Wednesday, July 19: A commenter provided a link to an article on black slaveowners.
Memo to anyone who takes the NAACP seriously. The national NAACP is a social club of limousine liberal Negroes who care nothing about “poor” blacks or “social justice.” The organization’s usefulness is over, part of ancient history.
—————————————————————————————————————
I know you loyal readers are on the edge of your seats every morning waiting for my riveting commentary, but I don’t have anything to say today.
Well, not really. (Come on! You know me better than that.) I thought I’d comment on the perpetual conflict in the Middle East from a Christian perspective and link to Cal Thomas’s latest column, Understanding the temper of the times, but I changed my mind. I’ll save my ideas for an article I’m writing for The Jerusalem Connection magazine.
Then I had a spark of motivation to write a “Give it up, GOP!” post after reading an article about national Republicans’ collective whine about “reaching out” to black voters and black voters’ collective whine about the “uncaring” GOP. Then I lost the spark. Boring, trite…
Last week someone asked me to blog about slavery reparations, which I intended to do last week. But more important matters came up, like contemplating the expansion of the universe and what effect, if any, it has on little old me. 
Seriously, though, this is my opinion on slavery reparations: Reparations are given to someone who has suffered at the hands of another. But since all American slaveowners — white and black — are dead and no black currently living was ever owned by a white American (just a guess), there is no one to receive reparations from and no one to pay reparations to.
But let’s suppose we [the people] redefine reparations just for blacks and say, “OK, let’s make amends to the descendants of those harmed and force the ancestors of the perpetrators to send each of them a big fat check to make up for the bondage thing.”
Who will pay? Who will receive? Will interracial/multiracial Americans have to pay and receive? Or perhaps their pay-out share would be reduced. Who decides how it will be reduced? Do we employ the “one-drop” rule to determine how “black” they are? What about whites with slave ancestors? Or blacks with slave-owning ancestors? It’s dicey, any way you slice it. And illegal, if the Constitution has any meaning at all.
Bottomline: Blacks already receive reparations with every lowered standard, every welfare check, every skin color-entitlement government contract, every race-based program subsidized by taxpayers, and every politically correct doctrine that seeks to suppress honest discussions on race and encourage others to apply different standards to black Americans in just about every area of American life.
If only reparations would stop the complaints, excuse-making, pandering, envy, and hostility! I would be the loudest proponent, donating my share to the poorest of the poor, shouting from the rooftop, “Thank God for this cash, for now my people are free, satiated by the ultimate government check!”
But we all know money is not the answer, nor will it ever change human nature.
So…that’s why I’m bored with politics, which is merely a small part of the cosmic struggle to get our way with as little effort as possible. That’s what the GOP’s hunt for the “black vote” is all about, that’s why the immigration debate rages (a cheap and servile labor force, maximum profits v. the rule of law, preservation of American culture), that’s why some black folks are clamoring for more government hand-outs, and that’s why some whites are willing to give it to them, hoping they’ll go the heck away and stop all the “woe is us” whining.
Tell me, readers, what in the fallen world is going on besides wars, rumors of wars, the destruction of a great country, and the loud (and wrong) call for more hand-outs?
Bring me good tidings! 
Related posts:
Update: Some contend that the Civil War was a form of slavery reparations. What say you?
At the NAACP’s annual party meeting, president Bruce Gordon comes close to the mark but misses. Gimme, gimme, gimme!
I wonder if chairman Julian Bond recycled that same, tired speech. The words, “needs,” “fresh,” and “blood” come to mind.
LOL, I assembled and hung my new porch swing yesterday.
There was a country/western song back in the 80’s by (I think) Anne Murray and she sang “We sure could use a little good news today.” Wouldn’t it be a nice change of pace to turn on the news and hear nothing but happy stories? After several years of wishing my parents would stop the “wars and rumors of wars” endtimes “preaching,” I find myself increasingly thinking exactly the same things.
Comment by DragonLady — 07.18.06 @ 11:48 am
Well I want my 40 acres and a tractor (enclosed cabin with heat, air conditioning and satellite radio). Preferably my land will have oil, coal, natural gas, uranium or other valuable minerals on or underneath. Yes, I want all minieral rights. Or 40 acres offshore in oil drilling territory in the Gulf of Mexico will do fine. America has a history of privatizing public lands. Call it reparations or whatever you want. Blacks were excluded from this land giveaway. The federal government condoned and supported slavery and the government is still in business. And they still have hundreds of millions of acres of land. And give me LaShwan’s 40 acres because she will refuse it. The private and public sectors in America still discriminate against black participation. LaShawn’s paradigm of equal opportunity would work for blacks if we weren’t targets for exclusion in almost every sector of American society. Quotas and affirmation action are fine with me if it allows me to have a big piece of the American pie. Whites have received affirmative action and preferential treatment for centuries.
Comment by Norris McDonald — 07.18.06 @ 11:53 am
No, dear Norris. My 40 acres and mule would go to the “poorest of the poor,” and I don’t think you fall into that category.
But rant on, my brother, rant on…
Comment by La Shawn — 07.18.06 @ 11:55 am
Let’s suppose that they did get reparations. What would most poor black people do with the money? Squander it. They, like white trash, don’t have the education or temperment to better themselves. It’d just be a bigger welfare payout, and the money’d end up back where it started within a year or two. Only the stable working class and middle/upper class blacks would see any value from it.
You’re right, La Shawn, this is a human nature issue that ain’t gonna go away until people take responsibility. Ending the welfare state and war on drugs are the two things that will have to precede that. Only by taking away the two most effective means for people to avoid getting an education and producing wealth will things get better.
Ugh! Not the “white trash” epithet! Mike, you make good points, but people will skip over them and focus on the name-calling. Let’s not go there. - Admin
Comment by MikeT — 07.18.06 @ 12:28 pm
You know, right before I started Kindergarten, my parents sat me down and had a talk to me about black people. I can still remember them telling me that black people were no different than me; we had the same brain, same blood, same soul. The only difference was the color of our outside skin, and that didn’t matter. I had no idea why they were telling me this at the time. However, now I understand. It was 1975, and they were bound and determined to not raise me to treat anyone differently because of skin color, and it worked. Now that said, I went to elementary and high school with both black and white people, and I can say with absolute certainty that we all had the same opportunity for success or failure. There was never any racial preference, and I went to some pretty country schools. But black or white we all came from the same place - farm country. So yeah, when I see black people around my age today complaining about not having the same breaks as whites, I’m calling bull. I haven’t gotten anything because I was white. I’ve gotten the opportunities I have because 1: My dad grew up during the depression, became a tightwad, saved every penny that wasn’t for a necessity (food, clothing, shelter, transportation), bought few luxuries (television, radio, toys), and therefore had a good savings put back so he and my mom could put me through college (after I lost my academic scholarship because I didn’t put forth the effort necessary to make better than C’s in college) 2: My parents forced me to do my homework and study in elementary and high school and REQUIRED me to get good grades which opened the door for advanced classes in high school so I could go to college and not have to work like dogs like they did their whole lives picking cotton 3: They instilled a good work ethic in me so that after I blew my scholarship, I spent my summers doing food service and factory work to have a little play money 4: Again the work ethic came into play after college and I joined the Air Force so I would get that self-disciple that I lacked all through college and 5: my parents are Christians who raised me as a Christian, and I made the choice when I reached that age to accept Jesus Christ into my heart. And at that time, I was no longer a victim. Oh, I could play the victim card too. I have American Indian and Jew ancestry. So my ancestors have been enslaved and had their land “stolen” from them. Big deal. What’s done is done, and no amount of money is ever going to undo the past. Move on. Live in today’s world. Work hard, trust God, and you are going to be successful whether you are rich or living paycheck to paycheck.
Bottom line, either you want equality or dominance. Either way, be honest about it and don’t hide behind being a victim.
Comment by DragonLady — 07.18.06 @ 12:40 pm
Great write up Miss LaShawn! Did you ever see Dave Chappelle’s take on reparations? (Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnloMMvC_8k&search=chapelle) It is hilarious but probably true! Our people would blow the money on rims (probably spinners), cars and clothes.
Comment by Tracey — 07.18.06 @ 12:55 pm
Not exactly in the column of “Good News!”, but still, appreciation is a good thing.
http://tinyurl.com/ogd5b
Comment by suek — 07.18.06 @ 1:22 pm
#5 DragonLady- Your comments are inspirational. Would that all people had as much sense.
Let’s see about some good news. Hm…no hurricanes yet.
Oh, and some friends of ours will be going overseas next week as missionaries. It’s a longterm mission, and they have such a passion to do God’s work. We’re helping to support them with from here with monthly contributions.
Comment by FL Mom — 07.18.06 @ 1:38 pm
>>“OK, let’s make amends to the descendants of those harmed and force the ancestors of the perpetrators to send each of them a big fat check to make up for the bondage thing.â€>>
Hmmm. Of course, people are widely familiar with the fact that Liberia was settled with the idea of giving land in Africa to freed slaves who wanted to return there? _That_ sure worked out well.
http://tinyurl.com/gsyow
Or maybe we could consider reparations in the sense of damages as defined as what those people had and lost. Considering the wars that have taken place since then, should the descendants of certain then pay the US for having given their ancestors safe harbor when the rest of their tribes were destroyed? How far back should we go? Are people unaware that slave _traders_ didn’t capture slaves - just bought them? So who should really be on trial here? Who were the slave finders/capturers? If you compare the situation to theft, then the slave-owners in the US were the “receivers of stolen goods”. Usually, the receiver is simply forced to give up the stolen goods, and receives no compensation. That has occured already. It’s the _thief_ who is supposed to have to pay compensation. It seems to me, then, that those who want compensation are going after the wrong people. Of course, you always have the “deep pockets” actions…but that doesn’t justify them. Just makes them legal thieves.
Found these two sites on slavery interesting, by the way.
http://tinyurl.com/rwsa4
http://tinyurl.com/pqc5y
Comment by suek — 07.18.06 @ 1:46 pm
Interestingly enough, the thing that has been the most effective in opening my eyes to the viewpoint of black Americans is a fiction book. And a fiction book written by a white man, no less.
The book is Dominion, by Randy Alcorn, and it’s about a decade old, but for some reason it was recently sent to me (I often review books and do author interviews) by the publisher…perhaps because Alcorn is coming out with another fiction book early next year.
Anyway…growing up in the south, I never considered myself racist. Yet I had a hard time understanding why a modern-day black American would feel oppressed. I mean, haven’t things improved tremendously? Isn’t the sky the limit for any American willing to work hard to succeed? Well, yes, BUT… This book made me understand some things as I never understood them before.
In the book, the analogy is given about two baseball teams, the White Sox and the Black Sox. For the first several innings of the game, the Black Sox have been playing with one hand tied behind their backs. Of course, they’re way behind. Toward the end of the game, suddenly the Black Sox are allowed to be untied. Now, the playing field should be level, right? But the Black Sox are so far behind, and they’re still hurting from the ropes they were tied with.
That’s not the only analogy in the book, which is far from escapist fiction. Told through the eyes of a black protagonist who is a conservative Christian but struggles daily with race issues–who happens to be trying to solve the crime of the killing of loved ones in a gang shooting–the book is often heavy going at times. But it taught me some things that nonfiction books have never taught me.
I doubt I will ever look at race issues in America quite the same.
Comment by Cindy Swanson — 07.18.06 @ 1:56 pm
Reparations….
That debt was paid in blood between 1860 and 1865 by 600000 on the field of war.
Black people must free themselves, reparate themselves to be truly free. Just as Shoshone people must, or Lakota, or any people who are wedged into a confined existence not of their choosing. The white man is not your salvation; the language of the 1965 Civil Rights act that presupposes the the raising of black Americans to be the burden of the White Man is just another form of denigrating bondage. Cast these chains off also. Be strong, be brave, live free and give the optimism of that to your children.
Comment by B Dubya — 07.18.06 @ 2:04 pm
I think the Jews ought to sue the Egypians for reparations. Ought to be quite a bill, what with compound interest over 2000+ years.
Comment by West — 07.18.06 @ 2:16 pm
#8 FL Mom - I kind of got a little irked and went off.
It was either use some sense or turn into “po’ white trash.” My parents spent too much on my bachelor’s degree for that. Now I am paying for my master’s, with a little help from the GI Bill. 
#12 West, oh heck yes. I think those reparations would probably pay off my mortgage, my van, replace my aging (yet paid for) Camry AND put my kids through college. But I won’t hold my breath…
Comment by DragonLady — 07.18.06 @ 2:31 pm
If it’s reparations they want…go ask the Democrat Party for them. They were/are the slave owners!
Comment by ScottG — 07.18.06 @ 2:38 pm
What people group HASN’T been enslaved and/or oppressed by another over the course of history? I’m part Irish, English, Welsh, Scottish, German, and Norwegian. Does my Irish and Scottish self get reparations from my English self for years of oppression? But wait! My Irish and Scottish ancestors both terrorized the Welsh ancestors in me through raiding parties, kidnapping and all sorts of other things. And we haven’t even gotten to the Viking blood in me.
At some point in history, it seems like every tribe, nation and people has undergone oppression and slavery of some kind. What makes it so different here in America?
Comment by Vida — 07.18.06 @ 2:50 pm
Oh, you people are confusing the issue with all this slavery-all-over-the-world stuff!
Don’t you know that blacks are different from other groups of people? Judge us by separate standards, if you don’t mind. Although other formerly enslaved ethnic groups managed to survive, thrive, and show pride for persevering, blacks, even those who’ve survived, thrived, and shown pride, just can’t get over the legacy of slavery. We want to be equal in theory, but special in practice.
Comment by La Shawn — 07.18.06 @ 3:09 pm
What’s new in the blogosphere?, that doesn’t have to do with politics?
Well, there’s always this:
http://www.staregame.com
Nothing like a good staring contest to fritter away the hours with!
Comment by Glamchild — 07.18.06 @ 3:19 pm
The NAACP, Bush and Reparations
I saw this post on La Shawn Barber’s blog today and figured I’d offer my thoughts here. Be sure to read her post first.
I’ve heard that President Bush will attend this upcoming NAACP gathering. He would do better to spend that tim…
Trackback by Independent Conservative — 07.18.06 @ 3:49 pm
I’m Hungarian by ancestry - that country has been enslaved by nearly every European nation. Should I be demanding reparations from Russia, China, France, Germany, Prussia (which doesn’t even exist) and so on and so forth.
It’s a trifling idea put forth by trifling people.
Comment by Gayle Miller — 07.18.06 @ 3:51 pm
Anyone For A Piece Of Pie? Everyone?
La Shawn Barber, saying what we’re thinking…
Blacks already receive reparations with every lowered standard, every welfare check, every skin color-entitlement government contract, every race-based program subsidized by taxpayers, and every …
Trackback by Java Zen:Thinking Out Loud — 07.18.06 @ 4:45 pm
Gayle #19,
If you’re Hungarian (as am I, among many other nationalities), then you’re descended from that marauding band known as The Huns, and as such, you (and I) owe reparations to half of the world.
La Shawn,
For something non-political, to help put the world in perspective, there’s my post (lots of pictures, not much text) on Feeling Small.
Comment by SkyePuppy — 07.18.06 @ 5:10 pm
Let’s wait till the 12,000,000 illegals now in this country become legal, and let’s add all the family members they’re going to bring in under the Senate amnesty bill…maybe we can kick that 12,000,000 number up a few notches and then we’ll have more of a tax base to help pay off the Black people who believe they are entitled to reparations. (Tongue in Cheek)
There will never be reparations…never…why are they wasting their breath.
Comment by dianne — 07.18.06 @ 5:34 pm
your blog is a pleasure to read, ms. barber, and this post is no different. and i’m not just saying that because i happen to agree with what you write.
well, ok, actually, i am, but still.
Comment by ed — 07.18.06 @ 5:39 pm
Lashawn,
You might want to talk about this new development in the DC Crime emergency: THE POLICE KNEW ALL ALONG THESE CRIMINALS WERE COMING TO GEORGETOWN FROM SOUTHEAST TO TERRORIZE.
So essentially, DC has said; you cant have a gun to protect yourself and we won’t be able to arrest those who you are trying to protect yourself from.
Police Had Suspects’ Address Before Slashing
Victim of Earlier Georgetown Robbery Said Credit Card Purchases Sent to SE Location
By Allison Klein and Henri E. Cauvin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, July 18, 2006; Page B01
Detectives investigating a series of robberies in Georgetown had the address of two of the suspects now connected to the slaying of Alan Senitt three weeks before he was attacked.
The information came from a 24-year-old Georgetown woman who was held up June 11 — three blocks from the place where Senitt later would be slain. She said she provided the address on Robinson Place SE after learning that her credit card was used to make a purchase that was shipped there.
Christopher Piper, 25, is charged in the slashing death of Alan Senitt.
Christopher Piper, 25, is charged in the slashing death of Alan Senitt. (Courtesy Wrc-tv4 - Courtesy Wrc-tv4)
Graphic
A Killing Month
Fourteen people have been killed this month, prompting D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey to declare a “crime emergency.” Homicides occurred throughout the District.
More From The Post
Mayor Takes Aim at City’s Spike in Crime
Williams unveils emergency legislation to allow residential surveillance cameras and provide an extra $8 million for police overtime.
Marc Fisher
D.C.’s Reaction to Killings Misses the Point
The same criminals commit violence against rich and poor, and we know what leads them to strike out against the lives and liberties of the rest of us. And as a society, we choose to do very little about it.
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“I thought when I gave them the address, it would be a grand slam and they would get the guys,” the woman said in an interview.
But it was not until July 9 that police apprehended anyone at the address the woman had provided.
By then, they were pursuing a homicide investigation. Hours after Senitt’s throat was slashed, detectives found two men inside the apartment on the dead-end street, one wearing bloody clothing. Authorities charged the men with murder and are investigating whether they were responsible for earlier holdups. No charges have been filed in the earlier cases.
The Georgetown woman, who is not being identified by The Washington Post because she is a witness in her robbery case, provided new details that shed light on the activities of police in the weeks before Senitt was slain.
Senitt, 27, a British citizen, was caught by surprise at 2 a.m. July 9 as he walked a friend home in the 3100 block of Q Street NW. Police said one of the robbers attempted to sexually assault Senitt’s friend.
Police officials said last week that Senitt’s attackers were suspects in at least two other recent holdups. The Georgetown woman said she is a victim from one of the earlier cases: She was attacked about 2 a.m. June 11 near 27th and P streets NW by three men who put a gun in her face, grabbed her purse and demanded her cellphone. She was not injured.
About a week after she was robbed, the Georgetown woman said, she got a letter from her credit card company notifying her that her card was used to order an item being shipped to the 2700 block of Robinson Place SE.
The item was ordered from a company that sells male-enhancement products. The woman said she alerted the police, figuring the information would lead to the robbers.
Police responded by telling her they could not get an arrest warrant without first doing surveillance at the apartment building and then conducting a lineup to determine whether she could identify suspects. She said she was sure she could identify her attackers and was waiting for a call from the police.
Instead, she said, on July 9 she saw the faces of the men who robbed her flash across a television screen because they had been arrested in Senitt’s slaying.
In addition to the address she provided, police also had surveillance video of the suspects from a camera at a gas station, where the suspects apparently used a credit card taken in another robbery, the Georgetown woman said.
The men — Christopher Piper, 25, and Jeffrey Rice, 22 — resided at the Robinson Place address, police said. They are jailed without bond on felony murder charges. A 15-year-old who allegedly joined in the attack also is charged with murder, as is a woman accused of driving a getaway car, Olivia Miles, 26.
The day after Senitt’s killing, police called the Georgetown woman and confirmed what she already knew: that the men were suspected in her case, too, she said.
The investigator in charge of the case and his supervisors declined to comment yesterday, saying they did not want to jeopardize an ongoing investigation. The Georgetown woman said that she thought the investigator she was dealing with did an excellent job but that he seemed frustrated by the process.
Police officials said last week that a grand jury had been convened in the earlier Georgetown robberies. Chief Charles H. Ramsey also said that police did not have the identities of specific suspects before Senitt’s slaying. Police had gone to the Robinson Place apartment building before Senitt was killed, Ramsey said, but did not find the men.
The failure to quickly make arrests in the earlier Georgetown robberies has parallels to events surrounding another homicide case. Police now believe that the suspects accused in the killing of retired New York Times journalist David E. Rosenbaum on Jan. 6 had robbed a man beforehand. The victim in that attack, a retired police officer, said police did not do enough follow-up after his robbery in November.
In the case of the Georgetown woman’s robbery, the U.S. attorney’s office became involved in the investigation June 15, four days after her mugging, said spokesman Channing Phillips.
With the number of robberies surging, police have been coming to prosecutors earlier in investigations, particularly in cases in which credit cards or cellphones have been stolen, Phillips said.
Cellphones and credit cards can provide promising leads for detectives, but privately some prosecutors say detectives have not always been aggressive about developing those leads when the trail is hot.
When lineups are conducted, they can take days, sometimes weeks, to set up if the target of the investigation is not under arrest. In such cases, the target must be subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury, which orders the person to appear in a lineup.
The police work on the Senitt case also is drawing criticism of another sort from the union representing the department’s officers. A document obtained by The Post shows that officers from each of the department’s seven districts were called to respond to Georgetown the night of the slaying to set up a 20-block perimeter in hopes of catching the suspects.
That is highly unusual and rarely, if ever, happens when homicides occur in other, less affluent districts, said Officer Kristopher Baumann, chairman of the D.C. police labor committee for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1.
Comment by e_alex — 07.18.06 @ 6:59 pm
Excellent links and points about Reparations.
I had heard on the news that the value of being an US citizen is around 2-3 million dollars. Sorry could not find any link to this.
Also what is the alternative if blacks had stayed in say Nigeria at $1,400 (2005 est. PPP) per capita income?
But I have been thinking that we(USA) could give the 40 acres and a mule (whatever the minimal cost of a mule is). Why?
To solve another problem, that is restrictive development in Alaska (ANWR).
Drilling in ANWR
That’s right, give away the Alaskan lands! Now we have one group (environmentalists) competing with another group (blacks) for economic gains and development.
Then the best outcome will result from well defined property rights.
Comment by Ronald Rutherford — 07.18.06 @ 7:33 pm
My mother’s people immigrated from Germany in the 1870s, so I’m only paying half my reparations bill.
Comment by Radish — 07.18.06 @ 7:57 pm
I always wanted some land…200 acres sounded good. I had 4 boys, and that was a nice round 50 acres each when I died. Then I had a girl. 5 kids. Hah. Now we’re at 40 acres each. I figured I’d be able to get 5 mules by then. I thought that was pretty funny. Education apparently not being what it was when I grew up, they thought I was a little odd when I laughed about leaving them their 40 acres and a mule. For them and whoever else has no idea what the phrase means, the following link should be of some help… Gotta tell ya though…anybody who has 40 acres and a mule is _still_ a slave! Not owned by anybody else, maybe, but definitely a slave.
http://tinyurl.com/kggmr
Comment by suek — 07.18.06 @ 8:33 pm
Nearly 60 years ago, an elementary school teacher told me that the “world is my oyster.” She was old then and I know that there are no traces of her left. So what do I do? It is 2006 and I have seen neither hide nor hair of the oyster. (Do oysters have either hide or hair?) Anyway, I think I should get some of the reparation loot.
Here is what I would do with 40 acres and a mule: I would trade the 40 acres for Manhattan Island and I would sell the mule and use the money to buy the Vatican art collection.
Anyone who wants to get in on this opportunity can contact me at LaShawn Barber.Com.
Comment by Heliotrope — 07.18.06 @ 9:58 pm
All my ancestors - all except one - came to the US between 1870 and 1902 from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. All came west, settling in Montana, Idaho, Washington and California.
The exception was one Thomas F. Scott, who arrived from Ireland just as the Civil War broke out, with his wife and 6 month old son. He enlisted in the Pennsylvania regiment.
He was killed a few weeks later.
My family paid.
Comment by Richard R — 07.19.06 @ 12:26 am
Sneaks Wide World of Blogging 52
Welcome to this edition of Sneaks Wide World of Blogging. This series is dedicated to the proposition that Blogging is a prime example of the saying Variety is the Spice of Life. Let’s get to the good stuff! ;-D This
Trackback by Sneakeasy's Joint — 07.19.06 @ 2:00 am
Excellent idea about Alaska lands Ronald Rutherford. We have actually explored this idea:
http://groups.msn.com/AAEA/reparations.msnw
And it was good to see that LaShawn would at least accept the land and mule. She says she would give it to the really poor, but many here and on other sites complain that poor blacks would squander it on 40s and lotto tickets. I guess that is money, but what would a poor inner city black do with 40 acres in Alaska or Montana?
Comment by Norris McDonald — 07.19.06 @ 6:56 am
In contemplating the Katrina dispersals disaster,it should be obvious that 90% of any reparations sum would be dissipated through administration. A fairly large chunk would simply disappear down the black hole of fraud. As one might expect,the preponderance of the money would go to to the salaries and pensions of those dispensing the money and government would simply grow even more tentacles than it already possesses.
Comment by jb — 07.19.06 @ 7:28 am
First of all, the whole reparations issue is a total scam and it will NEVER come to fruition. That being said, we need to look at the real problem that plagues Black America. The complete breakdown of the family unit is the real culprit. The overwhelming majority of young black men in this country are raised in single parent homes. Many have no idea who their father is, much less a relationship. Now people of every race can find themselves in this position but not at the same disproportionately high rate as the black community. For some reason it’s not even discussed in public because it’s not politically correct to speak of such things. Nobody wants to be branded a racist.
Over the past several decades we have seen a disturbing trend of black men impregnating black women only to walk away from their commitments. I’m sure a large percentage of these men are taken away from fulfilling their duties as parents because of prison sentences but is that the fault of our society? Then you have a woman left to raise a child on her own and usually in poor economic conditions. The child is facing an uphill battle from the moment they are born into this world. By the time the child is an adolescent the chances of that child staying on the straight and narrow without a father figure is minimal at best. So what happens?? The child goes onto follow the same destructive path that his/her parents followed themselves before them. The male children drop out of school and take to a life of crime. The female children get knocked up by men they know will not be sticking around to support them. There is zero thought given to the consequences of their actions and thus the vicious cycle continues on and on. In fact it is almost a status symbol now in this country for many black men to sire as many illegitimate children as they can. There is no such thing as personal responsibility. Once a child is born it’s the responsibility of the Nanny State!!! How do you fix social problems like this??? Seriously, HOW DO YOU FIX THIS????? You could throw all the money in the world at it and it won’t change things. Being rich all of a sudden doesn’t cure you from being stupid. I ask myself how would my life be different right now had I not had a relationship with my father. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have had the same chances of success and happiness in my life had that been the case and anyone who is honest cannot disagree with this simple truth.
The bottom line is that the whole reparations issue is just another attempt to extort a handout from society. There is no doubt in my mind that if this idea somehow passed it would not change anything in the long run. You could give every single black person a payoff and 10 or 20 years down the road you will find that it didn’t accomplish a damn thing because the same people (along with their offspring) would be looking for another handout once they had squandered the loot. The goal should be to take a serious look at fixing the real problem that is hurting the black community and that is fixing the family structure. How do we do that?? I haven’t a clue!!! ANYONE HAVE A REAL SOLUTION OUT THERE??
Comment by Brian Murphy — 07.19.06 @ 10:21 am
If you’re going to collect reperations from the descendants of slave owners, how do you handle these folks:
http://www.americancivilwar.com/authors/black_slaveowners.htm
Comment by patch — 07.19.06 @ 11:12 am
“but many here and on other sites complain that poor blacks would squander it on 40s and lotto tickets. I guess that is money, but what would a poor inner city black do with 40 acres in Alaska or Montana? ”
Even if you are white, and the type to drink or gamble your money away, if your parents are smart enough to have money and smart enough to hire a lawyer, IF your parents and grandparents don’t leave the money to your better siblings, your parents will put conditions on when (like when you are 60 years old) or what you can spend the money on (college tuition or house only). If you are a total waste, they may leave the money to charity, black scholarship fund, or have pity on your children and leave it to them.
I haven’t thought about it, but if let the black grandmoms choose who to give the 40 acres and mule to, the people drinking 40s and buying lottery tickets might not get their 40 acres or mule.
Comment by UNK — 07.19.06 @ 11:21 am
“The exception was one Thomas F. Scott, who arrived from Ireland just as the Civil War broke out, with his wife and 6 month old son. He enlisted in the Pennsylvania regiment.
He was killed a few weeks later.
My family paid. ”
(Sarcasm on) You forget that slavery was not the underlying cause of the war of Northern Aggression, but Northern Whites were so infuriated over the issue of state rights that they had to go to war.
Both Black racists and Southern white racists share this view so it must be right.
Comment by UNK — 07.19.06 @ 11:28 am
“You might want to talk about this new development in the DC Crime emergency: THE POLICE KNEW ALL ALONG THESE CRIMINALS WERE COMING TO GEORGETOWN FROM SOUTHEAST TO TERRORIZE.”
In defense of the police, in most cases, there is almost something, with 20-20 hindsite that they could have been done to catch the criminals earlier and prevent a crime.
But I accept your overall point that with lax law enforcement, criminals work their way up the criminal food chain until they get caught for something large.
Comment by UNK — 07.19.06 @ 11:31 am
“In the book, the analogy is given about two baseball teams, the White Sox and the Black Sox. For the first several innings of the game, the Black Sox have been playing with one hand tied behind their backs. Of course, they’re way behind. Toward the end of the game, suddenly the Black Sox are allowed to be untied. Now, the playing field should be level, right?”
It’s a complex issue and I don’t claim to have the answer, but the problem is if you give one group a FOUR STRIKE rules:
it helps the blacks who were not hurt at all the most, the talanted tenth
other blacks get used to haveing 4 strikes and never get up to speed
some people think it’s saying they are inferior and it’s insulting to give them 4 strikes
—-
sorry about typos, but I better get back to work or I will be robbing people in Georgetown. After all they “they stole me, they sold me, they owe me” (I am not black)
Comment by UNK — 07.19.06 @ 11:37 am
#34 - Patch…
Great article. Who knew? Thank you!
Comment by Tate — 07.19.06 @ 11:47 am
La Shawn,
I used the phrase “white trash” because it’s just about the best way to describe that class of Southern white people. I like rednecks and there’s a difference between rednecks and white trash. Big difference. It’s like the difference between your average hard-working lower class black man with two jobs supporting his family, but is uneducated and “culturally working class” and the wannabe thug with 3 hos, 4 kids born out of marriage, with a criminal record and on welfare.
Hehe down here we call them trash because that’s what they’ve turned themselves into. They don’t have even the self-respect and decency of your average redneck
Comment by MikeT — 07.19.06 @ 1:25 pm
#40 - MikeT
“White trash” is not a “Southern” terminology. White trash can live in Ohio, Washington, California, New York… Right?
Comment by Tate — 07.19.06 @ 1:43 pm
>>there’s a difference between rednecks and white trash.>>
I always thought that the expression “redneck” was used to describe poor farmers who _didn’t_ have slaves, and it was the result of day in and day out working in the hot sun. However, once again, google is your friend, and I learned once again that what I “assumed” to be true, wasn’t! It’s like getting sent to the dictionary to check out how to spell a word (now…how are you going to find a word in the dictionary if you don’t know how to spell it in the first place!) - there are so many other words to distract you!
http://tinyurl.com/q7c6z
Comment by suek — 07.19.06 @ 1:48 pm
If reparations would unequivically END the claims of racism and begin the ‘healing’ I’d be all for it.
But giving something for “reparations” implies guilt of behavior. With that “on the record” post reparations, the end would never get here.
I was listening to one of the TV news shows the other day…GB… a hispanic individual was laying out his argument for a present day racist America, when he was confronted that racism wasn’t the ‘rule’ of the day he mentioned that “.. America will always be racist..” now, I don’t know about you, but this smacks of terminal victimization despite more than a hundred years since emancipation.
Historically, you can not successfully argue that hand outs provide long term benefits and no one getting them is willing to give them up, we have taught them they are “entitled.”
It’s a learned behavior. Just go to the zoo at feeding time… any creature can figure out a pattern, especially the smart one’s.. humans. Hand outs only serve to encourage more hand outs. Look no further than welfare, social security, food stamps et al. not to mention our own foreign aid or the U.N. aid programs.
Teach self reliance, don’t provide hand outs.
Comment by chris — 07.19.06 @ 1:59 pm
I think the phrase “trailer park trash†is definitely wrong to use since it implies everyone living in a trailer park is “white trash.†There must be a better name than “white trash†but it escapes me at the moment. Calling even a criminal “trash” seems a bit harsh.
Comment by UNK — 07.19.06 @ 3:47 pm
Reparations…. sticky subject. How would it work?
For instance:
Half my family didn’t get here until the 1900’s from England, so I get a half share off, unless Britons get partially penalized for slave trading in the Caribbean- though that should be discounted as England led the effort in the Western world to abolish slavery. I also have Cherokee blood, so everyone reading this owes me partial rent on my land that you’ve all been trespassing on for about 300-400 years. Also have Irish, so I owe myself some cash for the whole potato famine/England taking over Ireland thing.
Now my wife is partly Black, so she gets a partial share- like 20 acres and a small burro. She’s also part Japanese, so she gets dough for the WW2 internment thing, plus some Native American so she gets a rent payment, but she also has some German (?) so she owes herself money, of course the Jews money, and probably the Poles and Russians and Finns and Dutch and French and every other country the Third Reich screwed over money.
And that’s just two people- try it with 300 million or so…. y’all have fun.
White trash, trailer trash, hilljacks, mountain hicks, rednecks- who cares? A rose is a rose is a rose, innit?
Comment by 2Brixshy — 07.19.06 @ 9:03 pm
My mother’s family were all rock-ribbed Republicans from PA in the 1860’s. Many fought for the Union and several died. So I figure I get to submit a bill for services rendered. Right? Right?????
Comment by Chris — 07.20.06 @ 1:20 am
“White trash, trailer trash, hilljacks, mountain hicks, rednecks- who cares?”
I care, but not much, about trailer trash, hill hicks and mountain hicks since there are some decent people who live in the hills, mountains and trailer parks.
Comment by UNK — 07.20.06 @ 11:33 am
I must be sleeping, but “white trash†is also insulting to white people, but no one cares or everyone assumes that some whites are not trash. Compare to “black trash.â€
But I think “black trash” is the n word, which they all call each other in a friendly way.
Comment by UNK — 07.20.06 @ 12:23 pm
So if the early whites had not brought African slaves to this country, what would Americans be worth today? Would we still be the world’s super power? And would there still have been a civil war?
Comment by Leon — 07.20.06 @ 1:20 pm
Leon:
Regardless of the protestations recently and historically made by southern parties, slavery was the issue that sparked and maintained the Civil War. Without slavery, and the concomitant northern effort to limit its spread through the territories, none of the sectarian differences that remained would have led to the outbreak of more than spirited debates on the floor of the House.
And we thought denial was a river in Egypt…
Comment by B Dubya — 07.20.06 @ 1:44 pm
BUSH@NAACP: MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Via AP, the White House makes nice with the grievance-mongers at the NAACP: Bush Acknowledges Racism Still Exists Full text of the speech is here. What a squandered opportunity. Bush could have hit back hard at the race exploiters who…
Trackback by Michelle Malkin — 07.20.06 @ 2:03 pm
I support reparations. I look at the livelihoods of poor black folks like Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, and Denzel Washington, and I lie awake at night wondering how we as Americans can live with ourselves knowing an entire class of people is suffering…
Comment by Mark — 07.20.06 @ 2:44 pm
La Shawn Barber on the NAACP: “Dinosaurs galore!
Pingback by Right Voices — 07.20.06 @ 3:38 pm
Re: Reparations. My wife is black and I’m white. I’m all for a check. Wait. Do I write her a check? That’s not gonna work at all. And do I deduct the amount from her standard of living here from what it’d be worth if she was born and raised in West Africa?
“White trash” is a mean yet accurate term for whites who don’t try hard and are happy about it.
Hillbillies and Rednecks are usually resourceful, generous and polite except if you wanna get on their fightin’ side. Good Ole Boys are Southern white men who are Rednecks with money.
Comment by Michael — 07.20.06 @ 8:15 pm
I lost a great grandfather and great great uncle fighting to free the slaves. You may send my check to Kids’ Konnection, a DC Christian ministry to the black kids in public housing.
Comment by Phyllis Davenport — 07.20.06 @ 8:25 pm
I can sympathize with those who believe that our society has oppressed them and/or their ancestors from its earliest origins to the present day. I can likewise sympathize with those who believe institutional prejudice and injustice will forever deny them the opportunity to realize their full potential economically and/or politically. Since I have no way to accurately assess the validity of such complaints for any person other than myself, I must accept them as legitimate. That being the case, I can endorse a reparations program, providing it’s well-conceived. To that end, I offer the following framework as a starting point.
Regulations governing a reparations program, I believe, should answer certain critical questions. This allows the debate to proceed on a rational basis. Otherwise, we will never advance beyond the realm of pipe dreams. First, who should be eligible to receive reparations? I propose that we let the recipients self-select, with NO restrictions as regarding race, sex, ethnicity, age, national origin, etc.. The injured parties, themselves, are in the best position to assess injury, and imposing no restrictions ensures perfect equality of access for all those who might be interested. Second, how much should one be paid in reparations? I would offer a lump sum of US $10,000.00 for every man, woman, and child who opts to accept it. I believe this amount is quite fair since it exceeds the total individual wealth owned by over 95% of the human beings on Planet Earth. Had a person or his ancestors NOT resided in the United States, regardless of circumstances, he could hardly expect to have done better financially elsewhere. Third, what conditions should be demanded in exchange for receiving any reparations? I would demand but one thing — FINALITY. By finality, I refer to a state of affairs such that the injured parties shall be subject to no further injury, and denied any opportunity to make additional claims for restitution. My proposed criteria are as follows:
1) A person should receive payment only after irrevocably renouncing his U.S. citizenship.
2) A person should receive payment only after accepting immediate deportation to any foreign country of his choosing that will accept him. In the interest of fairness, I would also provide the deportee with one-way business class air fare at Govenment expense.
3) A person should receive payment only after accepting a permanent ban on eligibility to ever re-enter U.S. territory. Subsequent re-entry, for whatever reason, should be punishable in a manner prescribed by law.
The above conditions having been satisfied, I would cheerfully hand the money to the emigrees as they board their respective planes to elsewhere. Please accept my heartfelt appologies for any inconvenience you might have suffered and my best wishes for a wonderful new life. Bon Voyage!
Comment by SteveDinMD — 07.20.06 @ 9:29 pm
Re: Reparations. My wife is black and I’m white. I’m all for a check. Wait. Do I write her a check? That’s not gonna work at all. And do I deduct the amount from her standard of living here from what it’d be worth if she was born and raised in West Africa?
Like Michael, I too am a white man married to a black woman. My wife was born and grew up in East Africa. We have a son (born in the USA).
I wonder how the proponents of reparations would sort out our case. Does my wife get a full share for having black skin, or does the fact she was born an African control things here? If she becomes a citizen of the US, does her status change from “African” to “African-American”? Or does marriage to a white man make her a “race traitor” and therefore ineligible? And our son - does he get a half-share, or is his blood too “tainted” by white influence? Perhaps he owes money to himself?
And, like Michael, I wonder if I have to write the check to my wife myself. Or does being married to an African grant me “honorary membership” in the African-American community? Or is it a case of “once a honky always a honky”? It’s all so confusing!
Comment by Mwalimu Daudi — 07.20.06 @ 9:31 pm
Sorry La Shawn - two other thoughts came to mind:
1. Am I the “race traitor” for marrying a black African woman? Does this mean I am exempt from paying reparations? Can my wife still get reparations?
2. If someone is 12 black, do they get 1/2 share? Do similar proportions apply for someone who is 1/4, 1/8, 1/16. etc. black? Do they get some for their black part and pay for their white part? I can see cases where a court could order a defendant to pay reparations to himself/herself. Minus court costs and lawyer fees, of course.
Comment by Mwalimu Daudi — 07.20.06 @ 9:49 pm
Why is it that the race baiters (Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, et al) are the ones with the ears of Black Americans? Why not people like Bill Cosby who says each one of us is responsible for our own destiny? Maybe, just maybe, before black Americans want to clean out the pockets of white Americans, they should start cleaning out their own closets.
The road out of poverty is very simple and requires just three things: an education; a job and not having a child out of marriage.
I am sorry but I am so against the nanny state taking care of our every need.
When Katrina hit, I went to Mississippi to help those who needed it. I closed down my house, put my business on hold and drug my travel trailer to MS. I absorbed all my own expenses. These were fellow Americans and they needed my help, so I thought.
At first, I did do some good. Clean up. Helping. But when the people saw the money to be made off FEMA, all they wanted was more. “FEMA needs to pay me” was the cry I heard the most. And pay the American taxpayer did. Most of the people I was trying to help were black Americans. So when they got help from FEMA (no questions asked) did they get the tarps off their roofs and fix their porches? Nope. They are just as they were a month after the storm. But there are news cars everywhere. The auto dealers are saying business has never been so good. The Humvee dealer has reported a record year. How do you think it made me feel to pull up to a house in my 11 year old pick up to help the people effected by the hurricane and they have a brand new very expensive car sitting in the driveway? People who can barely read or write because they quit school the first chance they got. How do you think it made me feel to drive someone to pick up their FEMA provided food stamps that they dug out of a Louis Vitton handbag? Price a Louis Vitton.
It was very hard to keep a positive attitude when I found that a lot of people in MS. just wanted a free ride. One man was sitting in his front yard when I got there. I asked him if he was waiting on me and he said “no, I am waiting on FEMA to come get these trees out of my yard”. I asked him if he had a chain saw and we would cut the trees up and set them by the side of the road for FEMA to pick up. He said “Hell no, that’s FEMA’s job”.
I grew up in a poor family. But my family believed in God and hard work. Being a good person and a hard worker would pay off, they told me. That was the American dream. An education and a job would allow me to achieve anything I wanted. They were right. Where has that attitude gone? Why does anyone, black or white, think the “government” owes them? I am the government. My taxes are the only form of income the goverment has. Why does anyone think that the rest of America should take care of them?
Perhaps I stayed in Mississippi too long.
Comment by retire05 — 07.20.06 @ 11:30 pm
Reparations, please give me a break!! most black Americans have received reparations complement of the USA taxpayers via the welfare system, and enough is enough. Its time for these people to take a stand, educate their children, get jobs and to be self sufficient. Stop blaming others for your own choices as other minorities have taken advantage of what this great country of opportunity have to offer, they have lag behind while waiting for a hand-out.
Comment by jan — 07.20.06 @ 11:55 pm
I was watching the contrversial show “The Boondocks” last night. It’s based on a popular and contraversial comic strip about two black boys (one gansta and one a young crusader for black rights) and they did an odd episode where they showed what it would be like if MLK jr. was simply put into a coma instead of being fatally wounded and woke up in the present day to see the state of the people he fought for. It was meant to be comical, but at the same time, it was extremely powerful. It culminated in his addressing an audience of out of control, fighting, dancing and yelling black people. Finding that he was being ingnored he went nuts, he stated the ugliness of the N word and then began saying that as ugly as it was, he used it cause it fit, and he chastized them for pretty much the same things La Shawn does. Then he left. Like I said, I doubt anyone else saw it from on here (It tends to be on at Midnight and on cartoon network) but it was extremely powerful and brought the message in a way that few things can.
Comment by John — 07.21.06 @ 6:22 am
I think it would be easier for African-Americans to let go of race as an issue, if it wasn’t for the ignorant comments made by “conservatives” on boards like this. LaShawn might have some points as to the state of black America that are often well though out at least. But your idealogical brethren, seem to use the opportunity to throw out every silly racist stereotype in the book. Welfare as reperations is ridiculous. Black people have NEVER outnumbered white people in the use of welfare, and that doesn’t even include corporate welfare that is almost all white owned businesses. Sensible people can disagree about the notion of reperations, but many seem to think that this country didn’t owe even the freed slaves anything. And that notion just shows how bigoted many of these conservatives would treat African-Americans if we gave up the notion of race.
Comment by Derrick — 07.21.06 @ 7:54 am
Studies have been done where a white and a black with comparable resumes interview for the same job, with the white candidate hired more often. Comparable resumes sent with a white-sounding name versus a black-sounding name produced higher call-backs for the white-sounding name. If you believe the playing field is equal, you are wrong. How long did it take construction unions to allow minorities in? How many Fortune 500 CEOs are minorities or women?
Why do you assume an “equal” playing field would result in more blacks and women hired? What if we somehow managed to eliminate prejudice and bias, including skin color preferences, and whites and men were still hired and promoted at higher rates based on qualifications? Who or what would people blame then? Whiners will always find something to whine about. - Admin
Comment by Justin — 07.21.06 @ 9:51 am
Derrick
I have also wondered how people conclude that welfare is reparations when welfare is not race specific. Welfare is not reparations. Reparations have NEVER been paid. It is too late late to pay them now. So life goes on.
Comment by Shade — 07.21.06 @ 10:48 am
“The above conditions having been satisfied, I would cheerfully hand the money to the emigrees as they board their respective planes to elsewhere. Please accept my heartfelt appologies for any inconvenience you might have suffered and my best wishes for a wonderful new life. Bon Voyage! ”
Took you a lot of words to get to “go back to Africa!”, but you got there, congrats.
Derrick is on point.
Comment by tvd — 07.21.06 @ 10:49 am
“I was watching the contrversial show “The Boondocks†last night. It’s based on a popular and contraversial comic strip about two black boys (one gansta and one a young crusader for black rights) and they did an odd episode where they showed what it would be like if MLK jr. was simply put into a coma instead of being fatally wounded and woke up”
I did not know it was a TV show, but I don’t watch much comics. On cable TV?
MLK and many others must be turning in their graves with black beefing with each other and killing each other over insults like Emmett Till was murdered for, and throwing their opportunity to go to school, college down the drain to hang out on the street and act like the white racists said they would.
Of course there are always some bad apples, but a black killing another black over an insult should be rare enought to make national news like Emmett Till, not an everyday event.
Comment by UNK — 07.21.06 @ 11:32 am
jan said
most black Americans have received reparations complement of the USA taxpayers via the welfare system, and enough is enough.
This is an example of what Derrick speaks of. Not only declaring that welfare is reparations, but falsely stating that most black Americans have received welfare.
Comment by Shade — 07.21.06 @ 12:08 pm
Hmmmmmm…I’m black. Can’t say that I’ve ever been on welfare. My mom grew up in rural East Texas and though she was poor, can’t say that she was on welfare either considering she was raised on a farm and they grew a lot of their own food. My daddy was raised by a widowed mom who cleaned 3 white folks houses to raise him and send him to college and the Air Force. Can’t say he was on welfare either.
I could get the stats if you want to, Jan. Not hard to find. Yahoo or Google are wonderful inventions.
It’s OBVIOUS you don’t know what they are or how to use them.
SteveDinMD: I can appreciate people like you. You just come right out with your prejudice. Fabulous!
Derrick: On point. Enough said.
Comment by Tiffany in Houston — 07.21.06 @ 1:22 pm
TVD: What are reparations? They are making up for screwing things up, wouldn’t making things the way they would be if it had never happened (aka sending people home) be the same? I’d even send them with some money in their pockets, a buddy of mine vacationed there and he got by in a 5 star hotel for nearly 3 months living like a king for less then $500. I’m not saying that I’m trying to seperate blacks and whites, I welcome anyone who’s here legally to stay. I am simply offering it as an option to those who are not content with the current state of affairs.
Derrick: I’m not going to tell you that welfare is a replacement for reparations (which I think we’re past the point of being an issue) but while you’re correct that more whites are on welfare, your comment is misleading, more whites are on it because there are more whites in America. Per Capita, blacks have us beat.
Comment by John — 07.21.06 @ 2:10 pm
“Welfare as reperations is ridiculous. Black people have NEVER outnumbered white people in the use of welfare, ”
This is true, but being one or two percent less of the welfare rolls than whites, say 39% to 38%, with others taking up the other 23%, is nothing to brag about when there are how many more black people than white people?
I can’t recall if “most” (50.1%+) of blacks ever received “welfare” at one time, but I would guess this depends on what is included in “welfare.” And as noted, make the definition of welfare wide enough, like include corporate welfare and VA benefits, even most whites have been on “welfare.”
Comment by UNK — 07.21.06 @ 2:21 pm
oh
Also I don’t think welfare is reparations.
I think welfare is a social safety net.
Comment by UNK — 07.21.06 @ 2:23 pm
Reparations will NEVER happen in the U.S. It’s been too long and would cripple the U.S. Economy. Dave Chappelle had a hilarious skit about a hypothetical reparations scenario. If you caught it you know what i mean. Funny stuff, but unfortunately it is not far off base.
Comment by Mikhah — 07.21.06 @ 2:28 pm
“This is true, but being one or two percent less of the welfare rolls than whites, say 39% to 38%, with others taking up the other 23%, is nothing to brag about when there are how many more black people than white people?”
Is it only one or two percent less, or is that just a guess?
I’d support very limited reparations for Jim Crow, not slavery.
Comment by tvd — 07.21.06 @ 3:48 pm
I think it would be easier for African-Americans to let go of race as an issue, if it wasn’t for the ignorant comments made by “liberals” on boards like this saying go ahead and grab all the handouts you can, by hook or by crook, since the white man does it more:
“Black people have NEVER outnumbered white people in the use of welfare, and that doesn’t even include corporate welfare that is almost all white owned businesses.”
and don’t forget to inspire them to become criminals and steal too.
Perhaps more blacks should start black-owned businesses and join the “corporate welfare state,” but I guess you want socialism.
Comment by UNK — 07.21.06 @ 3:49 pm
“Is it only one or two percent less, or is that just a guess?”
It was one percent less from a recent year, which I got from a pro-welfare African-American site.
My limited memory is that it’s always been close for the last 20 years but obviously differs year-to-year slightly, and there has been some dispute over counting “other” races in the white or black group.
Comment by UNK — 07.21.06 @ 4:01 pm
also, some dispute on counting the same as one person on welfare: a black on for the entire year and a white for 6 months.
Blacks, maybe because of discrimination, say on welfare longer (in some states, studies, years)
Comment by UNK — 07.21.06 @ 4:04 pm
Al Sharpton on Bush’s NAACP Speech
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,204911,00.html
What a joke… Evade, evade…
Comment by Tate — 07.21.06 @ 4:49 pm
UNK,
I felt that you are trying to twist Derrick’s comment around and that’s really not fair. Conservatives on some of the blogs I frequent often do resort to those tactics and lump EVERY black person together but steady talk about who people are viewed as individuals. That’s some BS. And nowhere did Derrick say that blacks should ‘grab all the handouts they can, by hook or by crook’. That’s not sensible and does block honest reasonable discourse which is what he was trying to point out. And as many times as the government has bailed out big business like the airlines and automakers, don’t even start tripping about the lack of corporate welfare.
But then you might not want sensible discourse at all, you might think like Jan up-thread and think most black people are on welfare to.
Comment by Tiffany in Houston — 07.21.06 @ 5:01 pm
Hypothetical Scenario: Just say for the sake of argument that a Reparations Bill did somehow pass and every single black person in this country was given a huge check. WOULD IT CHANGE ANYTHING IN THE LONG RUN? Seriously, take a minute and think about it. These same people who have lived their whole lives with their hands held out looking for the Nanny State to take care of them would not change the way they live. Within ten years you would have these same exact people looking for yet another handout from the government. The same damn government that they incessantly whine about (See Katrina). Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. No such thing as self-reliance in their sad lives because they have always been taught that it’s somebody else’s fault for their living conditions. I often think what this country would be like if slavery never existed. Can you imagine how much lower the crime rate would be right now? Especially violent crime and then consider all the tax dollars that would be saved from building prisons. No more preferential treatment for anyone. Everything would be based on individual merit.
Now we hear that reparations are needed to make up for slavery that occurred generations ago. And if you make a suggestion of “go back to Africa if it’s so bad here” watch out because you will be labeled a racist. Nope, it’s “Give me my big fat check” or else!! They want to make a killing on the suffering of their ancestors and they have absolutely no shame about doing so. The day that reparations are approved in this country with my tax dollars going towards it will be the day I file for dual citizenship in Ireland and move back to the old country my father came from. I’m pretty sure this isn’t what he had in mind when he immigrated here in the 1950’s. Slavery was a tragic part of this country’s history but those things happened A LONG TIME AGO. We are sick and tired of hearing you whine about what is due to you and I can tell you I sleep well at night and that I have a clear conscience like most Americans that you are trying to extort from so give it up. It’s a PIPE DREAM!!
For all the Black Reparations Extortionists I have a better idea. Stop looking for the easy way in life and apply yourself like every other race and ethnic group has. I’ll even give you the secret formula to personal success.
1.) Stay in school and resist the temptation to drop out and live the thug life style on the streets or getting knocked up by said thugs.
2.) Chances are if you do well in H.S. and actually graduate you will be accepted by a college and you will also find that you can get scholarships, grants & Federal Loans to help you as well as I did myself.
3.) Once you graduate you will find that many employers are actively looking for your services thanks to A.A. which most of us don’t have the benefit of.
4.) Once you have made it in life try to help others by encouraging the same path.
I’ll now wait for the barrage of insults from the socialists who will call me a racist for speaking the truth. I know, real original but it’s all they have in their lives……. What you don’t agree with me?? Ohh you must be a racist. Yawn…..
~Murph
Comment by Brian Murphy — 07.21.06 @ 5:11 pm
Sorry about the repeat posts. Not sure why that happened???
Comment by Brian Murphy — 07.21.06 @ 5:17 pm
Welfare is when you give money and shelter and food and healthcare to people who cannot or will not take charge of their lives. It is meant to be temporary relief - not a four-generations way of life. An extremely high percentage of blacks are on welfare. An extremely high percent are in prison. You can twist it anyway you want. It doesn’t matter what whites are doing. Blacks can no longer afford to follow the lies and useless talk of Jesse and Al and Bill and Teddy. Blacks used to have Bronzeville and Doctors and Moms and Dads and Husbands and Wives in the 90% range. So you’re telling us that racism today is worse and, ergo, the cause of all this. Whatever.
“Corporate Welfare” is a stupid term. It makes no sense except to make Libs feel better about not understanding basic economics. A business will be glad to move to your area if the potential employees are educated and capable and the taxes are not confiscatory. Giving them tax breaks, otherwise known as letting them keep their own money is NOT welfare. Cities like New York when they give incentives are admitting that they obviously charge to much in the first place. Oh, and someone try to get a job from a broke person. Corporations are not the enemy.
Comment by Michael — 07.21.06 @ 5:50 pm
tvd said: “Took you a lot of words to get to “go back to Africa!â€, but you got there, congrats.
Derrick is on point.”
SteveDinMD: If you would take the time to read and comprehend my post, #56, you would not find the words “Go back to Africa.” Moreover, you would also realize that Derrick’s comment regarding conservative “racist stereotypes” is completely irrelevant. In my post, I merely offered common sense ground rules to govern a prospective “reparations” program open to anyone. Whites just as easily as blacks could avail themselves of such an opportunity, and their ultimate destination could be anywhere on Earth — outside of the United States. Those who choose to accept reparations under such program could opt to emigrate to Norway, for example.
Comment by SteveDinMD — 07.21.06 @ 8:34 pm
#63: TVD is on point about the study. Concerning the admin’s reply, it completely dodges what the study showed. If the resume is the first step in the process, and the “sound” of your name gets you discounted, despite the contents of the resume, then the meritocracy arguments made by many aren’t worth a thing.
Concerning #65: Took you a lot of words to get to “go back to Africa!â€, but you got there, congrats.
I co-sign on the appearance of the comment. I guess the Japanese who received reparations, if left to you, would have had to leave the country as well.
Comment by DarkStar — 07.21.06 @ 9:16 pm
Tiffany in Houston said: “SteveDinMD: I can appreciate people like you. You just come right out with your prejudice. Fabulous!
Derrick: On point. Enough said.”
SteveDinMD: Tiffany, I utterly reject your assessment. In response, here’s something for you to consider. In an earlier post on another topic you had identified yourself as a black person. If you’re under 40 years old, I can almost guarantee that I’ve been the victim of more overt prejudice and discrimination than yourself. I’ve been the victim of overt race discrimination. I’ve been the victim of overt sex discrimintation. I’ve also been the victim of overt religious discrimination. More than anything, though, I’ve been the victim of the most prevalent form of discrimination extant in our society — NEPOTISM. Irregardless of their talent or industriousness, or lack thereof, the children of wealth and power enjoy disproportionate opportunities as compared to those (myself among them) born into families of more modest means. I’m sure this last item is true in your own life, as well.
My ancestors have suffered grievously, too. Some were held in slavery (serfdom) from at least the 13th Century until as recently as 1864. Those who came to the U.S. circa 1910 faced terrible prejudice for at least two generations. My Great-Grandfather, for example, despite being a university graduate, and despite being fluent in 6 languages, was only offered work as a day laborer — so much for equal employment opportunity. Others, who did not immigrate to the U.S. were eventually murdered by the Red Army. Still others were dispossessed of their property by the Communists in the aftermath of the Second World War.
What does all this injustice mean to me today? It means practically NOTHING. Despite the legacy of adversity that I inherited and the obstacles put in my path, I’ve managed to become quite successful. Beyond that, I have achieved a level of maturity such that I can recognize and appreciate the blessings of U.S. citizenship that I enjoy, and hold that citizenship to be priceless. In life, one must “suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” and strive to overcome them. Failure to learn this lesson condemns a person to failure in general.
Well-said, Steve. - Admin
Comment by SteveDinMD — 07.21.06 @ 9:27 pm
DarkStar said: “I co-sign on the appearance of the comment. I guess the Japanese who received reparations, if left to you, would have had to leave the country as well.”
SteveDinMD: Those Japanese held in internment camps as enemy aliens were entitled to nothing, except perhaps repatriation to their country of origin. U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry so held, if there were any, would be entitled to legal redress as per a specific cause of action, much as anyone would be today. The history of Japanese internment, though, has reached mythical status in the current day, to where it’s practically impossible to engage in any fact-based discussion of the topic. Almost completely overlooked is the fact that thousands of Germans and Italians were likewise interned in the U.S. during the War, who received NO compensation as far as I’m aware.
Comment by SteveDinMD — 07.21.06 @ 9:39 pm
“And nowhere did Derrick say that blacks should ‘grab all the handouts they can, by hook or by crook’. That’s not sensible and does block honest reasonable discourse which is what he was trying to point out. And as many times as the government has bailed out big business like the airlines and automakers, don’t even start tripping about the lack of corporate welfare.”
I am not trying to twist words around but point out flaws in agruments, which you obviously don’t agree with.
Granted that Derrick or you did not literally say “take all the handouts you can get” when you say white people, white corporations do it more, you and others are justifying taking all the welfare you want.
It’s like saying it’s OK to rob banks because white people rob more banks or the banks themselves rob people. White bank robbers in the 1930s make earlier use of this argument.
Perhaps you should tell underclass blacks (street n——): “grab all the handouts they can, by hook or by crook’. That’s not sensible”
Comment by UNK — 07.21.06 @ 10:27 pm
(Sarcasm on)
Maybe the black Africans who initially captured and sold slaves should pay for the reparations?
It’s just like when a brother on the street sells you a $350 phone on the street for $50. One does not know for sure that the phone was stolen?
Many whites were indentured servants for year to pay for their passage. It’s not our fault if someone sold us stolen merchandise/people.
Just like when you buy a phone on the street, it was not our responsibility to ask any questions – or the guy told us it was not stolen and said make all the calls you want as he was taking the $50.
And if someone buys stolen property for $50, they deserve their $50 – and the original owner deserves to be threatened.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/nyregion/21sidekick.html?ex=1308542400&en=d381f9622c0c59ce&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
which I found on Wikipedia.
Comment by UNK — 07.21.06 @ 11:39 pm
>>And if someone buys stolen property for $50, they deserve their $50 >>
That’s not the way it works. You buy stolen property and it’s later identified as stolen, you’re out whatever you paid. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
>>– and the original owner deserves to be threatened.>>
Don’t think that one’s going to fly - at least, not in these quarters!
Unbelievable.
Interesting article, though. Reminds me of the old days when small town social pressures and the “grapevine” pretty much kept young people in line. Maybe two steps forward has resulted in one step back?
Comment by suek — 07.22.06 @ 11:25 am
Tiffany in Houston said: “SteveDinMD: I can appreciate people like you. You just come right out with your prejudice. Fabulous!
Typical Tiffany always looking for the speck in the eyes of others…..
Comment by jb — 07.22.06 @ 12:17 pm
There is a repeated theme on this thread that more welfare has gone to whites and corporations and that therefore, any abuse of welfare by blacks should be accepted by all.
Most folks compassionately accept that fact that there is a percentage of ALL people at the very bottom who are dysfunctional, many of whom do not have the wherewithall to take care of themselves.
What is objectionable is the receipt of welfare by those who are not at the bottom by virtue of their ability.
To me, it is more repugnant to say that all blacks who receive welfare are comparable to whites who receive welfare because the implication is that a far higher percentage of blacks are incapable than whites.
Most right thinking folks are appalled when anyone with normal ability receives welfare.
The US corporate tax rate is at the top of the developed world which hampers competitiveness enormously. Businesses do not pay taxes, people do. Corporate welfare generally denotes a tax break. Speaking of tax breaks, 120 million individuals in the US are outside of the federal income tax system, with the entire bottom 50% of the US paying less than 3.5% of all fed taxes paid. Equating a tax break with welfare is simply an emotive response that denotes a lack of economic understanding.
Comment by jb — 07.22.06 @ 12:43 pm
regarding “corporate welfare”: the unions caused the auto and airline companies to need rescuing. haha. tricked your ownself into realizing the truth didja? don’t believe me, as with anything important - it’s okay to go ahead and read up on it.
it’s Management’s fault for agreeing to the bloated demands but it is the Union’s shortsightedness, sloth, greed, and stubbornness in the face of a changing marketplace that caused GM etc to fold or need help. See, liberal ideas, when extrapolated to large numbers of humans, almost always fail.
Trust the marketplace and Christians and all will be well.
Comment by Michael — 07.22.06 @ 12:58 pm
“Comparable resumes sent with a white-sounding name versus a black-sounding name produced higher call-backs for the white-sounding name. ”
I remember the flaw in these studies, and just because a study is flawed and can’t prove discrimination, does not mean that discrimination does not exist.
The “white” names they chose in the studies were all upper-middle class names (literally mothers’ education 10% above average for whites). No Cletus or Billy-Bobs need apply.
The “black” names they chose were all lower-class names (literally, mothers’ education 10% below average for blacks, which was about 10% below the average white). It seems like upper class “uncle Toms” choose white names like “Tom” so they were not included in the sample.
Likewise, black-power, single moms were more likely to choose black names for their kids, unfortunately identifying them as low class.
But some liberals don’t bother to use Google when an academic studies tells them what they want to hear.
Comment by UNK — 07.22.06 @ 2:37 pm
and even if there is some remaining discrimination, and a black has to send out 12 resumes instead of 10 that a white does, what do you think blacks suffering through Jim Crow would say to you? Poor n——, you have to send out two more resumes? Ok I am starting to mock people.
Comment by UNK — 07.22.06 @ 2:40 pm
In 1640, in colonial virginia a wealthy farmer introduced a bill in the house of burgesses that created slavery in virginia. The bill was passed into law and African indentured servants became slaves.
The house of burgesses member who introduced the bill was Antoine Johnson. He was a black man born in Africa. He was brought to Virginia in 1619 on that infamous Dutch ship that brought the first Africans to Virginia.
Contrary to standard history, the 1619 Africans were not auctioned off as slaves. They were indentured servants and after a few years were given land and farm equipment as payment for their work.
Antoine Johnson was one of them. He aquired more land, more indentured servants, became active in community affairs, was elected to the colonial legislature and wrote the bill that created slavery in virginia.
A huge amount of black or mulatto slave owners came to Louisianna around 1800 when the blacks of Haiti revolted against the white and mulatto french. Thousands of black slaves and their black and mulatto owners came to Louisianna.
Comment by margaret — 07.22.06 @ 2:58 pm
If you would like a readable history of American Blacks and Whites I recommend Thomas Sowell’s “Black Rednecks and White Liberals”. It shows how modern, NAACP-approved, keepin’ it real blacks are actually living the same lifestyles as the rough and tumble scots-irish in the early years of America. It also has a fantastic chapter about world slavery that points out that it was the Christian Nations, i.e. White Men, who abolished slavery first. The Muslems still love slavery today which is why I don’t understand American Blacks turning Muslem. History should be a great teacher.
Comment by Michael — 07.22.06 @ 5:55 pm
What would be gained if every black American were given a reparations check? What would be solved? What would improve?
My guess is nothing of substance. Has a payroll bonus check ever made a real difference in anyone’s daily life? It’s nice, but momentary. Then life goes on as always.
We had a huge uproar years ago about renaming a major street. A group made up of black activists and white liberals, combined with wimpy politicians, launched the fight, and eventually won. The street is now named Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. They could have named a new street in honor of Dr. King, without the costs and uproar, but it simply had to be this one particular street. The costs to the city and to the business owners along that street were huge. And the result? What problems were solved? What improved in the daily lives of black citizens? Nothing.
Symbolism over substance, the liberal answer to everything. And it’s not really the answer to anything at all.
Comment by RedBeard — 07.23.06 @ 7:53 am
Chris Rock once asked; “What should you do if you find yourself lost on MLK boulevard?”………
Run like h@#$%!!!
Comment by jb — 07.23.06 @ 10:50 am
SteveDinMD, I will gladly take you up on your offer! As soon as my enlistment is up, I will come to your house and take my $10,000 check. Then I will renounce my citizenship and move to Ireland. I´ve already found a school which will accept my GI Bill benefit, and the $10,000 will go a long way towards paying for room/board/etc. I have British relatives (derivative citizenship, anyone?) who have been encouraging me to leave the sinking ship. Have fun with the leftovers!
Comment by N. Essex — 07.23.06 @ 1:54 pm
“I will gladly take you up on your offer! As soon as my enlistment is up, I will come to your house and take my $10,000 check. ”
If you hold out a bit longer, If Archconservative Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute gets his way, you could get $10,000 EVERY year - and you don’t even have to leave the country. I haven’t read his new book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0844742236/sr=8-1/qid=1153684696/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5335267-3974460?ie=UTF8
From Publishers Weekly
Libertarian Murray’s Losing Ground laid the groundwork for controversial welfare reform proposals. His latest volume continues in the same vein, positing that government support has exacerbated dysfunctional underclass behavior, and offering a compromise to social democrats who call starve-the-beast policies cruel. In “The Plan,” all the money currently used in transfer programs Murray doesn’t deem universal (Social Security, agricultural subsidies, corporate welfare, as opposed to national defense, clean air, etc.) would be redirected into a new program that gives each citizen an annual $10,000 cash grant, beginning at age 21.
Comment by UNK — 07.23.06 @ 4:00 pm
To Unk (Post #93)
what do you think blacks suffering through Jim Crow would say to the few whites inconvenienced by affirmative action? Poor______?
Comment by Shade — 07.23.06 @ 6:39 pm
“what do you think blacks suffering through Jim Crow would say to the few whites inconvenienced by affirmative action? Poor______? ”
If done perfectly, which is not possible, affirmative action would only level the playing field and not inconvenience anyone.
Since it can’t be done perfectly and there may be reverse discrimination balanced against ending discrimination – I would guess people who suffered under Jim Crow laws would tell both blacks and white “you don’t know the meaning of the word discrimination if all you have to do is send out a few more resumes to get a job. When I was young, it was impossible to be a…â€
Comment by UNK — 07.24.06 @ 1:42 am