Volume 6 Issue 42…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…October 24, 2003

By John Burl Smith

Celebrating the 25^th Anniversary of His Eminence John Paul II's pontificate, the Christian Church addressed a vital subject. An institution, whose history includes the Inquisition and slavery as means to the end of salvation for victims, Vatican radio released a speech by Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza that echoed the Holy See, "ends never justify means." Culled from remarks delivered to the 25^th Conference of European Ministers of Justice held in Sofia, Bulgaria (10-17-03), the apostolic nuncio championed human rights over national security concerns. Dropping what some feel was a bombshell on unilateralism and preemption, the Archbishop said, "The scourge of terrorism must be addressed by respecting human rights and analyzing the problem at all levels." Condemning terrorism, he added, "In repressing terrorism there must be total respect of international norms in the area of human rights."

In issuing such a strong declaration against the approach to fighting terrorism employed by the US and UK, many believe the Holy See has grown weary of "the blackmail of an unjustifiable and unacceptable violence." The Vatican appealed for "appropriate measures in the pedagogical realm, oriented to promoting education inspired by respect for human life in every circumstance. Negation of this principle would result in an unbearable attack on human dignity." Moreover, "the unity of the human family is a reality that is stronger than contingent divisions which separate men and peoples."

Going to the heart of the matter, Archbishop Leanza referenced the Pope, "in the political, diplomatic and economic realm to resolve with courage and determination the situations of oppression and marginalization that might be at the origin of terrorism." Human rights activists and peace loving people around the world welcome this papal edict. Coming down so emphatically on the side of the poor, powerless and dispossessed over national security concerns placed such means as imprisoning those labeled "enemy combatants," using military tribunals, curtailing civil liberties under Patriot Acts, preemptive wars of aggression, land confiscation, security fences and targeted assassinations outside the pale of human decency.

So, how did the UN end up outside of such an obvious human rights declaration defending the jackals? Unanimously, the UN Security Council legitimized the US and UK's illegal invasion of Iraq. After setting the Iraqi people up with 12 years of sanctions and bombing under illegal "no-fly" zones, the return to UN inspections further disarmed Iraq by demanding the destruction of weapons days before the US-led invasion. Adding insult to injury much like Adolf Hitler's capture of Sudetenland, the UN has become party to the US-led gang of thieves picking the bones of Iraq, while drinking its life's blood -- oil! Wars of naked aggression for purely economic gain can never be made to serve the end of peace. If the world accepts US unilateral preemption, how does it advance human rights and what difference will it make for "stolen lives" in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Free Form Exchange Presents: Yohannes Sharriff

Sunday, October 26, 2003, Free Form Exchange presents Yohannes Sharriff at the Apache, 64 3^rd Street in Atlanta, Georgia. Extending concepts developed on his latest CD- The Cosmic Possibilities of Father Time - Yohannes fuses blues, jazz and hip hop into a motif that transcends word poetry to resonate our African essence. Accompanied by percussionist Shola and the soulful sounds of Dash on trumpet, this trio pumps ancient vibes into today's asphalt beats. This is a special treat you do not want to miss. Get there early for the best seat. Doors open at 9 PM. For more info email thedish@surfglobal.net or voice 404-244-6023.

The Inquisition (300-1500)

From the Latin word inquisito, which means an inquiry, Inquisition is the name given methods used to root out and punish heretics and those guilty of offenses against Catholic orthodoxy. As the process gradually evolved penalties went from fines to death. Emperor Maximus ordered the death of Spanish heretic Priscillian in 385, creating divisions over capital punishment. St John Chrysostom declared "to put a heretic to death would be to introduce upon earth an inexpiable crime."

From the 6^th to the 9^th century, with the exception of Manichaeans, who believed Satan created man, heterodox persecution was rare. By the 11^th century, death was frequently demanded in elite quarters. In 1184, Pope Lucius III and Emperor Barbarossa agreed to penalties of exile, confiscation, demolition of their homes and loss of civil rights for heresy. Peter II of Aragon decreed in 1197 the punishment of death by fire.

Until inquisitorial districts were formed, the pope's commissioners traveled from placed to place. A district's Dominican and Franciscan monastery served as its seat of the Inquisition. Inquisition procedures were secretive and extremely arbitrary. Presumed guilty, the only protection afforded the accused resided with the district's leaders that inquisitors consulted before pronouncing penalties. The accused did not have the right to know the names of his accuser or witnesses, which could not refuse to provide evidence.

If the accused confessed, and denounced his accomplices, he was "reconciled" with the Church, and suffered penalties prescribed by canon law. Those penalties were penances, fasting, prayers, pilgrimages, public scourging and the wearing of crosses or letters on the breast or back. With the discretion eventually granted inquisitors, these penalties could be commuted to fines. If more examination was required, various means from subterfuge to torture were used to gain confessions that led to harsher penalties, including prison. Imprisonment for the very rich was fairly mild; death rates were high among the poor subjected to the severest confinement.

After the pronouncement of sentences for the reconciled, obstinate heretics and renegades were given a final chance to submit and confess. If they confessed, they were received as penitents and condemned to perpetual imprisonment. If they did not consent, they were handed over to secular officials for punishment; in effect, this was equivalent to a sentence of death by fire.

Confiscation of the condemned's property accompanied penalties of perpetual imprisonment/death. Originating in Roman law, secular princes in Italy, England, Germany, France and Spain embraced the practice. They collected the heretics' personal property and incorporated their land holdings into royal domains. The papacy received a share of the spoils, so inquisitors had an economic interest in confiscation. While confiscation was profitable for secular princes and the papacy, it led to uncertainty. Contracts with heretics were automatically void. Posthumous heresy trials were frequent, creating insecurity in the transmission of inheritances. Moreover, the deceased's children and grandchildren were disqualified from holding office.

Gradually, the Inquisition expanded beyond doctrinal heresy to include sorcery, magic and Jewry. Jews were accused of heresy when they attacked the Christian faith or community, proselytized, or reverted to Judaism after being converted. Jews that practiced usury were "suspected of not holding orthodox doctrine as to theft." In addition to usury or the charging of interest, jealousy for their wealth among laymen, especially the rich and noble class, made Jews targets of the Inquisition, especially in Spain under Isabella and Ferdinand. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica)

Disgruntled says: Lieutenant General William Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, has come under media scrutiny for remarks made to religious congregations that suggest the real enemy in the war on terrorism is Satan, making this a struggle between the forces of good and evil. This view supposedly differs from the Bush administration official position. A decorated special operations commando and evangelical Christian, Boykin believes he is a member of the force for good and has said that while George W. Bush was not elected by a majority of voters, "he was appointed by God," to lead this Christian nation. Anyone who does not recognize this as dangerous should recall the use of religion, not only during the Inquisition, but Argentina's junta (1976-83) in which thousands of innocent people were routinely tortured and murdered in the name of Christianity. Given his military record, which includes stints in Colombia, Iran and Mogadishu, Boykin was probably in Argentina too!

Disgruntled wants to know: Great Britain's microbiologist Dr. David Kelly is presumed to have slit his wrist after being identified as the source of the leak that claimed Prime Minister Tony Blair sexed up the UK dossier used to justify the war against Iraq. According to sources close to the Hutton Inquiry, labeling Kelly's demise suicide was not only premature, it ignored evidence in the public domain that suspiciously indicates an accomplice helped Kelly slit his wrist. Could the Prime Minister's recent heart palpitations come as a result of learning about this little twist?

Disgruntled feels: Déjà vu! All major human rights agreements since WWII ban torture, making it taboo. Yet, in prosecuting its wars on drug and terrorism, US intelligence agents use torture techniques to gain information or obtain confessions. These inhumane tactics are used on prisoners held at Bagram airbase outside Kabul, Afghanistan and on the Indian Ocean Island of Diego Garcia, which make them outside US court jurisdiction. In addition, the US is handling over prisoners to countries, such as Egypt, with reputations for brutality. Americans need to wake up and see that not only does the US engage in profound hypocrisy in claiming to be the world's strongest advocate of human rights, but that its human rights violations hark back to the darkest period in the annals of human depravity.

Death (1944)

By Thomas Merton

Where are the merchants and the money-lenders
Whose love sang in the wires between

the seaports and the inland granaries?

Is the old trader any safer than the sailor sent to drown
Crossing the world's end in a wooden schooner?
Where are the generals who sacked the sunny cities
And burned the cattle and the grain?
Or is the politician any safer in his offices
Than a soldier shot in the eye?

Take time to tremble lest you come without reflection
To feel the furious mercies of my friendship,
(Says death) because I come as quick as intuition.

Cliffs of your hangovers were never half so dizzy

as my infinite abyss:
Flesh cannot wrestle with the waters that ire in the earth,
Nor spirit rest in icy clay!

More than the momentary night of faith, to the lost dead,
Shall be their never-ending midnight:

Yet, all my power is conquered by a child's "Hail Mary!"
And all my night forever lightened by one waxen candle!

About Me: US religious writer, Trappist monk, priest and poet, Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was born in Prades, France to American artists. After his early education in France and Britain, he received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Columbia University. A 1938 convert to Catholicism, he entered the monastery in 1941. A prolific writer and student of many religions, his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948) celebrated his austere monastic life and chronicled his search for spiritual connections to the rest of the world. A pacifist and supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, Merton was accidentally electrocuted December 10, 1968. For more about the poet and man, log on to the World Wide Web keyword, Merton.

Protesting US Policies

Fed up with policies that lowered their standard of living, California voters recalled Gray Davis. In a more dramatic display of protest politics south of the US border, working class Bolivians angered over a plan to pipe through Chile the country's natural gas to US and Mexican markets and generally austere economic conditions took to the streets. Massive demonstrations forced President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to resign.

US citizens, through their votes cast at the polls, opinion surveys and communications sent to elected representatives, have expressed opposition to George W. Bush's policies. Nonetheless, "the best Congress that money can buy" continues to accede to his every request from sanctioning the war in Iraq to allocating billions to continue the Iraqi occupation, obviously enriching themselves and the big campaign contributors they serve.

Fed up, ANSWER and a diverse coalition will come together this Saturday, October 25, 2003, to protest against the war for oil, US foreign policy and the generally negative direction the US has taken under George W. Bush. Thousands from across the country will gather at 11 AM at the Washington Monument at 17^th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW for a march to the White House and Justice Department. For more information, log on to www.internationalanswer.org.

Protesting Political Prisoners

The more than 600 "enemy combatants" detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba represent a small percentage of the more than 6000 Muslims held by the West without charge or legal representation. Established by human rights activists based in London, www.prisonerofwest.org hopes to highlight their plight and bring some measure of comfort to their families.

In addition to the website's international campaign to highlight the prisoners' plight, the human rights group has joined others in calling for a worldwide boycott of US products. According to the group's spokesperson, Yamin Zakaris, the boycott "will send out a message to the international bully regarding its unjust policies toward weaker nations."

The Inquisition of Moussaoui

A French citizen of Moroccan origin, i.e., a black man, Zacarias Moussaoui is the only person charged in the US in connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Unlike defendants during the Inquisition, the Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution gives the accused the right to confront his accusers and examine evidence to ensure he/she receives a fair trial.

US prosecutors have refused to allow Moussaoui and his attorneys to question the three witnesses that are detainees held in undisclosed locations. Judge Leonie M. Brinkema recently ruled the government cannot deny the defense access to witnesses while seeking the defendant's execution. She reasoned, in handling down her ruling, the witnesses in question might very will testify that Moussaoui played no rule in the 9-11 attacks. For the government to say its witnesses implicated Moussaoui, yet not allow his defense team to question them is tantamount to having one's cake and eating it too!

From the outset of this case, the government has made it clear it wanted to execute Moussaoui. Whether the desire is part and parcel of the quest to root out al-Qaeda in the prosecution of the war on terror or simply the natural bloodthirsty tendencies of the Bush administration, denying Moussaoui the essentials for a fair trial sets a dangerous precedent. The US cannot dismiss the rule of law and simultaneously be a nation of laws that adhere to the rule of law. It is that kind of faulty reasoning that provided fodder for the Inquisition.

On Institutionalized Racism!

By Dot

Right-wing talking heads and other conservative surrogates are continually admonishing those of us who are critical of the socioeconomic and political status of blacks in the US to look on the bright side. According to them, conditions for black people have improved significantly since the abolition of bond slavery. Were we to follow their lead, we would proclaim racism dead.

This argument is valid only if one simply looks at the difference between bond slavery and the second class status of US blacks today. If, however, one looks at the condition of blacks relative to whites, then a different picture emerges. Profiled for prison, blacks receive relatively longer sentences than whites for similar offenses. In confrontations with law enforcement officials, blacks are killed, while whites live. Historically, as is true today, the black unemployment rate is twice the rate for whites. Uncannily, black family incomes still mimic the 3/5 of whites value assigned a black life when the Great Compromise was codified and the US Constitution ratified. The empirical evidence is clear; the relative socioeconomic and political condition of blacks remains unchanged, even though a few colored people, the wealthy and their talking heads pretend otherwise.

Statistics cited in the racial discrimination lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of blacks, against General Motors Acceptance Corp. (GMAC) support this analysis. The case involves markups on GMAC-financed car loans. A markup or higher-than-normal interest rate is usury, which was thievery during the Inquisition. According to Vanderbilt University business professor Mark A. Cohen, who conducted numerous statistical tests of the data, "the disparate impact against African-Americans cannot be explained by creditworthiness or other legitimate business factors." When all legitimate factors are eliminated, credit the remaining difference to institutionalized racism. To proclaim the death of racism is to ignore the empirical evidence to the contrary.

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja Zorro has adjusted well to the school routine. Without prodding, he does his homework, but he will not volunteer for more. When asked for comments, which The Dark One/Ninja/Zorro treats like a chore, he exclaimed, "Grandma, I did my homework already!"

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