Ohio Prayers.

Snow snow snow, and more snow. A brotha couldn't even go to the plantation today.

Anywhooo, a lot of you have been sending me e-mails about the case in Ohio where the African American mother was jailed, fined, and given probation for sending her children to a predominantly white school. I wanted to look at the case a little more before commenting, because things in A-merry-ca are not always as black and white as they first seem.

Folks who know me know that I part company with most of my ideological soul-mates when it comes to school choice. It's one of the few issues where I usually find myself arguing from the right side of my brain. I truly believe that a good education is one of the true equalizers in A-merry-can society, and if our public schools are failing I want our children to get a good education wherever they can.

When I saw the story about this poor lady being punished for trying to get the best for her children it gave me cause for a pause. I am a lawyer, and I respect the law. And, to be honest, Kelley Williams-Bolar did technically break the law by lying about her residency. But Kelley-Williams-Bolar, like any good parent, just wanted the best for her children; so she did what she felt she had to do to get her daughters into a better school. It's that simple.

Sometimes judges have to use common sense from the bench. And this judge down in Ohio did not do that. I dare say that the punishment did not fit the crime. A judge should always look at the totality of the circumstances before handing out a sentence, and this judge clearly did not do that. Or did she? Maybe the judge was just following the will of her affluent constituents. (Do they elect judges in Ohio?) I also have to wonder what triggered this little investigation into Kelley Williams-Bolar's background. ("Oh oh, here comes field with the racial angle.") Why would the school district hire a private investigator to follow the lady to see where she dropped off her daughters? --That was a rhetorical question. I know why. Akron, that is not cool.

Anyway, my question to the wingnuts would be this: Why the silence on this issue? I thought that you were all for school choice? Why is this story only getting folks outraged on the left? Hey,when it comes to school choice I am all in with you wingnuts; so why am I alone on this one? Where is the wingnut love?

The tragedy in all of this is that our public school system has become so bad that parents who want the best for their children have to make these tough choices. This poor woman lived in a housing project, and she clearly knew that she was taking a risk by lying about her residency to get her daughters into a better school. But she took it. True field Negro behavior if you ask me.

For those of you who believe in such things please pray for this lady. She needs all the help she can get. And, sadly, her daughters now do as well.