Two New York Times op-eds, running side by side this past weekend, impacted heavily on my thoughts. One was written by Bob Herbert and the other by Charles M. Blow.
Bob Herbert's column titled "Too Long Ignored" was devoted to "a tragic crisis of enormous magnitude (that) is facing black boys and men in America." He reported on a litany of factors: "parental neglect, racial discrimination, and an orgy of self-destructive behavior."
He wrote:
The Schott Foundation for Public Education tells us in a new report that the on-time high school graduation rate for black males in 2008 was an abysmal 47 percent, and even worse in several major urban areas - for example, 28 percent in New York City.
...More than 70 percent of black children are born to unwed mothers.
...Black men . . .have nearly a one-third chance of being incarcerated at some point in their lives.
...Homicide is the leading cause of death for young black men...in most cases inflicted by other young black men.
"More than a third of all black children are growing up in poverty" . . . and "a lack of gainful employment has been a huge contributor to the problems faced by blacks" impacting on "marriage and family stability."
Another horrific statistic that I would add to this litany, as reported by the New York City Police Department this year, is that "Murder and Non-Negligent Manslaughter victims are most frequently Black (67.0%) or Hispanic (28.1%.)." Furthermore, "the race/ethnicity of known Murder and Non-Negligent Manslaughter suspects mirrors the victim population with Black (65.3%) and Hispanic (30.6%) suspects accounting for the majority of suspects."
These overwhelming problems have to be a top priority not only for the Black and Hispanic communities, but for all Americans. If we don't solve these problems together, we will lose the positive involvement of 13 percent of our citizens for decades to come.
I have two suggestions on what should be done immediately.
The first is on employment. Employers generally ask prospective employees if they have ever been convicted of a crime. Those who have and respond truthfully have little chance of being hired. In 1995, I proposed to the Albany legislature that it allow non-violent offenders to respond "no" to that question after they have served their time in prison and fulfilled certain conditions after release, such as getting their GED. They could then apply to the court to have their criminal files closed and expunged.
Reverend Al Sharpton and Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree joined me early on as co-supporters. The bill has lingered in the legislature for 15 years, having passed the Assembly twice but never passing in the Senate. Isn't it time to provide a second chance for those who have served their time? Not being able to get a job or have an income makes it very difficult to marry and have the stability of a family.
Concerning education, I proposed more than 20 years ago that the federal government open a number of regional, away-from-home high schools (prep schools) and pay all costs involved, including living expenses for the children. The purpose would be to remove them from their current slum environment. The schools would be open to children of all ethnicities and races living below the poverty line.
Why not test to see if poverty is the overriding obstacle to the intellectual growth of children? We don't have time to linger, as we have for so many years, while millions of our children are lost to crime and drugs.
Charles M. Blow's op-ed was titled, "Oy Vey, Obama." His piece began, "Is President Obama good for the Jews? For more and more Jewish-Americans, the answer is no."
Mr. Blow pointed out that "in 2008, the ratio of Democratic Jews to Republican Jews was far more than three to one. Now it's less than two to one."
He also stated that "some of the president's most ardent critics and some of Israel's staunchest American defenders - two groups that are by no means mutually exclusive - have seized on what they see as the administration's unfair and unbalanced treatment of Israel and have taken their denunciations to the extremes."
I have condemned the president's orchestrated campaign to reduce the standing of Israel in the world. That dangerous and ill-advised campaign has included the denunciations of Israel by Vice President Joe Biden when he recently visited that country, the tirade leveled at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a 43-minute telephone call, as well as the discourteous treatment accorded Prime Minister Netanyhu by President Obama at a White House meeting. I said at the time, once the trust between Israel and the U.S. has been breached, like Humpty Dumpty, it can never be put together again.
Supporters of Israel have also been angered by the president's signing of an international agreement singling out Israel as a special culprit under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel was urged to sign the treaty, requiring that it give up its current nuclear capability.
Does it make sense for Israel to give up its nuclear capability while Iran draws even closer to achieving that capability and has publicly threatened to obliterate Israel? Pakistan has the nuclear bomb. Does the world worry that Pakistan will sometime in the future provide the bomb to terrorists, including Islamic terrorists? North Korea has the nuclear bomb given to it by the father of the Pakistan nuclear bomb. Why did President Obama succumb (the first time an American president has) to the pressures of the Muslim world with Egypt in the lead and thereby threaten Israel's security?
Blow states, "Fair or not their criticisms are crystallizing into a shared belief among many: Obama is burning bridges with the Jewish community in order to build bridges to the Muslim world."
He points out that in 2008 Obama "captured 78 percent of the Jewish vote." The McLaughlin poll in April showed "only 42 percent of American Jews would vote to reelect President Obama."
Blow referred to a statement that I made in April: "I have been a supporter of President Obama and went to Florida for him, urged Jews all over the country to vote for him, saying he would be just as good as John McCain on the security of Israel. I don't think it's true anymore."
What should President Obama do to try to restore trust between the U.S. and Israel, and to try to regain some confidence among American Christian and Jewish supporters of Israel? He should visit Israel. He should have done so when he first took office. Instead, his first international trip was to Cairo in 2009 where, in his first major speech on international affairs, he sought to establish a new and closer relationship with the Muslim world.
It is not too late for him to make a trip to Israel and to personally reassure the Israelis and their supporters that he means it when he says that Israel's security will never be breached.