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Volume 3 Issue 5… Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race …February 11, 2000

Note: 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

Entropy

by John Burl Smith

Entropy explains energy loss not valued as work in an activity. A useful construct when comparing equality, mental or physical, all human activity is an energy exchange or work. Entropy is that part of expended energy not contributing to work. Important thing is, one gets nothing for the effort. Ultimately, no matter what one does, a certain amount of loss is attached. This loss should be constant or equal for all similar actions, unless something intervenes.

Dot M. Smith applies this concept to her chasm of inequality paradigm. She debunks theories of "no loss" associated with slavery and Jim Crow segregation. Starting with the Declaration of Independence equality principle on which the United States is founded (x = y), Smith shows the US Constitution does not mirror this concept. To the contrary, Smith found x y, because slave descendants (x) are valued at three-fifths whites (.6y), as mandated in Article 1 Section 2 of the US Constitution. Artificially assigned, this value lives on in the American psyche, creating a residual between what is produced by black work and the income blacks receive. This residual loss z or .4y is traditionally dismissed as undefined or non-quantifiable.

Smith compares the two-fifths loss experienced by slave descendants to entropy, which represents equality of effort. Those strictly interpreting the Constitution dismiss the loss by claiming it placed no significant restraint on slave descendant's economic development. Historically, intelligence, education, family, community and individual motivation are factors offer to explain income disparities between blacks and whites. If random factors actually explained the historic gap, which dates back to slavery, any resulting inequality would not exhibit a stable pattern.

African Americans were unable to measure this inequality until Smith's paradigm identified the narrow interval of .5 to .65 along which the ratio of black to white median family incomes fall. For example, in 1996 black and white median family incomes were $23,482 and $38,787, respectively; black labor experienced a residual income loss of $15,305. In this case, the ratio of black to white income is .61, and our z of $15,305 is .39 or approximately two-fifths y. This is the income loss slave descendants historically experience. Smith shows that the ratio of black to white income fits the value inequality mandated by the Constitution, i.e. x = .6y. If we add the residual z = $15,305 (.4y) to x = $23,482 (.6y), we get y = $38,787, i.e., x + z = y, rather than the x = y principle at play when all are valued equally.

Entropy affects all work equally. White work does not yield more or less entropy than black work. An intervention restraining the value of black labor, the 3/5ths compromise, explains the income inequality, rather than entropy. Smith's paradigm calls it institutionalized racism. No one doubts its existence. Question is, will those employing Smith's paradigm use the information it reveals correctly?

Because the .4y residual or z is traceable back to slavery, it offers a starting point for calculating African American reparations to offset the artificial value established by law, a value that impeded their economic development. (The Richard L. Kirksey, Jr. Memorial Foundation's "end the genocide" appeal to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and International Court of Justice is being submitted to NCOBRA for inclusion in its case for reparations.) John 2000

by Yohannes Sharriff Smith

My eyes open in darkness.

Silhouettes and illusion...Trust no one

In the black of night, shadows are my friends.

Ancient spirits whisper,

"Beware of angels and those professing righteousness,

They are usually devils in disguise."

Dolphin transformation for my third eye

To avoid sharks swimming in these rough waters.

Salty! Twisted incident.

"By the light of the full moon

Smiling faces move like serpents

To fool the weak and unwise." Surprise!

Slivering friends speak generously with forked tongues.

Trust no one...

My son, remember hold your enemies close.

Niggas wildin' in the streets, trying to maintain their egos.

Usual suspect situation...face slammed on the pavement

Twisted incident...Wrist shackled...strapped to the table.

Betrayal...African guinea pig experiment.

Kid-napped crabs cradled in a barrel of insanity.

Trust no one...This asylum is reality. Real? Really.

In reality abducted...I feel the seductive serenade slip...

I feel the sedative wearing off.

I'm hearing muffled voices;

A flock of fake sistas, some phony friends,

Representatives of foreign governments,

A couple of reverends with JFK and Elvis as deacons

Pimping Nicole Simpson,

The NSA, FBI, ATF, DEA, CNN, and NASA,

The FAA, FDA, IRS, EPA, CDC, NAACP, and PTA

The SCLC, DMV, OPP, MTV, BET, VH1,

Mickey Dees, PMS, HIV, and DKNY,

And last but not least agents Molder and Sculley.

C O N spiracy...Shhh...In a hidden taste test,

We secretly replaced your natural mind state

With our brand new,

One-of-a kind Cloned Mental Slave 2000.

Muffled voices softly spoken,

Choking, coughing, plotting my killing.

I'm choking on fear.

Chilling my spine is the cold metal table.

Abruptly, the nurse enters the room.

Like an Arctic breeze, I freeze my breath.

Eyes closed, pretending to be sleeping,

While she is freeing my wrist.

Suddenly, she remembers the hyper-dermic

Demonic poison ready to rush.

Yearning to push me over the edge.

Focus quickly and grab the witch by the neck.

Scream...I grab the witch by the neck

Before the sound is completed.

Deceased...RIP...Rest in Pain...torture and hell!

Choking her and I awake from the dream.

Choking my girl friend and I awake from the dream.

Standing before the bathroom sink.

Yawning, 4 o' clock in the morning.

40 years old in a dead-end job.

And I'm choking the mirror. Reflections...

I awake from the dream choking the TV.

Heavens to Merger-troid! Exit stage left leave even.

Crying and screaming,

I awake from my nightmare choking my pillow.

The orderlies rush in with my daily medication.

I'm taken...Now pacified, I happily smile. Intuit 2000

In case you never met him, if you recall the caged silverback gorilla in the movie "Instinct," know Atlanta Zoo's now deceased and beloved Willie B. Hyped by local media as the ambassador who captured Atlanta's heart, Willie B.'s inhumane existence eluded our compassion and outrage at caging another, when we in fact prize freedom above all else for ourselves. Romanticizing Willie B.'s peep show life of luxury minimizes our lack of humanity. With tiny hearts and big brains, we are intelligent rulers of our dominion. Yet, sometimes, we engage in curious pastimes, such as those lynchings back when blacks were considered beasts of burden to be worked to death or caged on display to satisfy some morbid curiosity. Atlanta mourns Willie B. because it loses its Elian Gonzales.

Too bad, Willie B.'s death does not free him from freak show status. Oblivious to the hypocrisy of his capture and lifetime imprisonment, his handlers are torn between stuffing him for display or cremating him and returning his ashes to his native homeland. This free at last gesture plays well in Atlanta. Here, folks are big-time freedom fighters, heavy on the symbolism.

The Promissory Note ( 1968-Present)

by Junious Ricardo Stanton

By 1968 the U.S. government, entrenched in its war in Asia, refocused attention away from civil rights to bombs, body counts and defoliation. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lost popularity by denouncing the war. He raised the issue of the poor being sent to the front lines while affluent whites avoided the draft or finagled safe assignments. Dr. King uttered the ultimate no-no of redistribution of wealth. Increasingly, he stressed economic parity and social justice.

Already a favorite target of FBI Director Hoover, King became persona non grata to the ruling elite and the minions of the military industrial technological financial hydra. As he stepped up his attacks on the war in Southeast Asia and American domestic and foreign policy, King became more of a nuisance. Eventually, he was slated to be "neutralized, like Malcolm before him; King was murdered with the U.S. government's covert complicity or overt blessing. His murder sparked outrage and riots all over the country. Cities burned, his Poor Peoples Campaign faltered for lack of direction and support.

The police, FBI and other governmental agencies used this as a pretense to step up their counter attack on dissents. This begin the criminalization of another generation, as black radicals were co-opted, discredited, jailed, bought off, went into exile or were killed.

About Me: I am a brother who loves and believes in African people. We were not put on this planet to be the footstools or doormats for anyone. Our greatest challenge is overcoming our limiting beliefs, self-hatred and exocentric conditioning to restore us to sanity and wholeness.

Disgruntled wants to know: How did Willie B. - the Atlanta zoo's deceased silver back gorilla - feel about being caged for 39 years?

Disgruntled says: A spiritual being, I believe the death penalty is inhumane; it is morally wrong to take a life. No matter how much tweaking we do to it, whether we use gas chambers, electric chairs, lethal injections or some other means of execution, nothing will make capital punishment the right decision!

Disgruntled feels: there is not a scintilla of difference between a "tricky Dick" and a "slick Willie!

The United States Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) offers an historic example of a strict interpretation of the Constitution, the law of the land. Backed by abolitionists, a Missouri slave, Dred Scott bought suit in federal court to gain his freedom. The Court ruled against him. Made up of all white men, seven (7) Democrats of which five (5) were Southern conservatives, a Whig and a Republican, the court's majority opinion held that Scott was not a citizen and could not bring suit in court. Moreover, in writing the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney held that as far as the Constitution is concerned, "Negroes had no rights that white men were bound to respect." Moreover, Taney argued that Scott's movement from Missouri to Minnesota did not change his slave status; slaves were property and the 5^th Amendment prohibited Congress from taking property without due process of law.

This case highlights the need to examine the position of political candidates who pledge to appoint judges to our courts that will "strictly interpret" the Constitution. The pledge is code to the John Rockers among us, a promise to uphold the "traditional family values" mandated by the Constitution, values based on the 3/5ths Compromise. Recognize this code for maintaining the status quo of institutionalized racism.

Thank you again for being a part of SLAM CITY! Black History presentation on short notice. As I expected, you did a fantastic job of interpreting Amiri Baraka's work. I know you said initially that you hadn't had much exposure to Baraka's work but I can see in your own work and the way you delivered his Thursday night that you've got a lot of Baraka in you--even if you don't see it right now. I believe your researching Baraka (he's a deep brotha--his essays, music criticism, plays, etc.) can be as rewarding for you as your performance Thursday was rewarding for the audience. You're already a very talented poet, but I'm really excited about the infinity you can unleash once you really get down with Baraka's work. Again, thank you for a sensational job. You made the ancestors and me proud. Peace, Ayodele.

DISHing It Up Hot!

by Dot Smith

Snickering behind their hands, the merger-mad media is awash in a sea of cash from its successful Y2K heist, a psyche job resplendent with crummy commercials and canned programming that the public bought hook, line and sinker. Crummy though much of its programming is, the media exert a powerful influence on our collective conscious, and hence our existence. The DISH is labeling it social conditioning, which influences our actions in the marketplace for goods and services; it shapes our values.

Atlanta media are known for producing and airing spots on everything from Coke to Willie B. An excellent example of its powerful influence on our actions is our reaction to weather forecasts. Atlanta has little experience or equipment to deal with snow and ice; so, winter storm forecasts lock the metro area down days in advance of any actual inclement weather. But, even in cities where people have plenty of winter weather experience and the equipment to deal with it, weather forecasts clean grocery shelves. Obviously, the public is programmed and the media are in control. It bombards us with crummy commercials, which paint our conscious moments and shape our subconscious actions. In our search for the truth, we know there are few absolutes, but know this, the media molds public opinion. The most cogent example is how Americans were programmed to view crime as a major problem. Partially financed by the government, networks programmed prime time police shows and produced plenty of violent criminal activity on the evening news to convince us "crime is rampant." Paid political ads promised law and order. A successful effort, Americans perceive crime as a larger problem than it in fact is. And, starring in the role of criminal is black children. Herding minds like cattle, the media created the profile and the public brought the image, which is used to mete out rewards and punishment in the marketplace for goods and services.

Trained journalists, pundits and talking heads parrot a single message developed from a narrow linear perspective. Whether it is "fair and balanced" or just "this is CNN," network broadcasts offer more of the same old song and dance. It criminalized an entire generation of black children, and it is why we are not discussing the most important problem facing our nation - institutionalized racism.

by John Burl Smith

Lacking intellectual perspicacity, going beyond canned responses is a virtual mine field for George W. Bush, Jr. Impromptu is an 800 pound gorilla jumping out of sound bite George's mouth to attack his handlers. Even talking with elementary students, Jr. conveyed an anti-intellectual persona, unable to distinguish between preserve and persevere. Less than stellar educational credentials make the Gov. "poster boy" for social promotion. What if Bush confuses erudite with troglodyte as America's goal?

Never relying on personal knowledge, Bush is without a sense of urgency regarding the imperative of education for ordinary people. His attitude is characteristic of my daughter's generation. Reaganomics gave it false hope. "People don't need a college education to get a good job." Famous last words my daughter uttered before she dropped out of school to leave home and live in questionable circumstances, rather than face the reality that "nobody gives a shit," only to return a few years later with child, no future and a strong resistance to profiting from pass experiences. She remains clueless.

Current anti-intellectual attitudes treat learning or knowledge as valuable only because it is scored on tests. Driving so-called education reform across America, anti-intellectual bias has made testing and teachers the focal points. Ignoring essentials such as attitude formation, generalizing knowledge, creative solutions, aptitude and exposure, educators have slave master mind-sets. Among those whose success has not depended on their ability to utilize and manipulate knowledge, there is contempt for those who do. They discount the value of training and innovation, and they resist change, particularly when coming from the bottom up.

George Bush, Jr., Al Gore, Roy Barnes and others of their ilk perceive education as a critical period with limited impact on one's life. Rather than a life long endeavor, it is something one gets over. Preferably, for George Jr. and my daughter, one should not have to bother with it at all. Fortunately, my daughter's attitude will affect little beyond her family. Conversely, Bush or Gore may become President and that prospect should cause great concern among intelligent Americans. John 2000

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