Documents? We don't need to give you documents
You gotta love the Sept. 11 commission for trying to get to the bottom of the terrorist attacks: ["Administration Faces subpoenas From 9/11 Panel"]. In the end, they probably won't find out what truly happened, like so many other secrets that are never completely revealed. But at least they seem to be trying. Here's hoping that Thomas Kean has a long and fruitful life - and doesn't end up disappearing like so many of the people who try to uncover evidence that some people don't want to be uncovered.

More polls ...
The Boston Globe and WBZ-TV 4 released a poll this morning showing Howard Dean with a substantial lead in New Hampshire. Dean has 37 percent, John Kerry has 24 percent, with John Edwards jumping to third with 9 percent. Wesley Clark has 8 percent, Dick Gephardt has 7 percent, and Joe Lieberman came in with 5 percent. Kucinich had 3 percent. The poll was conducted by KRC Communications Research.
In a previous post, I lectured that national polls published by the news media should be ignored because the primary and final elections are determined by the outcome of specific states. Hence, the reason I publish state polls in my blog. However, I couldn't help but notice one national poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates which will be published in Newsweek magazine on Monday showing the Rev. Al Sharpton tied for third place in their national poll with Kerry and Gephardt with 8 percent. Dean [15] and Clark [12] lead the poll. Now, these numbers don't mean anything in the scheme of things but it is surprising to see Sharpton's numbers so high in a national poll.

R.I.P. Rerun
Fred Berry, the actor who played the character "Rerun" on the 1970s sitcom "What's Happening?," died this week at the age of 52. He died of natural causes related to a recent stroke. This is so sad. Berry's character was really funny and later in life, he continued to attend events and meet with fans as Rerun.
"What's Happening?" was a great show. I used to watch it a lot when I was a kid. I didn't realize it then but one of the appealing things about this show is that it cast black folks in a positive light, like the normal, hard-working, middle class families that most are. There have been other television shows, like "Roc" and "The Cosby Show" which did this as well.
But more often than not, the media portray people of color negatively - whether it is crime coverage or music videos with gangsta rappers jumping up and down with AK-47s and half naked women. It also seems as though urban crime is covered - and in a sense, glorified - on the evening news. Why aren't mug shots of CEOs and their crimes - which are much more devastating to the public at large - broadcast with equal zeal as the guy in Roxbury who robs a liquor store?