Posted on 09/07/2001 5:46:53 AM PDT by meandog
September 7, 2001
Jackson to make reparations a priority
By Steve Miller
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The Rev. Jesse Jackson will make reparations for the past enslavement of blacks his No. 1 issue this fall, an aide to the civil rights leader promised yesterday.
The 59-year-old Mr. Jackson will hold a press conference at the Rainbow/PUSH headquarters in Chicago this morning to announce details of his new campaign.
"It is something new, a new priority," said Nizam Arain, acting press secretary for Mr. Jackson, who is scheduled to return tonight from the U.N. World Conference Against Racism. "It was raised and discussed at our annual convention [in August]. There are a variety of angles he intends to use, and I know that legislation is one, maybe even the top angle."
Mr. Jackson stepped up his rhetoric on reparations to American blacks for slavery at the conference this week, telling a news service that "we must make crooked ways straight."
"We have fewer services and less education. We are disproportionately jailed and killed by the state. We have shorter life spans. We have less access to capital," Mr. Jackson told Reuters during the event, which ended yesterday.
Only one African nation, Nigeria, stated during the conference that reparations were not necessary.
Mr. Jackson has had considerable success in his advocacy efforts over the years, from eliciting promises and money from corporate America to enhancing diversity programs, to getting out the black vote in record numbers.
Reparations has never been a top priority for Mr. Jackson, although he has broached the subject over the years. In 1997, he and other civil rights leaders met with President Clinton in the hopes of extracting an official apology for the existence of slavery in the United States.
"An apology is in order," said Mr. Jackson. "But you must not only apologize with your lips. Repent, repair and remedy go together."
In 1993, Mr. Jackson called on Western nations to pay reparations to Africa. Yet he did not mention that the reparations scheme would apply to U.S. blacks.
But emboldened by the acrimonious climate at the conference in South Africa this week, Mr. Jackson began making explicit references to the black community's growing push for reparations.
"In many ways, Africa subsidized America and Europe's development," he told BBC Radio 4's Today program. "If you don't feel apologetic for slavery, if you don't feel apologetic for colonialism, if you feel proud of it, then say that."
Mr. Jackson said that the limited U.S. involvement at the U.N. conference was due to the fear of addressing the issue of reparations. The United States withdrew its participation from the conference following numerous criticisms of Israel's role in the conflict in the Middle East.
"We used the Middle East controversy as an excuse [to avoid slavery]," he said Monday.
Civil rights groups have for years advocated financial compensation for descendants of slaves. The manner of compensation has varied, from sending out sums of money to the country's 34 million blacks, to increased funding for predominantly black schools.
A powerful core of civil rights and class-action lawyers, which includes Johnnie Cochran Jr., is now preparing a lawsuit seeking reparations for American blacks descended from slaves -- the undisclosed amount being sought is said by some to be near a trillion dollars.
A date for filing the action has not been confirmed. Other movements demanding reparations have progressed slowly, gaining stature during the past decade.
One of the most prominent has been the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, known as N'COBRA, which was formed in 1988. The following year, Rep. John Conyers Jr., Michigan Democrat, introduced a bill calling for a committee to study the effects of slavery.
The bill has foundered in committee each session since.
Mr. Conyers did not return phone calls for comment.
N'COBRA treasurer Kalonji Olusegun said yesterday that Mr. Jackson's entry into the debate could give the movement important momentum and place the issue at the forefront of American politics.
"His joining of this issue is an indication of the snowballing effect that has occurred in the past year and a half," Mr. Olusegun said. "It has been very difficult for this country to know that it is based on white supremacy."
Eleven cities have so far passed resolutions to study the impact of slavery; the wording of several of those resolutions was based on Mr. Conyers' bill.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has called for a study on reparations since 1991. The Washington office of the NAACP has also lobbied for progress on Mr. Conyers' bill. Mr. Jackson's entry into the fray could give all reparations efforts a boost, an official said.
"Jesse Jackson has always brought a constructive light to these issues," said NAACP legislative director Hilary Shelton. "He is masterful at articulating the issues and he comes to the table with great credibility."
But when Clara Peoples, a reparations advocate from Portland, Ore., asked Mr. Jackson for help several years ago, he rejected her request.
"He didn't pay us any mind," said Miss Peoples, who heads a movement called "Reparations -- Yes." "But we're happy to have him aboard now.
Several questions for those in favor of reparations. I really am interested in your thoughts. FReepmail me if necessary to keep your opinions private.
1. How do you set the value of reparations? In 1865 dollars? In 2001 dollars?
2. Do you prorate the amount amongst the descendants so that each descendant gets an equal share of the bounty? Would black people of Africam or West Indian ancestry (whole or part) arriving after 1865 get a full share or would they have to contact the British, French, and Spanish governments for the rest of their 'share'? There would have to be some serious geneological studies done here to determine who gets what. Is there proof for descent? These questions alone would probably comsume the entire amount of the reparations. I don't even want to think about the legal fees.
3. Who should pay the reparations? All white people? IWhat about people whose ancestors arrived in this country after the end of the 'Civil War'? Do they pay the same or less? I can just see the authorities trying to get money from some Orthodox Jew, all of whose ancesors were in eastern europe or Russia at the time. This would entail more geneological 'proof' to see who pays what.
4. What about people with ancestors on both sides of the 'Civil War'? In my case, one parent's ancestors owned slaves and fought for the confederacy. The other parent's ancestors fought for the Union. Would I pay all of my 'share'? Half? None? I can prove my geneology, but others would not be so lucky. If the threat of reparations ever became more than an academic question, you would be surprised how fast my records would suffer an accidental 'loss'.
5. Assuming that I and/or my children would be responsible for some dollar amount, how and by what authority would the 'authorities' collect? Take my house? Make my family homeless? The mortgage company might have something to say about that, I certainly will. Thank GOD for the second amendment.
6. Should we subtract previous welfare payments already extorted under threat of imprisonment? Who gets credit for having made payments and debited for receipts?
7. We haven't even touched the moral question of requiring an individual to pay for a 'crime' they had no part in and happened before they were born.
I hope the above questions will demonstrate the futility and fascetiousness(sp?) of the whole reparations 'debate'. This is not a call for REAL reparations, it is a political club to beat people with. It is an ambulence chaser's dream of riches that they and the recipients did not have to work for, a la the Tobacco suits and settlement.
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Many thanks to Starfan for finding the original post for me.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic!)
Self-responsibility is an idea that is carefully kept out of public school indictrination. Sure they are responsible for their conditions, but in raising children they can be made to go bad. This is what the factors I mentioned do to black children.
By the way, all the things I mentioned are left-wing factors, not right-wing. And I do believe that many left-wing factors do act to raise children into bad adults. You can't know self-responsibility if its existence has been hidden from you.
The Federal, State and local governments should never touch anything having to do with reparations in any way. Not their business. Let Jackson & Co. go blue in the face soiling their shorts. The only thing to worry about is the hate that they're spreading.
I have just recently come to a similar understanding. The reparations/colonialism/racism movements are in the process of becoming the Marxist's new trojan horse for implementing socialism in the U.S. and in the West. Don't look for this movement to go away, but to only get stronger.
In the same way that the Marxist created the environmental movement to assert their control over democratic countries, they have found an even better movement to accomplish the job. You will see this to be true when the reparations movement starts to coalesce around demands for government programs to redress the past wrongs of slavery, colonialism and racism.
So I say: bring it on! Show your true colors, RATS!
What Jesse seeks to do here, is to legalize on a grand national scale, the very same thing black street thugs do illegally when they mug, rob, steal and kick down peoples doors and help themselves to what they want. He may browbeat a self serving and wimpy congress into doing his bidding, but legal or not his actions have reduced his honor to the same level as those street thugs-non-existant.
I can't speak for everyone else but I feel I owe blacks no apology for slavery, and I sure as hell don't owe them any money. There is not a lot I can do about it if the sickening garbage in our government that makes such idiotic decisions, kisses Jesse's hinie as they usually do. I will despise the decision though and those who make it as well and will dedicate the rest of my life to removing these warts from the face of our government.
The slime will probable use the voice vote and hide behind anonominity, as cowards always do. In which case we should just work at removing them all.
Shoulda known better, though, huh.
No, certain African tribes sold captives from OTHER TRIBES into slavery.
Just once, I wish one of these companies that Jackson targets would file Extortion charges against Jackson and his organization. Maybe even under the RICO statutes. Even if it wasn't successful, it would cause the Media to compare Jackson's actions with the definination of "Extortion". My guess is that there's not a red-hairs' difference!
... That worthless piece of ignorance is my rep. too. What a freakin' embarrassment! BTW, I think she STILL believes we sent men to Mars! Sheila is the reason that the phrase "Dumber than a sack of hammers" was originally coined.
Is it just me, or does anyone believe that "thing" Sheila Sherman-Grant wears on top of her head is really a cowpie?
The Democratic Socialists of America can be in that party all they want, but they should not be allowed to serve two Constitutions, they won't and they can't. They are not electable by law! They do not believe the U.S. Constitution, they bend it and the rule of law to suit them. Throw 'em out of office!
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