Ellington

A few months ago, the rapper Jadakiss released a great song called "Why." The lyrics of the song really hit a special spot in my mind and my heart—and motivated me to write my own version.

Why is it that there was such a huge uproar over the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance when, in fact, we do not practice being "one nation under god with liberty and justice for all"? According to the recent presidential election, we are more a nation of divided people who just so happen to live within the United States. Pretty much half of us support the president, and the other half wants him out.

Why is it that we would instantly want the president of the company we worked for fired if: they lost more jobs than any CEO before them; if they misled us to think we were fighting for a false reason; if that effort cost us more than 1,000 of our loved ones; and if they divided our company more than they unified it? We would want that president of that company fired yesterday, but for some reason more than half of us chose to keep our commander in chief.

Why is it that if hard work pays off that the people doing the hardest work get paid the least?
For instance, our beloved soldiers who protect our country, leave their families and risk their lives get paid much less than the politicians who misuse our tax dollars, sit in the air conditioning and sell us deceiving propaganda?

Why is it that we hear so much about how we are fighting the war against terrorism in Iraq (which didn't threaten us), when in fact, we hear very little about the war against the individual (Osama Bin Laden) who has terrorized us the most?

Why is it that we pride ourselves on being the best country in the world, but every U.S. citizen does not have health insurance? In Canada, you just need to be a Canadian citizen to be covered.

Why is it that the African-American community cannot unify to improve education, to reduce our crime rate and to teach our kids that there are other ways to deal with conflict besides shooting and fighting someone that you have a disagreement with?

Why is it that we are fighting a war to give the people of Iraq democracy and freedom—including to say whatever they want and criticize their government—but right here in our country if someone says something that the majority does not agree with they are ridiculed or called a traitor? Why can't I disagree with my country fighting a war while at the same time still support our troops?

Why is it that we have a federal program called No Child Left Behind, yet we are steadily leaving more and more kids behind because they simply do not pass an exit exam? For example, tell me which kid deserves to move to the next grade. Kid A stays after school for tutoring, attends class daily and earns a B average but does not pass the exit exam. Kid B comes to class randomly, has a D average, but passes the exit exam. So, you are telling a kid that all the work he or she did for the entire school year is irrelevant, but what is really important is that they pass the exit exam during the week that it is given. Adults wonder why kids view us as hypocrites. We tell kids that hard work pays off, but we hold them back because they had one bad day compared to the other 160 good days in which they attended school and made satisfactory grades.

Why is it that some subjects taught in school only benefit a small amount of the students throughout life? Why is it that they do not teach conflict resolution skills, how to invest money or how to do your own taxes?

Why is it that our governor and lawmakers choose to cut the budgets of Medicaid and education? How about cutting their own salaries and using that money for the good of the state? After all, as citizens of this country we pay them thousands of dollars to vote on topics to benefit us.

Why is it that politicians can make their way into our communities when it is time to vote, but we never see them before or after?

Why is it that medication costs so much money? Yet, our lawmakers do not allow us to purchase medication from Canada that is cheaper. If they are concerned about whether or not the medicine is safe, they should establish a safety screening system. Or, why can't consumers simply sign a waiver form acknowledging that we understand the risks involved?

Why is it for years record companies charged consumers $17 to $20 for a music CD when (according to "60 Minutes"), CDs only cost an average of 50 cents to make? Now, the record companies want sympathy for losing money due to downloading.

Why is that we love Jesus and celebrate Christianity—which is a religion that prides itself on the truth. Yet, when it comes to pictures of what Jesus looks like, the portrait that is either painted, drawn, or sculpted does not reflect the Scriptures. The Bible speaks of Jesus' hair like wool and dark skin, but an overwhelming percentage of the pictures in existence today do not support those details. Why is that?

Brian Fry is a program specialist with the Youth Law Center at the Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth in Jackson.