Apologize For Slavery? Well...I"m Sorry!!!!
This article was found on Tom Joyner's website, www.blackamericaweb.com from columnist Deborah Mathis:
Commentary: Is America’s First Black President Going to Be the One Making the Nation’s Apology for Slavery?
Date: Monday, March 03, 2008
By: Deborah Mathis, BlackAmericaWeb.com
In politics, as much as in any other area, timing is everything.
So you have to wonder what’s up with senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who are calling on the United States government to officially apologize for slavery. Their bipartisan resolution is said to be in the any-day-now stage.
The advent of the country’s first electable black presidential candidate must have inspired the idea, as this must seem like prime time for a watershed on race. In sending a black man to the Oval Office, may as well clean up as many social messes as possible, I suppose the thinking goes.
But ordinarily, politicians are more calculating than that. They seldom do something simply because it’s the right thing to do. There’s got to be more to it than that.
Harkin says simply, “It’s time to do so.” But, arguably, it was time to do so an hour after it began. Or after the first slave rebellion. Or with the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865. Or at least by 1997, the last time the idea came up.
You may recall that fiasco. There was such vehement opposition to then-Rep. Tony Hall’s apology proposal that it seemed the country, far from remorseful, was practically proud of the heinous old institution.
The big fear then was that an apology, which comes with at least an implicit admission of wrong doing, would have opened the door to demands for reparations -- something akin to a giant class action lawsuit encompassing 35 million Americans or more. If you think other civil actions can take a long time to resolve, just imagine the great debate over how to figure the damages for slavery. And that wouldn’t have commenced until after the hellfire over eligibility.
Harkin says he’s not talking about reparations. It should be noted that neither was Hall, and, indeed, the public furor never really even got that deep into the matter a decade ago. No, the land of the free was hung up over whether people who never owned slaves should apologize for those who did -- a feeble point considering that a government mea culpa would mean that even the descendants of slaves would be apologizing for slavery. Or had they forgotten our citizenship?
Call me jaded or paranoid, but I don’t trust the timing of this proposal -- not now, in the midst of a heated presidential campaign. I can see conservatives pummeling Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama with the issue, demanding that they take a position not just on the apology but on its appendages, most notably, reparations. Were they to waffle, that could upset a bunch of the progressive base. Were they to support reparations, it would almost certainly scare away any moderates leaning in their direction. It’s a wedge issue waiting for its moment.
It is the prospect of a black president that makes this tricky territory. The actuality of a black president is safer terrain.
My open letter to Mathis:
Will he (Obama) be apologizing for his father's country's part of it, also?
You know what, screw it!
Dear Ms. Mathis: I read your latest column on Tom Joyner's Black America Website and like your others, you did not disappoint in your victicrat mentality, oh! excuse in your fight for racial justice for equal effect instead of equal rights.
But your lastest column, I feel, I can help with your problem with the confidence of now calling myself a black leader. I will send you my creditials later, but for now I represent the masses of those who are sick and tired of, well fill in the blank. Our organization as of this month are sick and tired of you and people of your ilk. It is or intention to mock and ridicule you, until you make a huge donation to our various charities.
of.
ME, MYSELF AND I...
Yeah, your donations will benefit ME, so I can do my work, MYSELF, which will benefit, well....I. Oh! I forgot we're a non-profit organization that has no political ties to the left, far left and leaning left political organizations.
But back to my real reason of writing you this letter...You wrote that Obama is going to be the first president to apologize for slavery. I say why wait, why wait until he is hopefully elected and by the way, that's kind of presumptious of you. You're counting the Sen. Clinton out already? Is it, what they say, "A wrap!" "T-Is-Over."
Well notwithstanding your hopes and daydreams, let me help you out on that apology...
On behalf of the United States Gov't...
WE'RE SORRRRRRRRRRRRRY!!!!!
Okay!! we're sorry! we participated in a trade that involved you, Deborah Mathis for being separated from your family and put on a wooden boat, where you were chained! we're sorry for all the abuse and murder!, we're sorry for making you a fraction (1/5) of a person, we're sorry for calling you boy, gal, nigger, blackie and whatever derogatory name. We're sorry for making you, Deborah Mathis, get up from sun up and work from sun down in our tobacco, cotton and wheat fields. We're sorry, Deborah Mathis for making you a nanna, and taking care of the United States Gov't white kids...we're sorry Deborah Mathis, We're sorry for stripping off your clothes and giving you what they called on Roots, the bloody back for talking back or looking at the United States Gov't wrongly...We're sorry Deborah Mathis for having you be a slave until 2008...We're sorry Deborah Mathis!!
Satisfied?
Now somehow you must endure 100 years of being denied your civil rights, lynching and other intimidation and still manage to get an education, work and maintain your family. And after those 100 years are over, you'll be awarded race based preferences, gov't funded welfare and other government programs. You will then see the erosion of the family, fathers not at home, kids, especially boys get into trouble with the law and be sent to jails, where they might meet that absent father, girls pregnated by these same boys, while they are still kids and education? Lets move on.
But hey, Deborah I don't want to scare you from having a dream...I want you to overcome and be part of a people that if it were it's on country...
Would rank 15th in GNP....Would produce doctors, scientist and explorers. Would produce poets, musicians and Hall of Fame athletes. Would produce authors and some of the greatest politicians and civil rights leaders that the world and some country's envy. Would produce a 'style", define "cool", and be the envy of your white counter parts.
But for you Deborah this takes time, you have to move on from your ordeal of slavery, not forget, because it's history and it did happen...
The victory is seeing from whence we came...and continue to living the dream...
Sorry Deborah Mathis.
Sincerely
RepFanz 23
Civil Rights Leader
Me, Myself and I Inc.
a Non Profit Organization
Commentary: Is America’s First Black President Going to Be the One Making the Nation’s Apology for Slavery?
Date: Monday, March 03, 2008
By: Deborah Mathis, BlackAmericaWeb.com
In politics, as much as in any other area, timing is everything.
So you have to wonder what’s up with senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who are calling on the United States government to officially apologize for slavery. Their bipartisan resolution is said to be in the any-day-now stage.
The advent of the country’s first electable black presidential candidate must have inspired the idea, as this must seem like prime time for a watershed on race. In sending a black man to the Oval Office, may as well clean up as many social messes as possible, I suppose the thinking goes.
But ordinarily, politicians are more calculating than that. They seldom do something simply because it’s the right thing to do. There’s got to be more to it than that.
Harkin says simply, “It’s time to do so.” But, arguably, it was time to do so an hour after it began. Or after the first slave rebellion. Or with the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865. Or at least by 1997, the last time the idea came up.
You may recall that fiasco. There was such vehement opposition to then-Rep. Tony Hall’s apology proposal that it seemed the country, far from remorseful, was practically proud of the heinous old institution.
The big fear then was that an apology, which comes with at least an implicit admission of wrong doing, would have opened the door to demands for reparations -- something akin to a giant class action lawsuit encompassing 35 million Americans or more. If you think other civil actions can take a long time to resolve, just imagine the great debate over how to figure the damages for slavery. And that wouldn’t have commenced until after the hellfire over eligibility.
Harkin says he’s not talking about reparations. It should be noted that neither was Hall, and, indeed, the public furor never really even got that deep into the matter a decade ago. No, the land of the free was hung up over whether people who never owned slaves should apologize for those who did -- a feeble point considering that a government mea culpa would mean that even the descendants of slaves would be apologizing for slavery. Or had they forgotten our citizenship?
Call me jaded or paranoid, but I don’t trust the timing of this proposal -- not now, in the midst of a heated presidential campaign. I can see conservatives pummeling Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama with the issue, demanding that they take a position not just on the apology but on its appendages, most notably, reparations. Were they to waffle, that could upset a bunch of the progressive base. Were they to support reparations, it would almost certainly scare away any moderates leaning in their direction. It’s a wedge issue waiting for its moment.
It is the prospect of a black president that makes this tricky territory. The actuality of a black president is safer terrain.
My open letter to Mathis:
Will he (Obama) be apologizing for his father's country's part of it, also?
You know what, screw it!
Dear Ms. Mathis: I read your latest column on Tom Joyner's Black America Website and like your others, you did not disappoint in your victicrat mentality, oh! excuse in your fight for racial justice for equal effect instead of equal rights.
But your lastest column, I feel, I can help with your problem with the confidence of now calling myself a black leader. I will send you my creditials later, but for now I represent the masses of those who are sick and tired of, well fill in the blank. Our organization as of this month are sick and tired of you and people of your ilk. It is or intention to mock and ridicule you, until you make a huge donation to our various charities.
of.
ME, MYSELF AND I...
Yeah, your donations will benefit ME, so I can do my work, MYSELF, which will benefit, well....I. Oh! I forgot we're a non-profit organization that has no political ties to the left, far left and leaning left political organizations.
But back to my real reason of writing you this letter...You wrote that Obama is going to be the first president to apologize for slavery. I say why wait, why wait until he is hopefully elected and by the way, that's kind of presumptious of you. You're counting the Sen. Clinton out already? Is it, what they say, "A wrap!" "T-Is-Over."
Well notwithstanding your hopes and daydreams, let me help you out on that apology...
On behalf of the United States Gov't...
WE'RE SORRRRRRRRRRRRRY!!!!!
Okay!! we're sorry! we participated in a trade that involved you, Deborah Mathis for being separated from your family and put on a wooden boat, where you were chained! we're sorry for all the abuse and murder!, we're sorry for making you a fraction (1/5) of a person, we're sorry for calling you boy, gal, nigger, blackie and whatever derogatory name. We're sorry for making you, Deborah Mathis, get up from sun up and work from sun down in our tobacco, cotton and wheat fields. We're sorry, Deborah Mathis for making you a nanna, and taking care of the United States Gov't white kids...we're sorry Deborah Mathis, We're sorry for stripping off your clothes and giving you what they called on Roots, the bloody back for talking back or looking at the United States Gov't wrongly...We're sorry Deborah Mathis for having you be a slave until 2008...We're sorry Deborah Mathis!!
Satisfied?
Now somehow you must endure 100 years of being denied your civil rights, lynching and other intimidation and still manage to get an education, work and maintain your family. And after those 100 years are over, you'll be awarded race based preferences, gov't funded welfare and other government programs. You will then see the erosion of the family, fathers not at home, kids, especially boys get into trouble with the law and be sent to jails, where they might meet that absent father, girls pregnated by these same boys, while they are still kids and education? Lets move on.
But hey, Deborah I don't want to scare you from having a dream...I want you to overcome and be part of a people that if it were it's on country...
Would rank 15th in GNP....Would produce doctors, scientist and explorers. Would produce poets, musicians and Hall of Fame athletes. Would produce authors and some of the greatest politicians and civil rights leaders that the world and some country's envy. Would produce a 'style", define "cool", and be the envy of your white counter parts.
But for you Deborah this takes time, you have to move on from your ordeal of slavery, not forget, because it's history and it did happen...
The victory is seeing from whence we came...and continue to living the dream...
Sorry Deborah Mathis.
Sincerely
RepFanz 23
Civil Rights Leader
Me, Myself and I Inc.
a Non Profit Organization
posted by J.C. "Fanz23" Lewis, Jr | 8:59 AM
<< Home