THOUGHTS ABOUT TIME AND MEANS A CHANCE TO GROW

THOUGHTS ABOUT TIME AND MEANS A CHANCE TO GROW – means allows growth One of the notions that drove the creation of my new novel and perhaps all of my work is the fact that one needs time and means to grow before growth can take place. When one is hemorrhaging the first task is to stop the blood not to eat something. When one is preoccupied with stopping pain it is next to impossible to have sex or even be romantic. Personal growth requires time and means. When one’s road in life is beset by obstacles which consumes one’s time and means, little or no resource remains for one’s personal growth. Fighting race discrimination consumes time and means leaving little or no time or means for growth–no time to hug a child, no time to dance, no time to talk, to take a walk in a park, no time to laugh, or time to make love and not just fuck. [DIFFERENT ROADS SAME STOPS] amazon.com/dp/0983947724.

THOUGHTS ABOUT REPARATION-AN I OR WE QUESTION

THOUGHTS ABOUT REPARATION–AN I OR WE QUESTION–reparation is not for an individual Reparation is not about injustice done to a single individual. So an individual responding to a question on their desire or need for reparation should be without determining value–an individual is not the true voice of a group. The true voice should come from the group of individuals who suffered the grave injury of injustice and the effects of it. American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) is that true voice. Reference to reparation should never leave political forums where the important concerns of government are being discussed. The forms of reparation may be difficult to determine but can be worked out just as can the source of funds. It should be obvious that the payment of the United States Debt to ADOS would be stretched out over generations. The time to begin reparation is now.

THOUGHTS ABOUT ADOS VERSUS AFRICAN PEOPLES

THOUGHTS ABOUT ADOS VERSUS AFRICAN PEOPLES – unnecessary tension I am a part of the ADOS family; but the comments that follow are my own–in short, I don’t speak for ADOS. When I look at black Africans, no matter the country of origin, I can’t help but see myself in them–it’s a little like looking into a mirror: more often than not I just smile. It annoys me a bit when an African or Caribbean sees him/herself as superior to an American black purely on the basses of origin. That kind of elitism is an adoption and adaptation of white racism. It’s kind of like me talking with a black person who thinks he/she’s white while ignoring their common blackness. Some American blacks too adopt and adapt this pathology. The true mark of intelligence and respect for others is when asked a question outside of one’s actual experience is to defer the question to a person with the experience. Looking at the yes or no question of reparation for American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS), an actual descendant is obviously the better source of response to the question. Persons without the experience should just close their mouths and let experience inform them. There is clear evidence of elitism and ignorance when the political view on a subject is identical to that of the controlling, racist, policies of a country. The legislative process of our country should not be silent on the subject of reparation–legislative silence is evidence of no-will to heal those who have been gravely harmed by generational government policies. Reparation has to be on the political agenda of the United States in order for the pain and suffering endured by ADOS to ever be relieved. Only government policy can award and maintain the guarantee of full citizenship. amazon.com/dp/0983947724

THOUGHTS ABOUT MY LATEST NOVEL

THOUGHTS ABOU MY LATEST NOVEL – different times same living [DIFFERENT ROADS SAME STOPS] is the title of my latest book. It’s about three (3) generations of the same family. It’s about their social lives their work lives their sex lives and what they do to overcome the obstacles that get in the way to a better life. I use large print in this book which makes it very easy to read–even if you don’t read often. If you like a good story you’ll love this book. It is in softcover and e-book. Go to amazon.com/dp/0983947724 for your copy–buy one as a gift to someone you care about. THANK YOU!

THOUGHTS ABOUT REPARATION NOW

THOUGHTS ABOUT REPARATION NOW – ADOS LEADS The notion of reparation is almost as old as government regulated injustice here in the United States. Slavery and the laws and policies governing the behavior of former slaves have kept reparation in conversations about race; but until recent those conversations have been little more than a moral discussion—an appeal to the goodness of those able to do more than talk about it. Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore gave reparation a political life with a political identity and purpose. The specific identity of this group of black citizens is the American Descendants of Slavery–ADOS. The purpose of this group is to seek justifiable redress through the courts for grave harm done to slaves and their descendants. This is to be an economic—money—claim, not just an official apology. One would expect there to be few black objections to such a claim but that is not the case. There are blacks who object to the claim and its source on personal grounds. I think reparation is a justifiable claim and deserves the support of all descendants of slaves and all reasonable thinking citizens.

THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ESTIMATE COST OF REPARATIONS

THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ESTIMATED COST OF REPARATION – a big number A young friend of mine has the academic background and experience to ask me what form reparations to the American Descendants of Slavery would take. She is a young white woman with a family and the daughter of a very close friend of mine – now deceased. The daughters question puts reparations in a context which best informs all interested in the subject that reparations is not just about money – but there is a cost to heal the injuries done to American slaves and their descendants. There are persons infinitely smarter than I in economics and finance; they estimate the cost of reparations to be in the trillions. When you think about the billions spent keeping the banks solvent in the most recent financial crash, when you consider the billions in tax cuts for the wealthy, when you consider the billions in aides to Israel, when you consider the millions in tax cuts to business and industry, when we consider aide to developing countries, when we consider aide to states for natural disasters, when we consider these government sanctioned expenditure of tax dollars we might begin to get our minds around the legitimate cost of reparations. I have a semantical problem with the way in which reparations is often referred. More often than not it is referred to as a DEBT owed or a payment for SOMETHING STOLEN. Each of the terms is built on a false assumption: DEBT assumes that there was a legal transaction between the government and slaves or other blacks – that was certainly not the case; SOMETHING STOLEN too is a false assumption – neither slave nor other blacks had the legal right to self-will so it could not be stolen. Perhaps it’s just semantics but setting VALUES where injustices – injuries, harm – have been done to American slaves and their descendants might be a template for establishing the categories of reparations and cost for each. Toward that end it might help us to consider injurious extractions from and injurious denials to American slaves and the American Descendants of Slavery, ADOS.

THOUGHTS ABOUT BLACK IDENTITY

THOUGHTS ABOUT FIGHT FOR BLACK IDENTITY – can one name fit all? My answer to the question is yes there is a unique name for all American blacks. Is it the only name an individual or group of American blacks can use to specifically identify themselves? NO! This name was crafted for legal purposes only. In order for a justice claim to be brought before the court in this country a specific offender and offended must be named – in short, someone or group has suffered harm inflicted on them by some other one or group. American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) is the name of the group and its stated purpose is to seek reparations for the harm done to American blacks by the United States Government. The just claim for payment is not only for the institution of slavery but includes the generations of exclusion from the economic activity that could have provided black Americans with the same opportunities and quality of life provided white Americans. What is too often not mentioned is the depraved economic condition of blacks where ever they are. Even on the African continent poverty is king despite Africa’s abundant natural wealth. This is planned deprivation and not black laziness and lack of thrift. Those individual blacks who have worked hard for a measure of economic success should be applauded. But when those same individuals out of ignorance and arrogance condemn other blacks for not succeeding they should not be applauded but condemned.