In his own words

Dear Reader,
I am watching the President give the State of the Union as I type this.  He just said something that should have brought every parent to their feet.

It's family that first instills the love of learning in a child. Only parents can make sure the TV is turned off and homework gets done. We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair; that success is not a function of fame or PR, but of hard work and discipline.

Thanks for telling the truth Mr. President. Parents first.  The last part of the quote about success is crucial for all of us to embrace in the current culture of shallow stupidity that allows shows like, "Jersey Shore" and "Housewives of (ATL, NY, Beverly Hills etc.)" to distract us from real thought.

To read a transcript of tonight's speech, click here.

Some Election Results That You Probably Haven't Seen

Now that the "shellacking" of the Democrats is old news, I thought you might enjoy a few recent election results that you probably didn't hear about or either MSNBC or FOX.  Black politicians are still making history around the globe and right here in the U.S. Here are a few notable results:

Look Mom, There ARE Black Republicans...
The Republican wave in Congress swept in two new black congressmen, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Allen West of Florida.   Both men will be the first black Republicans to serve in Congress since J.C. Watts retired in 2003. Both men also made history as the first black Republicans elected to Congress from their states in over 100 years.  Both men also ran with the blessing of the Tea Party and Sarah Palin.  They joined a wave of black Republicans on the ballot this year. According to ABC news, this year 42 blacks ran for the Republican nomination for House seats, and 14 of them won the nomination. For an interesting story on the recent surge in black Republican candidates, click here.   For a look at all of the black Republican candidates who ran this year click here.

Allen West

Tim Scott

Allen West is a decorated army veteran who will serve Florida's 22nd District in the Boca Raton area. Tim Scott is a business man who won in the 1st congressional district where white voters outnumber blacks 3 to 1.  For a comparison of these two candidates, click here.

Around the Globe...

In July 2010, Russia elected its first black politician (at any level), Jean Gregoire Sagbo. 

Russian Councilor Jean Gregoire Sagbo

 
A native of the West African Country of Benin, Sagbo migrated to the Soviet Union in 1982.  He was elected as one of 10 Municipal Councilors in the town of Novozavidovo.   Sagbo's election is particularly remarkable given Russia's notorious culture of racism. See video of Mr. Sagbo below.





In October 2010, the country of Slovenia elected Europe's first black mayor, Peter Bossman, a Ghanian physician.

Mayor Peter Bossman

According to Bossman, "I think that people don't see me as a black man. They see me as a good man, as a doctor and the racial question really didn't came into play here."

Congrats to all the winners.