By John Felder
Columnist

In past articles, I have written "real news for real people" and most of what I wrote has come to pass, from education to social life to democracy. Dating back to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, America has been divided by racial and financial status. America could remain the greatest world power if the government would include all people and if the people were able to address their agents and representatives without fear of reprimand from the central government. That way, this government could become the government it professes to be.

President Lincoln visited Richmond, Va., to greet African Americans. They bowed to him and he returned their gesture. Local white Americans who observed this criticized Lincoln. They said, "How could the president stand and bow to a lowly negroe?" Shortly thereafter that same lowly negroe would save the union at Mannassas, Va. Every day in the last civil war 10,000 to 30,000 Americans killed one another - all because one group had a different opinion than the other.

There appears to be two Americas - one of color and one white, Anglo-Saxon, both separate and unequal. Lately there has been a furor over Yankee Stadium and the Yankees getting all the resources that it needs to take away parkland from asthmatic and working class citizens to build a new stadium. Upstanding, law abiding citizens watch while George Steinbrenner, a convicted felon and owner of the Yankees, parades around with his cronies, exploiting citizens who are less affluent than himself and his organization.

Meanwhile, President George Bush visited Atlanta, Ga., last week to attend the home going service for Coretta Scott King. Guest speakers took that private moment to express the sentiments of many Americans, to tell it like it is. Firing repeatedly, speaker after speaker, took shots at the nation's elected leader while the vice president, Dick Cheney, spent the week shooting his best friend in the face and shoulder while quail hunting in Texas. Perhaps the chickens have come home to roost because with all the new rebel elected leaders around the world, people are fed up with all the lies and bad calls. To be continued.