Volume 3 Issue 29…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race… July 28, 2000

The DISH is based on themes from T.H.I.N.C. (Teaching Humanity In New Consciousness): The Chrysalis of Evolution. According to the President's Initiative on Race, "The issues that this book brings to the forefront are important in our efforts to achieve the goals set forth by the President for the Initiative. This work will serve as a solid resource for us as we begin to examine these critical issues." For your copy of T.H.I.N.C., The DISH or to submit comments, contact ICIM, Inc. at (404) 244-6023 or email us at icim@bellsouth.net. The DISH © 2000

by John Burl Smith

Fighting over the middle of the road, Vice President Al Gore and George W. Bush, Jr. lack credibility with "Generation X." Ignoring Gen-Xers, their zero tolerance rhetoric has criminalized a generation. Harsher than their parents, "baby boomers" like Gore and Bush totally dismiss prevention and rehabilitation. Boomers' parents were committed to the status quo and they believed a good job, nice car and a house in the suburbs represent the good life. This cookie cutter one size fits all lifestyle molded white America. Boomer parents expected them to support the military industrial complex, as they did during WWII and Korea. However, a shift in boomer mind set shattered traditional family values and called America's premise into question.

Today, one must ask, when boomers look into their grandchildren's eyes are they so comfortable in their lifestyle that they are blind to the last glimmers of the 1960s and 70s when freedom, justice and equality fired America's spirit? A gritty time indeed for young Americans, who looked within to find answers for why they should die, rejecting their parents hypocrisy, they measured their humanity by one's commitment to changing the world for the better. Some were long haired hippies and free-loving flower children that challenged America's tradition of white superiority. Learning the horrible truth that "young people feed the war machine that exploits them," boomers galvanized against Viet Nam and "corporate America," which profits by keeping poor blacks and whites fighting over meaningless jobs."

That was a time when lives mattered. People were important, and changing was the only way of connecting with humanity. Then came the 1980s, Co-InTel-Pro, Reaganomics and yuppies. Turning their backs on American idealism, boomers traded in their love beads for neckties and corporate boardrooms. Cutting their hair severed the connection that bound us as a human wave for change. Once again, being white became America's bar to measure access. Black youth became the face of crime and the "war on drugs" the fast track to prison.

The 2000 election represents the same choice for Gen-Xers as Viet Nam for their boomer parents. Grandparents now, boomers are asking Gen-Xers to support the status quo for the same reasons their parents demanded their support. Raised as consumers, Gen-Xers have only to look into their children's eyes to glimpse the future. Do Gen-Xers see their parents' empty promises of a world with unlimited resources where they never have to pay full price? Their world seems to be one in which the Earth is a garbage bag that will be replaced by technology. After seeing Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams, and reading T.H.I.N.C., will Gen-Xers try to blind their children with the fallacy of white superiority? For Gen-Xers, the choice is about survival of the planet not white people. John 2000

Contract with America

When Republicans gained a congressional majority for the first time in 40 years, they pledged to bring to a vote and pass ten bills that represent their "contract with America." Among them is a balanced budget amendment and line item veto, a crime bill that funds police and prisons over social programs, real welfare reform and common sense legal reforms to stop frivolous lawsuits. The Republicans also pledged a vote on term limits for members of Congress, which most have since forgotten, but the above bills were passed, thanks to the Clinton/Gore administration's adoption of "the contract."

Public Law 103-3

The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is Public Law 103-3. It provides that employees meeting the eligibility requirements must be allowed to take time off from work for up to 12 workweeks for the birth of a child, including prenatal care, or to care for an ill child, parent or spouse who has a serious health condition. Depending on your employer, you could be eligible to take paid leave, such as annual and sick leave, or you may take leave without pay, such as a leave of absence. Your employer may require supporting documentation of the health condition for which the leave is being requested. For more on Public Law 103-3, click on Hood Notes on The DISH at http://home.att.net/~yicim

On Clinton's Address to the NAACP

Though he talked about mending the social fabric in his final address as President before the premier black American organization in this country, President Clinton did not mention his dialogue on race. For some, given the nature of his address, this omission is suspicious and calls into question his avowed commitment to improve the black condition. Mere window dressing, his speech before the 91^st National Convention of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) provided the standard litany of his administration's accomplishments to gradually improve the lives of minority Americans and mend the social fabric.

Clinton's accomplishments include a reduction in the crime rate and lower unemployment among women and minorities. He claimed, "...perhaps equally important, our social fabric is on the mend. The Family Medical Leave law, the first bill I signed, vetoed by the previous administration, has allowed over 20 million Americans to take a little time off when a baby was born or a parent was sick without losing their jobs, and it's been good for the economy not bad for the economy." (For full text, see http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov )

Obviously, the President ignores the many Americans who lost their jobs because federal, state and city governmental agencies downsized to achieve Clinton/Gore's government reinvention. Federal agencies, such as the IRS and the United States Postal Service, did not recognize the law for minority Americans. As late as 1998, their federal jobs were lost because FMLA was not considered as the government aggressively reduced its workforce to satisfy the "Contract with America," the Republican manifesto hijacked by the Clinton/Gore administration. This savvy political maneuver neutralized Newt Gingrich and the Republican efforts to control Congress and take back the Presidency. More important, the Clinton/Gore maneuver made it easier to achieve the Contract's basic tenet, i.e., a gradual rollback of gains made by African Americans over the past thirty (30) years.

Given the enthusiastic applause both Gore and Clinton received, one would think blacks at the NAACP convention slept through this recent bit of history. Rather than repudiate them for embracing the Contract with America, the NAACP applauded. The scene was reminiscent of the master's visit to the slave quarters.

Of course, neither Clinton nor Gore mentioned that the crime stats came at the expense of many blacks caged for non-violent offenses, victims of the social policy of zero tolerance and the war on drugs. The President did not mention the pattern of unemployment, which assures the black rate is twice the rate of whites in this country. In not mentioning his dialogue on race, Clinton embraced the status quo. Betraying his staunchest supporters, the President did blacks a grave disservice, which is par for the course in the annals of black American existence. To add more insult to the injury, Clinton/Gore promised a victim's right law and those NAACP bootlickers applauded.

Roots of Slave Reparations (1860-1868)

In the Republican and Democratic Parties of the 1800s, there were Radical and Conservative factions. The vast majority of politicians were moderates or middle of the roaders content with the status quo. On most questions, including economic matters, all three groups were in fundamental agreement, but they differed significantly on slavery. Radical leaders Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania, Charles Sumner of Massachusetts and Benjamin F. Wade of Ohio wanted to seize the opportunity afforded by the Civil War to abolish slavery. Heading the Conservatives was President Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. While they opposed slavery, they wanted to gradually end it. In fact, Lincoln made several unsuccessful attempts to persuade the slave states to agree to a program of compensated gradual emancipation. (Source: "American History: A Survey," Current, Williams and Freidel, A. A. Knopf, 1970)

Following the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson, along with a small number of Democrats and a few conservative Republicans backed a program of immediate unconditional restoration of the south. The larger group of Radical Republicans was bent on remaking southern society. For them, "reconstruction must revolutionize Southern institutions, habits and manners. The foundations of their institutions must be broken and relaid, or all our blood and treasure have been spent in vain," thundered their leader Thaddeus Stevens. (Source: "Nation of Nations: A Narrative History of the American Republic," Davidson, Gienapp, et. al, McGraw-Hill, 1994)

Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens is credited with one of the first bills introduced in Congress to compensate slaves. From section 4 of his 1867 Slave Reparation Bill (H.R. 29) comes the idea of awarding former slaves "40 acres" from the land confiscated from the former "confederate states." (Source: http://www.directblackaction.com)

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro fights the forces of evil for truth and justice. According to the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro, "If you tell me a lie, I can call you a liar. Right Grandma?"

Reparations 200: The Argument

When making a persuasive argument, one must include the trilogy of pathos, ethos and logos. For the first time in making our argument for a constitutional amendment, which includes reparations slave descendants, we are able to bring these three elements to bear. In the past, charismatic black leaders, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., pulled at America's heartstrings with pathos as they described our collective suffering. With ethos galore, they prodded, chided and pleaded with the nation to do the right thing. Like others before him, King's appeal lacked logos, and so his impassioned pleas fell on deaf ears and left the relative condition of black Americans unchanged.

The Reparations' web page provides some history, contemporary thoughts on the topic and the scientific basis for our claim to reparations, which will necessitate an amendment to the US Constitution. The DISH Reparations page provides the complete argument so that those, whose opinions get aired in the mainstream, cannot hijack our legitimate claim for reparations or otherwise bastardize our argument. Here, with all the elements of the claim in one place, you can evaluate the actions of those discussing reparations for slave descendants. Are they working to achieve reparations or are they poverty pimps working for their own selfish purposes? With this information, you be the judge.

Disgruntled wants to know: Ken Davis, a white candidate for DeKalb County CEO, is angry at Georgia Republicans for endorsing Vernon Jones, a black fellow Democrat. After years of being a loyal Republican masquerading as a Democrat in the predominantly black county, why did the Republicans endorse Jones? Is it because he is a more loyal Republican?

Disgruntled says: Most mainstream "black leaders" do not represent our best interests; they fear losing their corporate sponsorships and consider buying into things that promote black economic welfare a waste of political capital.

Disgruntled feels: To label yourself a "conservative black" is an admission that you are a "bootlicker."

Conqueror of St. Andrews

On the prestigious greens of golf's birthplace, the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Tiger Woods made history. The young American golfer dominated the British Open. Tiger Woods wield his irons, woods and putter like a master swordsman to slay all comers including the Number 2 man in professional golf, David Duval, who opened the final round on Sunday (7/23/00) with a couple of birdies, while Tiger cruised at par.

Vowing to give the Tiger's tail a twist, a real run for the money, Duval faded around the 12^th hole with a bogey to Tiger's birdie. Frustrated with the master's touch and desperate to back up his boast, Duval tried to out-stroke Tiger and ended up in a bunker near the 17^th green that cost him several strokes and left him with a triple bogey. So, Duval dropped from 12 to 7 under, while Tiger took the title and trophy with a record 19 under. Conquering all comers, Tiger became the youngest man to win a grand slam. He had a course record low score and the biggest margin of victory ever.

Leon Leaving Mecca

Stunning the Atlanta arts community, the artistic director of the Alliance Theatre, Kenny Leon, is the latest in a long line of high profile people in the art community to decide to leave the Mecca for greener pastures elsewhere. In leaving, the others cited a lack of arts funding and support, which characterizes the arts scene in Atlanta. A black man, Leon offered no such excuse. During his tenure, he ignored spoken word, probably because he hoped to appease whites. According to the AJC, the 44 years old Leon leaves his six-figure position with no concrete plans, just a desire to search for self.

Atlanta is the black Mecca. The conscious knows the city is in the throes of a black renaissance, which may be the reason for a white art exodus. While they have fled the scene, the city attracts talented blacks from around the globe. People are driven to come here, where a drumbeat rolls. Drawing them from near and far, they relish the rhythm and warm themselves deep in the heart of Dixie. A soulful sound, it is expressed in the art of those who hear its message. Atlanta is ablaze with creativity; it is the home of the Vibe where spoken word is alive. On Friday, July 28^th at 10 AM, check out Yohannes, master of the Atlanta Vibe, on 11-Alive (WXIA).

From c718841@showme.missouri.edu "Biotech, farm and environmental activists in Missouri will convergence in an international show of support for direct action against Monsanto on August 18th in St. Louis. Putting profit over people, Monsanto is guilty of promoting genetically modified organisms whose ecological and nutritional impacts are undetermined and potentially hazardous, cornering the seed market to make it infeasible for third-world and small U.S. farmers to practice sustainable agriculture, corrupting academic pursuits at American universities and generally helping to create a world run by a few corporate elites rather than democratic nations. To mark the beginning of an exploitation-free world with healthy food and a balanced eco-system, we will hang banners, educate the public, parade with puppets, beat on drums and perform street theater. We hope to have Green Party speakers, a permitted march, and people willing to do what it takes to make a point. Exact location TBA. For more information, make suggestions or to help plan the action, visit http://www.missouri.edu/~ldd0aa or email mo.rage@unbounded.com

Email shiriki@gvi.net Families and Friends of Prisoners-Thank you so much for all you have done so far! We know that thousands of you have sent materials to legislators, phone company executives, and other policy makers. NOW it is time to exercise economic muscle to end unfair telephone charges! NOW it is time to begin refusing those collect calls! During the month of August 2000, please refuse all collect calls from prisoners unless there is an emergency. Work with your imprisoned loved one to develop a method of informing you when a call is important. Otherwise, refuse collect calls in August. Send a message to phone companies. Join thousands of others across the country in cutting the phone companies and prison systems' profits. Freedom requires sacrifice. America's history includes many examples of citizens successfully challenging unfair taxes. Refuse non-emergency prison collect calls in AUGUST.

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