You certainly have to give Bill credit for reinventing himself to a whole new generation and I damn near totally agree with everything he’s been saying… I’m going to watch it. MSNBC TO TELECAST ABOUT OUR CHILDREN, FEATURING BILL COSBY, A LIVE EVENT MODERATED BY MICHELLE BERNARD, SUNDAY SEPT. 20 MSNBC will telecast “About Our Children…,” a live event featuring Bill Cosby, moderated by Independent Women’s Forum president and CEO and MSNBC political analyst Michelle Bernard, Sunday, Sept. 20, 7-9 p.m. ET. Cosby will discuss poverty in America, focusing on the parenting, education and health issues facing the poor in the United States, live from Howard University. Panelists include Dr. Alvin Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Ben Jealous, President of the NAACP, Terrie M. Williams, author of “Black Pain,” and Rand i Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
MSNBC will also take online questions for Cosby and the panel at TheGrio.com and msnbc.com. The event will be live streamed on msnbc.com and viewers can also go to AboutOurChildren.msnbc.com to get more information about this special event. Dr. Bill Cosby is one of the most influential performers in the last half century. Coming from a poor Philadelphia neighborhood, he rose to reshape the nation’s airwaves through shows like “I Spy” and “The Cosby Show.” He became one of the most successful storytellers on record, and authored several blockbuster books, including Fatherhood, the fastest-selling hardcover book of all time, which spent 54 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Bill Cosby, in his work as an entertainer, has always communicated philosophies that help people see their human commonalities.
Michelle D. Bernard is the president and CEO of the Independent Women’s Forum, a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) research and educational institution, and Independent Women’s Voice and an MSNBC political analyst. Bernard is a regular panelist with MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and with “The McLaughlin Group.” She is also a Sunday columnist with The Examiner. Bernard is the author of Women’s Progress: How Women and Are Wealthier, Healthier and More Independent Than Ever Before (Spence Publishing) and is a contributing author to the National Urban League’s State of Black America (2009) and Lifetime Networks’ Secrets of Powerful Women: 25 Successful American Politicians Tell How They Got Where They Are and What It’s Like (Hyperion Books/February 2010).
2 comments
WHAT I DID NOT HEAR IN THIS FORUM-FOR OUR CHILDREN!
While I congratulate Mr. Cosby for trying to bring a forum together to discuss teh SAD state of our children, particulary black children, here is a summary letter of what I did NOT hear, and the solution that Mr. Cosby and Michelle Bernard need to address:
I have been gathering research for the last 7 years on why blacks are affected in MUCH higher numbers as a percentage of their population-13%, with ALL STI’s-not just HIV/AIDS, higher rates of rates of poverty, rates of fatherless youth who have much higher rates of criminal behaviors, school drop out rates and drug and alcohol abuse. and higher rates of abortion. If you are NOT aware, ALL of these social ills are directly linked to people choosing to engage in pre-marital sex, and, according to your own CDC surveillance reports, black youth have MUCH higher rates of engaging in sex with more partners and at younger ages. SO–WHY isn’t the CDC, whose statistics showed a GREAT reductions in black youth engaging in sex from 1991-2005- a drop from 81% in 1991 down to 67% in 2005, and for ALL High School students the drop was from 54 % in 1991 to 47%–again the most significant drops were for black youth, DEMANDING more money to be targeted to abstinence programs which direct youth to exercise self control and not be exposed to all of the negative consequences? . THe Heritage Foundation credits abstinence education as the most effective contributing factor to these great reductions. NOW-Planned Parenthood and SIECUS–condom advocate groups– want to end funding for this healthy, responsible directive, and I think groups like yours with the detailed data on health disparities need to ask for a bi-partisan panel to look at how successful abstinence funding has been since 1996!
I believe the CDC should be using a medical cessation model like the one we use in our women’s care clinic for all sexually active youth, similar to the 5 A’s smoking cessation model-why wouldn’t the CDC mandate that healthy directive in ALL health Departments, and state and federally-funded family planning clinics, and begin a healthy behavioral model to reduce these sad statistics? THe Medical Cessation Model was started at the Medical Institute for Sexual Health http://medinstitute.org -you REALLY need to join this highly successful team who TRULY care about our youth!
I feel compelled to write and share some VITAL information with you, I have personally been gathering research for the last 10 years on the benefits of directing youth to the healthy, responsible moral directive of abstinence education, particularly highlighting the great reductions in many social ills, directly linked to youth choosing to engage in hetero/homosexual sexual activity outside of the 4000+ year-old “protective” boundary of MARRIAGE! I hope you will take some time to review the data, as there is GREAT news on the reduction of teen sexual activity and other social ills like STD’s and fatherless households, since we began funding this healthy responsible directive in 1996-the decreases in sexual activity for black youth are especially hopeful! We are now seeing the dramatic results, (summary enclosed), and I also am hoping that you will promote policies in schools, direct and faith-based organizations to join the abstinence advocates in this country who want EVERY American child to have access to this healthy, responsible directive, so that we continue to see dramatic reductions in all of these social ills.
I am sending you MUCH of the research -most from our own CDC and the U.S. Census Bureau, and an abstinence educator for the last 10 years, and was honored to write a chapter in a social ethics text (summary article enclosed) which details the HIGH disparities in social ills, particularly devastating blacks and other minorities, including rates of poverty, rates of STD’s, abortion rates, as well as the devastation to youth in fatherless homes-with increased rates of criminal behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, school drop out rates, and increasing pre-term labor and infant mortality rates as well as many other devastating statistics like emotional rates of depression and suicide rates. I hope you agree that directing ALL American youth to the HIGH expectation of abstinence education is the social IDEAL that would greatly reduce all of these ills –we have been teaching ALL youth to abstain from drugs, alcohol, and smoking, but especially it is time NOW to direct ALL American youth to abstain from sexual activity as there are many more negative consequences related to that ONE behavioral choice
The condom advocates who want ALL of the sex-ed funding purposely misled with this Mathmatica study, because it about the MONEY–not the health of American youth, the new administration has proposed cutting the funding for abstinence on the basis of the misleading data.
PLEASE read the information carefully, and I would be honored to discuss in detail how abstinence directives should be a HIGH priority for ALL concerned about these ills. Although we have numbers for white and Hispanic youth, which are also very troubling, the sad numbers reflect that black youth are particularly negatively affected.
Blacks account for 12-13% of the U.S. population–yet they have higher numbers as a percentage of their race in all of the following social ills:
POVERTY-The #1 group trapped in poverty are single female -headed
households–NO marriage–sadly, blacks have a 70% out–of-wedlock birth rate–so more will be trapped in poverty. Choosing to engage in sex before marriage is the contributing factor! Time Magazine recently had the statistic that we spend $500 billion on poverty-related programs.
STD’s –Blacks have higher numbers of ALL STD’s -not just HIV/AIDS–which in
some areas they account for 50% of the new cases–but also for Herpes,
Chlamydia, Gonorrhea..and others,.-we know that STD’s are directly related to sexual choices-very few to rape/incest! One estimate noted that we spend $20 billion on screening/treatment.
CRIME–We know that black youth engage in higher rates of criminal behavior and on
more black victims–we also know that 70% of the men in prison came from
homes with NO fathers–NO marriage–thus NO positive role model–people
making sexual choices, but then abandon their responsibility! How does one begin to factor the costs of an unproductive life spent behind bars, along with the estimated $40,000/year per inmate for upkeep in prison?
ABORTION–We know that since 1973-Roe v. Wade that 45 million unborn babies
have been KILLED in legal abortion–BUT 1/3rd of those-15 million– were
black and Planned Parenthood-et.al. sets up more inner city abortion clinics
targeting blacks-Black Americans for Life calls it genocide-! Statistics show that 85% of abortions are choices made by unmarried women.
If any of you claim that abortion should remain legal–PLEASE go to http://www.abortionno.org and view the IMMORAL reality–how can any sane person support this atrocity?
My research from the CDC states that black youth engage in sex at younger ages and with more partners than their white and Hispanic peers–so we will see more of ALL of these devastating numbers!
Now for the solution–conservatives have funded and want to expand abstinence until MARRIAGE funding so that ALL youth will understand the consequences of that behavior -teach them how to exercise self-control to avoid STD’s, and so that they will not end up in poverty as a single mom or have to choose to KILL her baby in abortion. Also, we would like to teach young men that if they engage in these sexual choices, they have an obligation to commit to the mom in MARRIAGE-that it is healthy for the child to grow up with a father and a mother as we have much data on the increased rates of criminal behaviors, school drop out rates, drug and alcohol abuse from youth growing up fatherless.
I have a tape of some politicians from C-Span who say it is “unrealistic” to teach some youth abstinence–isn’t that soft bigotry of LOW expectation–that blacks cannot
be taught self-control like their white peers? I believe that it is our obligation to teach
them the HIGH standard of abstinence, and we have studies which state black
youth do abstain after this healthy, responsible, moral directive of abstinence
education-! So–I hope we will begin to challenge those who say they want less poverty, less crime, less STD’s, less abortion -to join with conservatives and demand abstinence education for ALL youth–so that we can greatly reduce these sad statistics-especially for blacks!
I also want to include the devastation from emotional effects of pre-marital sex like
increased rates of depression and suicide, loss of self-esteem and many
other emotional negative effects that we spend millions on counseling!
***I am personally volunteering to come anywhere in the U.S. to show you a summary of the 2 hour presentation that we give to our students, and I know that you will agree that ALL American youth are entitled to this HEALTHY, RESPONSBLE, MORAL directive, instead of the irresponsible, unhealthy, 30 year-old failed liberal policy which has HARMED so many!
I PRAY that you will consider looking at the UNBELIEVABLE individual and societal costs discussed, and join those who want to make a priority to fund the healthy directive that could greatly reduce all of the aforementioned social ills.
[
We have MUCH data to support the benefits of mutual monogamous MARRAIGE– defined by EVERY major religion as the sacred union of 1 man and 1 woman. The NEW data on the hormonal bonding from chemicals like oxytocin in the woman, and vasopressin and testosterone in the male, that increase with sexual activity-meant for 2 purposes-bonding AND procreation should be shared with ALL youth as we have seen the emotionally devastated women who have engaged in uncommitted casual sex !
I hope you will have the courage to respond and look at the detailed data which I can send you, which shows the individual and societal devastation, AND join those like the Medical Institute in transforming the CDC in directing youth to the healthy, responsible directive.
GOD BLESS-US-EVERYONE!
Ret. Major Laura Merriott
a PROUD abstinence educator
814 835-0249 5235 Wolf Rd. Erie, Pa. 16505
WHAT I DID NOT HEAR IN THIS FORUM-FOR OUR CHILDREN!
While I congratulate Mr. Cosby for trying to bring a forum together to discuss teh SAD state of our children, particulary black children, here is a summary letter of what I did NOT hear, and the solution that Mr. Cosby and Michelle Bernard need to address:
I have been gathering research for the last 7 years on why blacks are affected in MUCH higher numbers as a percentage of their population-13%, with ALL STI’s-not just HIV/AIDS, higher rates of rates of poverty, rates of fatherless youth who have much higher rates of criminal behaviors, school drop out rates and drug and alcohol abuse. and higher rates of abortion. If you are NOT aware, ALL of these social ills are directly linked to people choosing to engage in pre-marital sex, and, according to your own CDC surveillance reports, black youth have MUCH higher rates of engaging in sex with more partners and at younger ages. SO–WHY isn’t the CDC, whose statistics showed a GREAT reductions in black youth engaging in sex from 1991-2005- a drop from 81% in 1991 down to 67% in 2005, and for ALL High School students the drop was from 54 % in 1991 to 47%–again the most significant drops were for black youth, DEMANDING more money to be targeted to abstinence programs which direct youth to exercise self control and not be exposed to all of the negative consequences? . THe Heritage Foundation credits abstinence education as the most effective contributing factor to these great reductions. NOW-Planned Parenthood and SIECUS–condom advocate groups– want to end funding for this healthy, responsible directive, and I think groups like yours with the detailed data on health disparities need to ask for a bi-partisan panel to look at how successful abstinence funding has been since 1996!
I believe the CDC should be using a medical cessation model like the one we use in our women’s care clinic for all sexually active youth, similar to the 5 A’s smoking cessation model-why wouldn’t the CDC mandate that healthy directive in ALL health Departments, and state and federally-funded family planning clinics, and begin a healthy behavioral model to reduce these sad statistics? THe Medical Cessation Model was started at the Medical Institute for Sexual Health http://medinstitute.org -you REALLY need to join this highly successful team who TRULY care about our youth!
I feel compelled to write and share some VITAL information with you, I have personally been gathering research for the last 10 years on the benefits of directing youth to the healthy, responsible moral directive of abstinence education, particularly highlighting the great reductions in many social ills, directly linked to youth choosing to engage in hetero/homosexual sexual activity outside of the 4000+ year-old “protective” boundary of MARRIAGE! I hope you will take some time to review the data, as there is GREAT news on the reduction of teen sexual activity and other social ills like STD’s and fatherless households, since we began funding this healthy responsible directive in 1996-the decreases in sexual activity for black youth are especially hopeful! We are now seeing the dramatic results, (summary enclosed), and I also am hoping that you will promote policies in schools, direct and faith-based organizations to join the abstinence advocates in this country who want EVERY American child to have access to this healthy, responsible directive, so that we continue to see dramatic reductions in all of these social ills.
I am sending you MUCH of the research -most from our own CDC and the U.S. Census Bureau, and an abstinence educator for the last 10 years, and was honored to write a chapter in a social ethics text (summary article enclosed) which details the HIGH disparities in social ills, particularly devastating blacks and other minorities, including rates of poverty, rates of STD’s, abortion rates, as well as the devastation to youth in fatherless homes-with increased rates of criminal behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, school drop out rates, and increasing pre-term labor and infant mortality rates as well as many other devastating statistics like emotional rates of depression and suicide rates. I hope you agree that directing ALL American youth to the HIGH expectation of abstinence education is the social IDEAL that would greatly reduce all of these ills –we have been teaching ALL youth to abstain from drugs, alcohol, and smoking, but especially it is time NOW to direct ALL American youth to abstain from sexual activity as there are many more negative consequences related to that ONE behavioral choice
The condom advocates who want ALL of the sex-ed funding purposely misled with this Mathmatica study, because it about the MONEY–not the health of American youth, the new administration has proposed cutting the funding for abstinence on the basis of the misleading data.
PLEASE read the information carefully, and I would be honored to discuss in detail how abstinence directives should be a HIGH priority for ALL concerned about these ills. Although we have numbers for white and Hispanic youth, which are also very troubling, the sad numbers reflect that black youth are particularly negatively affected.
Blacks account for 12-13% of the U.S. population–yet they have higher numbers as a percentage of their race in all of the following social ills:
POVERTY-The #1 group trapped in poverty are single female -headed
households–NO marriage–sadly, blacks have a 70% out–of-wedlock birth rate–so more will be trapped in poverty. Choosing to engage in sex before marriage is the contributing factor! Time Magazine recently had the statistic that we spend $500 billion on poverty-related programs.
STD’s –Blacks have higher numbers of ALL STD’s -not just HIV/AIDS–which in
some areas they account for 50% of the new cases–but also for Herpes,
Chlamydia, Gonorrhea..and others,.-we know that STD’s are directly related to sexual choices-very few to rape/incest! One estimate noted that we spend $20 billion on screening/treatment.
CRIME–We know that black youth engage in higher rates of criminal behavior and on
more black victims–we also know that 70% of the men in prison came from
homes with NO fathers–NO marriage–thus NO positive role model–people
making sexual choices, but then abandon their responsibility! How does one begin to factor the costs of an unproductive life spent behind bars, along with the estimated $40,000/year per inmate for upkeep in prison?
ABORTION–We know that since 1973-Roe v. Wade that 45 million unborn babies
have been KILLED in legal abortion–BUT 1/3rd of those-15 million– were
black and Planned Parenthood-et.al. sets up more inner city abortion clinics
targeting blacks-Black Americans for Life calls it genocide-! Statistics show that 85% of abortions are choices made by unmarried women.
If any of you claim that abortion should remain legal–PLEASE go to http://www.abortionno.org and view the IMMORAL reality–how can any sane person support this atrocity?
My research from the CDC states that black youth engage in sex at younger ages and with more partners than their white and Hispanic peers–so we will see more of ALL of these devastating numbers!
Now for the solution–conservatives have funded and want to expand abstinence until MARRIAGE funding so that ALL youth will understand the consequences of that behavior -teach them how to exercise self-control to avoid STD’s, and so that they will not end up in poverty as a single mom or have to choose to KILL her baby in abortion. Also, we would like to teach young men that if they engage in these sexual choices, they have an obligation to commit to the mom in MARRIAGE-that it is healthy for the child to grow up with a father and a mother as we have much data on the increased rates of criminal behaviors, school drop out rates, drug and alcohol abuse from youth growing up fatherless.
I have a tape of some politicians from C-Span who say it is “unrealistic” to teach some youth abstinence–isn’t that soft bigotry of LOW expectation–that blacks cannot
be taught self-control like their white peers? I believe that it is our obligation to teach
them the HIGH standard of abstinence, and we have studies which state black
youth do abstain after this healthy, responsible, moral directive of abstinence
education-! So–I hope we will begin to challenge those who say they want less poverty, less crime, less STD’s, less abortion -to join with conservatives and demand abstinence education for ALL youth–so that we can greatly reduce these sad statistics-especially for blacks!
I also want to include the devastation from emotional effects of pre-marital sex like
increased rates of depression and suicide, loss of self-esteem and many
other emotional negative effects that we spend millions on counseling!
***I am personally volunteering to come anywhere in the U.S. to show you a summary of the 2 hour presentation that we give to our students, and I know that you will agree that ALL American youth are entitled to this HEALTHY, RESPONSBLE, MORAL directive, instead of the irresponsible, unhealthy, 30 year-old failed liberal policy which has HARMED so many!
I PRAY that you will consider looking at the UNBELIEVABLE individual and societal costs discussed, and join those who want to make a priority to fund the healthy directive that could greatly reduce all of the aforementioned social ills.
[
We have MUCH data to support the benefits of mutual monogamous MARRAIGE– defined by EVERY major religion as the sacred union of 1 man and 1 woman. The NEW data on the hormonal bonding from chemicals like oxytocin in the woman, and vasopressin and testosterone in the male, that increase with sexual activity-meant for 2 purposes-bonding AND procreation should be shared with ALL youth as we have seen the emotionally devastated women who have engaged in uncommitted casual sex !
I hope you will have the courage to respond and look at the detailed data which I can send you, which shows the individual and societal devastation, AND join those like the Medical Institute in transforming the CDC in directing youth to the healthy, responsible directive.
GOD BLESS-US-EVERYONE!
Ret. Major Laura Merriott
a PROUD abstinence educator
814 835-0249 5235 Wolf Rd. Erie, Pa. 16505