Maybe they'll listen to Bill Cosby

I have great respect for the way Bill Cosby speaks out on public issues. He isn't afraid to say what needs to be said, even when it counters the common thread out of the black community. Bill Cosby tells New Orleans blacks to reject crime By Russell McCulley NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Entertainer Bill Cosby urged New Orleans' black population on Saturday to cleanse itself of a culture of crime as it rebuilds from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina last year. Cosby, whose criticism of some aspects of modern African-American culture has stirred controversy in recent years, told a rally headed by black leaders that the city needed to look at the "wound" it had before Katrina struck. "It's painful, but we can't cleanse ourselves unless we look at the wound," Cosby told the rally of about 2,000 people in front of the city's convention center. "Ladies and gentlemen, you had the highest murder rate, unto each other. You were dealing drugs to each other. You were impregnating our 13-, 12-, 11-year-old children," he said. "What kind of a village is that?" He is reminding the community that their problems were home grown, and started long before the hurricane arrived and the levee broke. So this is the chance for the leaders in the community to take charge and show their neighbors how it is done. Maybe Chuck is right, and there really is a FEMA Gold Ticket ... Of course, it's not fair to pick on New Orleans. They are just one symptom of the whole disease. I was simultaneously laughing and crying while I read the story of 'Hector' at Parkway Rest Stop. It's meant to be tongue in cheek - but the teeth are sharp... Well written, Jim! And thanks to Sgt Hook for the hat tip.