Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use
Vol. 9 No. 40…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…October 6, 2006
Intuit’s Vibe
Poetic Soldier
By John M. Swails
I guess one could
call me a lyricist,
trying my best to
educate on the sly
while involved in
verbal entertainment;
subtly dropping to a
comprehensive level
so messages aren't
missed
by those who can't
comprehend
my normal
intellectual shhh...
oops... almost
slipped,
and that's not
allowed,
'cause verbal
warriors are required
to observe, adjust
and adapt,
leaving spiritual
truths in entertainment traps
designed to slap the
sleep
from otherwise closed
third eyes.
But know this...if my
message is missed
I am an army of one
in the conscience of
many
and while you're
ducking my sword
the back of your head
is bleeding
from covertly planted
information,
forcing your
cerebellum to increase
with the required
seed
for self-perpetual
education,
killing ignorance
like the parasitic weed
it so clearly has
become,
'till none think the
same as when I came
and you still don't
know where that's from.
The poetic soldiers
are many...
and we... are an army
of one.
Send comments to our artist at johnswails1963@bellsouth.net
The Franklin Scandal
The Mark Foley pedophile scandal
is reminiscent of another scandal involving homosexual pedophilia inside the
upper echelons of the Grand Ole Party (GOP). The Franklin Scandal began in
1989. Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers reported allegations that
"boys and girls, some of them from foster homes, had been transported
around the country to provide sexual favors, for which they were
rewarded." The state's attorney general called for a grand jury and
appointed a special prosecutor.
News reports on the scandal linked Republican rising stars Craig J. Spence, a
Washington lobbyist, and Lawrence "Larry" King, manager of the
Franklin Community Federal Credit Union in Nebraska, to an elaborate male
prostitution ring that involved Reagan and Bush administrations officials. One
report claimed two male prostitutes were seen entering the White House late at
night. Children rescued from the child prostitution ring testified that
"they were forced to have sex not only with King and other officials, but
then-Vice-President Bush." Other allegations included "abduction and
use of minors for sexual perversion."
The allegations met considerable skepticism. Some kids recanted their story.
Others say they were harassed and frightened into changing their story. In July
1990, the grand jury threw out the allegations concerning sexual child abuse
and labeled the charges a "carefully crafted hoax."
Former Nebraska State Senator John DeCamp wrote The Franklin Coverup, which was the subject of Conspiracy of
Silence, a 1994 documentary that supporters claim never aired because of
"pressure from members of Congress."
Before tossing the Franklin scandal on the trash heap of conspiracy theory,
watch the video and read the book. The video is available free on the net.
Check out the investigative reportage of Sherman Skolnick on the real target of
the anthrax attack after 9-11 that had incriminating photos. Connect the
dots...where there's smoke, there's fire.
Dr. John Hope
Franklin
"If the house is to be set in order, one cannot begin with the
present; he must begin with the past."
Born in Oklahoma on January 2, 1915, John Hope
Franklin learned the power of words and ideas in his early childhood. Rare
during this period, both of his parents were college educated. Franklin
graduated from Fisk University (1935), where he fell in love with history, and
earned his doctorate from Harvard University (1941).
According to Dr Franklin, "My challenge was
to weave into the fabric of American history enough of the presence of blacks
so that the story of the United States could be told adequately and
fairly." Dr. Franklin began teaching at Fisk University. He taught at St.
Augustine's College, North Carolina College, Howard University, Brooklyn
College, University of Chicago and is the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of
History at Duke University.
Dr. Franklin's numerous publications include The
Emancipation Proclamation, The Militant South, The Free Negro in North
Carolina, Reconstruction After the Civil War, A Southern Odyssey: Travelers in
the Ante-bellum North, Race and History: Selected Essays, 1938-1988, The Color
Line: Legacy for the Twenty-First Century, My Life and an Era: The
Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin and Mirror to America: The Autobiography
of John Hope Franklin (2005), his most recent work. With more than three
million copies sold, Dr. Franklin's signature work -- From Slavery to Freedom:
A History of African-Americans -- has also been his most successful. It was
first published in 1947.
Dr. Franklin is the recipient of more than one
hundred honorary degrees and numerous other awards and accolades, including
induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Trumpet Award (1994), the
Organization of American Historians' Award for Outstanding Achievement, the
NAACP's Spingarn Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
He has served on many national commissions and
delegations, including the National Council on the Humanities, President's
Advisory Commission on Ambassadorial Appointments, delegate to the 21st General
Conference of UNESCO, Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions at
Cambridge University, Consultant on American Education in the Soviet Union,
Fulbright Professor in Australia and Lecturer in American History in the
People's Republic of China.
Active in numerous organizations, he served on
the editorial board of the Journal of Negro History, as president of
the American History Association (1979), the American Studies Association
(1967), the Southern Historical Association (1970), the United Chapters of Phi
Beta Kappa (1973-76), and the Organization of American Historians (1975). Dr.
Franklin has been a member of the board of trustees at Fisk University, the
Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. A member
of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity
established for African Americans, Dr. Franklin served as chairman of the
advisory board of President Bill Clinton's One America: The President's
Initiative on Race.
Dr. Franklin recently appeared on C-Span's In Depth. His latest work -- Mirror to America-- was featured. A call-in program, topics discussed were wide-ranging from his childhood, Oklahoma race riot, education, working with Thurgood Marshall on the 1954 Brown v. Education case and encounters with institutionalized racism, which Dr. Franklin candidly discussed -- a facet of life his entire life.
The John Hope Franklin Collection for African and
African-American Documentation resides at the Duke University Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library and contains his personal and
professional papers. (Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org,
www.c-span.org, and http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/franklin/bio.html)
Counter-Terrorism
Trends
On Monday, September 25, 2006, the newly established Human Rights Council began
its second session. The HRC, which replaced the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights, identified five state-sponsored counter-terrorism measures that
risk violating human rights.
These risky counter-terrorism measures include the use of "terrorism"
to stigmatize political, ethnic or other movements; questioning or compromising
the absolute prohibition of torture and of all forms of cruel, inhuman, and
degrading treatment; going beyond the criminalization of incitement to commit
serious crime, by penalizing the "glorification" or
"apology" of terrorism, or the publication of information that
"could be useful" in the commission of acts of terrorism; justifying
tightening immigration controls and extending the powers of the police.
Using Reparations to Repair Black Health
By Vernellia R.
Randall
As an African American and as a
nurse-practitioner, I can clearly assert that: "Being Black in America is
dangerous to our health!"
The current health disparities is directly traceable to slavery is a fact that
is not well understood. African Americans still suffer from the generational
effect of a slave health deficit and reparations could repair that deficit.
But, before we can engage in a discussion around the "Slave health
deficit," I need to lay out a clear definition of reparations. To many,
both black, white and others, reparations is viewed as a paycheck, some
undetermined amount of money for some long ago harm. In my view, that is an
incomplete and destructive view of reparations. Rather, reparations should be
viewed as an obligation to make the repairs necessary to correct current harms
done by past wrongs. This is a much more expansive view than merely calculating
the economic harm and writing a check. Under this view, reparation becomes a process
that restores hope and dignity and rebuilds the community. "Reparations
for African Americans, conceived as repair, can help mend this larger tear in
the social fabric for the benefit of both Blacks and mainstream America."
This view allows for both responsibility and action by all parties. It allows
for healing to begin by allowing the souls of Blacks and Whites to be cleansed.
Thus, when I speak about reparations, I am talking about taking up the burden
to repair the harm, that is, to eliminate the "Black health deficit".
African Americans lag behind on nearly every health indicator, including life
expectancy, death rates, infant mortality, low birth weight rates and disease.
African Americans are sicker than European Americans. We have shorter lives -
We are quite literally dying from being black! This black health deficit is
directly traceable to the slave health deficit.
The enslavement of Africans was abnormally hazardous with health hazards and
high death rates at every phase: during the interior trek, the middle passage,
the breaking in period and the enslavement. The slave health deficit that was
established during slavery was not relieved during the reconstruction period
(1865-1870), Jim Crow Era (1870-1965), the Affirmative Action Era (1965-1980)
or the Racial entrenchment era (1980 to present). Thus, repairing the health of
African Americans will require a multi-facet long term financial commitment and
effort.
The current status of black health is based on long-term system neglect build
on a "Slave Health Deficit". Another way to think about the kind of
commitment needed is to consider that of the total time that persons of African
descent have had a presence in the new world 64.2% of that time was as chattel
slavery and another 26.1% of that time was spent in de jure or "jim
crow" segregation. That is, only 9.6% of the total time in the United
States has persons of African descent had full legal status as citizens. From a
health perspective, 64.2% of the time was spent in establishing and maintaining
a health deficit and at no point has that deficit been removed. Thus, the
burden of a slave health deficit has been a continuous burden.
That deficit will only be removed if the United States makes a significant and
sustained commitment - undertaking whatever actions necessary. Specifically, to
eliminate the slave health deficit, the government must (1) Eliminate the
disparities in morbidity and mortality, will require, among other things, a
focus on education and prevention through targeted services, the provision of a
livable wage for all persons and families, and the elimination of environmental
hazards in African American communities. (2) Assure Access to Health Care (3)
Assure Quality Health Care and (4) Eliminate Racial Discrimination in Health
Care and Health Research.
About Me:
Law Professor, Web Editor and author of Eliminating the Slave Health
Deficit: Using Reparation to Repair Black Health. Read her essay at http://academic.udayton.edu/health/01status/status07.htm.
Disgruntled wants to know:
In disgrace, former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned after news reports of
sexually explicit e-mails the congressman sent to teenage boys that served as
pages on Capitol Hill. Foley has not explained his actions; he has since
resigning from Congress sought treatment for alcoholism and "other
behavioral problems." Republicans have chosen a candidate to replace Foley
in the November elections. Unfortunately, it is too late to get state Rep. Joe
Negron's name on the ballot. According to news reports, Negron will receive
votes cast for Foley. In a true
democracy, can ballots cast by voters for one candidate be legally given to another?
Disgruntled Says!
In “Reparations? Hell Yes!,” Creative Loafing, 9-20-06,
writer John Suggs lays out a case for reparations. He begins his essay with the
famous Malcolm X quote, "Your father isn't here to pay. My father isn't
here to collect. But I'm here to collect and you're here to pay," then he
cleverly reminds us of some recent historical events and their socioeconomic
and political toll on black Americans. Suggs ends his essay with, "It's
time to convene a racial reconciliation project to redress the dollar loss to
the black population -- not because of slavery, but because of discrimination
in our own and our parents' lifetimes. Suggs' essay was met with a barrage of
kudos and criticism. Kudos Suggs!
Disgruntled feels: Untouchable! When Congress
gave George W. Bush cover for the past and future torture of detainees and his
other illegal acts, the US became a rogue nation. With Bush above the law, the
rule of law is dead, and Bush is untouchable!
The Legal Basis for Reparation
While some folks, black and white, would prefer
the issue was never raised, the demand for reparation for slavery and
institutionalized racism gained momentum over the past decade. It grew loudest
in the lead up to the 2001 World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban,
South Africa. WCAR's final declaration, "Slavery and the slave trade were
appalling tragedies...a crime against humanity," provided fuel for the
growing demand, since there is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity.
Unfortunately, the demand for reparations was drowned out by the cries of
revenge following the terrorist attacks of 9-11.
With interest on the rise again, Anthony Gifford,
who practices as a barrister in Great Britain and as an attorney in Jamaica
specializing in human rights issues, has put forth an analysis of the legal
basis for slavery reparations. Gifford advances seven (7) propositions,
beginning with the fact that slavery is a crime against humanity and the
recognition under international law that those who commit such crimes must make
reparation. For the entire analysis, see www.abanet.org/irr/hr/spring00humanrights/gifford.html.
Send comments to irr@abanet.org.
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and
Telephone Calls
Email www.uruknet.org.uk
How did we sink so low in just 6 years? By Mike Whitney ...How did things get
this bad? The "Military Commissions Act" which passed the
Republican-led Congress is a bigger blow to the Constitution and our core
values than any piece of legislation in our 200 year history. It is a 100 times
worse than Bin Laden's crimes on 9-11. In a 253 to 168 "party-line"
vote, Congress repealed habeas corpus and approved the torturing of prisoners
in American custody. It is breathtaking assault on human rights and personal
liberty and puts the United States well-outside the community of civilized
nations.
Email kitcurtin@earthlink.net
Death after two-hour ER wait ruled Homicide...Waukegan, Illinois (AP) -- A
coroner's jury has declared the death of a heart attack victim who spent almost
two hours in a hospital waiting room to be a homicide. Beatrice Vance, 49, died
of a heart attack, but the jury at a coroner's inquest ruled her death also was
"a result of gross deviations from the standard of care that a reasonable
person would have exercised in this situation." Vance died July 29, 2006
after waiting almost two hours to see a doctor. Vance complained of classic
heart attack symptoms -- nausea, shortness of breath and chest pains. When her
name was finally called, a nurse found her slumped unconscious in a waiting
room chair without a pulse. She was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
Email goddess_isis_loving@yahoo.com
Those Who Forget The Past - "Are condemned to repeat it"...By M.
Quinn...Unfortunately, there are those who believe that the racial, social,
economic and political reconciliation for people of color - more specifically
African Americans is a thing of the past, and by the mere byproduct of integrated
schools, bathrooms, restaurants and buses, the fight for racial justice in
America has been won - nothing could be further from the truth. If nothing
else, history has undeniably taught us that authentic freedom is not merely
derived in the physical sense, but is established within the liberation of ones
mind, i.e. knowing who you are. Moreover, there are likewise those in
mainstream America who suggest, that Black Americans should cease their
complaining about racism and expeditiously pull themselves up by their own boot
straps. It becomes increasingly apparent that these individuals are; A)
Severely under the spell of European American propaganda, B) Lack the essential
attribute of authentic African history and any historical reference to the
problem that we call racism, and the philosophy racial superiority, C) just
simply ignorant, or D) all the above.
|| 2006
Issues ||
The DISH
||