"Fo shizzle I've been sufferin' dog. Now pay me!"
Posted on 07/30/2007 8:54:24 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The jaw-dropping attacks on Michigan Congressman John Conyers this week by members of the white, leftist sector of this nation’s antiwar movement have proven how deeply racism exists.
Conyers was picketed and attacked by leading activists and spokespeople of the anti-war movement because he, as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, determined that there did not exist enough votes to move to the floor of the House of Representatives a discussion of the impeachment of president George Bush for creating the war in Iraq.
“Conyers has betrayed the American people,” bawled Global Exchange and Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin. “Conyers is no Martin Luther King,” wailed former analyst of the CIA, Ray McGovern. Lefty journalist David Lindorf scribbled, “The shame of John Conyers.” All three articles appeared on the July 24 version of the progressive website Commondreams. In addition, Cindy Sheehan, anti-war mom, had herself arrested sitting in at Conyers’ office.
Give us a break!
What does impeaching George Bush have to do with ending the war in Iraq? And what gives white, anti-war activists the right to call into question the moral and humanistic motivations of John Conyers because he determined the political will did not exist within Congress to impeach the president?
From our point of view (and speaking as progressive African Americans) Conyers is the outstanding member of Congress, who has been most outspoken in support of the anti-war movement and against the Bush Administration.
But here is something else. Year after year, actually every year since 1989, John Conyers has introduced into congress HR 40, the African American Reparations Study Bill. It is a bill that is likely the lowest common denominator of the Black reparations movement in the U.S. To date Conyers has never had the votes to get it out of committee, onto the floor of the House. But each year he re-introduces the bill, constantly searching for more endorsers. He has never given up on this issue that is supported by the vast majority of African Americans.
To the best of our knowledge neither Medea Benjamin, Ray McGovern, David Lindorf and certainly not Cindy Sheehan or few of the other “leading lights” of the white left in the anti-war movement (with the notable exception of Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich) have ever lifted a finger or raised their voice in support of African Americans cry for repair from the legacy of the Atlantic Slave Trade.
But yet, how ironic that these normally progressive whites feel perfectly comfortable labeling John Conyers “a betrayer of the American people.”
Here is another irony. If white Americans had voted against George Bush by half the percentage points that Black Americans voted against George Bush, Dubya would have never gotten near the White House.
As for McGovern’s claim that Conyers is no Martin Luther King, we say, who is some white guy to tell us who is and who is not our leader or leaders? That is what J. Edgar Hoover tried to do to us with regards to the Black Panther Party. Also, who is to say, if Martin Luther King were alive today, what he would or would not say?
Some white sectors of the anti-war movement need to re-focus themselves and try to build allies in the streets and in the halls of government to end the war, rather than engaging in mindless racism and alienating the most progressive and anti-George Bush communities in America, namely Black America.
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Jean Damu is active within the Reparations Movement and Alona Clifton is a former member of the Peralta Community College board and a long-time political activist in Oakland. Both are members of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration Steering Committee.
Cedric the Entertainer had it right in the movie, “Barbershop”. “I look at welfare and affirmative action as reparations.”
Racist, just because they are screaming at Conyers?? This is ridiculous. What’s racist is believing a black Congressman cannot take the heat.
there has always been a bit of wall tween the white left and the predominate black politic which is left
will be interesting to see how the brown left cozies up to pasty stupid naive white liberals
the old black militant left used to sleep with them, take their money and drugs and on occasion kill them when they had outlasted their usefulness
white leftists in America are about the dumbest most easily exploited little naive ninnies history’s has ever seen....
"Fo shizzle I've been sufferin' dog. Now pay me!"
we’ve been paying reparations and losing freedoms over this redress for 4 decades now
an utter failure and I sure don’t feel better or less safe
and black culture is way way worse off now except for a small minority
reparations aside from the idiocy of it would just further ruin them
I don't see any racism in Screechan/Pinkos list of complaints against Conyers. The author's point is made solely on the fact that Conyers is black.
The author needs to understand that he is the one injecting race into the mix.
Like we aren't too.
Yet, you let the Bill and Hillary convince you BJ was the first black president.
Yabbut where’s the racism here? Did I miss it?
But here is something else. Year after year, actually every year since 1989, John Conyers has introduced into congress HR 40, the African American Reparations Study Bill. It is a bill that is likely the lowest common denominator of the Black reparations movement in the U.S. To date Conyers has never had the votes to get it out of committee,
Apparently he's the brightest bulb in the box if after 18 years it's still can't get it out of committee. Perhaps he should talk to "The Poodle" seems to me neither of them have a clue as to how our process works.
Amen brother, starting to look alot like a game preserve with all the RINO's running around.
The racism is obvious my friend. Conyers is BLACK and those who criticize him are WHITE. It does not matter if the disagreement is about the war, oil drilling is ANWR, immigration or any other of a million issues. The FACT is if you are white and you criticize a black fixture of Congress such as Conyers, you are being a defacto racist. No further explanation needed.
Also include in your list the 5 daughters of William Jefferson democrat louisiana who all attended Harvard undergrad and who all (or almost all0 have law degrees today.
Medea is a newscamera junkie, and will go anywhere to get her camera fix. Her facial expression when she is on camera looks like any other addict under the influence of their drug of choice.
For those of you who didn’t know that Congressman Conyers has already collected on his reparations via the taxpayer..............Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi today defended Rep. John Conyers’, D-MI, as “the ideal pick for judiciary committee chairman” after the House Ethics Committee sanctioned Rep. Conyers for using taxpayer-funded staffers for political campaign work, babysitting and personal errands.
“who is some white guy to tell us who is and who is not our leader or leaders?”
Not to support a bunch of left-wing extremist, but I fail to see racism in their actions. I think it’s clearly evident from the article who is playing the “race card.”
I believe Cindy and company are bozos as well but I fail to see their “racism” here.
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