Somebody's Gotta Say Something!

In Defense of Titan Cement

                 I was talking to someone the other day and they said that we should never pay a company an incentive to come here.  As I pondered their position, I had to ask myself; Why not?  If that is what the competition is doing and if that company’s presence could have long term economic benefit to this area, why should we eliminate ourselves from this opportunity?

 

                First of all, to resist the current arrangement with Titan Cement based on an anti-cash incentive stems from a misunderstanding of the incentive package.  The incentive, is in fact performance based.  Titan first has to generate a minimum of 2.2 million dollars of tax revenue the first year the plant is operational to receive six hundred thousand dollars.  The tax rebate is tied to their performance.  This must be done for seven years during the first seven years of operation.  In other words, they must build this 500 million dollar state of the art cement plant, and then generate enough business revenue to be able to pay the county at least 2.2 million in taxes before they can receive the rebate. 

 

                In addition, 800 contracting jobs will be created during the two year construction phase.  With the economy in the shape that it is in now, New Hanover County  could use these jobs.  The unemployment rate in North Carolina is above 11%.  It is also my understanding that 161 full time jobs will be created to staff the plant with an average salary of 75,000.  That is over 12 million dollars in salaries.  It is only reasonable to expect some measure of tax revenue from the impact of those salaries.

                Some would say that we need only green companies.  Well, that certainly sounds good.  However, all necessary industry in a viable economy by definition cannot be green.  Non-green companies are still necessary.  A great example of this reality is Titan Cement and the Cement they produce.  Cement is the primary raw material used to produce Concrete.  Concrete is used to build hospitals, schools, churches, bridges, highways, and the list could continue.  Even ‘green’ companies need cement.  Additionally, Titan Cement will bring in those that could provide leadership and manpower in our civic organizations.

 

                I’ve heard that two significant concerns are with the tourism industry and the attraction of our area by retirees.  I certainly recognize that, however, it seems that another section is being left out.  How about the regular hard working American citizen that is trying to provide for their families?  Should we have to move to another area of the country to pursue our dreams of finding a decent job?  Will our children have to move away because our interest is being ignored? 

 

                I recognize that there are environmental concerns, and it appears that Titan is following not only the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law by committing themselves to exceeding that which is currently required by the law.  It is my understanding that there are regulations and safeguards on the federal, state and local levels to make sure that the plant is compliant before it can become operational.

 

                Look, I’m not saying that we should ignore concerns that we have.  However, as a conservative, I ask, how does it affect individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness, including property rights.(Titan owns the property)  Secondly, are we maintaining our commitment to limited government or are we encouraging its greater expansion and influence to ensure we have our way in this particular matter.  And finally, how does this affect our free market/capitalist economic system.

 

In defense of Titan Cement, I say, let them build the plant giving our economy a much needed boost and keep a close eye on compliance with environmental and air quality regulations so that our tourist can enjoy the beaches and other natural attractions, our prospective retirees can enjoy their well earned rest, and our hard working citizens can have an additional opportunity to find good steady work.

              

Whatever Happened to Due Process?

Recently, a friend of mine was accused of a crime. After he was accused, it seemed that no stone was left unturned to prove his guilt. Of course, as has become the norm in our society, his name was plastered all over town while the investigation continued. Little concern seemed to be given to the fact that the allegations may turn out to be false. After over a year of time elapsed, all charges were dropped.

The prosecutor said that the decision not to prosecute should not be presumed to be an indication that the victims were lying. Okay then, what should we presume? Whatever happened to due process of the law, where we are ‘innocent until proven guilty‘? Prayerfully, due process still inserts a moderating element in our system of law.

The fifth amendment deals with ‘due process of the law’ and it reads 'No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.'

It appears that instead of maintaining the concept of 'innocent until proven guilty' as established by the 5th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, we have embraced the principle of 'How serious or heinous is the crime being charged.' Unfortunately, a person's life, liberty, and property can be at risk even though they are later found to be innocent. This reminds me of the innocent man that spent 20 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit.

One of the problems is that many people have learned or they are coached on how to use the court system to legally punish or execute revenge on someone that they have had a falling out with. Imagine that, people taking out and signing a warrant for your arrest by simply asserting that that which they are saying is true. Now I have no problem with this aspect of the system, but when it is found that the allegations are unfounded or have no basis in fact, very little is done to the one that brought the false charges.

The presumption of innocence is a precious commodity in our system of jurisprudence that we need to defend with all resources available. When the day arrives when an accusation is enough to destroy a person and their reputation without recourse, we are in trouble. When an accusers can simply slip away into the cool breeze of anonymity without consequence, we are truly heading down a slippery slope of legal 'Alice in Wonderland' where liars lay their hands on bibles, swear to tell the truth, and then lie through their teeth.

In a major trial a few years ago a man was found not guilty. He was acquitted, found not guilty, but that was not enough for many. I even heard one legal pundit say something to the effect that he was not innocent, they just couldn't prove him guilty. Well, that may be true, however, it does a great disservice to the system when an officer of the court can so flippantly dismiss the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty'. Okay, follow me on this. A person is innocent. until proven guilty. This status of innocence is not interrupted until proven guilty. So if a person is not proven guilty then the status of innocence remains.

Listen, horrible abuses are inflicted on innocent people far too often in our nation. The legal system is there to punish the perpetrators and protect the innocents. However, turning a blind eye to legal abuse undermines the integrity of the system. You may never have experienced this side of the law, but I can tell you this. If you ever find yourself falsely accused of a crime, you could be asking yourself,

’Whatever happened to due process’ as the jail house bars slam shut.

The Denial of Black Culture

It appears to me that we have abandoned many of the hallmarks of our African-American culture that made it possible for us to not only survive but thrive in the aftermath of slavery and the subsequent institutional racial hostilities. Our sense of right and wrong derived from our acceptance of an absolute right and wrong as taught by the Holy Bible. This of course was strengthened by and made alive by our personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord. Our conscience was held captive by that which was and is higher than we are. As we continue to deny our true black culture, we see increased pathological social problems in our communities.

Even during our holiday season we see evidences of this continual denial of true Black Culture. For example, many will be celebrating Kwanzaa. The Kwanzaa celebration was created by Dr. Karengaa in 1966. Interestingly, this celebration does not celebrate an important event in history, but was created as an alternative to Christmas celebration for Black people. It is important to note that Dr. Karengaa had and may still maintain a very hostile attitude toward Christianity. When we invoke the Kwanzaa celebration, we embrace that which was created to move us from our Christian Faith.

If culture is that which is passed on to us by a previous generation, I find it tragic that we have accepted ideas that are in direct conflict with the true black culture that was tried in the fire of extreme circumstances and passed the test of adversity time and time again. We continually discard the culture of our forebears and even mock them for doing what they had to do so that we would have greater opportunity in this great land of the free and the brave. Our forebears dreamed of living during a time such as we live in.

Sadly, our entertainment and educational industries seem so intent on avoiding any strong stand for high morals that very few, if any, offer the proven solutions of earlier generations. Many of our entertainers make millions laughing and having others laugh and be entertained with the dysfunctions in our communities. Yes, there are problems, but have we forgotten the lessons learned and taught to us by our forefathers. Even though we were not perfect, we could be shamed. This shaming would lead to a repentance and change in conduct. When a culture is so coarse and vulgar that shame of vice is rare, calamity and destruction for the family is near.

In 1965 a report, ‘The Negro Family: The Case For National Action‘, was written by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. This report which later became known as the Moynihan Report, was considered a controversial report. In essence, the report simply put forth the notion that the destruction of the Black nuclear-family structure would be a hindrance to further progress towards economic and political equality. Understandably, many attacked the report, saying that the report was an attempt to blame the victims. Tragically, many of the things that Mr. Moynihan predicted have been realized.

Now, many would say that the breakdown of the family in our communities has a direct correlation to slavery and subsequent discriminatory practices inflicted upon our people. I would have to agree that that has certainly played a part but does not explain it entirely. Otherwise, how can we explain generations closer to the experience of slavery and oppression being more committed to their offspring and families than those of us who are farther removed from those peculiar institutions.

Today, to describe our men, we flippantly use the terms Player, Pimp, Dog, and Slinger. The Player is not faithful to his woman, the Pimp prostitutes his women, the Dog abandons his children, and the Slinger poisons his own community with drugs. The implicated activities of these terms destroy the potential of our communities by destroying the lives of our people. We must rescue them and ourselves from these chronic self-genocidal activities. If the man is lost, so will the family be lost. If the family is lost, so is the community.

No doubt many well meaning folk have led us away from our culture. It is not necessary to look to Ancient Egyptian Kings and Queens, even though that is good, for examples of accomplishment. We can review the heroic efforts of the African-American slaves and learn what they knew. A strong faith in God, Christ as savior and deliverer is the sure cornerstone of Black culture. We must resist any concept or principle that leads to the further destruction of our people. We must expose the Denial of Black Culture.

The Fragile Male Ego?

The other day I was reading an article and a phrase that I have heard over and over again really got my attention. The person was writing and they mentioned the 'Fragile Male Ego'. As I pondered this, I asked myself, what does this really mean. Believe me when I say this, I've heard this term before and to some degree or the other I just accepted it as being relevant to the truth. However, when I focused on this idea a little I realized how ridiculous the concept this phrase represents.

Well the first thing that you probably need to know about me is I enjoy being a man. I like the fact that I'm not quite as sensitive to things that my wife may be. I don't see everything the way she sees it. Sometimes she thinks I need to relax a little bit. When we first got married, she used to say to me when I returned home from work, 'loosen up Mr. Dillinger'. So we are wired differently. I like that I can watch a football game with my friends and make a lot of noise while I do it. I even remember a couple of times waking up my children with a lot of racket while I was watching a sporting event when they were babies.

As a child the men that I knew enjoyed being men. Although they were many different personalities and characters, it seemed to me that they enjoyed being men. I never remember or think of them in the sense of having a 'Fragile Male Ego'. I often think of my uncle Dave, man could he drive a car. Yes, he drove too fast, but I loved watching him do it. Looking back, as I grew up I took on his driving style for a while. Of course, with the assistance of a judge suspending my driver's license, I learned the error of my ways and slowed down.

One of my relative's husband, Sam, really enjoyed being a man. If memory serves me right, he was a porter for the railroad before he retired. When we would go to Rocky Point to visit them he would regale us with fascinating stories of his life as we walked through acres of property out behind his house. I was never quite sure if it was his property or not, but he clearly enjoyed the essence of manhood.

There was a man that lived at the end of the dirt road that I grew up on named Mr. George Foy. Listen, he was an old man but he never appeared fragile in the embracing of his manliness. From time to time he would give me a word of wisdom. One day he saw me following a snake trail across the road and advised me not to do that because it was possible that the snake would be hiding in the bushes waiting for me. I don't believe I ever spoke his name in my life without putting Mr. in front of it and I never forgot his advice. While in high school I lived with a friend of mine’s family. His father, Mr. Rufus, was a good man. However, if you crossed him you found out pretty quick this was no ‘Fragile Male Ego’ you were dealing with. My Uncle Johnnie can fix anything with wire and duck tape if that is all he has and I guarantee you he enjoys being a man.

My biological father used to fascinate me as he entered a room. His personality and masculinity filled the room. He was loud, but loud in a good, masculine, and energizing way. My uncle, who adopted me as his own, was a much quieter man. He was a very capable man that was comfortable with his manhood. The list could go on and on with men from the Rock Hill community, the community that I grew up in, and as you can see, I had some good role models as to how to be and enjoy being a man.

I find it interesting that when some attempt to describe and understand men the perspective seems to be rooted in a negative or perhaps anti-manhood light. Listen, it is not just the apparent reproductive organs that make men different from women, men are different on chemical (hormonal) and emotional levels. It is really counter-productive to characterize characteristics of manhood in such a negative and derogatory phrase as ‘Fragile Male Ego‘. Just as we know women and appreciate that their differences should not compared to men in a negative light, this standard needs to be applied when discussing the attributes of men.

So if a man responds in a typically masculine way to a given situation, many would respond that that is a ‘Fragile Male Ego‘ on display. I disagree. I say that is a man that accepts and enjoys the essence of being a man and has no intention of pretending to be something else.

Wake-up call or Changing of the guard!

The recent elections causes one to pause and reflect as to what direction the culture of this great nation is headed in. On the one hand traditionalists have a vision of what the country should be, and yet, on the other hand secular progressives have their vision of what we should be. In many ways, this contest is reflected in the political struggles between the Democrats and Republicans.

With much of the celebration going on in the Democratic Party, I find it interesting that little is being said in the main media about a major contributing factor to the victories. Simply put, conservative’s dissatisfaction with the current crop of Republicans. Many of the Republicans, including the President ran on very conservative issues, and yet in many cases backed away from them. Not to mention the many internal squabbles that weakened, slowed, and finally derailed them. With all of the complaints that ‘it was the Democrats that forgot the people after spending time in Washington’, it appears that many Republicans did the very thing they accused Democrats of doing. To many conservatives, this is the unpardonable sin, and had to be dealt with.

There are a couple of notable exceptions that need to be mentioned. The war on Terror and tax cuts. It is true that no attack has been launched against us since 911, and it is probably true that we are safer, regardless what we feel. It would be hard to feel safe after being exposed to daily anti-American and anti-military newscasts. It also appears that the tax cuts have kept the economy humming in the midst of some very trying times for our nation. Be that as it may, as evidenced by this election, a Republican is not necessarily a conservative and conservatives have little loyalty or patience for Republicans that do not adhere to conservative principles. With that in mind, the conservative base appears to have punished the Republican Party for not being conservative enough.

Here is another bit of interesting information; it appears that some of the new faces on the Democratic ticket ran as conservatives. It may be a telling point when Republicans are punished for failing to be conservative enough and Democrats are rewarded for promising to be more conservative.

Of course the leadership in the legislative branch has changed and this has the potential to lead to some major agenda changes, however, I would not necessarily count the chickens before they hatch.

The Democratic Party has to determine how and why they won so that it can be duplicated, if possible. If the Republican Party is honest, it already knows why it lost. It needs simply to return to its previous successes to find where it lost its way. This will require humility.

This reminds me somewhat of an intense football game. When a lead is squandered, can the mistakes be overcome or has momentum shifted in favor of the other team so completely that recovery is impossible. Over the next few weeks and months we will know whether this latest election’ s results were a wake-up call for the Republicans or a changing of the guard to the Democrats.

Advancing abortion!

The past week or so has been an interesting time in politics. First, Michael J. Fox starred in a political commercial that highlighted the symptoms of the Parkinson’s disease he suffers from. Then, Rush Limbaugh criticized, some say 'mocked', his appearance in the commercial. That may be debatable. Predictably, Mr. Limbaugh's response to the commercial becomes the primary issue that is being talked about in many media outlets.

I'm sure that many are fans of both Mr. Fox and Mr. Limbaugh. However, I find it disingenuous for one to use a debilitating disease or disability to further a political position unless there is a direct connection. Now, I have to agree that this is America and we do so cherish our ’freedom of speech’. However, ’freedom of speech’ always has consequences. One of the consequences is that someone, somewhere, may respond to your entering into the political fray with a response not sympathetic to your political position or, as in this case, heartbreaking physical condition.

Now, I’m sure that if Mr. Fox’s commercial had been presented as a means of generating support for the National Parkinson’s Foundation or some such organization, no one would have even raised a brow. Famous personalities often lend their voices to assist in the garnering of support for foundations that were created to study, treat, and/or assist folk that are suffering from chronic ailments and disabilities. I’ve yet to hear of any criticisms being raised when this is done. The problem appears to occur when one presumes or demands immunity from criticism when participating in the processes of electing leaders in our democratic republic. This, of course is not possible due to the passions that are stirred during these times of heated discussions and possible change in the balance of power.

I will not pretend to know the stage of the disease that Mr. Fox is afflicted with or the extent that that affects his body. My heart goes out to him as he suffers the affects of this disease everyday. My ire would be reserved for those handlers that put this man in a situation that they had calculated to be fairly safe due to his illness. In my opinion, it had to be a calculated risk that his disease would inoculate him from criticism. It did not, and yet, none have stepped up to take responsibility for this error in judgment.

As for Mr. Limbaugh, In my opinion, that is another matter altogether. If Mr. Limbaugh had not responded the way he did, would I now know that the commercial in question was misleading and playing very loose with the facts?

Mr. Fox said in the controversial commercial ‘But George Bush and Michael Steele will put limits on the most promising stem cell research. Fortunately, Marylanders have a chance to vote for Ben Cardin. Cardin fully supports life-saving stem cell research. It’s why I support Ben Cardin. And with so much at stake, I respectfully ask you to do the same.’ Amazingly, it was discovered that Mr. Cardin voted against stem cell research while Mr. Steele supports stem cell research. The confusion lies in the absence of two conveniently missing words, embryonic and adult. You see, Mr. Cardin supports embryonic stem cell research, but rejects adult stem cell research. Mr. Steele supports adult stem cell research but rejects embryonic stem cell research.

It appears that adult stem cell research does not endanger the life of the adult but embryonic stem cell research endangers the life of the embryo. Well, well what do we have here? We have discovered some very ostensible rationale being presented to further establish and validate the need for more abortions. To make matters even worse, a dreaded disease was being used to silence the opposition while hiding the true motive of advancing abortion.

What About The Impact On My Community?

This past month has been an interesting time for those that take seriously the impact that the civil rights movement has had on the American cultural and political landscape. Many have said that the protest, marches, and demonstrations that are being executed by the Latino community are akin to the demonstrations of the civil rights movement in the sixties.

I can see the point that some are trying to make, however, in my opinion, the differences are so obvious that it causes me to think that maybe I've entered into the twilight zone. The first obvious difference is simply the fact that in the case of the civil rights movement, legal citizens were within their legal right to protest the unconstitutional treatment that they were receiving. In reality, many of the issues were resolved by the Civil War and the subsequent Civil Rights bills that were passed after the war. Unfortunately many wanted to deny black folk the newfound freedom that was validated by the civil war. Illegal immigrants have no such constitutional right to protest.

The descendants of the African slaves found themselves in a situation with no alternative but to seek a resolution to the oppression inflicted upon them everyday. (in light of the failure of the ’Back to Africa’ movement) The illegal immigrants came here illegally seeking a better life, and they have found it, hence their desire to remove the stigma of being here illegally. I cannot say that I blame them, if I were in their shoes, undoubtedly, I would probably attempt the same thing. I find it interesting that the media uses every term it can to avoid saying ‘illegal‘ when referring to illegal immigrants.

Many have attempted to buttress this goal by using many different kinds of spurious arguments to support this position. Even the president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, was reported as saying "There is no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States." Now it may be true that some do not want to do certain kinds of work, however, I personally know a lot of black folk that do all of the different kinds of work that the President of Mexico thinks we don't want to do.

Even John McCain, a Republican, said that the illegal immigrants were taking jobs that nobody wanted. He even had the audacity to offer the crowd fifty dollars an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona. Man please, let me tell you something, I and many others I know, would shovel human waste out of an old fashioned toilet for fifty dollars an hour. And listen to this, when a man in the crowd took him up on the offer, he weakly responded with ‘you can’t do it, my friends’. He seems to have forgotten that Americans of all races have always done what others said could not be done. Have these people forgot that they are supposed to be representing Americans? Maybe that is the deal, the politicians see that they are losing their automatic lock on the Black vote so they going after some new voters. Just imagine, one stroke of the pen and you’ve got several million voters that would be grateful to vote for you or your party if you just do the right thing.

Listen, I am not against legal immigration, the Latino community or anybody else for that matter. I know people of many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds that I consider friends. I trust that they consider me their friend as well. Does my friendship with others require that I sacrifice that which is good for my people? I think not. That would not be friendship, that would be altruistic genocidal folly. (feeling good about looking out for others while destroying ourselves) It just seems to me that our politicians are not counting the cost, of the black community economically, of this line of thinking. If there was the political will in Washington, a fair and balanced plan could be devised that would help all parties concerned. However, if the short-sighted ideas that the politicians want to implement wreck the economy, it may not affect many of those sitting in their ivory towers of comfort and ease, because they have financial options. As a black man I have one question, what about the impact on my community? Has anyone thought of this, does anyone care? Well, I have, and I do.

Strange Fruit Indeed!

Depending on your of view of Mr. William Bennett, former Secretary of Education for the Reagan administration, On September 28 of this year (2005), Mr. Bennett uttered a very unsettling or revealing view. In response to a caller to his 'Morning in America' show as they discussed ‘Freakonomics’, a book authored by Mr. William Morrow, Mr. Bennett said the following. 'But I do know that its true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky.'

Wow! I was stunned when I heard that he had said such a thing. Of course, his point of view was softened a bit by his adding 'that would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do' in the middle of his opinion. I read his book, 'Book of Virtues' and quite frankly, and I enjoyed it.

Interestingly, the Rev. Jesse Jackson asked a couple of questions in an article he wrote for Right to Life News in January 1977. He asked 'What happens to the mind of a person, and the moral fabric of a nation, that accepts the aborting of the life of a baby without a pang of conscience? What kind of a person, and what kind of a society will we have ... if life can be taken so casually?’ (Tragically, he seems to have a different position now)

This brings me to an interesting bit of history. In a letter dated December 10, 1939, Mrs. Margaret Sanger (the founder of Planned Parenthood Federation of America) wrote: 'The minister's work is also important and also he should be trained, perhaps by the Federation as to our ideals and the goal that we hope to reach. We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.' This letter was to instruct a colleague by the name of Dr. Clarence Gable (he was an heir to the Procter & Gamble fortune who later helped pay for efforts to expand North Carolina's eugenics program) as to the proper way to execute the program known as the 'Negro Project', which was to promote sterilization and birth control among blacks. Note: Eugenics - The movement devoted to improving the human species through the control of hereditary factors in mating. In the early 20th century they strongly espoused racial supremacy and purity of the Aryan race and the idea of containing the ‘inferior’ (especially black) races through segregation, sterilization, birth control, and abortion.

Even though there have been those that would defend the words of Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Sanger, I find both of these statements are reprehensible. If we condemn the words of Mr. William Bennett, and we do, then we should condemn the words of Mrs. Margaret Sanger even more. Mr. Bennett's words are worthy of rebuke, to say the least, yet, he has not erected an apparatus to carry out the goal of his ill-spoken position. However, Mrs. Sanger not only wrote those words, but has left intact an organization that appears to be committed to carrying out the her sinister goal of exterminating Black people. Over 13 million African-American babies have been aborted since 1972, while the abortion industry received over four billion dollars in revenue to destroy these lives. Between 1882 and 1968, 3,446 African-Americans were lynched in the U.S. That number is surpassed in less than three days by abortion.

This reminds me of the song ‘Strange Fruit’ that Ms. Billie Holliday recorded in 1939. This song depicted the tragedy of the lynching of African-Americans. This first sentence of this song is so gut-wrenchingly descriptive. It follows: 'Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.' Today, there is no blood on the leaves and root to see, and the bodies are not swinging from a poplar tree. Yet, according to Social Worker and Civil Rights Activist, Erma Clardy Craver (deceased), when 17,000 aborted babies were found in a dumpster outside a pathology laboratory in Los Angeles, California, some 12-15,000 were observed to be black. Listen my friend, the blood of the unborn is on our hands, because we have not sounded the alarm, we have not defended our unborn, we have allowed others to tell us what is good for us and the fruit of our intimacy. If a racial group is to survive, the fruit must be saved and nourished. Over 13 million African-American babies aborted since 1972! Strange fruit indeed!

Things that make you go 'hmmmm'

Much talk has been made lately as to the necessity of maintaining existing civil rights initiatives. Should they be allowed to languish into nothingness or should the legislative underpinnings of these civil rights initiatives remain in place. Well, as an African-American, I would simply say, let us maintain the course of these legislated solutions. I can not see what it would hurt by maintaining these legal provisions, nor can I see any good that would be gained by allowing them to fade away. From my perspective, this is simply a no-brainer.

As I was looking at this issue, I ran across what I would consider some very interesting information. Check this out. The Republican Party was started in 1850 by those, who among other things were anti-slavery activists. When Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, won the white house, he subsequently issued the emancipation proclamation on January 1, 1863. After this the Republicans worked to pass the thirteenth Amendment(did away with slavery), the fourteenth Amendment(guaranteed equal protection for ex-slaves), and the fifteenth amendment(secured the vote for ex-slaves)

During reconstruction, while Republicans were a majority in congress, they passed a Civil Rights Act in 1866 recognizing blacks as U.S. citizens. In 1875 Republicans led the way again with the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which was later declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In his signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, praised the Republicans for their commitment to the Act. As a matter of record, it was an Illinois Republican by the name of Everett Dirksen who proclaimed, in the words of Victor Hugo, "Stronger than all the armies is an idea whose time has come." He continued, "The time has come for equality of opportunity in sharing in government, in education, and in employment. It will not be stayed or denied. It is here!", in defense of the Act. Mr. Dirksen subsequently received the Leadership Conference of Civil Rights Award, presented by Mr. Roy Wilkins(former NAACP president), for his strong civil rights leadership. Oh yeah, Republicans had to overcome a Democratic filibuster that lasted over 50 days to bring the Civil Rights Act to a vote.

Even here in Wilmington, we had a history of Republicans working with our community to correct the problems of past racial injustices and to include our community in economic and political life in Wilmington. This alliance was so successful that in 1898 the Democrats conspired a bloody rebellion that washed away the economic and political gains in the African-American community here in Wilmington. Remember, it was black and white Republicans that were disenfranchised.

During the presidential campaign in 1956, African-Americans voted 3-2 in favor of Republicans. In the 1960 presidential campaign, an interesting series of events occurred. Dr. King was arrested during a sit-in in Greensboro, NC. When then presidential candidate, Mr. John F. Kennedy heard of this he called Dr. Kings wife, Mrs. Corretta Scott King with words of encouragement. When Dr. King was released from jail, he made a statement expressing his appreciation for candidate Kennedy’s call. Dr. King specifically said his statement was not to be interpreted as an endorsement of Kennedy. However, in the absence of a call from the Republican presidential candidate, Mr. Richard Nixon, the African-American community viewed this action by candidate Kennedy favorably. The result was a vote in the African-American community 7-3 Democrat. This shift in political allegiance appears to have continued up to the present time.

Am I saying that we should all go out and vote Republican this very minute? No, that would not necessarily be the wise thing to do. However, I would suggest that we become more informed as to why we vote and for whom we are voting for. Are we in fact voting for and supporting ideas that strengthen and uplift our communities? Or are we responding to warm and fuzzy symbolism that produces nothing short of broken dreams for the majority of our people. This must be answered by each of us. All of us should vote according to our conscience. The important idea here is that we inform our conscience with our political history. But doesn't this make you go 'hmmmmm'?

A paradigm shift

Mrs. Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat to a white man over fifty years ago on December 1, 1955, was the spark needed to galvanize an entire community. Imagine a community that needed the bus system to conduct the basic affairs of its life maintaining a boycott for over a year. (381 days) Now that's commitment. Subsequently, many thought that if the issue of civil rights were legislated, everything would be all right. That has not been the case. I contend that civil rights was and is but a vehicle by which to obtain something nobler. To wit: liberty in the USA without limitations due to race.

In light of this, it is instructive to review the different perspectives of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Mr. WEB Dubois. Although many viewed Mr. Washington's call to 'cast down your buckets where you are' a compromise, it demonstrated his commitment to the principles of the free enterprise system and the supporting philosophies. He understood the importance of developing economic viability (jobs and businesses) thereby leading to the creation of an economic infrastructure (business relationships) within a community, thus empowering that community to care for itself.

Mr. Dubois, on the other hand embraced a different position that demanded political equity immediately. Honestly, Mr. Dubois’ position is understandable. Undoubtedly, he witnessed many atrocities visited upon African-Americans who had embraced the free enterprise system. In the end, it cost many of these African-Americans everything, including their lives, simply because they were black. Obviously, no matter the virtue of a system theoretically, if it is not possible to put into practice, regardless the reason, that system is suspect. Understandably, Mr. Dubois wanted no part of free enterprise.

Consequently, this sentiment became the primary position of the civil rights movement at the expense, sometimes, of other ideas necessary to obtain liberty in the USA.

Notwithstanding, if the goal is to enjoy liberty in the USA, we have to review what has been accomplished, and what needs more attention. Okay, so civil rights have been legislated, that is good, now what. Well, at this point it is important that we as a people began to develop economic infrastructure within our own communities that serve other communities as well as our own. What makes this difficult is that we as a community have embraced philosophies and ideas that are contrary to the basic principles of free enterprise. Instead , we have been inoculated with many of the ideas and philosophies that support socialism and communism. This makes it difficult for us to truly embrace the ideas and thought processes that we need to move forward toward liberty in the USA.

For example, if I owned a company that manufactured widgets and I needed to get them to market. I may load my widgets on a tractor trailer to get them to a dockside, but after I am at a dockside, I would not drive into the river. No, at this point, I would move my product to the ships that are docked there. This would allow the product to be delivered to its appropriate destination.

Similarly, we could say that liberty in the USA is the destination, while equal access is the product. Even though civil rights was and is a mighty vehicle to deliver equal access to economic viability, the legislation of civil rights is not our ultimate destination. We must move equal access to the ship of economic viability to arrive at our goal of true liberty. It almost goes without saying that none of this can be done without a living, burning, and practical faith in God as our forbearers unashamedly possessed.

Can we, in the wake of the passing of this great civil rights icon, Mrs. Parks, embrace the necessary paradigm shift in our thinking so that we may rendezvous with our date with destiny the way Mrs. Parks sat down to hers.