taking place on November 6th, that date is right around the corner, so be proactive, do your research and then get out and VOTE!!