I read the letters where the Constitution is used to make ones personal point, bent to fit their views. It is a good document in which our government should be run, but too many years have passed for it to now be absolute. If we want to go back to that time in history then we must remember that many of the writers owned slaves. There were indebted persons and a poor house in which to be jailed. Women of the time were only good to have children and keep the house. The writers could not have foreseen all the advances that have been made in our country; if they could some of the text might have been written differently. ...more

November 1, 2009

It has become obvious to all that the "free market" is not free for people who need health care. It is free for insurance companies to gouge, control and manipulate the users so that the companies don't have to pay and are assured a profit. This system is not working for the American people. I could list problems such as: ...more

October 25, 2009

I am against red light cameras because they contribute to accidents and absurd fines, which is taxation by our lazy government. Next year the government will further their lack of discretion by proposing that red light violators be tracked by satellite to their home for culpability confirmation, ticket-point issuance and search of your home. Stand up for your rights and red-light our unreasonable government. Most everyone I speak to convey their concerns about our economy and the future. Yet statistics indicate that some 90 percent of our Congress was re-elected. It would appear that change is unlikely when you keep the same failed leadership in office. It is as simple as voting all incumbents out of office, yet the people stand in an oblivious state while the old cronies run our country into the ground. ...more

April 19, 2009

It was very rewarding to read in the Jan.16 issue of Highlands Today, the guest column titled, "The Great Emancipator," by Leonard Pitts. He details facts relatively unknown by many United States citizens of all races. ...more

January 19, 2009

Abolish Federal Reserve Act The Federal Reserve refers to the rate at which private banks borrow money from each other or from the Federal Reserve in order to meet their reserve requirements for making loans, set 10 cents in reserve for every dollar they loan. By lowering the rate to zero, the Feds are essentially handing out free money to bankers, saying: Take this bag of cash. Use it for loans or whatever you want, it doesn't matter what interest rate you charge; you're guaranteed a profit. The Feds are only interested in ensuring the future of the current system of debt - and the profits of its fellow private bankers. ...more

January 14, 2009

In a major advance in genealogical research, African-Americans will be able to trace the routes of slave ships that transported 12.5 million of their ancestors from Africa as early as the 16th century. The free Internet database gives African-Americans the opportunity for the first time to explore their African heritage the way whites have long been able to chart their migration. ...more

January 7, 2009

You can go to a place and fall in love with it but never really know much about the many layers of history that formed it. ...more

June 22, 2008

"The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square," by Ned Sublette (Lawrence Hill Books, $24.95) ...more

May 25, 2008

African-Americans have been celebrating their heritage throughout February as a part of Black History Month. For those who have shied away from searching for their slave ancestors because they've heard how difficult it is, this month of celebration is a good time to meet the challenge. ...more

February 24, 2008

The frenzy of parading started Saturday night and didn't end until dawn Monday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the annual Carnival. Dancers dressed as slaves push a huge float representing the ship that brought the Portuguese royal family to Brazil two centuries ago. Hundreds of drummers in golden conquistador outfits propelled the 4,500-member group from Mocidade de Independente down the parading lane of Rio's "Sambadrome," an 85,000-seat venue built for the annual samba "school" competition. ...more

February 5, 2008