Volume 3 Issue 52…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race… January 5, 2001

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. The DISH © 2000

By John Burl Smith

The Supreme Court’s coup d‘etat putting George W. Bush, Jr. in office under "equal protection" claims make him the first Civil Rights President of the United States. A Saint Vitus dance omen foreshadows Bush, who survived by eating fruit from the tree he has labored mightily to uproot. Ascending to the White House by vote of the Court, rather than the vote of the people, Bush represents reverse affirmative action.

President in black face, Bush now must clarify the fuzzy image presented while candidate Bush visited Bob Jones University. A southerner like Bill Clinton, in order to be a "uniter not a divider," Bush must show clearly he stands firmly against displaying divisive Confederate symbols. Clinton recommended "High Noon" as a portal to the American character. The DISH begs to differ. For selectee George W. Bush, Jr., who was nurtured in a totally white world, "Iron Will" offers a less violent "quick study."

The Canadian/American border is the icy backdrop on which competing perceptions of humanity and dreams of a better world struggle for ascendancy. Our youthful hero, Will Stoneman (Mackenzie Astin) is a true-blue rugged individualist fighting for his piece of the American dream of success. In a desperate gamble, after his father’s death, Will embarks on a perilous quest to win a dogsled race and save his family’s farm. Reporting on Will’s epic journey from the field, Kevin Spacey, a burned out iconoclast, jokingly backs Will’s play to enter the race. Tittering on the brink of obscurity, Spacey serendipitously stumbles into a journalist’s greatest dream: a real story.

Unlike media talking heads, witnessing Will’s trek melts Stacey’s cynical shell. Telling the story of one lone 17 year-old and a team of dogs’ fight for respect reminds Spacey, he has a stake in this struggle over ideals. With American flags waving, "Iron Will" battles the forces of nature, villains all around and fears within. Spurred on by Native spirits singing mournful chants on the frozen wind, Will finds courage. Recognizing values that sustain, he connects on a truly human level and reaps the rewards of dedication, while gleaning America’s true credo of freedom, justice and equality.

Sadly, this movie is only an idealized dramatization about America that white washes over Tippecanoe, the Trial of Tears and Wounded Knee with Leonard Peltier. Epitomizing blacks in America, Native Americans facilitated Will’s triumph in the same way lynching blacks facilitated institutionalized racism. Exemplifying George W. Bush, Jr.'s campaign for President, this movie eliminates any consideration of prejudice, discrimination, exploitation and oppression that allowed the Wills of the world to dominate.

A direct recipient of affirmative action, even through his compassionate conservative lenses, George W. Bush, Jr. should recognize that Will carried an American flag not the Confederate stars and bars. Although Will began his epic with very personal goals, he grew to see how his humanity drew everyday people to identify with him, enlarging his goals beyond himself. What is not clear is whether or not Will did anything with such a tremendous opportunity? Does the first Civil Rights President, George W. Bush, Jr., have the metal to forge the bonds that extend the blessing of "equal protection" he enjoys to blacks and Native Americans in the spirit of "Iron Will?" John 2000

Disgruntled wants to know: The aftermath of Election 2000 presents us with a blue pill or red pill situation. We will take the blue pill and accept the Supreme Court coup in Bush v. Gore. Or, will we take the red pill and learn just how deep the rabbit hole goes?

Disgruntled says: Blacks thought they had secured the right to vote and have those votes counted. An epiphany, Election 2000 proved to be an eye-opening experience. Blacks learned two-fifths (2/5) of their votes can legally not be counted! Hence, the term "votes of questionable legality."

Disgruntled feels: Two-fifths plus three-fifths equals one (2/5 + 3/5 = 1). When blacks become "one" instead of "others" or three-fifths, as defined in the Constitution, then there will be one-person, one-vote democracy.

"We have had 13 states independent 11 years. There has been one rebellion. That comes to one rebellion in a century and a half for each state. What country before ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that the people preserve the spirit of resistance? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson

Historians agree an abusive system led to Shays’ Rebellion. Daniel Shays (1747-1825), a captain in the American Revolutionary Army, led the revolt that lasted from August 1786 to February 1787. Shays’ Rebellion magnified the demand for a stronger central government to replace the one created under the Articles of Confederation after the American Revolution. It led to the drafting and ratification of the Constitution (1787-1788). Except for the Civil War, Shays’ Rebellion is the nation’s most famous and important domestic revolt.

The root of the revolt lay in economic chaos. Though successful, America’s war for independence left the thirteen colonies free to rule themselves (states rights), but without the commercial ties that contributed to colonial prosperity. War debts, a shortage of hard currency and ruinous inflation were backdrops for the citizens’ revolt.

By the early 1780's, debt was epidemic. Farms were confiscated by the state and sold for as little as a third of their value. Others were thrown in filthy debtors’ prisons. Mounting grievances and apathetic legislators forced people to take matters into their own hands. In 1782, disgruntled citizens closed down court proceedings by preventing members of the bench from holding sessions. The theory being, if they did not sit, there would be no foreclosures, judgements on debts or the confiscation of property for defaulted taxes.

States responded to the protests by temporary suspending habeas corpus and imposing new and higher court costs. The government retracted its promise of lifetime pensions for officers, and the paltry sums they earned in Continental currency was eaten away by inflation. Revolutionary War veterans, who left their farms and shops to fight the hated redcoats, began to question independence

The relative calm following the outbreaks of 1782-83 was abruptly shattered in 1786. Legislatures imposed heavy poll and property taxes amounting to one third of the total income of people. In addition, the new tax schedule, notorious for its inequity, placed heavy duties on land without regard to its value - a palpable discrimination against the poorer farmers.

Protesters singled out for criticism two groups of citizens, i.e., the merchants and professional men, who enjoyed an unfair advantage within the tax system, and lawyers, who conspired with judges and creditors to force the debtor still further into obligation. Called by John Adams, "the dirty dabblers in the law," lawyers created more litigation than they resolved.

Less than four months after Shays’ Rebellion ended, the Constitutional Convention met (May 25, 1787) to begin deliberations at Independence Hall, Philadelphia to establish a better form of government. Currency regulation, representation and other issues raised by Shays’ Rebellion weighed on the Founding Fathers. They sought to forbid states from issuing paper money, strengthen the military powers of the executive branch, authorize Congress to call up militiamen to suppress insurrections and enforce the laws of the land.

The impact and subsequent lessons of Shay’s Rebellion remain. Because of it, important changes were made in the government of the nation, changes that have stood the test of time. Perhaps, this episode lends some ironic credence to Thomas Jefferson’s suggestion that "the spirit of resistance to government is ...valuable on certain occasions." (Professor Alden T. Vaughan Shay’s Rebellion, Historical Perspectives)

Those on fixed incomes, such as Social Security or some form of disability, are required to have checking accounts. This means less of their income actually benefits the recipient. In effect, the requirement helps financial markets, because moneychangers get richer. Like mandatory automobile insurance that improves the bottom line of the insurance industry, forcing people to have checking accounts helps banks' bottom lines!

People who trade-off visits to the doctor to eat must pay fees to receive, cash or otherwise spend their limited income. Those without checking accounts are still charged fees to get a government check cashed. This regressive practice further impoverishes the already financially challenged. Even banks that hold government deposits force the poor to pay fees to access their money. This is an abusive system that Congress and state legislators created to assist moneychangers in preying on the public. Because the big fish owns the little fish, big-name insurance, investment and banking businesses own the loan sharks operating in ghettos and barrios across America.

Disabled veterans, Social Security recipients and others should not be forced to pay arbitrary fees to access their government assistance. In the absence of meaningful campaign finance reform, lobbyists, lawyers and those with deep pockets buy Congress and the presidency. With big money controlling the electoral process, the poor are powerless prey to regressive legislation. Under a Bush administration, poor people can expect more regressive policies. Those who represent their interest should support campaign finance reform to restore the value of the vote and take the electoral process out of the hands of big money.

Millions of paper ballots are not counted in every election. Some machines are chad-challenged at the time votes are cast and when counted. Consequently, ballots with chad problems must be manually inspected. Behind every paper ballot is a person with a name and address. America has the technology and democracy requires that in the election process, we discern voter intent. The outcome of Election 2000 makes America a laughingstock. It lost all credibility, as a democracy by not counting all votes. Because of its hypocrisy, America will live in infamy for what went down in Florida. Americans did not elect a President; he was selected by powerful special interests.

Plagued by the need for an honorable legacy, President Clinton could do the nation a favor by saying something useful about the lessons learned in the dialogue on race. Providing a valuable history lesson, he can secure the legacy that eludes him in the Middle East. By achieving what is so elusive abroad at home, he can free America from its blanket of hypocrisy.

On Election Day, blacks went to the polls in vast numbers. Many of those votes were not counted. How America treats its various citizens is in question. Will it be as equals or do we continue the sliding scale based on race that has guided America since the Founding Fathers laid the framework for the Republic? Clinton can get the ball to rolling on healing the racial divide and thereby secure an honorable legacy.

A Jon Davison Production, Robocop -the movie- stars Peter Weller and Nancy Allen as cops battling crime in the not-too-distant future. A blood, guts, guns and technology meets the future in urban America film, I do not recommend it for the young and impressionable. However, for adults, it is intense. If you like your cops and robbers' entertainment raw, rent Robocop.

The movie is mentioned for the programming directives given to Robocop - a policeman brutally slain and revived through biotechnology that renders him part man and machine. Robocop's primary directives are to serve the public trust, uphold the law and protect the innocent. However, the fourth directive is classified and prevents him from nabbing the bad guy that controls the drugs, prostitution and death gripping the city. He is senior vice president of the company that runs the police.

If you have not seen Robocop, check it out and THINC about the 3/5ths compromise of Article I Section 2 of the Constitution as a classified directive that kicked in during the recent presidential selection to prevent one-person, one-vote democracy.

"Won't you please help me!" Or, something to that effect is a line from a popular 1960's Beatles' hit. A record by a contemporary artist begs, "someone please call 911." Some of you may recognize the BET hit. I am not recommending it, though there is something catchy about its phraseology. My grandsons and their mother know the lyrics and sing along whenever they hear it. For the record, I am not recommending the Beatles either, but it too was a catchy tune.

Unlike these "love" songs, my plea is different. Or, is it really? I suppose when you THINC about it, my appeal for assistance is about love too. I love the thought of what I have been taught is America - home of the brave, land of the free - the place where people are viewed as equals under the law - home of one-person, one-vote democracy.

You experienced presidential selection 2000. Tell me it made America the beautiful. Whatever happened to personal freedom and the right of self-determination? Obviously, neither America's war with Great Britain, Shays' Rebellion or the Civil War gave all Americans civil and human rights. Inequalities imbedded in the Constitution by the Founding Fathers still govern the electoral process.

Check the new president-select's pedigree. Did not Justice Antonin Scalia tell us, 'to count all those black votes,' considered of 'questionable legality,' could 'harm' Dubya? Votes of "others" as blacks are referred to in the Constitution are of questionable legality; their value cannot be given equal weight to the votes of citizens who supported the heir apparent - Dubya. This selection process, coup in any other country, by-passed majority vote; it is abhorrent to those who believe in democracy. Help! We must correct this Robocop anti-democracy programming and end the nightmare gripping America. It is time to advance the groundswell for change beyond US borders. We urge everyone to write to the United Nations urging its Secretary-General and member nations to intercede on our behalf.

On New Year's Day, Francis Coombs appeared on C-Span's Washington Journal. Coombs' comments ran the gambit of Election 2000 conservative talking points. Calling Democrats whining crybabies, he advised them to get over it, much like the racist advice given slave descendants about slavery. The conservative status quo mantra is, Bush won, nothing can change the outcome, and moving on is in the best interest of the country.

Coombs comments echo letters to the editor on the op-ed page of the Atlanta Journal Constitution on December 31, 2000. Taken together, these missives provide the complete conservative response to the unease among those who believe something undemocratic happened in Election 2000.

Ironically, the first reader wrote, " I used to read and hear people say, "If you want to change things, vote." I haven't missed voting since the county unit system of voting was abolished in the 1960s. I started voting and sure enough, things changed; they got worse and continue to go downhill." Another opined, "Al Gore knew he had lost the vote, and he knew he couldn't win in the voter-appointed Legislature, which is the branch of government designated by the Constitution to appoint electors. So he tried the same branch that you Democrats have been using for years to unlawfully create new laws. Even the decidedly liberal U.S. Supreme Court couldn't stomach the obvious disregard for law, truth and justice in Florida. Gore lost the vote of the people; he lost in the Legislature; he lost in the courts. Three strikes, you're out!"

A third writer suggested, "Take a look at the Bush-Gore electoral map. If you do, you can easily see just what vote Al Gore was given: blacks, Hispanics, liberal and union workers. Another felt, "Democrats are whining at how George W. Bush would not agree to the statewide recount that Al Gore suggested. Why should Bush ask for a recount? He had already won the election. Gore made this suggestion after the deadline for any other recounts had passed. Therefore, this supposed grand gesture was meaningless, not to mention illegal under Florida law.

And, finally, "Democrats still don't get it. The law, that is. Florida law is actually quite simple as to when a manual recount is required, and none of those conditions existed with the presidential election. The votes were thrown out by the machines for the same reasons they always have been, and voters have a responsibility to make their vote meet legal conditions to be counted." Filled with holes, this status quo gibberish will not cool the ire of those who love democracy.

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