Richard Prince's popular column on the news media, published by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (www.mije.org).
FEBRUARY 7 | CNN Suspends Roland Martin Over Tweets
FEBRUARY 5 | AP Lays Off Diversity Advocate
FEBRUARY 2 | News of Don Cornelius' Death Goes Viral
FEBRUARY 10 | Diverse Support for Contraception Law
FEBRUARY 9 | Obama: Foreclosure Settlement Is 'a Start'
FEBRUARY 8 | Santorum Wins; Doubts About Romney
Happy Fourth of July, Or Not
I'm keeping it simple today. The week has been crazy. From meditating on the death of MJ to witnessing a 9 year old black boy getting handcuffed for stealing a wallet to wondering why the weather's so unsettled in NYC, I'm ready to light a firecracker and just chill. Wait, that's a huge contradiction... anyway.
The Fourth of July is usually a mixed bag for me. I love the eating and gathering and festiveness. However, I detest the meandering of a bunch of consuming Americans seeking ribs and bottle rockets in an effort to celebrate independence. There's something troubling about celebrating the birth of a country with people who can't agree on anything. Religion, marriage, the effects of bad eating, meaningless apologies for slavery. But wait! Now that Obama is president maybe I can relax and celebrate our independence, or at least have a more faithful attitude about it. In fact, with Obama as president I don't have to celebrate the birth of American independence at all; I can celebrate the re-birth. Well, the PROMISE of rebirth. I don't know. I'll have to think about this one. Have a great weekend.











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