Roland S. Martin from Creators Syndicate

Former Presidents Continue To Be Valuable Assets for 08/07/2009

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Much has been made of the involvement of former President Bill Clinton in the freeing of two Current TV journalists held in North Korea and facing 12 years of hard labor. But considering the American taxpayers continue to pay for the office space, security detail and other perks of the office of a former president, why not put Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush to work f ...

Updated: Fri Aug 07, 2009

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Hate Should Not Drive Health Care Debate for 08/14/2009

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

If my mom or dad caught me on TV acting a complete fool like some of the protesters at the various health care town hall meetings, I can guarantee you that my dad would fly up from Houston and smack the hell out of me.

And I'm 40 years old!

Watching grown people yell, scream, push, boo and act downright unruly is a spectacle that we counsel our children against causing. How many t ...

Updated: Fri Aug 14, 2009

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Dems, Not GOP, May Kill Health Care Reform for 08/21/2009

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Democratic members of Congress, party strategists and even President Barack Obama have tried their best to portray Republicans as obstructionists to health care reform and want all of us to believe that if the effort fails, it's all because of the GOP.

BS. The failure to pass health care reform would be a yoke around the Democrats' neck, and the lost moment would be all because of their ...

Updated: Fri Aug 21, 2009

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Spending Some Down Time on Martha's Vineyard for 08/28/2009

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

I have spent a few days each year for the past couple of years enjoying the sun, beaches, golf and scenic vistas on Martha's Vineyard, the vacation hot spot that the Obama family is enjoying this week.

It commonly is called the playground for the rich and the elite, and maybe that's the case. But for me, it really is a quaint collection of towns that reminds me of the slow days hanging o ...

Updated: Fri Aug 28, 2009

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President's Education Speech Protest Is Pure Politics for 09/04/2009

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

There's nothing worse than people who are angry at anything President Barack Obama does and try to say it's one thing when we know it's something else.

The latest nonsensical brouhaha — led by right-wing, ideologically driven zombies — deals with his online speech Tuesday to schools across the country. Conservative talk show hosts, columnists and bloggers are stirring up thei ...

Updated: Fri Sep 04, 2009

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Only Obama Can Carry the Health Care Ball Over the Finish Line for 09/11/2009

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

In the aftermath of his get-tough speech to a joint session of Congress, many pundits and Democrats are asserting that President Barack Obama has gotten his mojo back on the issue of health care and has given his party a clear road map to making it a reality.

How about a reality check? It was one speech, albeit a darn good one. But there is a ton of work left to be done. Democrats think ...

Updated: Fri Sep 11, 2009

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Hollywood and God Can Coexist for 09/18/2009

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

"Hit filmmaker" continues to precede the name "Tyler Perry" anytime someone writes about the Atlanta movie mogul, who rode his "Madea" character to box-office gold last week as his latest film, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," was tops at the box office, making more than $24 million.

This follows his other film this year, "Madea Goes to Jail,&quo ...

Updated: Fri Sep 18, 2009

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White House Should Back Off NY Gov. Paterson for 09/25/2009

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

When then-Sen. Barack Obama was contemplating running for president, many of the party loyalists were saying the junior senator from Illinois should not bother stepping into the race, saying he was too inexperienced to take on the "inevitable" nominee, then-Sen. Hillary Clinton.

He ignored their sage advice, and it was good that he did. He's the president of the United States, ...

Updated: Fri Sep 25, 2009

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GOP Un-American by Celebrating US Olympic Loss for 10/02/2009

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Whenever President Barack Obama has traveled overseas and offered pointed and direct assessments of the United States, some critical, Republicans have ripped him for criticizing America, saying a president always should defend the United States.

So I want to hear the explanation of these so-called patriots for their giddy behavior over the United States' losing the 2016 Olympics.

...

Updated: Fri Oct 02, 2009

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Hollywood Pathetic in Backing Rapist Polanski for 10/02/2009

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

If a famous child actress — for example, Tatum O'Neal, Anna Paquin, Dakota Fanning or Natalie Portman — had been raped by a stalker who pleaded guilty to the crime and then fled the country and lived a life of luxury in Europe for 32 years, would Hollywood heavyweights be standing behind the convicted rapist? Hell no.

So exactly what is the difference between a nobody who rap ...

Updated: Fri Oct 02, 2009

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Obama's Nobel Prize All About the Future for 10/09/2009

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

"He won what?!"

That's how I greeted the news at 6 a.m. EDT, when my buddy April Ryan, White House correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks, called to tell me about President Barack Obama's winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

She and I were supposed to discuss Rep. Charlie Rangel's ethics investigation on my daily segment on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show,& ...

Updated: Fri Oct 09, 2009

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Obama's Nobel Prize All About the Future for 10/09/2009

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

"He won what?!"

She and I were supposed to discuss Rep. Charlie Rangel's ethics investigation on my daily segment on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show,& ...

Updated: Fri Oct 09, 2009

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Rush Limbaugh Never Had a Chance To Be in the NFL for 10/16/2009

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Rush Limbaugh stood a better chance of suiting up in an NFL game than he did of ever stepping foot in an owners suite as a limited partner in any ownership group.

We can sit here and say that the decision by the partnership trying to pursue the St. Louis Rams decided to put Rush out to pasture because of his hateful words against African-Americans and so many others over the years he has ...

Updated: Fri Oct 16, 2009

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Mr. President, Ignore Cheney on Afghanistan for 10/23/2009

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Mr. President, please take my advice: Never listen to the nutty advice of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Trust me; he gave enough dumb advice to former President George W. Bush during their eight years in office together that it's best that he just keep quiet on anything dealing with Iraq or Afghanistan.

Instead of recognizing that his constant pushing for war in Iraq, which h ...

Updated: Fri Oct 23, 2009

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Forget 2010! Focus on Tuesday's Elections for 10/30/2009

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

If you listen to the politicians and pundits in Washington, D.C., every move being made by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats and Republicans is all about the 2010 midterm elections.

And as usual, voters already are wondering what is going to happen, even though a single ballot won't be cast for a year!

I read a story this week that stated that President Obama's ca ...

Updated: Fri Oct 30, 2009

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Michael Jordan's Son Should Stop the Air-ogance, Shut Up and Play Ball for 11/06/2009

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Marcus Jordan, a hoopster at the University of Central Florida and the son of NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, has decided to take a stand.

No, he hasn't weighed in on health care reform. Sorry, Marcus has not decided whom he will endorse for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida. And he has not stepped up and demanded that NCAA athletes be paid.

Big and bad Marcus has made it clear th ...

Updated: Fri Nov 06, 2009

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Mr. President, Cousin Pookie Needs a Job for 11/06/2009

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

When President Barack Obama traveled to Virginia to try to resuscitate the deplorable campaign of gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds, he invoked a familiar nickname in black America: Cousin Pookie.

All kinds of people have nicknames, whether they are white, black, Hispanic or Asian. In black America, I've heard 'em all — Pookie, Ray-Ray, Moochie, Big Man, Little Man; you name it. ...

Updated: Fri Nov 06, 2009

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Powell to Obama on Afghanistan: Ignore Critics, and 'Take Your Time' for 11/11/2009

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Retired Gen. Colin Powell, in an exclusive interview with me on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show," said he advised President Barack Obama to take all the time he needs on deciding to send more troops to Afghanistan and not to bend to the will of partisans on the political left or right.

Powell — a 35-year Army veteran, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later se ...

Updated: Wed Nov 11, 2009

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Steele, Black Republicans Not Uncle Toms or Sellouts for 11/13/2009

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

If you ask someone white to tell you the political party of someone who is pro-life, against gay marriage, for a smaller government, a fiscal conservative and a consistent critic of the policies of President Barack Obama, chances are the answer will be the Republican Party.

If you ask someone black and throw in that the individual you're describing is also an African-American, chances ar ...

Updated: Fri Nov 13, 2009

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Pro-Choice vs. Health Care: Dems Wage Battle Over Top Concerns for 11/20/2009

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The great band Maze, featuring Frankie Beverly, has a hit song called "Joy and Pain." They sing that those two words are like "sunshine and rain."

That song seems to be the Democratic Party's theme song today, especially when you consider the battle that pits the two most important issues of the Democratic Party against each other — abortion and the president's ...

Updated: Fri Nov 20, 2009

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