In this column, I try to keep it about issues that will affect Black people as a whole and Pittsburgh in particular, but this week it was hard watching TV, or going online.
Once again the media didn’t deal with the ECONOMY—it was almost totally on the firing of the FBI Director James Comey by the President, and his visit to Saudi Arabia to address 50 of the top leaders of the Middle East in a newly-constructed Center to Address Terrorism.
During the past two weeks the media speculated why the President fired Comey while he was investigating Russia’s connection to possibly leaking information that led to Trump defeating Hilary Clinton in the recent election.
My feeling is that with no Republicans speaking out on the Comey firing, it will go away in a few weeks as other issues arrive to overshadow the real concerns of the American people, the economy. How many poor, low and middle-income people care about Comey, or any of the other people Trump has fired? A lot of these people voted for him so he would get rid of these bureaucrats.
There is going to be a hearing in two weeks where Comey will speak to a U.S. House Committee where he will give his views.
Here’s what I think will happen. Nothing.
Trump is doing what President Ronald Reagan did with the Iran-Contra scandal. Reagan fired everyone connected to it and moved on to be one of the most popular presidents since Dwight Eisenhower. Trump has no problem firing anyone, which means he is going to get rid of anyone who can link him to the Russian issue.
As for his speech in Saudi Arabia, I thought it was great. He basically made it clear to the Middle Eastern countries and U.S. citizens that even though the U.S. will be a leader in fighting terrorism, it will not be sending young men and women to Middle Eastern countries to die for their freedom.
That Arab country must take the lead in fighting extreme terrorism by any means necessary, even via social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Yes, the U.S. will continue to provide weapons, training, and money but he did make it clear that we will not provide the blood for their freedom. If they want it then they will fight for it. I just hope he sticks to this.
Hopefully before his four-year term is up the Congress, Senate and the President will pass something or do something that will help the poor, low-income and middle-income working people.
Great job Ricco
Now for the real news. I know many people think good news is not news. But I do. Ricco J. L. Martello probably saved the lives of several elderly people in a Downtown fire at the Midtown Towers apartment building, by taking quick action by going door-to-door on the sixth floor, knocking on doors informing the people that there was a fire in the building. Even though there was a 75-year-old woman that lived on the sixth floor who died, he helped another elderly woman get out of the building.
“Heroic action” was a great story by the Courier’s Rob Taylor Jr. on May 17, and a great job by the man who never sleeps, Ricco.
Still no charges filed
in Penn Hills death
About the “Still No Charges Filed” story from May 17, maybe the reason there hasn’t been any charges filed or names revealed is because, if it were self-defense, there would be no charges filed especially if the District Attorney is saying this. Releasing names could put the shooter and his or her family in danger.
Just because the youth was 16 does not mean he wasn’t dangerous. Every month the Courier runs a homicide list with teenage and under 30 victims as well as teenage and under 30 shooters. The question is, is there going to be a trial or a statement from the DA? If the DA has ruled it was self-defense, then why should the name of the shooter be revealed?
Johnson Publishing
At one time the largest Black-owned business in America, Johnson Publishing is trying to stay alive by downsizing and moving former owner Linda Johnson Rice back in charge. Like Motown, which also at one time was the top Black-owned company in America, it will move its headquarters to Los Angeles. Hopefully they will have better luck than Motown.
Motown moved from Detroit where most of its talent came from and gradually went downhill and is now owned by Whites and is nowhere near as large and powerful as it once was.
Johnson Publishing has been struggling since its founder, John Johnson, died about seven years ago. I like the idea of trying to bring Jet back on newsstands only because mailing individual magazines is too expensive, along with publishing eight issues of Ebony per year focusing on in-depth issues such as health care, or employment topics, what can be done to decrease Blacks in prison, etc. Hopefully it will not be all about entertainers and celebrities.
(Ulish Carter is the former managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
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