La Shawn,thanks for the subject post and forum that allowed many of us who escaped the plantation to share our “conversion” experiences and for the forum to put some of “our stuff out there” in the ‘sphere. More power.

“ScuzzyWuzzy” I believe it was Malcolm who made the comment that you paraphrased. Considering that was said in the mid-to-late 60′s, I’m inclined to believe that the most dangerous black man turned out to be, one who can convince his community that they are not responsible for their community, their families or their personal situations. That black man (with support of the liberal establishment) has turned out to be far more dangerous than the one with access to the library. I appreciate the reference, I got it. Peace. -Vic

Mark

Keep 5 yards

I went to college in the early sixties and became active in the Young Democrats, Campus Crusade for Christ and the Baptist Church that most Crusaders belonged to. I discovered that most of the people at church were Republicans. One of the Crusaders, a Black football player noticed my outspoken support for the Democratic Party and took on the assignment of showing me the error of my ways. He spent a lot of time in the cafeteria and wherever he met me on campus to show me where my Christian values were really conservative. He wouldn’t let me use the words Democrat and Republican.

I was elected to the student senate and worked up to 30 hours a week to pay for my education. One of my jobs required me to pick up my check in the student housing office. On the wall of the office was a bulletin board for off-campus housing where people could post notices for free, advertising houses, apartments or rooms they had to rent. I noticed that the cards almost always had a notation at the bottom “white only.” This seemed unfair to me. If these people wanted to advertise for free in our university where there were students of all colors from all over the world, they should be willing to rent to all reputable students. I decided to author a bill in the Student Senate to require this and to ask support from the Young Democrats. Naively, I thought this was such good idea; I didn’t talk to anyone of the group leaders before the meeting. This was a simple matter of housekeeping in the spirit of the chorus “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.” When I brought my bill up during “new business,” I was met with stony silence. As I sensed this and became more flustered my presentation degenerated into a flurry of “you knows” and “I means.” Finally, one fellow Young Democrat said, “You know, you know, you know, I have no idea what you mean.” I sat down in defeat.

I forged ahead with my bill anyway and informed my football friend when my committee would be meeting to write the bill. I was surprised when a student I called “the campus brownnose” showed up in addition to the three of us on the committee. Shortly after we began the door opened and the room filled up with Black people, including my football player friend. Looking back, it was the first time I was in a situation where the Whites present were outnumbered by Blacks—by at least five to one. The campus brownnose excused himself and left. The group had evidently chosen a spokesperson beforehand, a tall, thin man who was a doctoral candidate and taught a couple’s Sunday School class at our church. He began by recounting his problems finding off-campus housing for his family. When he was unable to rent he tried to but a house from a woman from our church who was moving to a retirement home. When neighbors found out she was selling to a Black family, someone burned a cross on her lawn and she chickened out. His family now lived in another town.

Others in the group began to tell of their experiences when who should walk in but the president of the university. The very same president who had responded to a resolution of the Student Senate, that he read all of our bills himself, by sending us a memo stating that, because of his busy schedule, his direction was that one of his aides should give him a summary of our activities. He seemed to know all about my bill and pointed out that if it passed and the “white only” advertisers were not permitted, all the white students who needed off-campus housing would be deprived. I think this was where he also said something that renting or selling to Blacks [by the way the polite word back then was not Blacks but rather “Negroes”] in our college town was against the law. He concluded by telling us that we should forget about the bill and all go home. The Blacks started to leave immediately. Back then we were all into being “nice.” Shortly after this my health began to go downhill and I resigned from the Student Senate.

Later I noticed a newspaper article telling about members of my Young Democrats demonstrating at another university clear across the state to support the entry of Red China into the UN. This to me is the typical Democratic Party—embracing some policy or program of cosmic proportions and ignoring the simple, local things that could be done easily. It is Vice President Al Gore informing President Clinton that he didn’t want to work on the recommendations of a “blue ribbon” commission for Social Security reform because he wanted to “campaign” for President on the issue of reforming Social Security. It is this year’s Democratic Party running a candidate with a totally undistinguished record in the Senate, who campaigned on grandiose promises for education, health care, insurance etc.

I dropped out of the Young Democrats and joined the Young Republicans.

My parents wanted me to be an educated citizen and just as important, my mother went through great efforts to make sure that I didn’t grow up hating anyone, because she felt that’s what was wrong with our society in the first place. So as I became more informed, I sought out information through reading history books and conversations with my grandmother who is from Virginia. What I learned from reading, is that African Americans were originally Republicans and religious conservatives. What I learned from my grandmother is that folks from the south were more “straight forward” than folks from the north (liberals). She said that folks from the south would tell you exactly what they felt, but you knew just where you stood. In the north, folks would tell you what you wanted to hear (does that sound familiar?), or what they think they should say, even if it wasn’t true, or wasn’t to your benefit. I also learned through reading that most (if not all) of the famous antagonist who oppressed black people back then were Democrats: G. Wallace (Alabama), Bull Conner, Lester Maddox, Orval Faubus (Arkansas L R 9), including Bill Clinton’s mentor William Fullbright, and Al Gore’s father. Add to that the urban northern mayors who’s police forces waged war against many black communities particularly in New York, Chicago (Daley Sr.- Dem.) and the notorious Frank Rizzo (remember him? Dem). Did I mention the only Senator in U. S. history to vote against both black Supreme Court Justices (Marshal and Thomas) klansman Robert Byrd – Democrat.

The sad truth is, I don’t my peers in my community were encouraged to read as aggressively as I was. And as a consequence, they did not seek the background and history that I have learned and now understand. For example, on the social economic side of things, I learned that black people were making significant social economic gains during the 40′s and 50′s into the 60′s BEFORE our government established the social programs. I also learned that our community was very entrepreneurial before the liberal entitlement programs sucked the entrepreneurial spirit out of the communities. I learned all of this by reading books and magazines in the U of Penn Bookstore, which was located at 38th and Spruce streets in West Philadelphia. That’s where I used to hang out. I used to also sneak into the Penn library back when all you had to do was look like a student and you would often get in. That’s where I first read about a guy named Clarence Pendelton, Thomas Sowell and Jack Kemp. Finally, I learned that people were being taught to blame others for their situations, and to depend on others for their improvement, instead of being taught how to improve their own situations. Guess whom I learned that from? Malcolm X, whose teachings I feel espoused many of the core, bedrock conservative beliefs of American society. I also learned when Malcolm’s completed his pilgrimage to the Islamic Holy Land to learn about the true meaning of his religion, he returned and preached that all men are his brothers, and we should not hate. (That’s what got him assassinated). That’s what my folks taught me (in different words), but Malcolm’s message of self-help, and not depending on the government is what really inspired me. So during the mid to late 80′s I started to change politically and in some ways culturally, back to what I learned my community use to be. And here I am . . . . black, conservative, and proud . . . . just like those who sacrificed before me were.

Finally, I get to be right on something, lol.

We have come full circle and have certainly beaten a horse as dead as it could be beaten. But I think earned a little mutual respect. That, in itself means all was not for naught.

And have some faith. At some point I will advocate some position we share, with equal fervor.

Because of the hypocrisy of the left.

When I was a teenager, I believed in equal rights, and considered myself a feminist, until I was told by the President of NOW that I had no right to speak, or take part in a Feminist forum.

When I was in my first year of college, I believed in the right to an abortion, until I met a man whose girlfriend had killed the baby he had fathered, and desperately wanted. So much for equal rights, or even just equal reproductive rights: according to the left, I have no reproductive rights because I am a man. the sheer sexism and injustice of this really reinforced the impression of hypocrisy I received from my bad experience with feminism in my teenage years. Abortion is legally flawed because it is cast, in almost every case, as an individual right . . . which totally denies even the existence of the father, to say nothing of his rights.

When I was a senior in college, I lived in a shared residence where we had three different room mates, all African-American, in one year. They were all freshman, and they all flunked out due to inadequate preparation for college, compounded by “affirmative action” admissions policies. That made me question just how much good government programs were actually doing. That same year, a Hispanic friend was hired by a major government organization and several of his colleagues questioned his ability to do his job, precisely because of the stigma of affirmative action.

After I graduated, I married a woman whose use of “moral relativism” translated into actions that were wholly and totally self serving, including adultery, compounded with perjury. A close, personal experience with the state of the art in divorce court gave me a reminder, and once again a very real appreciation for just how far from “equal” rights were. Once again, I was automatically a second class citizen, with little or no rights, solely because of my sex.

Conservative? Yep. Conservatives are just plain not as hypocritical. Sure, we have some hypocrisy, but it is light years less than that of the left. The best sound-bite for this is a bumper sticker I recently saw: “My car was keyed by a person of tolerance and diversity!”

I respect them and think they are truly trying to get it right and think and act in America’s best interest.

Yep. As sure as our host is in knowing that abortions are wrong.

Again, I argue a point forcefully, but really the statements that you have keyed into are mild, and certainly not ment to be the end all be all on any issue.

I did not launch into a viceral attack on MM. La Shawn is a fan, and I respect her blog. I stated my feelings, and noted RESPECTFULLY, that we disagreed.

Your beef isn’t with my style; it’s with my position. If I were on the same side of the issue as you, I wonder if you would have been similary touched?

The one thing I have never done is slyly insult or call names (unprovoked).

Please see my last post where I laid out what I think is OUR BIG difference.

Sounds funny doesn’t it. Sign form here. OK. Now repeat (line of Qaran Here). OK.

But he did receive trainin from Al Qaida.

In none of my arguments did I call him a mastermind. Others may have but not me. I just recognize that he did participate in a war against the U.S. and therefore is an enemy combatatant (just like the Bush administration labeled him).

You may disagree that he is an enemy combatant and that is where OUR BIG difference is. Because if he isn’t an enemy combatatant and was mislabeled then all that you said applies no matter how bad he was since the age of 14.

BTW, nor did I say the govt. is infallible.