| Now with the passing of Corrtetta
Scott King an end to an era is at hand. The civil rights movement as we
know it was put to rest along side her. It's job unfinished and although
massive strides were made it's level of success is yet to be determined.
One thing we have determined though is the current organizations in
place to further the civil rights cause ceased to be effective years
ago. Like the feminist movement the civil rights movement ceased to exist when it became political. Organizations like the NAACP who have unabashedly become Democratic supporters have done more harm than good to their people. More African Americans are needed in our political landscape but the NAACP and it's fellow groups have embraced the Democrats thereby halving the possibilities of new black lawmakers. But it goes far beyond that. The current stable of civil rights leaders is fraught with bomb throwers and charlatans. What was once a movement that demanded equal rights for everyone now demands repayment and has taught modern minorities to hold out their hand and ask "where is mine?" The Jesse Jackson’s and the Al Sharptons have made it fashionable to pull out the race card at every turn. Hurricane Katrina is the latest example. First it was noted by then that more blacks died than whites during the storm and it's aftermath. Hardly surprising being that New Orleans was 60 percent black. The it was suggested that the federal government's slow response was because the victims were black. The whole time they failed to point out mayor Nagins massive failures who by the way is Both African American and a Democrat. All of their accusations are easily refuted but the point is it prevents the country from healing. The Reverend Jesse Jackson in particular is nothing more than an unpatriotic extortionist. His rainbow/Push Coalition which is supposed to fight for equal rights in the workplace simply threatens bad publicity for corporations unless they contribute to his program. How does that help minorities in the workplace? Then there is his trip to Venezuela. His support for Chavez and Castro who are for the downfall of the United States render him not only a traitor but also irrelevant. Al Sharpton simply likes the Camera. He lost all respect during the Tawana Brawley debacle and never really regained his footing. Then there is Louis Farrakhan. Words fail me when it comes to describing him so I usually use gestures...According to him the Bush Administration blew up the levees to kill off the blacks in New Orleans. Now this is one stupid man. If he had half a brain he'd be a halfwit looking for the other half of his brain. By that I mean if he did his homework he'd know that the neighborhoods directly surrounding the levees were predominantly white. So according to Louis the government purposely drowned hundred of white people to kill hundreds of blacks...the racial element fizzles quite fast. I watched the Million more march. They were off by several hundred thousand. Mathematics aside I was stunned by the message. "We want ours" The entire demonstration was about how bad the government treats black people, and then he introduced some Native Indian type who hates the government. Anyway Farrakhan wants every black person in the country to sue the federal government for negligent homicide. Does that mean the blacks will be representing the dead white persons families as well? So the poor blacks who are poor because of the government are to sue the government and continue to collect their welfare checks because they are owed the money... That is not how you represent a movement or your people. Encouraging people to ask for hand out does not further civil rights. Neither does assuming every little impropriety is race driven. Kings movement was about taking responsibility for ones actions. The lowerys and the Sharptons can blame the poverty level on George Bush but a true leader will point to the rising percentage of babies born out of wedlock. They will point to the breakdown of family values. They will point to drug abuse and the lack of emphasis put on education. The president has given more to these social programs than any other president but these programs themselves will not reverse the downward spiral. Only positive action taken by those caught in the chain. It is so much easier to blame than to take responsibility. And yet very few black leaders hold their people accountable. he idea that we the white people are keeping black is poverty is ludicrous. I point to the millions of Black children born into poverty and yet made something positive of their lives. It can be done but unless the message changes from "We are owed" to "we can achieve" poverty levels will continue to Rise. -Bert |