Submitted by Marianne Steen from Washington

Q: The email address from the Spokesman Review didn't work so I am sending "I want it. I'll read it" about The New Jim Crow to you this way. In case I get chosen, my address is: Marianne Steen, 5003 N. Washington, Spokane, WA 99205 Thanks for the opportunity of reading your column. I was sorry to have missed your last visit to Spokane. Marianne Steen, teacher, CCS.

Answered 02/01/12 12:58:26 by Leonard Pitts

A: I'll see that this gets put into the contest entries.

Submitted by Kim H. Wells from Inman, South Carolina

Q: Mr. Pitts, I frequently use your commentary in my 7th grade Language Arts classroom instruction. What one piece of advice would you give my students besides the cursory 'set dreams, study hard, and stay in school'? My second question relates to the Wikipedia blackout, but is more of a request. THIS topic is begging for your commentary, as well.

Answered 02/01/12 12:57:32 by Leonard Pitts

A: I would tell them that the road to success is a one lane footpath. Meaning that sometimes, you have be prepared to go it alone; you can't always ttavel with your friends. They may not have the vision you do, may not have the goals you do and you can't sabotage your own life in order to stay with them. Think for yourself.

Submitted by Phil Girmus from Prince George, Virginia

Q: How can I locate your article entitled: "No forgetting all they've seen" electronically and send the site to my brother? I would like for him to read your poignant words and then I would like to add a bit of insight from my experiences.

Answered 02/01/12 12:54:45 by Leonard Pitts

A: The last two or three months of columns are always online at www.miamiherald.com

Submitted by Helen Santiz from Grosse Pointe, MI 48230

Q: It just occurred to me that the "class warfare" is really going in the opposite direction: the 1% is waging war against the 99%. It's as if a group of people are trying to rescue someone who is trapped under a crashed vehicle, and the one muscle man is standing by waiting for the weaker people to lift the car--and maybe even criticizing them for being weak.

Answered 02/01/12 12:53:18 by Leonard Pitts

A: Yeah, but with the problem identififed, the question becomes: what do we do about it?

Submitted by George from Miami

Q: Leonard, Im sorry, I was not implicating you in calling him a war criminal, I understand your point completely..and I can understand the soldiers both in Abu Gharib/Urinating..I was watching Bill Mahre a few weeks ago, & the same panelist on the show who ripped GWB, were laughing it up with the Marines..I just thought of it as another obvious case of double standard..In the end, it comes down to a popularity contest..We will overlook someone ecuase we like him/agree with him, & bury the other..Also, in ref to a previous post below, most sane people understand BO is not a racist, but, this goes back to that whole "Journolist" thing-report a few years back, when Ezra Klien passed a memo advising his Journo "friends" to accuse people of being racist when questioning BO..Once one gets that label, its almost impossible to remove it..

Answered 02/01/12 12:52:24 by Leonard Pitts

A: I didn't see the Maher show (I find him smug and irritating, to tell you the truth), but if the panel went as you describe, I take your point. A definite double standard. I actually had Abu Ghraib in mind when I wrote about the urintating incident, for what it's worth; I wanted to make sure I would be able to defend myself against just that charge, so I thought it through with special care.

Submitted by margo from 1240 Your Rd

Q: You make me feel very sad because you really are too smart to think everyone is alike.How different are we ?I lied about my age to get a job at 15 and went to nursing school when I was 40. Not all Republicans are racist ! My family never heard the word race, never, not in my Grandmas house. I wanted Obama to be the best President this country has ever had,because he is black. He turned out to be the worse.He has lied about everything and he truly does hate this country and all of us.He is allowing all of us to deteriorate and die.He could have shown the world and given us all great pride but no, he let us down and you are too smart to deny. 140,000.00 Federal jobs created by him, 70 limos in the garage instead of the 7 he started out with.$42,000.00 worth of diamond bangles on Michells wrist.Let us see how the nutrition programs work out in the schools,which is a very good thing, but, what about the children that are overweight,any special consideration for what they will go thru now with this issue. Who is makeing themselves look good ?My question, why, oh why, could Obama not unite us for our common cause ? Why not bring the people of this great country, you and me, together instead of seperating us even further than befor Barack Obama.It makes me cry, for you see, I really wanted to be your sister.

Answered 02/01/12 12:28:56 by Leonard Pitts

A: Ma'am I don't even know how to respond to such hysteria. The president hates this country? Is he also a secret Muslim Kenya?

Submitted by George from Miami

Q: Hi Leonard, great articles in the MH today/Sunday...I had asked you a question a few weeks ago, dont think you got it..I know we've spoken about this before, but, how come when GWB was in office, & Enron went down, we went for months tying Enron to GWB..Same thing with Abu Gharib, I recall pundits/journalist, (like yourself), ripping GWB, and somehow looking to try him as a war criminal because of it..Yet, BO has had Solyndra, very few blurbs about that, then, the Marines urinating on the dead fighters, and, well, BO gets a free pass?..Please tell me not to believe my lyin' eyes...Finally, rest in peace Don Cornelius...Trajic..

Answered 02/01/12 12:24:11 by Leonard Pitts

A: Well,I don't think I wrote a single column tying Bush to Enron (I'm on my iPad at the airport, so it'd be a bit of an pain to check definitively, but I think I'm right) so I can't speak to that. As for Abu Ghraib, I don't think iit's such a leap from an administration that sought to justify torture to the mistreatment of those prisoners. I surely never called Bush or anyone on his team a war criminal, so I have no idea where you're coming from on that. As for the Marines, I didn't his Team Obama as hard as I hit Team Bush on Abu Ghraib because the causal chain I mentioned above is simply not there. What has the president said or done that would lead a reasonable person to believe hi's OK with urinating on corpses? I have, however said, and still believe the incident raises questions about indiscipline in the ranks than the DOD should be held to answer.

Submitted by Betsy Wilkins from Linden, CA

Q: Why are you turning this into a racist thing? Obama is a horrible leader! He has publicly stated that he is embarrassed by the USA, he has time and time again disrespected the USA in so many ways; not honoring National Prayer day, when promoting his Obama care, his statement was, "I have the best insurance in America, I have my private physician" and too many other gestures and comments. It is not a black or white thing, it is an American pride thing. When things start looking bad for him, ya all play the black, white thing. If he was purple, pink, brown, white, blue he would be aEW bad for the United States, his presence in the White House has divided this country even more because of people like you. Your editorials divide this country. It is NOT white or black, it is the survival of this country, and returning it to what it once was ~ a God fearing great country with hard working, independent, pride filled people. Entitlement is not an asset and those who feel it need to leave. We ALL must work for a living, and if those that work harder make more, it belongs to them. Anyway, I could go on and on, the MAIN point is PLEASE DO NOT TURN HIS INCOMPETANCY INTO A RACIAL THING! THANK YOU

Answered 02/01/12 12:14:19 by Leonard Pitts

A: My God, ma'am, you are the living embodiment of so much that I wrote abou in today's column and in manifold columns past. I won't waste your time or mine relitigating all that, but I will make you an offer: $100 to the charity of your choice if you can produce a quote from any authoritative source (I.e., not Red State or some other far right extremist blog) where the president declared himself "embarrassed by the U.S." Lord, give me strength.

Submitted by Karen Jacobs from Northbrook, IL

Q: Can you please write about the Susan G Komen decision to stop funding grants to Planned Parenthood? You participated in the same 3-Day Walk I did...we walked together for awhile at one point...I know you can help bring attention and outrage to this deeply disappointing decision and I would like to hear your voice on it. Thank you, Mr. Pitts.

Answered 02/01/12 12:05:12 by Leonard Pitts

A: I've heard about this in passing, but I confess,I'm not quite sure what the issues are, I.e, what was the purpose of the grants, why were they stopped and why is this deeply disappointing? Can you enlighten me?

Submitted by jackabassalope from iowa

Q: PS - i particularly like how this week "only the elites despise earning money" where as a few weeks ago newt inferred that romney would only be worth listening to if he gave all his money back.

Answered 01/25/12 12:50:30 by Leonard Pitts

A: Plus, it was an amazingly meaningless thing to say.