Louis R. Avallone

Category: 2015

  • We’re Not Going There

    We’re Not Going There

    By Louis R. Avallone

    –

    We’re not going there. We’re just not going there.[br]

    And it’s not because of how white I am, or that you’re not “black enough” to understand. It’s because we must remember that God created only one race, and that’s the human race. “God is not interested in merely in the freedom of black men and brown men and yellow men”, explained Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, “God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race.”[br]

    Yet recent news reports in our nation seems to tell a different story today, and it’s one that seems increasingly obsessed with the colors of our skin, rather than the content of our characters; of what divides us, rather than what strengthens us. So when Al Sharpton announced last week that he was “appalled” that there were so many “white” Oscar nominees, and that he was calling an “emergency meeting next week in Hollywood” to discuss possible action around the Academy Awards, we just have to say, as a nation, “That’s it, we’ve had enough.”[br]

    “We’ve had enough” of those who encourage the worst in us, and who inspire others to live down to the lowest common denominator of fear by assuming the worst, instead of multiplying what’s best within us.[br]

    Do you know what it takes to get nominated for an Academy Award? There are 6,000 voting members who fill-out ballots and the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers tabulates the voting, in a process that takes an estimated 1,700 man-hours to complete…hardly an opportunity for a smoke-filled, backroom gathering of prejudiced white folks to start scratching people’s names off the ballots.[br]

    Maybe the make-up of the voting membership of the Academy needs some new recruits to improve diversity. After all, people younger than 50 years old make-up just 14% of the Academy today. Or maybe there are not enough women who are voting, since less than 25% of the voting membership is female. Or maybe the Academy should recruit more blacks and Latinos into their membership rolls, since blacks and Latinos combined make-up less than 4% of the membership.[br]

    Whichever way you look at it, if Al Sharpton’s “emergency meeting” in Hollywood is about starting a membership drive for the Academy of Motion Pictures, so that future nominees might reflect a more diverse membership, he may be headed in the right direction. But for him to be “appalled”, come on now.[br]

    You know who should be appalled? We should be. We should be appalled that our media, and the White House, continues to refer to this man as a “reverend” when he has never led a church, has never authored any books on the Bible, and his vocabulary is seemingly devoid of any Christian principles of salvation, forgiveness, or repentance. He was “ordained” by a Pentecostal minister at 10 years old, and apparently preached his first sermon before he could read or write.[br]

    “Reverend” is a title of respect, not one that you give a 10-year old. It’s not a title that we give to those who pour gasoline on the fires of riots, such as in 1991 when Sharpton went to Brooklyn to mobilize hundreds of demonstrators to march in Jewish neighborhoods, chanting, “No justice, no peace.” In that demonstration, a rabbinical student was caught up in the mob led by Sharpton, and was stabbed to death.[br]

    In 1995, Sharpton’s National Action Network set up picket lines protesting a building owner in Harlem who was not renewing the lease of a minority business because another tenant was willing to pay more for that space. The result was one of the protesters setting the building on fire, and seven (7) people died.[br]

    And what happened last month? With the execution of those New York police officers? The murderer attributed his motive to revenge, and his cowardly act came only days after Sharpton led protesters through the streets of New York City chanting, “What do we want? Dead cops! When do what them? Now!”[br]

    Forgive me, “reverend” Sharpton, but if you want to do some real good for the country, and heal any wounds, then stop all of your shenanigans, pray for peace, and follow the example, in the words Martin Luther King, Jr. and “get the weapon of non-violence, the breastplate of righteousness, the armor of truth, and just keep marching” on for what you believe.[br]

    But for anything less than that…we’re just not going there anymore.

     

  • A Few Considerations to Make

    A Few Considerations to Make

    By Louis R. Avallone

    –

    It is often said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” So, before 2015 begins picking up a full head of steam, let’s look at a few of the items worthy of noting from last year:

    On last fall’s elections: Only ten years ago, Democrats held all statewide elected offices and had majorities in both legislatures. Republicans now have majorities in both houses of the legislature, on the Public Service Commission, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Louisiana Supreme Court. There are Republicans in every congressional seat (except one) and there is a Republican in every statewide elected office in Louisiana.

    The 2014 Louisiana elections provided a source of hope, or a beacon of light, in a country seemingly enveloped by the fog of Washington D.C., and liberals whose agenda differs greatly from the principles upon which our country was founded. But for those who are pleased with the election results from the fall, they cannot become complacent by these recent victories. Increasingly, the electorate is displeased with both Republicans and Democrats, and let’s discuss that subject next.

    On political party participation: While the number of Republican voters in Louisiana has increased 10-fold since 1979, Republicans still have a lot of work to do here in Caddo Parish, if they wish for Caddo Parish to mirror the political temperament of the entire state. Do you know that Mary Landrieu garnered 52% of the votes in Caddo Parish, from November’s election?

    And now in 2015, a new political party could be on the horizon for Louisiana because there is no longer a legal ban on the establishment of an independent party. There’s enough self-identified “independents” on Louisiana voter rolls to meet registration requirements for party status and all that’s left now is for someone to step forward and register an “independent” party. The fastest-growing segment of registered voters identify themselves with neither of the two major political parties — Democrat or Republican. State records show more than 750,000 of Louisiana’s 2.94 million voters in the “other party” category. Maybe this is because more and more folks distrust government, and that brings us to the next subject.

    Pay me now, or pay me later: Elliott Stonecipher recently pointed out that Caddo Commissioners have had their salaries raised 165% since 1993. It was $8,400 a year in 1993, and today that salary amount is $22,263. However, if Commissioners had used actual cost-of-living adjustments, as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, their pay today should be $13,385 per year (instead of the $22,263 they are receiving). All non-term limited Commissioners are up for re-election in Fall 2015.

    Race: Goodness gracious. From Ferguson to New York City, race relations appear to be deteriorating, but the bottom line is that white people cannot possibly identify with being black. As the adage goes, walk a mile in my shoes and see what I see – hear what I hear – and feel what I feel. And until then, it’s really not fair to judge some in the black community for what they believe. But murdering police officers, or setting fire to businesses, or activists stirring the anger of millions across the country, endangering the lives of innocent people at the same time, regardless of the facts, are all wrong too. Far more powerful, it seems, is the advice given by Martin Luther King, Jr. in these situations, when he said: “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” I wonder if Dr. King, Jr. would be too peaceful, or too Christian, or too thoughtful for America today?

    I’ll Be Home for Christmas: Well, not if you work for this White House. I’ll explain. Of course, the President can go wherever he likes. He’s got Air Force One and doesn’t have to go through airport security. But just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should, right? For example: Do you know where the Reagans, the Bushes, and the Clintons spent their Christmases, while in the White House? Except for Clinton’s first year in office, the Reagans, the Bushes, and the Clintons spent them all at the White House so that their staff and the Secret Service could enjoy the holiday with their own families.

    Nothing really political here. Just a reminder of a kind gesture, from days gone by, in a nation that seems in a malaise of me, me, me.

    And finally, a prayer for the New Year: Although more than 7 out of 10 Americans believe the country is headed down the wrong track, we should all be reminded of the following: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7).

    This prayer calls on us to act, as well. Writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper, calling your elected officials, showing up at your local school board meetings, paying attention to the city council, talking to folks at your church about what you believe, encouraging young people to get involved in a political campaign, and inspiring others to serve our community with their talents, are just a few examples of how we can make a difference in 2015.

    And while it is true that none of us can control what happens to us, we can all control what happens in us. And may what happens within us this year bring us all great health, wealth, and happiness, all year long.