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> > > Dot's Information Service Hotline > "Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use" > Visit The DISH online at www.thedish.org > Vol. 10 No 13...Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race... 03-30-07 > ******************************************************** > > > > Table of Contents > > > > 1. Intuit's Vibe...Democracy ...By Langston Hughes > 2. Hood Notes...Honoring Confederate Heritage > 3. Bit of History...Iraq Constitution (2003-2006) > 4. News You Use...Youthful Alzheimer's Sufferers > 5. Illusion and Freedom...By John Burl Smith > 6. Comments from the Bat Cave > 7. Disgruntled > 8. Mailbox > > > > ****************************************** > > > > Intuit's Vibe > Democracy > By Langston Hughes > > > > Democracy will not come > Today, this year > Nor ever > Through compromise and fear. > > > > I have as much right > As the other fellow has > To stand > On my two feet > And own the land. > > > > I tire so of hearing people say, > Let things take their course. > Tomorrow is another day. > I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. > I cannot live on tomorrow's bread. > > > > Freedom > Is a strong seed > Planted In a great need. > I live here, too. > I want freedom > Just as you. > > > > > > > > Hood Notes > Honoring Confederate Heritage > > > > On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court handed down its landmark ruling in > Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, outlawing racial segregation in > public schools. The ruling struck down the "separate but equal" doctrine > of Plessy v Ferguson (1896), which the Court ruled was inherently unequal. > Outraged over the decision, southerners pledged massive resistance to > Brown's implementation. > > > > In March 1956, nineteen (19) United States Senators, representing eleven > states, and 77 members of the House of Representatives, including the > entire Georgia delegation, signed the Southern Manifesto, which charged > the Supreme Court with "a clear abuse of judicial power." Much like the > southern states' efforts to preserve slavery, i.e., "the southern way of > life," during the Civil War, signatories of the manifesto pledged to fight > the decision, which was seen as an unconstitutional encroachment on their > southern heritage. > As part of the global commemoration of the 1807 end of the Atlantic Slave > Trade, several US state legislatures have passed legislation apologizing > for their role in the inhumane institution. In February, US Rep. Steve > Cohen (D-TN) introduced legislation on the House floor calling on the US > government to apologize for 246 years of slavery and 100 years of Jim Crow > discrimination. While it stopped short of an apology and far short of > calling for reparations, Rep. Cohen commended the Virginia General > Assembly for becoming the first state of the old Confederacy to express > "profound regret" for the "involuntary servitude" of African-Americans and > the "exploitation" of Native Americans. > > > > In response to the introduction of a resolution in Georgia's General > Assembly calling for such an apology, Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) has expressed > some reticence about issuing an apology for slavery and suggested the > state should look forward, not back at the sins of the state's > forefathers. > State Senator Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) proposed a bill to recognize > Georgia's Confederate history heritage. If passed, the legislation will > permanently establish the month of April for recognizing Georgia's > considerable role in efforts to maintain slavery and ongoing racial > inequality. > > > > The slavery apology measure may never receive a vote. Mullis' proposal, > Senate Bill 283, has already received unanimous approval in the Senate > Rules Committee. The Senate Rules Committee now has only to decide if and > when to bring it up for a vote before the full Senate. If passed, > Georgia's blacks will be honoring their ancestors' slave masters' > "confederate" heritage during the month of April. > > > > > > > > > Bit of History > Iraq Constitution (2003-2006) > > > > Following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and occupation of Iraq (2003) by > US-led forces, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) effectively > became the government of Iraq. Proponents of the war touted the need to > "bring democracy to this troubled region of the world and free the Iraqi > people" as motivations for their actions when previous assertions, i.e., > weapons of mass destruction and ties to 9-11 terrorism, proved erroneous. > > > > Between December 2003 and March 2004, the CPA selected the Iraqi Governing > Council, which drafted the interim Law of Administration for the State of > Iraq for the Transitional Period (TAL). In January 2005, national > elections were held to select a National Assembly, which was charged with > drafting Iraq's constitution. With US assistance and a deadline for the > draft's completion, members of the Iraqi Constitutional Committee began > work on the country's new laws in early February 2005. > > > > Fraught with controversy, sectarian tensions figured prominently in the > process; the deadline for completion of the draft constitution had to be > extended four times over language on the national religion. While the > final draft emphasized democracy, rule of law, the private over public > sector, religious freedom and human rights, Article 2 essentially > established Iraq as a theocracy... "Islam is the official religion of the > State and it is a fundamental source of legislation." > > > > While Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's Shiite spiritual leader, called > for the direct election of the nation's leaders, the draft constitution > called for indirect elections of the president and prime minister. > Contrary to the notion of democracy, the draft constitution called for > members of the Council of Representatives, which are directly elected by > general ballot, to select the President of the Republic by a two-thirds > majority. The President appoints the leader of the majority party in the > Council of Representatives to serve as Prime Minister. > > > > Described as republican, representative, parliamentary and democratic > government, the constitution claims, "Iraqis are equal before the law > without discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, origin, color, > religion, creed, belief or opinion, or economic and social status," yet > "the elections law aims to achieve a percentage of women representation > not less than one-quarter of the Council of Representatives members." > This is a quota, which is considered discriminatory and undemocratic in > the US. Moreover, in allowing the draft constitution to contain language > that preserves the status quo in the Kurdish region, the document > enshrines a difference in treatment. > > > > A majority of the Sunni members of the drafting committee did not sign the > final draft. On August 28, 2005, the constitution's proposed text was > read to the National Assembly. On October 15, 2005, Iraqi voters went to > the polls to vote in a referendum to approve or reject the draft > constitution. According to Iraqi election officials, sixteen of the > country's 18 provinces voted to ratify the new constitution. More than 60% > of eligible voters participated in the election. (Sources: > www.usaid.govl, www.usip.org and www.msnbc.msn.com and > http://en.wikipedia.org) > > > > > > > > > > > > News You Use > Youthful Alzheimer's Sufferers > > > > The Mayo Clinic at www.mayoclinic.com describes Alzheimer's as "a > progressive, degenerative brain disease." While it may start with > occasional memory lapses, Alzheimer's sufferers experience increasing and > persistent forgetfulness, difficulties with abstract thinking, difficulty > finding the right word, disorientation, loss of judgement, difficulty > performing familiar tasks and personality changes. > > > > At present, there is no cure for Alzheimer's, and scientists are not > certain about its causes, even though it is understood the disease damages > and kills brain cells. Like the human variant of mad cow, which sounds > disturbingly similar to Alzheimer's, only after death can its victims' > brains be examined to determine the cause of death. Given the > similarities between these diseases, one would think scientists would have > conducted studies to determine if there is indeed some link between these > fatal ailments. > > > > A recent report released by the Alzheimer's Association shows 5 million > Americans suffer from the disease, a 10 percent increase since the last > published estimate five years ago. The Alzheimer's Association predicts > this number will skyrocket once the nation's baby boomers begin to turn 65 > in 2011. More disturbing, Alzheimer's and dementia symptoms are showing > up in increasingly younger patients. The Association report estimates > between 200,000 and half a million people under age 65 have either > early-onset Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. For more on > Alzheimer's, visit www.alz.org/. > > > > > > > > > Illusion and Freedom > By John Burl Smith > > > > Slave descendants in the United States (US) face particular problems > reconciling policies and prescriptions for advancing freedom and democracy > as put forth by George W. Bush and his neocon supporters, since blacks > enjoy so little of it. They insist blacks are free because Abraham > Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment declared slaves > were free. The Emancipation Proclamation only provided manumission for > slaves in states still at war with the union as of January 1,1863, and the > 13th Amendment merely limits who can be held in physical bondage, i.e., > convicted prisoners. An administrative action, manumission merely means > to unchain or unbind individuals by commanding their release from bondage > or some other oppressive condition. Conversely, freedom allows the > exercise of rights and provides unfettered access to all institutions of > this nation. > > > > Foreigners newly nationalized or in the country on H-1B visas instantly > gain full access to institutions my ancestors built with blood, sweat and > tax dollars but could not enter. And today, Bush tells slave descendants > you still "have a long way to go." Why? Why should slave descendants > still have so far to go to realize freedom and equality, the cornerstones > of democracy? > > > > Historical records and present conditions prove conclusively, slave > descendants have never possessed "rights that a white man is bound to > respect." Concurrently, the federal government refuses to admit that > slavery had deleterious affects on its descendants and that the 3/5 > Compromise of Article I Section II of the US Constitution preserves > inequality in the US. Rather than "white only" signs above the door, > today doors are marked with "tokenism." Relatively speaking, > socioeconomically and politically, the disparities between blacks and > whites in the US remain as they were during the height of chattel slavery. > > > > The US was created to preserve the power of those who became economically > advantaged under England's domination, basically white men. Descendants > of those white men still run the US. Their ability to remain in power has > depended on their ability to keep blacks out of power (Election 2000). > Almost immediately following the Civil War and throughout Reconstruction, > whites (Ku Klux Klan) North and South undermined every effort to extend > freedom to blacks. By the 1900s, lynch-law was the law of the land. > Segregation and lynching were state-sponsored terrorism, designed to keep > slave descendants from exercising any of the freedoms granted by the 13th, > 14th and 15th Amendments. > > > > The illusion of freedom for US blacks was unmasked in 1981 by Dot M. Smith > when she published the classic study Recession and Unemployment: A > Retrospective Analysis of the Welfare Loss (Mid-South Journal of Economics > Vol. 6 No 3). Smith's research identified the source of disparities > between blacks and whites. It revealed a trend line that matches the 3/5 > Compromise, which not only means that the US Constitution mandated > discrimination against slaves and their descendants, it means state and > federal governments enforce its discrimination today. The federal > government can not produce any hard evidence that shows it granted slaves > anything more than manumission-- the release from an oppressive condition. > > > > The reality of this illusion of freedom is that those who accept it refuse > to believe that slavery in the US never ended. Currently, Bush and the > neocons are trying to sell people in Iraq a similar illusion of freedom. > With the US imposed constitution, written by the US chosen government, > Sunnis have been permanently 3/5 compromised down the Tigris-Euphrates > into second class Iraqis, much like blacks in the US. Internationalizing > the illusion of freedom Bush and neocons insist blacks have in the US, the > Iraqi constitution guarantees Sunnis never run Iraq's government. > > > > This same illusion was sold to the Palestinians as the "road map" to a > Palestinian state. Constitutionally mandated discrimination (3/5 > Compromise) has been disguised as freedom for blacks since 1789. Imagine > two hundred eighteen years from today, Palestinians still struggling and > dying trying to survive under Israeli occupation backed by the US and > imposed by the United Nations. > > > > Back in 1863, slaves were too ignorant to know the difference and today > some blacks are too rich to care. Although US freedom is an illusion, > some blacks continue fighting to preserve the lie of "Free at last! Free > at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!!!!!!" Not! > > > > > > > > > Comments from the Bat Cave > > > > The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro recently expressed elation that > "spring has sprung." Across the southeast, the lush and growing greener > plants are releasing their pollen. In Georgia, it is so thick some of us > dare not go outside for fear of getting sick. An asthma sufferer, the > Dark One/Ninja/Zorro would only say in response to comments on Georgia's > pea soup atmosphere, "There should be a law outlawing this goo! > > > > > > > > Disgruntled wants to know: You probably missed the story in US mainstream > media. A version of it appeared in the Sun-Sentinel. Written by Dave > Hype, it was titled "Some old wounds opened for Serena Williams." Hyde > recalls Williams' experience on landing in Africa last year for the first > time and feeling so incredibly comfortable and happy. According to Hyde, > Williams, who is playing in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, had America > still echoing in her ears on Monday when she had the referee eject a > hate-spewing fan that yelled n-word epithets at her. While some people > will say it was a single hateful person, Williams knows better, as do the > media covering the tournament. Question is, when will this country stop > pretending racism is a thing of the past and seriously examine its > propensity to discriminate based solely on skin color? > > > > Disgruntled says: During the 2000 GOP race for the presidential > nomination, I found myself seriously considering a vote for Senator John > McCain (R-AZ). His "straight talk" appealed to many disaffected Democrats > across the nation. Like Senator Lindsey Graham and other GOP lawmakers, > McCain's credibility has come into serious question as he bends over > backwards to be a loyal Bushie willing to discard any principle including > fiscal conservatism and the rule of law. In fact, not that Democrats are > any better, the GOP seems to have lost its way. Not since Richard Nixon > has the "Grand Ole Party's" leaders been so fundamentally crooked > hypocrites. > > > > Disgruntled feels: 20/20! Justice is supposed to be blind! We hear the > line all the time in this country. In the US, it is the rule of law that > is supposed to be applied indiscriminately for rich and poor, black and > white. But, in reality, justice is fully sighted and under George W. Bush > and Alberto Gonzales, justice no longer wears a blind-fold; she carries a > magnifying glass to uncover nuances in law that never before experienced > the light of day, including firing attorney generals and finding it > perfectly acceptable for a current Justice Department official to plead > the fifth in congressional testimony. > > > > > > > > > Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Phone Calls > > > > E-mail www.msnbc.com Blacks suffer most in foreclosure surge...Across the > United States, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to get a high-cost, > subprime mortgages when buying a home than whites, a major factor in a > wave of foreclosures in poor, often black neighborhoods nationwide as a > housing slowdown puts millions of "subprime" borrowers at risk of default. > Even more troubling, real-estate industry analysts say, is an alarming > proportion of blacks and Hispanics who received subprime loans by > predatory lenders even when their credit picture was good enough to > deserve a cheaper loan. In six major US cities, black borrowers were 3.8 > times more likely than whites to receive a higher-cost home loan, and > Hispanic borrowers were 3.6 times more likely, according to a study > released this month by a group of fair housing agencies. > > > > Email www.nbcnews.com Documents: Gonzales OK'd firings... Attorney General > Alberto Gonzales approved plans to fire several U.S. attorneys in a > November meeting, according to documents released Friday that contradict > earlier claims that he was not closely involved in the dismissals. The > Nov. 27 meeting, in which the attorney general and at least five top > Justice Department officials participated, focused on a five-step plan for > carrying out the firings of the prosecutors, Justice Department officials > said late Friday. There, Gonzales signed off on the plan, which was > crafted by his chief of staff, Kyle Sampson. > > > > Email www.concordmonitor.com /It's about the oil and John Warner..Cheney > and > his secret energy task force have finally shown their hand. It comes as no > surprise that the Iraq war is really just about oil. A law being pushed > through the Iraq parliament gives foreign companies almost exclusive > control over its oil reserves. While some profits from tapping the world's > second largest reserves would go to the Iraqi people, most would flow to > Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, Shell and BP. Other Middle Eastern countries retain > control over their oil resources and distribute profits in ways that > benefit their people. In Iraq, it will be like the early days of the 20th > century when Arab nations did the bidding of transnational corporations > backed up by the armies of foreign powers. > > > > Email www.legitgov.org...U.S. Navy Launches Show of Force Off Coast of > Iran 27 Mar 2007.. The U.S. Navy on Tuesday began its largest > demonstration of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of > Iraq, led by a pair of aircraft carriers and backed by warplanes flying > simulated attack maneuvers off the coast of Iran. The maneuvers bring > together two strike groups of U.S. warships and more than 100 U.S. > warplanes to conduct simulated air warfare in the crowded Gulf shipping > lanes. > > > > Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been > co-opted and made totally useless by the Bu$hites ever since Bu$h was > installed as president.. They routinely underreport unemployment figures. > The real unemployment numbers in the black community are catastrophic. > Since a large number of blacks (especially black men) have been unemployed > for over two straight months they don't count them in the overall > statistics. It's all a sadistic con game. With the auto, airline, housing > and mortgage industries in a free fall, things will get even worse. Bu$h > and Co (doing the bidding of their international banking puppeteers) are > turning AmeriKKKa into a society with a super rich minority who are waging > a class war which is turning the rest of us into a wage and debt peons. > ********************************************* > For comments or to unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ********************************************* > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.18/734 - Release Date: 3/26/2007 > 2:31 PM > >
