Black Demonstrators Demand Slavery Reparations

yahoo.com/news ^

[Retired Chemist]

Barron, a self-proclaimed "elected revolutionary," said if the government did not act swiftly he personally would storm the Treasury Department ( news - web sites) and take the money for reparations.

Black activist Louis Farrakhan told the crowd, "America owes the black people a lot for what they've endured."

"We need land for political independence, we need millions of acres," Farrakhan added. "We need payment for 310 years of slavery, of destruction of our minds and the robbery of our culture." {/B>

The United States, torn apart by the Civil War, abolished slavery in 1865. Some people argue that even 137 years after abolition, blacks still suffer from the vestiges of slavery.

U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, urged blacks to press their elected representatives in Congress to deal with the issue of slavery reparations.

"We want reparations -- not next century, not 10 years from now, but now," Conyers said. "These wrongs can only be corrected in the House of Representatives, only Congress can do what we want now. All congressmen ought to be here today."

[blackbart.223]

"May I suggest a big ole piece of a desert out west."

No. You may not. Why does everyone in The East want to dump their problems on us?

[Don Joe]

Sometimes I feel like the only hope would be to insist that everyone intermarry until however many generations it takes for the entire country to be one uniform shade of tan.

I know that's a silly thing to think, especially in a free country (while it's still relatively free) but frankly I don't think I could come up with any other way to disarm the race merchants like Jackson and Farrakhan and company once and for all.

I am not hopeful for the future. At best, a core of colorblind Americans of all colors can hopefully bind together in communities that will reject the growing insanity.

[blackbart.223]

"Martha's Vineyard is actually a model of diversity in action. Where else do the elitists get to see a black woman running a vacuum cleaner or a hispanic man pulling weeds from a garden?"

Right on target my friend.

Bart.

[doglot]

Thanks! I thought that was what he said, but I wasn't sure. The woman said "by any means necessary....you know what I mean." Repeat twice more. This was very near the end when she was trying to rally the crowd.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

I didn't see this thread, so I'll ask the question here:

WHY ARE NOT THESE HYPOCRITICAL LIARS NOT ASKING FOR REPARATIONS FROM THE SAUDIS WHO ARE BUYING BLACK SLAVES FROM THE SUDAN STILL TO THIS DAY???????

[Don Joe]

"There's probably still enough Confederate money lying around to pay them a pretty handsome (but worthless) sum."

I'd think that genuine Confederate money would be worth a small fortune on the collector's market.

[blackbart.223]

"Farrakhan, JessieJ, AlSharpton and their ilk are all RacistPimps whose careers and financial well-being depend on the Racial Strife that pie-in-the-sky Socialist legislation like this produces."

And any who follow them lack intelligence.

[doglot]

A little memento for you:

http://www.ils.unc.edu/~rothj/exhibit/but.htm

http://www.ils.unc.edu/~rothj/exhibit/lic.htm

[chadsworth]

"We need land for political independence, we need millions of acres," Farrakhan added. "We need payment for 310 years of slavery, of destruction of our minds and the robbery of our culture.

Duh whazzup wits dis ! Its obvious that he has had his mind destroyed, the War to End Slavery ended in the 1800's, or did the history teachers lie again!

Wasn't that war called a "Civil War" and didn' t the slavery owner lose and have to free their slaves.

Whut, dey all done furgot ta get dem walking papers?

BTW -I have some real good black friends - they don't act like this!

[chadsworth]

"May I suggest a big ole piece of a desert out west."

Correction for the above sentence!

Replace the two (2) words "a desert" with OCEAN, insert the two (2) words "of California" after the single (1) word west, just before the period!

For those in the L. Farrakahn group, it would read;

May I suggest a big ole piece of ocean out west of California."

[CrazedConservativeLiberalMan]

The Japanese-American and Jewish individuals who were effected by the internment camps and Holocaust were paid directly by the respective "offending governments" for their hardship and suffering. The few African-Americans and other assorted hard-core leftists want us to pay money to them out of sheer greed, furthermore they never endured the suffering like their ancestors endured when they arrived here 200+ years ago. I have an African-American friend and coworker who considers reparations unjustifiable, we both discussed this in length and came up with the following (some may sound whacky or complicated but I hope you see that all share a common point):

1.) His ancestors who were immigrants from Africa in the early 1900s and processed through Ellis Island, not dragged here in chains like many others. His point is that what about other African-Americans whose ancestors arrived AFTER the Civil War (through Ellis Island or otherwise)?

2.) The obvious during the Civil War era was that the pro-slavery Confederacy was a "de-facto separate nation" from the Union. To an effect they were a "foreign power" with a "foreign government." That "foreign power's" government, in this case the Confederate government should be the one paying the reparations, not the "Union" United States government that helped free the slaves. Unfortunately that foreign power no longer exists, does it?

3.) If the United States government pays reparations, as the saying goes, "Give them what they want but they'll only want more," who's next? The descendants of tribal leaders and African warlords who sold their own people to Arab and European slave owners? The descendants of Arabs and Europeans who took them away from their native lands? Where does it end? Clearly a large can of worms.

4.) If they receive their reparations, they should ask themselves, "How would this amount of money make my life any better? Would it change my life in any dramatic way?"

5.) Considering me and my friend took American Race Relations back in school we learned that slaves were given first and last names by their masters. After being freed they changed their full names to rid themselves of the reminder of their pre-emancipation lifestyle. Taking this into account considering most slaves were illiterate did they keep accurate records of name changes?

6.) Taking point #5 into account we learned in class accurate records were never kept, if any records were kept at all of such things.

7.) To make sure the "right person" gets his/her reparations and to make sure they are really descendants of slaves we would have to trace back all their ancestry which would be a complete waste of time and taxpayer money.

8.) Final point. All of the people in this rally are losers who can't get anywhere in life and are making noise out of spite. The Rotund Al Sharpton is seriously misguiding, if not sapping on, the people in his own community. Dr. Alan Keyes would say let it go. You can't change the past and all the money in the world won't change history.

OK. I know all you FReepers are either thinking my African-American friend reads too many Lord of the Rings books or are just plain bored reading this really long post why reparations are not justified. I myself am not white, I'm Asian-American. Reply if you wish with comments, suggestions, and so forth, but summing up reparations are unjustifiable for something that happened 200+ years ago.

[agrandis]

Would you settle for a rattlesnake hatband?

Heck, no! ALL of my misery can be traced back to the Serpent. I'm going to hold out for the big-time reparations, which are coming some day. :)

[stands2reason]

Welcome to FR! You make some good points. I've read about one black lawyer who was not descended from slaves who is involved in the reparations racket saying that reparations are for all blacks, not just the ones descended from slaves. The idea is, since individuals are not going to be paid (due to the difficulties you pointed out) the money would go into a general fund for, say, college education for blacks and inner-city development, etc.---basically loot for the Jesse Jackson's of the world to dole out.

[Darlin']

Reparations ? FOFLOL. I don't think so. Now, we might be able to come to an agreement on repatriation

[sweetliberty]

"All congressmen ought to be here today"

Why? To give them credibility? To validate their assanine claims? Maybe most congreemen see them for the d*mn fools they are.

[sweetliberty]

"He's preparing a 'black only' homeland for them presently"

Give them California, then they can duke it out with the illegals. That'd be good for a new cable channel just to watch.

[sweetliberty]

He also said they were slaves for 310 years. HELLO??? The first Africans didn't arrive on American shores till 1619. Americans had not even gained independence from the crown at that point. So are they going to demand that a portion of the reparation money come from England? So from 1776 when we became an independent nation until the abolition of slavery in 1865 is 89 years, a far cry from 310. Must be Farrakan's "special" math.

[sweetliberty]

"I'm a son of the South. My ancestors were dirt poor and oppressed. I want reparations from the Socialist states of the North.

I'm the descendent of Cherokees. I want reparations from all the full-blooded Whites."

Same here. Where do I go to sign up for my handout reparations check?

[sweetliberty]

"Didn't Africa have a role in SELLING the slaves and starting the slave trade in the first place "

Many African men who were in debt would sell themselves into slavery to cancel the debt and provide for their families. Also, in many cases, they were forcibly enslaved by those to whom they owed a debt. But even when no debt was involved, there was a thriving slave trade the profits of which lined the pockets of blacks and whites alike.

[sweetliberty]

"any reparations owed would be owed by the Confederacy, not the USA, right?"

You would think so, but I heard just last night that raving lunatic, Barron, telling O'Reilly when confronted with the popular supposition that the Civil War was fought over slavery, that it was not fought over slavery but to preserve the union. Interesting how the rules change with the context.