With so much news coverage surrounding the heated rhetoric coming from the Tea Party, I thought it would be instructive to dissect their anger to see if we can come away with some understanding of their issues.

But let’s be clear on something. Tea Party members are aligned with the Republican Party—no matter what both sides say. Name me one Tea Partier that is supporting a Democrat or the president’s agenda. This is part of the perception problem each group is having—the public doesn’t distinguish one from the other. Furthermore, both group’s rhetoric is so similar so as to make the public think they are Siamese twins.

(NNPA)—Speaking at the recent conference of the Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement in Jackson, Miss., I constantly ran into questions and comments drawing comparisons to the racial harassment faced by civil workers in the 1960s and what is occurring today. Most said there was very little comparison to the intensity of the racism faced by those who attempted to vote or eat at a lunch counter, and we know that many sacrificed their lives.

Yet it was ironic that these were Congressman John Lewis’ colleagues and he and other Black members of Congress were spit at and called the ‘n’ word as they passed by some tea baggers on Capitol Hill recently.

by Shannon Williams

I always say that there’s a basic level of respect that everyone deserves.

This doesn’t mean that we have to be overly friendly or fake to someone, but it does mean that the most simplistic form of courtesy should be extended to an individual.

President Barack Obama has not received the basic level of respect he deserves from some Americans, nor have members of Congress. It seems that the individuals who publicly berate our president and other elected officials are members of the “Tea Party” movement.

By now I’m sure everyone knows about the 2010 Census. My question to you is do you know how important it is to fill out the form and mail it back?

Over the years we have been reluctant about the whole census process and there has been a lot of resistance to filling out the form or talking with the census takers. We have been reluctant because we thought it was the government’s way of having too much control over our lives, and they would know too much of our “business.” What we really needed was more information about the census, the reason we have a census, and how we can, and must, participate.