Volume 4 Issue 43…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…November 2, 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 © 2001

by John Burl Smith

Looking into the early morning autumn sky, I saw a flock of Canadian geese flying south. Surreal, the scene reminded me of how tightly natural laws bind all creatures into an order that they violate at their peril. As a child, I watched my grandfather, Eddie Wilson (a.k.a. Bud Drain), struggle to eke out a living as a Mississippi sharecropper during Jim Crow back in the 1940s. Understanding those laws spelled survival or disaster.

Every fall, Daddy scanned the sky starting in late September for the distinctive wedge formed by Canadians. Pointing toward their shape he would say, "Canadians moving south," and until the last day of harvest, his pace quickened with each day's passage. The annual flight of wild geese held an ominous warning for those who lagged in the spring or shied away from the long hot days of summer. Now, with the passing of Canadians, time became the enemy!

"The earliest flocks have the smartest leaders," he would say. "They read the changing weather signs coming down from the North Pole." Moving on the first signs, wild geese provided lead-time for keen eyes like his. Reading wild geese, intelligent farmers knew that the race against short days and frost in October could be lost to the rain and cold of an early November winter. Unable to move South as geese, Bud knew two weeks lead-time could make all the difference in surviving a long hard winter. Reading of signs is a useful skill only, if one has a plan and the focus to carry it to completion.

The unity slave descendants achieved during WCAR provided the Diaspora impetus to move beyond "Enduring to Survive" to prosperity. Coming together for the first time ever, sisters and brothers from around the world united. They demanded the world recognize slavery as a crime against humanity and the obligation of those responsible for slavery to pay reparations. No clearer statement of our intent had ever been put forth by victims of slavery, colonialism and Zionism before such an international forum. Unity is an unmistakable sign indicating those in the Diaspora are ready to carry the reparations' fight to the floor of the United Nations. Like wild geese, unity is our flying wedge for all to see and know the Diaspora is moving. T.H.I.N.C. about it! John 2001

by Scott E. Buchanan

Instituted in 1917 and used in every statewide election until Baker v. Carr (1962) barred its use, the county-unit system guaranteed rural domination of Georgia politics and kept Atlanta and other urban areas with large black populations politically impotent. Based on the 3/5 Compromise used to establish the Electoral College, the country-unit system applied to state elections for governor, U.S. Senators and judges. Some districts used it in congressional elections.

Since Georgia had no legitimate Republican Party at the time, Democratic nominations were the general elections. Rather than Atlanta, rural Georgia controlled statewide public offices under the county-unit system in which the largest eight counties in population had six votes each. Seven of these counties were Bibb (Macon), Chatham (Savannah), DeKalb (portion of Atlanta), Floyd (Rome), Fulton (Atlanta), Muscogee (Columbus) and Richmond (Augusta). Over time, the eighth county changed, but from 1950 onward, it was Doughtery (Albany). The next thirty counties in population were classified town counties, all of which had four unit votes per county. The remaining one hundred and twenty-one rural counties each had two unit votes. Three rural counties could effectively negate the unit vote of one urban county. Georgia's county-unit system meant extreme under-representation of the urban counties, which had large black populations.

In the United States, Congress is legally required to apportion/re-apportion or re-assign among the states the numbers of members of the House of Representatives to which they are entitled following each decennial census. Reapportionment also refers to the action of state legislatures in districting and redistricting congressional, legislative, judicial and other seats and of city councils and commissions in taking similar action on local offices.

According to Webster, gerrymandering is the act of "dividing a territorial unit into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible." Following the 1990 census, the Georgia legislature reapportioned DeKalb County, not along partisan political lines, but a racial one. Gerrymandering assured the County Commission remained predominantly white. Commission super districts guaranteed northern (white) control of the heavily black DeKalb County.

DeKalb Commission District 3 is referred to as "a south DeKalb district." It contains a large number of southern voting precincts around its wide southwestern mouth, then stretches through the middle of the county, and ends with northeastern majority white precincts along its split fan-tail. Nine or approximately one-third of the district's twenty-eight precincts have strong white voting age percentages, which prevent the district from being southern and/or black.

District 3 is so spread out that there is no cohesion or sense of community. Examination of the precinct data shows reapportionment diluted black voting strength. This district's configuration is obviously skewed to favor the north. Look at the map and examine the empirical evidence. According to 1990 census figures, whites made up 54% of DeKalb's population. In 1998, five (71%) of the 7 commission seats were held by whites representing northern county interests.

According to former state Rep. Frank Redding, the legislature reapportioned DeKalb using guidelines provided by the U.S. Justice Department in accordance with the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The civil rights legislation, supposedly passed to protect black voter rights, actually diluted black voting strength. While racial gerrymandering may not have been the original intent, it was definitely the result.

In 1991, the legislature created two DeKalb districts with greater than 80% white majority voting age populations. But, the Justice Department would not allow the creation of a more than 70% black majority voting age population district in DeKalb. The legislation designed to protect the black vote simply diluted black representation and made a mockery of one-man one vote democracy.

Email: IBSA@networksplus.net Under the Chinese lunar calendar, the year 2001 is the 'Year of the Snake'. In the Year of the Snake, it is good to be a 'dog' because it gets along with the snake. The Year of the Snake is a time some soothsayers say brings upheaval, i.e., global recession, unemployment and disasters, such as 9-11, refugee crises and revolution. Those born under the year of the Tiger are bitter enemies of the snake. But, it is said the Year of the Snake is also a year to plant seeds and consolidate your base. Next year, the Year of the Horse, the dark cloud will dissipate to unveil the sun, if the right things are done.

President-Select, George W. Bush was born in 1946 -- the Year of the Dog. This dog has the highest ratings ever for a president. He has given financial support to countries that were on the US Sh#t list a year ago and taken away constitutionally given rights in the name of security. He walked away from WCAR only to have the same Negroes opposed to that action now love him. Is being given anything he asks for a good thing? What's up dog? How can I be down?

Email: CWMeb@aol.com In January 2001, a consortium of news organizations (including the one I read on a daily basis, the Los Angeles Times) set out to examine EVERY vote cast in the Florida presidential election. The object was to determine once and for all, who would have truly won Florida if ALL the votes had REALLY been counted. The plan was to examine BOTH undervotes AND overvotes. They estimated that a report would be forthcoming around mid-May. Well, here we are with NOVEMBER fast approaching and that particular report has yet to see the light of day. Why? What happened? As Halloween approaches is the truth too scary to print?

Email: mwlaird@yahoo.com: The US deploys 'bunker buster' nuclear bombs designed to destroy underground factories and laboratories, while causing relatively little surface damage. The weapon, designated B-61, is a repackaging of a 30-year-old hydrogen bomb that was originally designed to be dropped from an airplane by parachute and explode while still aloft. Dropped without parachute, it can burrow as deep as 50 feet into the soil before exploding. Critics say B-61 is the new weapon intended for use against rogue states suspected of trying to develop weapons of mass destruction in underground complexes.

Hood Notes

By John Burl Smith

A Fish Called Wanda is a 1998 John Cleese comedy about a gang of con artists masquerading as thieves. Exemplifying the adage, "there is no honor among thieves," this spoof gives new meaning to a fishy drama that will cause angler envy in bass heaven. Casting widely her net, this big fish story opens with Commissioner Jacqueline (Jackie) Scott as our "damsel in distress" dangling at the end of a slender line of precincts being chewed on by redistricting.

A nail-biting cliffhanger, twenty years ago, Jackie, a white woman, debuted in the role of Commissioner. Throw back to the days following segregation when whites were the majority in DeKalb, Jackie netted South DeKalb blacks in her majority black district in 1991. Behind a blind of white precincts running North to Tucker, she pulled out some whoppers to get reelected.

Going for Jackie's minority bait hook, line and sinker, District 3 was designed for Southwest DeKalb County. The caveat is, that trap line of white precincts running North, which fish-tailed into Tucker, brought in enough white voters to assure Jackie's reelection. The scheme worked particularly well when there were multiple challengers.

Hanging her hopes for election on these majority white precincts surreptitiously added to South DeKalb's district in 1991, redistricting 2001 brings Jackie's fishy caper back to her "damsel in distress" cliffhanger. Unimpeachably, cloaked in a public relations blitzkrieg on Tuesday night (10-23-01), Commissioner Scott paraded her string of prized catches before the DeKalb County Legislative delegation's redistricting hearing for 2001. Regurgitating sound bits touting her stellar performance, Commissioner Scott's supporters attacked in turn everyone's intelligence that dared speak against her reelection plan. Her hook for keeping South DeKalb the fish on her line is making legislative approval of her redistricting plan a referendum on the Commissioners, rather than a constitutional process designed to equalize representation.

Supposedly, District 3 was designed to be a majority black district and represent Southwest DeKalb. However, blacks in South DeKalb were bamboozled when northern white precincts were added to assure Commissioner Scott's reelection. Clearly, her district is the only district that looks so fishy. The shape of District 3 divides natural communities like Tucker between three different Commissioners.

The South DeKalb fish is why Tucker residents are so opposed to Jackie's plan. In solidarity with Tucker's desire for change, South DeKalb residents are demanding that the state legislature develops a redistricting plan that cuts the tail off the DeKalb fish. John 2001

by Dot

On Tuesday, October 23, 2001, the DeKalb Legislative delegation held the first of four public meetings to give citizens an opportunity to comment on redistricting the DeKalb County Commission. The state legislature will take up DeKalb County reapportionment when it convenes in January 2002.

DeKalb citizens were allowed three minutes to tell why they felt the need to attend the meeting. When the issue of racial gerrymandering was raised by yours truly, some white people screamed the race card was being played. They claimed, "That is not done any more!" White denial is rampant! The DISH begs to differ. Like the distinctive sign that an atomic bomb has exploded (mushroom cloud), racism colored DeKalb's 1991 reapportionment.

After I explained the research, which led to the conclusion that the fishy design of District 3 is racial gerrymandering, they were forced to shut up or look foolish. The DISH's look at the voting precincts that make up the five DeKalb districts is published in Vol. 1 No 29. You can go online and review the data. The race card was played in 1991 by the state legislature.

What is the significance of year 2007 for Black America? Can we lose our right to vote that year? Seriously? No! If you received an email recently that said otherwise, consider it an urban legend.

The Voters Rights Act of 1965, which is scheduled to expire in 2007 and was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson, did not grant black Americans the right to vote. Supposedly, the 15^th Amendment adopted in 1870 gave the right to vote to all citizens of the United States. It read: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

Section 2 of the 15^th Amendment gave Congress the power to enact appropriate legislation to enforce this constitutional amendment. In the wake of rampant racism that prevented blacks from voting or their votes from being counted in elections, Congress passed the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It did not change the Constitution; it supposedly gave the 15^th amendment granting blacks the right to vote some teeth. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan extended the Voters Rights Act for another 25 years, which means that in 2007, it will come up for consideration again. Black Americans are the only group of United States citizens that require special legislation to protect what is supposed to be their constitutional right as citizens to vote.

In the year 2007, Congress will decide whether or not the nation needs the Voting Rights Act to protect black voting rights. Contrary to urban legend, black Americans will not lose a right they have never really had under the Constitution. Most of us fail to realize blacks are not citizens under the US Constitution as long as there is no specific repeal of Article 1 Section 2, which defines blacks as less than full citizens.

While America claims it is the most enlightened nation in the free world, we must still discuss, review and debate protecting people of color as they exercise the most fundamental right of citizenry. Why should we be singled out in this shameful manner? Are we not true Americans? Are we that something less of the Three-Fifth Compromise? Were we not every quarter century Congress would not have to engage in fiery debate and political rhetoric about the need to protect the civil and political rights of African Americans.

No debate should be necessary; the mere fact that it requires discussion is abhorrent. Nothing short of blanket recognition and inclusion under the Constitution is required to end this asinine round of public debate. By the time we celebrate our month (Black History) in the year 2007, I hope we will be able to look back and rightfully remember ratifying the amendment that ceased debates on equal rights for African Americans. Let's strive to make the African American Equal Rights Amendment (AAERA) a reality.

Disgruntled feels: Reaffirmed! A C-Span viewer from Britain called in one morning in October and voiced an opinion shared by many others in the international community. She harshly criticized Bush for his simplistic language like that ‘wanted dead or alive’ non sequitur!

Disgruntled says: Undemocratically selected, Bush makes the world leery. The Bush coup creates doubt and makes the world’s only superpower unstable. With Israel, its Middle East toehold acting up, confidence is in the toilet; markets drop whenever Bush opens his mouth.

Disgruntled wants to know: From the beginning of the economic system of bondage until today, American blacks have been the victims of domestic terrorism. The murders of Amadou Diallo and Timothy Thomas are two of the most recent examples of domestic terrorism in the form of lynching. White men do not die in barrages of bullets from police weapons. This particular violence is only visited upon blacks. Given America's quest to end global terrorism, when will the United States address the terrorism of its institutionalized racism?

by Yohannes Sharriff Smith

Behold the night, crafty in composition.

Smooth is its complexion as it moves without form.

What truths lie deep in your mysterious comfort?

Who finds home in your dark nature?

The ghost of unspoken phrases

and suppressed desires run rampant,

lighting viciously under your thick cloak.

The door to secrets never to be caressed by the day key on the westward falling star,

so they may rise from their daily slumber

and feed among the shadows.

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