American blacks seek money and land

[advocatexxx]

From MSNBC - http://www.msnbc.com/news/793255.asp

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 — ***Hundreds of blacks rallied Saturday in front of the Capitol to demand slavery reparations, saying that compensation is long overdue for the ills of that institution.

“IT SEEMS THAT America owes black people a lot for what we have endured,” the Rev. Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, told the crowd. “We cannot settle for some little jive token. We need millions of acres of land that black people can build.”
*** *** *** “We’re not begging white people,” said Farrakhan, one of several speakers at a rally organizers billed as “Millions for Reparations.” “We are just demanding what is justly ours.”

HIGH-PROFILE ACTIVISTS SKIP EVENT
While Farrakhan and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., did attend, many major names in the black civil rights movement were absent, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton.
*** *** *** “The people on the ground are the ones we want to give exposure to,” said one of the speakers, Hannibal Afrik, 68, of Port Gibson, Miss. “If it’s grounded in the people, it will be victorious.”
*** *** *** Conyers, who has proposed a commission to study the institution of slavery for the past 13 years, urged the crowd to pressure Congress.
*** *** *** “Only the Congress can do what we want done,” Conyers said. Lawmakers are on their summer break until September.
*** *** *** The reparations movement has gained momentum in the past year.
*** *** *** Earlier this year, a group of slave descendants sued three companies, claiming the companies or their corporate predecessors unjustly profited from slavery.
The Reparations Coordinating Committee, which includes many prominent lawyers and scholars, is working on a separate lawsuit against the federal government.
*** *** *** Those at the rally said it was time for action.
*** *** *** “They owe us. I want justice,” said Antoinette Harrell-Miller, who drove 19 hours from New Orleans with her husband, Dennis, to attend. “They built this country off the free labor of our ancestors.”
*** *** *** Jaki Mungai of Philadelphia called the rally “a dream that’s starting to come true.”
*** *** *** “Every other group has been compensated for the wrongs done against them. Africans in America — we are the only ones who haven’t,” said Mungai, who heard about the rally on the radio and decided to join in.
*** *** *** Ken McDouall of Durham, N.C., one of a handful of whites at the rally, said the reparations issue “cuts to the core of the history of injustice of America.”
*** *** *** “America likes to pretend there are equal rights for everyone, but look at the history of black people,” McDouall said.





I don't know about you but I'm quite frankly getting tired of this. ***If they had any bit of logic left they'd realize that history cannot be "changed" or fixed by asking for money. ***In my opinion they are merely using it as an excuse to earn free land and cash.

[Tex [USMC]]

This is really, really, old news.

By the way, who is going to be paying these reparations, who is going to be receiving them, and what is the criteria for both?

It will be the most incredibly stupid exercise ever- People who have never owned a slave paying people who have never been slaves for wrongs that were done over 200 years ago, and have already been paid for by and in American blood.

I think it is really pointless. You have to draw the line somewhere.

[Duke_of_Ray]

This has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard! Shouldn't the people who sold offspring back in Africa get in trouble to, and to say we built the nation off slave labor! We owe them nothing, slavery is over!

[advocatexxx]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">This is really, really, old news.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

It is ? Well I found it today on the front page of MSNBC.COM

I wouldn&#39;t say a word if it was a group of high school students, but to have educated and accomplished reverends and other adults claim such issues just disappoints me.

[Tex [USMC]]

Duke, please dont sabotage this side of the argument with yer indistinct ramblings. We happen to agree, but obviously for very different reasons

[Tex [USMC]]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (advocatexxx @ Aug. 18 2002,20:01)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">It is ? ***Well I found it today on the front page of MSNBC.COM

I wouldn&#39;t say a word if it was a group of high school students, but to have educated and accomplished reverends and other adults claim such issues just disappoints me.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Oh, well, the article and the demonstration arent old news, but the campaign for reparations is. Also, having high profile people like Farrakhan and Conyers at the fore is nothing new either

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (advocatexxx @ Aug. 18 2002,20:01)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I wouldn&#39;t say a word if it was a group of high school students, but to have educated and accomplished reverends and other adults claim such issues just disappoints me.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I think that the problem is that USA has the same constitution as it had back then. This government the direct successor of the one that was during the slavery. That means also that they can be held accountable today for what they did a long time ago.

[Tex [USMC]]

Denoir, that line of thinking is tantamount to moving away from your old house without leaving a forwarding mail address just so that you wont have to pay the electric bill. Its overkill, its irresponsible, and it only leads to more problems than you had in the first place

[Duke_of_Ray]

Denoir you are wrong. We give to much to minorities, why should they get special treatment? The only people who might deserve something are the American Indians, and thats up for debate.