Politics. On Point.

James Brady, the press secretary who was shot as he tried to shield President Ronald Reagan from an assassin's bullet has died.    Brady was left paralyzed after the 1981 incident. President Reagan survived the attack by John Hinkley, Jr. outside the Washington Hilton hotel.  The hotel serves as the present venue for the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner.   The assassination attempt would later spawn the Brady handgun control bill (signed by President Bill Clinton ) which, under law, meant prospective gun purchasers must wait at least five days while a background check was done before they could legally purchase a handgun.  The bill gave way to backlash by those who say the bill trampled upon a person's Second Amendment rights. James Brady gives reporters a thumbs up sign, circa 2005.   Photo/Reuters. That was thirty-three years ago, and the same gun control debate prevails today even in the midst of school, neighborhoo...

President Obama, in a Friday afternoon daily press briefing shocker, stood at the podium and finally spoke to America about the George Zimmerman verdict. The president spoke to the history of disparity in the justice system, as it relates to African Americans,  and how African Americans are treated in society as a whole.  Speaking on a personal note he said he, too, had been profiled as a young African American male. He also stated that he "could have been Trayvon Martin some thirty years ago." It was time for the president to speak out on this issue that has Americans taking yet another look at race in this country. On why African Americans feel as they do about the verdict, the president said, "African Americans have a set of experiences and history [in this country] that doesn't go away." And he is right. Question, again, continues to be, how do we make it go away? The president ( and we agree ) doesn't believe having talks and town...