Volume 7 Issue 9…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…March 5, 2004

YEA Invited to the Windybrow

The Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble Atlanta (YEA) with its compliment of more than seventy young people ranging in ages eight to twenty-two is Atlanta's only black youth theatrical company. Founded by Freddie Hendricks in 1990, YEA provides a cultural and creative channel for aspiring inner-city artists. This multi-talented company has several productions to its credit, including Rhyme and Reason, School House Rock and Jekonni's Song to name a few. Artistic director, Hendricks teaches students to explore their concerns about the world within and without by expressing their feelings and dealing with conflicts through art. Fusing music, dance and drama, this exciting ensemble uses art to identify and suggest viable alternatives to complex problems facing young people today.

A recognition of their tremendous personal growth and development, YEA has been invited to open the prestigious Windybrow Arts Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa March 8, 2004, honoring the 10 year anniversary of the end of apartheid. Journeying to the motherland, performing in South Africa and vibing with sisters and brothers with similar experiences will be a true high point for YEA's young artists. The legacy of slavery and apartheid unite young blacks around the world working to ameliorate the impact of the "Middle Passage" on the lives of blacks today.

Presently, YEA is performing Soweto! Soweto! Soweto!..A Township is Calling at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, 80 Forsyth Street in Atlanta, Georgia to raise the $75,000 needed for their African trip. Tickets for the Wednesday and Thursday performances are $10-20. Doors open @ 8 PM. Viewing life as a work in progress, Hendricks says of his play, "I think this is our most powerful show to date. I barely knew what apartheid was when I started writing 'Soweto.' Ashamed of my lack of political knowledge, I resolved to change that situation and that really changed my life." Come out and support YEA and help some deserving young artists live their dream. For more information, call 404-651-4727 or see www.fhyea.org.

"Hoovervilles" 2004

During the prolonged economic downturn of the Great Depression, many single men and families were reduced to living alfresco. Jobless, many sold apples on street corners in places like New York and Chicago. Once middle class Americans erected tar-paper huts and lived like gypsies in public spaces. These shantytowns littered the American landscape as a testament to the dire strait of many and the failure of President Herbert Hoover's economic policies to improve the situation. Apropos, these shantytowns were called Hoovervilles.

It is 2004, and Hoovervilles are back! In Portland, Oregon, the homeless have found a creative solution that bypasses city ordinances and removes some of the onus of living on public property where police enforce city codes by harassing people with nowhere to go. The one-acre tent-city in Portland established by the city's homeless recently won the right to be called a campground. This technicality makes their residential structures on public property legal. Called Dignity Village, its residents fought with the city four years to gain legal recognition of their right to pitch tents and erect other makeshift housing. By calling their shabby structures a campground rather than housing, Dignity Village no longer violates the city's zoning codes.

In every metropolitan area across America, there are homeless and jobless people. As their numbers grow, putting pressure on available affordable housing and social services, there will be more Hoovervilles. As the news of Dignity Village's victory spreads, perhaps, it will offer a ray of hope for the homeless.

Constitutional Amendments (1791-1992)

The 1787 Constitutional Convention delegates drafted a replacement for the Articles of Confederation, which were written (1776-1777) after the Declaration of Independence. Leery of a centralized government, the Articles were not ratified by all thirteen states until 1781. The new US Constitution went into effect in 1789.

Any proposed changes to the Constitution must be adopted by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. With such high hurdles, amendments are considered serious undertakings, despite the ease with which the first ten amendments became part of the Constitution.

The first Congress, which met in New York City on March 4, 1789, adopted the first ten amendments collectively known as "The Bill of Rights." On December 15, 1791, "the Bill of Rights" became part of the Constitution. These oft-quoted amendments contain the basic rights guaranteed citizens in "free societies."

Precipitated by Chisholm v Georgia (1793) in which the Supreme Court awarded judgement against the state of Georgia in a lawsuit brought by citizens of South Carolina, the 11th amendment limited the power of the federal court. Adopted by Congress (1794) and made a part of the Constitution January 8, 1798, it denied federal jurisdiction in suits brought against a state by foreigners or citizens of another state.

Enacted on September 25, 1804, the 12th amendment replaced Section 1, paragraph 3 of Article II in regulating the Electoral College. An outgrowth of the 3/5 Compromise (Article I, Section 2), the Electoral College provides for indirect presidential elections.

Except as punishment for criminal acts, the 13th amendment ended slavery (1865). The 14th amendment guaranteed equal protection (1868). In 1869, Congress adopted the 15th amendment, granting suffrage to all men regardless of race, color, or servitude. Ratified by Union states, it became the law on March 30, 1870.

Other amendments that deal with the franchise include the 19th amendment. Adopted by Congress (1919), it gave women the right to vote (1920). While home rule remains a contentious issue, the 23rd amendment (1961) gave residents of the District of Columbia, the seat of government, the franchise in presidential elections. Adopted in 1964, the 24th amendment outlawed poll taxes. However, at the time of its passage, most states in the Deep South were using other methods to disenfranchise blacks. All citizens eighteen or older were granted the right to vote with ratification of the 26th amendment (1971).

Congress adopted the 16th amendment in 1909. The congressional power to levy income taxes became law on February 25, 1913. In 1912, Congress passed the 17th amendment, giving voters the right to directly elect Senators. On May 31, 1913, it replaced paragraphs 1 and 2, Section 3, Article 1 of the original Constitution.

The 18th amendment prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol. Adopted in 1917, it became law on January 29, 1919. Within a single year (1933), its repeal, the 21st amendment, was adopted and ratified.

The 20th amendment sets the president and vice-presidential terms of office and time for Congress to assemble. Adopted by Congress in 1932, it became law on February 6, 1933. Presidential two-term limit was established under the 22nd amendment (1951). The 25th amendment specified the succession to the office of president (1967). Finally, the 27th amendment, proposed on September 25, 1789, took more than 200 years for ratification. On May 7, 1992, the amendment on congressional pay increases was ratified. (Sources: US Constitution and www.usconstitution.net/index.html)

Don't Be a Blockhead!

It is tax time! Many of those hoping to get a refund with turn to H&R Block and other commercial tax preparers. Beware! Block's "Rapid Refund" program is popularly known as "Rapid Ripoff."

Between loan fees and preparation fees, working families eligible for free tax preparation can pay $200 and more to get the money owed them. Commercial tax preparers or free sites provide those filing electronically with refunds in 8-14 days. Block leads the pack in promoting refund loans that get people their money a week or so sooner. Repayments can exceed the Block loan, if a refund turns out to be less than expected.

Working people are losing billions of dollars, and Block and other tax preparation chains are getting rich by skimming off tax money intended to help low wage workers make ends meet. Don't be a Blockhead! Sign the petition at www.dontbeablockhead.com. Tell H&R Block President Mark Ernst to end predatory marketing and stop treating the tax refunds of working families as a source of windfall profits.

Amending the US Constitution

By John Burl Smith

Last week (2-24-04) George W. Bush proposed amending the US Constitution to protect marriage. For once, I find myself on the same side of an issue as Bush. I agree the Constitution needs amending to insure all individual rights are protected in and out of marriage. Prospectively, the nation cannot protect marriage without first solving its historical equal rights dilemma.

The Constitution's current inability to protect marriage is due to the absence of equal protection for all citizens married or otherwise. What needs protecting is choice, the right to choose whomever one wishes to share their life. A particular choice may bring disagreement, but the Constitution's obligation is to affirm individual equality in making that decision.

Retrospectively, America's bane has been the renunciation of its revolutionary claim at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Dividing delegates was the "all men are created equal" covenant enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Would slaves and their descendants be treated as human beings or as property?

Sowing seeds that periodically sprout divisive struggles, America reaps bitter fruit, harvesting expanded individual rights. Back then, the same forces were arrayed in opposition. Those with money and power favored limited rights. Representatives of the true spirit of the revolution favored freedom, justice and equality for all. Power and privilege won and the 3/5 or Great Compromise made propertied white men citizens and all others something less. Since then, others have fought propertied white men, like Bush, for every right gained.

Summarily, after turning back the clock on civil rights and affirmative action, Bush is prompting the nation to place constitutional limits on individual rights. Americans are being asked to undermine state prerogatives to define marriage, while simultaneously avoiding any discussion of denying equality and choice. Remember, just forty years ago, they wanted to constitutionally ban interracial marriage, prevent blacks from attending tax-funded public schools with whites, eating in the same restaurants, drinking from the same fountains or sunbathing on the same beaches and swimming in the same pools as whites. Bush is insuring America remains a nation of bigots.

Embracing Bush's call to amend the Constitution, the nation could settle equality questions once and for all. Repealing the 3/5 Compromise (Article 1 Section 2) and all its vestiges, including the Electoral College, will affirm the promise of equality enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Eliminating legalized discrimination embodied in the 3/5 Compromise will allow all Americans to come before the bar of justice or altar based on equality of choice. Americans must realize that the 3/5 Compromise is the legal basis for discrimination and institutionalized racism in America. Until the Constitution mirrors the Declaration of Independence's promise, whether skin color, race, religion or marriage, it will not guarantee equality for all. Thus, it will continue to allow inequity to be enforced against some citizens for any asinine reason.

Bushville: Hooverville II and Other Protests

Since George W. Bush's coronation as the nation's 43rd chief executive, the right of free speech has taken a serious hit. The FBI under the infamous Patriot Acts targets protesters for harassment. Wherever Bush goes, the Secret Service and local police force protesters into "free speech" zones that are well away from Bush functions. There is no spontaneous Bush-public interaction. Crowd scenes are staged; people are vetted, not just for weapons, but commitment to Bush's message is required at a Bush event. Dissent is curtailed in a nation founded on the right of citizens to petition the government for redress of grievances.

In 2004, organized protest promises to be more vocal and harder to confine in tight spaces. Ben Cohen, head of www.TrueMajorityACTION.org and co-founder of Ben and Jerry's, will continue TrueMajority's Liar- Liar-Pants-on-Fire campaign in Orlando, Florida through Sunday, March 7. To Cohen, "Bush is a serial liar. And, our country is paying the price in Iraq, in our schools and hospitals, everywhere you look. I'm simply illustrating the truth about our President." TrueMajority's message is delivered via a float that features a 12-foot statue of Bush with flaming pants. See www.pantsonfire.net.

A number of groups plan a March 20 anti-war march and rally in New York and other cities around the country. Many more are gearing up for the Republican National Convention in New York, where Bush will receive his party's nomination, August 30- September 2. One group, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, plans to pitch a tent city dubbed "Bushville."

Smokin'

When it comes to martial infidelity and rumors about it, momma used to say, "Where there's smoke, there's fire!" And, since daddy was known to stray, momma was something of an authority.

Rumors run rampant regarding Texas Gov. Rick Perry's alleged infidelity. Extra-martial affairs are common, even before former President Bill Clinton's semen stained Lewinsky's blue dress and cigars as sex toys caught the fanatical fancy of the press and Congress. Unlike Messrs. Clinton, Newt Gingrich and Bob Barr's affairs, Perry's alleged tryst has a twist. His wife, Anita, supposedly caught the pretty boy governor in bed with a male member of his administration.

Investigative reporters, prowling cyberspace for dirt, uncovered Perry's paramour and connected the dots between that vast right wing conspiracy to promote the gay agenda and the Bush White House. Writer Jackson Thoreau at www.geocities.com/jacksonthor/know.html provides some interesting Perry affair tidbits. An Austin Chronicle "Naked City" column reported on the rumor and rally for Perry with an "It's Okay to Be Gay" theme.

Remember, Perry was George W. Bush's Lt. Governor. According to super sleuth Sherman Skolnick at www.sknolnickreports.com, American Media, Inc.'s photo editor Robert Stevens received a lethal anthrax letter because he had pictures showing Bush in flagrante delicto with a Skull and Bones' man. Recently, Bush let loose an 800-pound gorilla in making a pass at Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's senior aide Scott Reid.

An Ottawa news service reported that Bush told Reid, "You're a good-looking guy. Better looking than my Scott anyway." It was assumed Bush was referring to White House press secretary Scott McClellan, a close Bush associate. One observer noted that had Reid been a woman, Bush could have been slammed with a sexual discrimination suit and congressional inquiry.

Those who have connected these gay dots and smelled smoke should warn the wife to watch out for the "Martha Mitchell effect," named after Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell's spouse. It is a process in which a belief is mis-diagnosed by as psychiatrist as a delusion. When Martha claimed criminal activity was taking place in the White House, she was dismissed as suffering with mental illness. After the Watergate scandal broke, the public learned Martha was sane after all.

Well, there you have it. Connect your own dots and see if you don't agree with momma. There is fire in the smoke billowing over the White House and the governor's mansion in Texas.

On "Super Tuesday," the Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro and his sidekick, Boy Wonder, a.k.a. TyChi, accompanied their grandparents to the polls to vote. Independents, they selected Democratic Party ballots. After an explanation of electronic voting and the choices, grandma allowed the young men to make the selection. Taking the lead, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro pressed "Al Sharpton," the current Georgia state flag and let his sidekick push "Cast Ballot" Still in command mode, he ordered, "Enough said! Let's go grandma."

Disgruntled wants to know: Deceased author of "Fortunate Son," J.H. Hatfield claimed George W. Bush was arrested in 1972 for cocaine possession. Helen Thomas, a member of the White House press corps, asked the definitive question, rattling Scott McClellan. Did Bush perform community service at a minority youth center in Texas at the same time he was supposedly fulfilling his National Guard duties in Alabama?

Disgruntled says: In "My American Journey," Colin Powell wrote, "I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed managed to wrangle slots in the Army Reserve and National Guard units...Of the many tragedies of Vietnam, this raw class discrimination strike me as the most damaging to the ideal that all Americans are created equal and owe equal allegiance to their country." When asked about Bush's Guard Service, Powell told the inquiring congressman, "Do not go there!" Having lost all credibility, when Powell said Jean-Bertrand Aristide left Haiti of his own accord and added, "That's the truth," everyone that heard his UN presentation on Iraqi WMD knew that it was a coup!

Disgruntled feels: Disappointed! Last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan recommended that Congress increase the Social Security (SS) retirement age and decrease SS benefits to reduce budget deficits, rather than rescind tax cuts that disproportionately favor the wealthy, cease Bush's endless wars of choice and obscene military spending. A crushing disappointment, Greenspan is just another political hack!

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