There has been a remarkable silence emanating from Rep. John Conyers (D- MI) concerning an issue very dear to his heart: reparations for American Blacks to compensate them for the injustice that was slavery. A serious observer of the political scene in June 2008 must wonder why and perhaps be suspicious of his recent quiescence?
Conyers climbed aboard the Reparations Express in 2000, stressing that the movement was "not coming forward in an accusatory tone toward any citizens or their ancestors," but that "we simply think that Congress should take a look at the lingering effects of slavery so that we may get a deeper appreciation of them and reach some consensus about what the solutions may be. The issue of reparations is not something beyond our understanding," Conyers wrote. "It's a pretty fundamental issue if you look at it. I'm saying it's time we did." (http://www.answers.com/topic/john-conyers)
I have a few disquieting differences with that statement, as well as with Conyers’ apparent de-emphasis of the “issue.”
First, if his tone was not “accusatory” then what is it? It certainly isn’t laudatory or complimentary to even suggest that anyone or any entity owes compensation to Blacks for a vile, worldwide, institution that was ended in the United States over seven generations ago at a cost of hundreds of thousands of casualties in our Civil War. As for the “lingering effects of slavery,” that contention too is baffling for the same reason, namely that any victims of Black slavery are long dead and any residual effects that carry over for that length of time must surely be attributable to the victims rather than the perpetrators of the evil of slavery. Finally, if the issue is “fundamental,” I would ask, fundamental to what?
However, more to the point, and aside from the fact that other supporters of the idea of reparations for Blacks include “Reverend” Louis Farrakhan and others of his ilk and aside from the absurdity and impracticality of exacting reparations from Whites when thousands of freed Blacks also enslaved their own in the 1800’s, the whole idea of reparations is as repugnant and as racist as slavery.
I refer the reader to the African-American organization, Project 21, (http://www.nationalcenter.org/P21PRReparations802.html), to a very angry White organization, http://www.wewontpay.com/pl10.html, and to a rabid Black reparations website, http://www.blackcommentator.com/10_reparations.html.
My purpose here is not to debate Black reparations. Rather, it involves my initial rhetorical question: Why are Blacks such as Rep. Conyers so quiet on the issue of late?
This is just conjecture but could it be that Conyers and his compatriots know that to talk about reparations now, when Senator Barack Hussein Obama potentially could become the next president of the United States of America, would spook the living bejesus out of many White supporters?
It’s just a thought but I think Whites in America should consider what that would mean. It could make $4.00 a gallon—or $20.00 a gallon-- gas prices seem reasonable.