I’m old enough to remember when older blacks used to tell younger ones that they’d have to work twice as hard as whites to get somewhere in life. There was no bitterness in the comment. The older people had lived through Jim Crow and knew what second-class treatment was like. Their own government codified racial discrimination, and the laws were definitely carried out.
Blacks once relegated to the back of the bus knew that even though laws were dismantled, bigotry and a sense of superiority would never go away. Working “twice as hard” wasn’t just a symbolic gesture to convince whites that blacks were worthy of full citizenship. It was and still is a necessary work ethic in a society where blacks had been subjugated for two centuries. Call it a game of catch-up or making up for lost time.
If you saw the dreadful movie “Soul Man,” you’ll recall that C. Thomas Howell’s character (disguised as a black man so he could attend Harvard on scholarship) failed to turn in an assignment because he’d spent the night in jail. His black law professor, played by James Earl Jones, didn’t accept the excuse, saying something like, “If you have to work twice as hard as these little white sh***, you damn well better work twice as hard.”
The line wasn’t at all shocking to me. It was a fact of life. To blacks younger than I am, however, it’s probably cringe-worthy or offensive.
…but I’ll say it anyway:
Speaking of Christian (bad segue), come one, come all, to the second annual God Blog Conference, August 3-5 at Biola University in La Mirada, CA.
Update V (6/5): Steve at Pardon My English says FOX News reported a pending ethics complaint against DA Mike Nifong. (Warning: Some of the comments are vulgar.)
Update IV (6/2): I appreciate the links you’re sending, new/first-time readers, but I’ve been blogging about this case since April 10. I’ve covered almost everything that’s been reported. The links you’re sending are “old” news articles and info I blogged about weeks ago. Check out the Duke Rape Case category to read link- and opinion-rich posts from the last two months. Thanks for reading! 
By the way, here’s new info: Duke’s lacrosse team will be reinstated next week.
Update III (6/1): An indicted player’s father e-mailed and thanked me for having the courage to blog about this case. As long as the sham case continues, I’ll be on hand to balance the coverage.
Update II (5/31): I don’t know how I missed this op-ed. David Brooks, a former conservative who became a liberal (don’t ask me how!) [confused him with David Brock. Sorry for calling you a liberal, Mr. Brooks!], says the Duke lacrosse team has been unfairly vilified and recognizes the obvious class envy fueling the vilification.
Covetousness is so unattractive, people. God says it’s bad, too.
Brooks writes (registration required - bypass with BugMeNot):
But now that we know more about the Duke University lacrosse team, simple decency requires that we return to that scandal, if only to correct the slurs that were uttered by millions of people, including me.
We know now that the Duke lacrosse players are not the dumb jocks they were portrayed to be. The team has a 100 percent graduation rate. Over the past five years, 146 members of the team made the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll, twice as many as any other ACC lacrosse team. According to the faculty report written by law professor James E. Coleman and others – which stands out as the one carefully researched and intellectually honest piece of work in this whole mess – “The lacrosse team’s academic performance generally is one of the best among all Duke athletic teams.”
We also know that the lacrosse players are not the amoral goons of popular legend. The current and former black members of the team are “extremely positive” about the support they received. The coach of the women’s lacrosse team says relations between the men and women are respectful and supportive.
…
The members of the lacrosse team were male, mostly white and mostly members of the suburban bourgeois middle class. For many on the tenured left, bashing people like that is all that’s left of their once-great activism.
Many conservative, including me, said this from the very beginning. Bored white liberals and camera-hogging black “leaders” found something to keep them busy. Even before reading details about the rape allegation, however, I instinctively knew that three white boys at a party did not rape a black stripper. I just knew it. By now we know why Nifong pressed on with this dumb case although he had no evidence linking the players and the stripper.
Continue reading Journalist Says Lacrosse Women ‘Ignorant’ for Supporting Accused Lacrosse Players
Update (5/30): Why would any proud, red-blooded American elect a man who thinks like this? We reap what we sow…
I know who I’ll be campaigning against for 2008.
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People don’t talk about it in “mixed” company, but it’s as sure and true as the Earth spinning on its axis.
Whites are responsible for their own diminished power in the world. The death knell was allowing empty, egalitarian, illogical, and counterintuitive government policies to flourish in an effort to absolve themselves of crimes committed against non-whites and assuage their guilt. However, decades of penance have been in vain. And suicidal. Every other ethnic group is allowed, without penalty, to think “racially,” except for those of European descent. To do so is morally criminal.
Although Whites have bent over backwards to make amends, and the West, especially the United States, pretends everyone is endowed with similar abilities and every idea equally valid, we all know it’s not true. Western values (though the author and I would disagree on what underpins these values), influenced by Christianity, are superior to all others, and denying it in favor of non-offending, logically unsustainable relativism has been to our detriment.
Hindsight in very insightful, but we can’t reverse time. Mistakes and misjudgments can’t be corrected. One day, long after those who read this blog are dead and buried, someone will write a definitive history of the collapse of the West. Those attempting to do so now don’t count. Distance and perspective are needed to write the story as it truly is and not as people presently living in this age want it to be.
This short post — written by someone conscious of his race and its place in the world — is worth reading. (Much worse than the Third World invasion from the south is the global spread of Islam, also destructive and anti-western.) I suspect many whites share his view, but rarely will you hear them express it publicly for fear of being branded xenophobic and racist.
Right or wrong, I also share his view. Unlike many “minorities,” I can see past the hype and get to the heart of the matter: Western values have benefited this black woman in ways I’ll probably never fully appreciate. That historical scar known as American slavery matters little to me in 2006, especially since I know black Africans were complicit in the slave trade. God gave me the ability to circumvent “victimology” and see an objective truth: American blacks are much better off in the U.S. than they are anywhere else on the planet.
As the West weakens, so do the hopes and dreams of all Americans, including the descendants of African slaves.
Addendum: If America’s elites want modern-day slave labor, they’ll get it. But middle- and working-class Americans, people George Bush cares about least, can do something, even if it’s symbolic.
(Via Michelle Malkin)
Monday, May 29: Freedom is not free.
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To the families of our war dead — men and women who fought and served in the armed forces to defend this country and to preserve freedom, the most treasured of all ideas — this weekend I reflect with you.
I thank them and you for the sacrifices. May the Lord watch over those in harm’s way as I write this, and may he richly bless all who are serving and have served this bountiful nation with honor and dignity.
While I don’t want to taint this observance with rants about illegal aliens, I have to say this: I’ve called America a suicide nation before, and that’s not true. What’s suicidal is politicians’ disregard for what’s best for this country and its citizens. America is a literal beacon of hope for the world, and many legal immigrants are filled with gratitude for its existence. I’ve heard from such people, who’ve gone through the proper channels and endured the investment of time and money to become citizens.
What’s so attractive to many would-be Americans are such notions as the “rule of law” and fairness. Law and order and a sense of justice are what enable men to desire and protect life, to be free, and to pursue happiness, whatever it means to them. With the passage of the Senate immigration bill, all of these are in danger of eroding.
I can say without reservation or shame that I am in love with the very idea of America and grateful to be here, despite how my ancestors landed on these shores. God’s hand was in it, and I trust that he placed me here at this moment for something great. As I struggle to understand my life’s purpose in the scheme of things, I will continue to trust my Lord and Savior and willingly follow him.
As enraged as I am with the rewarding of law breakers for the economic gain of the elites, I believe God will reveal his purpose behind this, too.
I salute this nation’s war dead. May God see fit to continue blessing America by calling men and women to honorable service in the name of freedom.
Bloggers:
- Gerard Van der Leun salutes his uncle and namesake, killed in WWII.
- Lorie Byrd is collecting Memorial Day links. Michelle Malkin, too.
- Blackfive’s Matt will appear on Pundit Review radio on Sunday.
Saturday, May 27: Debbie Schlussel:
As we honor our fallen troops on Memorial Day, we must ask ourselves something: While freedom of speech is precious, is freedom FROM “America” even more so? Apparently, that’s the case at the Michigan Department of Education…
Let me tell you about human nature. If we’re not interested in something, we might think everyone else’s interest in it is funny.
That’s the way I feel about the Dennis Hastert/William Jefferson blog swarm. Here’s the short version. Congressional crook and Democrat William Jefferson was caught on tape taking bribes from an undercover agent. The genius hid the money in his freezer.
The FBI raided his congressional office, and as blacks sometimes do when in trouble, Jefferson implied that it was because he was black. Accepting payoffs had nothing to do with it, I suppose. Anyway, so Jefferson raised separation-of-power issues and refused to resign. [Clarification for those who don’t follow links or the story: Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked Jefferson to resign his position on the House Ways and Means Committe, not his House seat.] Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (who has a “blog”), Republican, called the raid unconstitutional and demanded the return of the documents.
Why is this woman smiling?
I’ve been on a roll with the racial stuff lately. One of my disgruntled detractors finds it disturbing that I always seem to end up “siding” with the race other than my own. Sometimes it’s incidental; other times deliberate. Others are upset that I seem to always blog about race. In fact, I’ve got three draft posts, all race-related, screaming to be published. I’ve explained why I take that approach, but if you’re not a regular, long-time reader and just a casual reader who checks the archives now and then or never, you probably missed it. Check Do You Hate Black People? and other posts. This post may be helpful, too.
Although I never intended to write about race and politics so much in my long-ago bi-weekly column and on this blog, racial topics take up a lot of my bandwidth. I’m drawn to such topics. I hear and read opinions about race and read opinions disguised as news stories about race in mainstream media, and left-leaning reporters seldom get it “right.”
I focus on the media because, like it or not, they are influential. I’m a commentator, not a community activist, so my focus is on how politicians, organizations, the media, and entertainment industry portray blacks. Individual blacks I know work hard and try to live their lives in peace, but system-wide, race-based group preferences have fostered a disturbing entitlement mentality. If all else fails, one can always use skin color to lodge a complaint.
I’ve been tempted, but I refuse to do it.
For the most part, liberals see minorities as oppressed. I see them as blessed, fortunate to live in a free, vibrant country where they can succeed if they dare. When liberals write about race, they begin from a position of weakness: that blacks are put-on children who need government to survive. I start from a position of strength: that individual blacks who’ve shaken off the victim robes and embraced America’s vast opportunities can and do succeed, and that big government intrusions have provided strong incentives not to try.
The whites-as-oppressors thing is so old, and I frankly don’t care if it exists in the real world or only in people’s minds. But there are too many people who make a living perpetuating its existence. As long as they do, I’ll keep blogging and speaking about race from a totally unexpected and out-of-the-mainstream point of view, and as often as I deem necessary.
Make sense? If not, read the archives (beginning in late 2003) and read this blog every day.
On a final note, I must clear up a misconception about this conservative. I can’t speak for others, but I don’t push the “colorblind” idea because I think it’s stupid. We couldn’t ignore differences if we tried. That’s not the way God made us. He created a truly diverse universe that is beautiful and awesome. Its various colors, shapes, and sizes are pleasing to the eye. I won’t pretend we’re all the same except for skin color. We are all part of the American culture, but each of us is also part of a sub-cultural group. These have much in common, but they also have their differences.
(God, in his infinite and unknowable wisdom, created different racial groups for his own purpose. It is not unbiblical for us to recognize and acknowledge differences between and within those groups. Spiritually, though, there are no differences. Each of us will be judged for our sins, and “racism” or “superiority” won’t excuse those sins. God’s elect belong to all racial groups, and he saves them without regard to race. He is a true equal opportunity Employer.)
We can no more ignore these differences than we could a mack truck barreling down the street as we go to cross it. What I advocate is colorblind government policy, which is definitely do-able. As long as “affirmative action” exists, however, and government tries to justify it, we will never have colorblind policy. As long as this hypocrisy flourishes, you’ll hear from me. As long as blacks embrace the double standard, I’ll keep blogging and writing about how wrong it is. As far as I can tell, I’m one of only a few doing so consistently and honestly.
If my posts disturb you and cause you discomfort, you have my sympathy. You really do. Take a pill, stop reading the blog and pick up a book instead, start working out — whatever you need to do to relieve the stress, because I promise you this: It’s going to get a lot worse.
Update: Commenter Tiffany says:
Your post on ‘Do You Hate Black People’ helped me to understand you a lot better in terms of what you feel called to do and though I don’t always agree with you, I can definitely respect your convictions. I admire folk with conviction.
With that being said, I think that some on your readers relish when you make these types of posts because it allows them to say the things they really *wish* they could say about black folks but probably don’t in public. Being an avid reader of your site for some time know, the commentary tends to be really reflective and constructive in the beginning of the thread and tends to descend into “piling on” of the Negroes by the thread’s end.
That is just my general observation…Otherwise keep it coming!
Thanks for being a regular reader, Tiffany, and you’re right. People sometimes will use what I say for nefarious purposes and pile it on. But as I’ve written before, that’s a risk I take running a public blog open to all eyes. The best I can do is make sure the discussion is civil.
A reader pointed me to this gem by Jason Whitlock:
[Bill] Cosby spoke for nearly an hour. He was funny, articulate, passionate, concise, profound and inspiring. Controversial? Not in any way. He didn’t utter one word or phrase or opinion that I haven’t heard from my parents.
…
He blasted parents for being uninvolved in their kids’ education. He invited guest speakers who shared their own stories of overcoming incredible odds or they talked about the startling negative health, education, murder and poverty statistics impacting black America.
…
Blaming racism is a copout, an admission of inferiority, an easy excuse of the sedated. Cosby wants to help black people realize that in America — even though the country isn’t perfect — the solution to any problem begins with the person with the problem.
Update II (5/26): Commenter Terrence says:
You crack me up… in a good way.
Thanks for your insights. I believe the lure of racial topics in your writing is from a desire to know the truth, even if it make us feel uncomfortable. But that’s a good thing - keep up the good work.
Monday, May 29: According to a liberal journalist, Duke’s women’s lacrosse team was “ignorant and insensitive” for supporting the lacrosse men. This post is closed, so feel free to comment here.
Thursday, May 25: Tom Bevan responds to this article (which conveniently fails to mention black men’s complicity in perpetuating negative stereotypes about black women. Take the plank out of your own eye…):
“Facts can be inconvenient things, and based on the data available the facts are that the vast majority of rapes and/or sexual assaults are not interracial. According to statistics from the Department of Justice [PDF], the estimated number of rape and sexual assault cases in 2003 involving a white offender and a black victim was 0.0%. Over the course of the last eight years [PDF] white-on-black rape/sexual assault cases averaged 6.9%, while black-on-white rape/sexual assault cases over the same period were slightly higher at 10.8%.
“Clearly, this doesn’t rule out the possibility that three white college students gang raped an African-American woman back in March, as alleged. But it does add some perspective to Lynne Duke’s article in the Post. The particulars of this case are bad enough without dredging up and promoting ancient, racially divisive ghosts - especially if it turns out the rape charge is a lie.”
*** Scroll down for updates ***
Shameless self-promotion: I found links in my referrers log to a BBC blog post called Blogs We’re Reading: “And for the conservative cause in the US, La Shawn Barber is more original than most, and prolific.”
Hey, I try.
Note: I’ve done a lot of blogging about this case. See the Duke Rape Case category (ten posts spanning two pages). If you don’t see the NEXT PAGE link at the bottom of the page, follow this link to page 2. It would be helpful for you and less irritating for me if first-time visitors read some of those previous entries.
Continue reading Duke Rape Case: 1,300-Page Discovery Bolsters Defense
Filed under: Duke Rape Case, Justice
(These men are what you’d call “enemies” of George Bush. They are vehemently anti-amnesty and fiercely pro-enforcement. Actually, I’m only assuming Thomas Sowell [far left] is “fiercely” pro-enforcement. Next is Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist, “Rasta Republican” Ted Hayes, and Rep. Tom Tancredo, a man who should but will never be president of the United States. Honorable mentions: Rep. J.D. Hayworth and Rep. Mike Pence.)
[”An estimated 45,000 cases of illegal immigrants from terror-linked countries were released to the American alien frontier between fiscal 2001 and the first five months of 2005.”
OH NO, George Bush shouldn’t be impeached for his immigration non-enforcement policy. That’s absurd, La Shawn. You’re crazy, girl. :?]
[Wednesday, May 24: Part II of Bordering on fraud]
While I try to ignore people telling me how to think and feel about George Bush and his amnesty-for-illegal-aliens scheme, I’ll continue to provide my no-holds-barred commentary. Ironically, some of the same people are regular readers who know my style by now. I don’t go along with Republicans or conservatives (not necessarily the same thing) just because they’re Republicans or conservatives. I focus on principles and ideology.
My loyalty lies with men who put America and its citizens first, before all others. If they can’t do that, they won’t get my support. Period. I hate it when liberals, with their insipid multicultural claptrap, tell me how to think, and I hate it when conservatives do it.
That’s not to say I won’t vote in November. You better believe I’ll vote, but not to prove anything to anyone. I consider voting a duty because blacks who came before me fought and risked their lives so I, their descendant, could do so freely and without fear.
Continue reading Lame Duck, Straw Men, and Cosmetics (Updated)
Filed under: Bush Bad, Illegal Aliens
