When Al Sharpton talks, people listen. I'm not the only one who hates that this is the case, but it is the case. And thats why it's sad that until very recently, Sharpton has been far more consumed by his hip hop crusade than the plight of the Jena Six.

Curiously, now that there is a media-heavy rally today in Jena, Al Sharpton is finally there, visiting the six teenagers that made the small Louisiana town infamous. I'm interested to know what caused him to finally take time out of his busy schedule.

The N-word is still around! So is hip hop! What could have made him leave those worthy causes to lend his voice to six kids in the Louisiana boonies. Maybe the cameras?

CONTINUED »

Dear J. Reed Walters,

Can I call you J.? I know that you're kind of a big deal in the minuscule corner of the world where you live, and you probably expect the courtesy of Mr. Walters. Or maybe District Attorney Walters. But not only do I feel you to be totally undeserving of that level of courtesy from me or anyone else, I think J is kind of a cool letter. It's the opener for a lot of interesting words.

1. Justice.

2. Jail.

3. Juveniles.

4. Jena.

Being the district attorney of LaSalle Parish, where the infamous town of Jena is located, you should be well-acquainted with those four words, although you have an infirm grasp on the meaning of the first one, a flippant view of the second, a disbelief that there is such a thing as being tried as the third if the youths in question are black, and a complete and total lack of respect for the denizens of the fourth. Because before you decided to charge the six black boys who participated in a school yard brawl with attempted murder, as adults no less, no one had heard of Jena or you. And by that I mean, no one would know what a back woods, fucked-up town Jena, La. is, and no one would know what a racist, mentally unqualified embarrassment you are.

CONTINUED »

Prosecutors in Jena should really be given a medal for sound judgment and generosity. They've reduced the charges for two more of the Jena Six, most likely because the attempted murder accusation wasn't really going over well with, well, the entire world. But they didn't do the boys any real favors; they could still spend 22 years in prison for a school yard brawl.

On Tuesday, charges against Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw were reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. That same reduction was made earlier for Mychal Bell, who was tried and found guilty and could be sentenced to 22½ years at a hearing Sept. 20.

Also awaiting trial are Robert Bailey Jr. and Bryant Purvis, who still face attempted murder charges, and the unidentified juvenile.

Mike Nifong, the Durham, NC, District Attorney who was in charge of the Duke rape debacle, has been convicted of contempt of court. If there's any justice in the world, and, I suppose the Jena Six proves there isn't much, some similar fate will befall the prosecutors in Jena. But I'm not holding my breath.

Take action at www.colorofchange.org.

[MSNBC]

• Ew. Second story of the day — they really are back. Usher and Tameka are planning a wedding "real" wedding this weekend for family and friends, including Jermaine Dupri, Janet Jackson, Ashanti, and Diddy. [US]

• Every Jehovah's Witness in the world just clutched their chest in horror. And which one is it, Terrence Howard — do you have premarital sex or not? [SP]

• Jena High School administrators banned the sisters of one of the defendants in the infamous case from wearing "Free the Jena 6" shirts in school. Because it was "disruptive." [MSNBC]

• Remy Ma's alleged victim is just mad at all the female rappers. [BV]

• Venus Williams launches the largest clothing collection of any female athlete. Uh, congrats? [EUR]

When six provoked black kids in Jena, La., jumped a white classmate and got charged with attempted murder, and the prosecutors there tried to insist that the excessive charge had nothing to do with race.

I wonder how Nassau police will respond when the masses get wind of a racially motivated incident at a McDonalds in Long Island, where surveillance video clearly shows a black man being attacked by seven white men then fighting back in self-defense. The white fighters got off scot-free, while the black man, Aloysius Staton, got slapped with a first-degree assault charge. I'm sure this one has nothing to do with race, either.

[ND]