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.
heh
((Snicker)) Cindy et al are the gifts that keep on giving.
You know there are times when there is just not enough popcorn to go around.
They are sure stuck are reparations, aren’t they? It sure makes it seem that a lot of the black community will try any way to get a handout.
Doncha just LOVE watching Liberals eat each other??
Conyers, Chairman of.... Does it get any funnier than that?
Collectivists fighting collectivists. Gotta love it.
Left is eating each other :D
The Political bias in this country has definitely shifted to Socialism when John Conyers has an entire movement situated on HIS LEFT!!
It’s the left in general - that’s the basis of collectivism, the desire for other people’s property.
The left has just used the black community to further their power, and has, in the process, made this desire for the unearned part of the culture.
I support the nations of Africa paying reparations to the people they sold into slavery.
All they can do is spout hate, never solutions. It is easy to spew hate, but actually DOING something productive for everyone is too difficult and places them in the position of responsibility.
One of the many problems with this “mental”-ity is that hate requires a target. They have blamed Jews, Christians, Conservatives, “chickenhawks” (I love being called that as I whip out my DoD ID), the NRA, Republicans, Bush, Bush again, Bush’s Grandfather, etc to no avail. When they run out of targets, they attack each other for not goose-stepping to the party line.
“...wailed former analyst of the CIA, Ray McGovern.”
Did he analyze the CIA or was he an analyst for the CIA?
Modern journalists find the art of writing to be beyond their grasp. Their editors don’t seem to be any better.
I really think Oprah, Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, P Diddy, and the rest of the African Americans who have suffered as a legacy of the slavery of 150 years ago should be given reparations. Also, all the African American doctors and lawyers whose kids are given racial preferences for admission to the best colleges and medical schools should be given reparations too. John Conyers should also qualify for getting a little piece of the pie as well. It is obvious that that will cure all that ails the Afircan American community. What a joke, but it is nice to see the liberal African Americans are maybe beginning to realize that the elitist Democratic establishment views them as nothing more than reliable voters for the Democratic Party.
I oppose Conyers because he’s a left wing gun grabber. I rarely am even concious of the fact that he’s also African American. Gotta side with Code Pinko and Sindy on this, I don’t see where anything they said or have done has any racist overtones whatsoever. They are just far far left wing wackos, but still only slightly to the left of Conyers himself.
Red on red.
Especially the Arab ones, who were either slave catchers themselves, or were brokers between the black African tribes who captured other Black Africans and sold them to the Arabs, and the mostly New England ship owners and masters who bought them for transport to the Americas.c
You will love this: Medea Benjamin’s latest antics...
Pass the popcorn....
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