What are Reparations?
The making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged. Forms of reparations which have been proposed or given in the United States by city, county, state, and national governments or private institutions include: individual monetary payments, settlements, scholarships, waiving of fees, and systemic initiatives to offset injustices, land-based compensation related to independence, apologies and acknowledgements of the injustices, tokenary measures (such as naming a building after someone), and the removal of monuments and streets named to slave owners and defenders of slavery. First mentioned on a serious national stage by Jessie Jackson when running for President in 1985. Message quickly caught attention by NAACP - formed committees to study Since inception the message has become more convoluted and distorted.
Between 1525 and and 1866, in the entire history of the slave trade thru the new world, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the new world. 10.7 million survived the dreaded Middle Passage disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America.
How many of these 10.7 million Africans were shipped directly into North America. About 388,000. A tiny percentage! As a tiny percentage, the Blacks in America have prospered to a far greater degree than those sent elsewhere. If Black America were a separate country, its GDP would make it the 17th largest economy and wealthiest in the world. Robert Johnson, 1st black Billionaire, owner of an NBA team, owner of BET, sold both, addressed reparations very seriously and came to the magic number of $14 trillion or $453,000 to each black person in the US to make sufficient amends. His contention is that only a direct transfer of wealth ($) will make atonement complete because all things done in the past did not work. Who pays Whom? On Former President Obama’s maternal side there were slave owners and his father came from Kenya, a former slave trading state. Does he get a check or cut a check? Vice President Kamala Harris, an outspoken proponent of reparations acknowledges slave owners in her family. Does she get a check or cut a check? Question: Will there be a clear investigation into every black to determine if they are a descendant of North American slaves or do we just start atoning? Answer: All black people because whether they were descended from slaves or not, they were discriminated against. Jim Crow, Red Line, applicants for loans, etc. Where does money come from? It was Jesse Jackson’s suggestion that the seed money would initiate from white pension plans. Does anyone here doubt reparations will occur? Have reparations already started? Warnock’s Black farmer reparations. This was in the $1.9 trillion COVID 19 Relief bill recently passed and signed into law. A little-known element of President Biden’s massive stimulus relief package would pay billions of dollars to disadvantaged farmers — benefiting Black farmers in a way that some experts say no legislation has since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Of the $10.4 billion in the American Rescue Plan that will support agriculture, approximately half would go to disadvantaged farmers, according to estimates from the Farm Bureau, an industry organization. About a quarter of disadvantaged farmers are Black. The money would provide debt relief as well as grants, training, education and other forms of assistance aimed at acquiring land. While it’s a fraction of the $1.9 trillion bill that passed in the Senate on Saturday, advocates say it still represents a step toward righting a wrong after a century of mistreatment of Black farmers by the government and others. Some say it is a form of reparations for African Americans who have suffered a long history of racial oppression. Evanston, I’ll. One of the richest cities in the US with very few black residents.... The City Council on Monday voted 8-1 to begin making good on its pledge to distribute $10 million over the next 10 years with the distribution of $400,000 to eligible Black households. Each qualifying household would receive $25,000 for home repairs, down payments on property, and interest or late penalties on property in the city. Oakland - give away but only to blacks - is this discrimination? Like a lot of cities, the recipients must be poor and have at least one child to qualify. Specifically, they must have an annual household income of no more than $59,000 for a family of three — or roughly 50% of the median income — and half of the recipients will be selected from households that pull in less than $30,000 a year. But unlike a lot of cities, the recipients also must be Black, Indigenous or otherwise identify as a person of color to qualify. Brown University Undergraduate students at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, voted last week for the Ivy League school to offer reparations to the descendants of enslaved people who labored on campus. Carroll, who is a descendant of enslaved people, said he’s grown tired of “liberal institutions like Brown publicly professing their ideals to address racial harm and justice. This institution is built off of racial harm and injustice, and there's really not been much done about that.” Brown University is now investigating what can be done to accommodate demands. Sources: The Los Angelis Times, The Augusta Chronicle - Larry Adler column, The Charlotte Voice, The Chicago Tribune
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My question is simple. What other items would you like removed from Thomson to satisfy your need for racial change and racial unity?
Mr. James Taylor, a proud citizen of Thomson, would like the two McDuffie County Confederate monuments removed to promote racial change and racial unity. I, Tom Holley, also a proud citizen of Thomson, would like to know where the denouncement of our historical keepsakes will end if we begin with removing monuments. Here are a few ideas: Obviously, first and foremost, the Senator Tom Watson home and the foundation named in his honor must be removed immediately. Anyone with an inkling of knowledge of local history knows Watson was a flaming racist. So, the foundation and the thousands of dollars it gives for history preservation and for college scholarships, many to deserving black (person of color, African-American - it is difficult to know the most politically correct term) students, must be abandoned. Many of our most prominent oldest dwellings should be burned because they all were supported by slavery. Snow Hill, the Bowdre-Reese House, the Rock House, Alexandria, Usry House or any antebellum home, for that matter, witnessed the cruelty of slavery. These beautiful homes were possibly built on the backs of slaves and should be destroyed. Wrightsboro, our old Quaker community, should be burned. The Revolutionary War caused great division among its citizens. Many families fled north while others became local war heroes, but future slaveholders none-the-less. And furthermore, Wrightsboro originally displaced the native (Indian or indigenous people - it is difficult to know the most politically correct term) population. Anyone in McDuffie County who currently lives on family property that was once owned by a slaveholder should be removed and that property auctioned with the proceeds given to charity. It is unconscionable to think anyone should prosper whose relatives once owned slaves. Furthermore, any current white resident who had ancestors that fought in the War should be forced to pay reparations. By latest calculations, each black resident of the United States is entitled to receive approximately $453,000 as repentance for white sin. Literally, hundreds of books in our library should be burned because of racial remarks or pure racism suggested within. Gone With the Wind, Uncle Remus, To Kill a Mockingbird, Thomson Guards - Tenth Georgia, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Animal Farm to name a few. The History of McDuffie County represents a special need for destruction because it actually pays homage to many historical figures, racist some, who lived in this area. It actually mentions the KKK. And, the library itself should be closed because it allowed these books to be available for so long. The Thomson-McDuffie Museum must be shuttered for two reasons. First, it is named after Edgar Thomson, (see below). Second, some items in the museum collection, past or present, could be considered as racist. Surely, we all understand that most of our churches must be eliminated. Just look! Most white people go to the white churches and most black people attend black churches. There must be something like racial bigotry involved. The segregation alone should be insulting enough to eliminate them as tax exempt institutions. Our county name, McDuffie County, must be changed at once. George McDuffie was a personal friend of both John C. Calhoun and Andrew Jackson. We all know that the taint from either was enough to spoil the sterling reputation of McDuffie. For heaven sakes, George McDuffie also fought in several duels. Also, the town name, Thomson, should be changed but not because Edgar Thomson was a slave owner. Surely, the railroad he built transported Confederate soldiers and sometimes, slaves. And, the railroad depot should be destroyed because it’s original foundation was probably built by a slave or a slaveholder. Most white school teachers and administrators should be summarily dismissed. As we have recently learned from the network news, most whites come from privileged families and for that alone they are racist. To properly understand, one must read the most popular book in liberal circles today, White Fragility: Why it is so hard for white people to talk about racism. All streets or roads named for historical figures must be changed. Lee Street, Jackson Street, Gordon Street, Old McDuffie Road, Martin Luther King Street (this list is endless) must be changed. Someone may know of something negative in the street’s historical name and thus that person may be offended. Any person buried in our county cemeteries who can be shown to have been a racist (by my definition or yours?) should be disinterred and their bones cremated. The headstones should be ground for gravel and used in road building. And, their racist names should be stricken from any public record. OR, JUST MAYBE, we could all take a deep breath, calm down and realize that History is, just that, History. We cannot change history but as we are constantly reminded, we should learn from it. Most of the ideas expressed above were tried in the past in other venues. Fascism, Communism and Marxism used similar ideas to try and change the course of history but all failed miserably while costing hundreds of millions of innocent lives. Can’t we learn from this? We cannot deny our past (no matter how inappropriate or misguided it may have been) by trying to erase it. The death of George Floyd in Minnesota (not Missouri) was a national disgrace. It understandably brought about this current discussion on racism and policing. The death naturally caused bitter indignation among minorities for often being treated unfairly. But, resentment flows two ways and that resentment is usually the underlying cause for racism. Ridding ourselves of Confederate monuments or controversial books, or people, or movies, or historic homes or places will have a longterm affect on racism. I, like many other Thomson residents appreciate our memorials, monuments and tributes to history - we learn from them and try to become better and more sensitive people because of them. Removing the Confederate monuments will not promote racial unity. In my opinion, it will aid in crippling it. Tom Holley A proud citizen of Thomson Acquiesce, Appease & Compromise
Acquiesce - Accept something, maybe reluctantly, but without protest Appease - Pacify by passively acceding to others’ demands, no big deal Compromise - An agreement reached by making concessions By reluctantly accepting a premise with no protest and then passively acceding to others’ demands, one deals from a weak position if put in a compromising situation. If the acquiescing and appeasing is being worked in a public forum (politics), one will later compromise from an incredibly fragile position. If one is not brutally dominant from the beginning, like today’s black minority with enormous liberal support continuously demonstrate and have done so for years, one cannot expect to win in a compromise. And, as can be clearly witnessed, the minorities do not intend to compromise; they want it all. Since the Republican politicians did not want to be nor can they afford to be labeled a racist, they acquiesced and appeased hoping that the people or event or demand would just naturally go away. It did not! Radical behavior with incredible demands from minorities has gone on for years while the Republican politicians not wanting to get involved with anything “too sticky”, passively watched. Neither the leftist minority groups, NAACP, Antifa or BLM, nor the ludicrous demands went away. They grew in number, they became more vocal, more demonstrative and much stronger. Now the Republican politician is trapped. The behavior and demands, over time, have become ‘normalized’ by the liberal press. The politician cannot fight the newly developed normal that they allowed to develop. And, if taken even one step forward, they will be labeled as racist or white nationalist or white supremacist as identified in Critical Race Theory. The Republican politician developed the perfect storm for us conservatives. His lack of backbone brought about our considerable doom unless we take it upon ourselves to fight back. Ask yourself, ‘How does the black 12.5% of the United States population so dominate the conversation of the 65% white population?’ There is now no room left for compromise. We, Sons of Confederate Veterans, must stand shoulder to shoulder with common voice to stop the insanity we see happening today. We must research our prospective politicians carefully, let them know our specific non-compromise viewpoints, vote for them, and then hold them accountable. Also, one must remember, Republican does not always mean conservative. Tom Holley, Commander Thomson Guards, Camp 91 5TH Brigade - Georgia Division Last week a local man, Harold Ward, wrote a letter to the editor in our local Thomson newspaper, The McDuffie Progress. He was completely steamed up that the government wasted a ton of money in the COVID-19 rescue bill. In protest he gave his check to a charity. I then responded with the following letter which will ran Thursday 22 April.
April 19, 2021 Letter to the Editor: Mr. Ward, I appreciate the passion shown in your letter to the editor. And, I agree with most everything you had to say. Our only difference is that in my mind I figured the $1,400 was a very small reimbursement for all the taxes I’ve previously paid that went to causes for which I did not agree. Your letter pointed out how frustrated you are with our current state of affairs. But, as you no doubt know and understand, the government spending like a drunk sailor is merely the tip of the iceberg. Our politicians have acquiesced, appeased and compromised on issues for the last fifty-plus years. Their self-serving determination and lack of sincere efforts to protect and serve our country have brought our nation to the brink of self-destruction. Consider just a few items on the radical left’s immediate agenda. The baker’s dozen. 1. The left is hell bent on removing our historical monuments. That is any monument of a person, place or thing that may be associated with slavery. And, to some, that extends to sacred statues in the church. 2. For the same reason, they insist on renaming our streets, bridges, public buildings, schools, forts and historic places. 25% of Southern families owned slaves. That means 75% of Southern families never owned a slave. Poor Southern white families competed against slave labor to make a living. 3. The liberals are determined to teach false history in our schools, colleges and universities to fit a false narrative. Critical Race Theory is our newest education model. 4. The liberals are determined to forgive all outstanding federal student debt. Many of those children can’t find a job. It doesn’t matter that they majored in ridiculous and frivolous studies and know nothing of value with regards to what is needed in a competitive job market. 5. The liberals want to give citizenship to some 15 million undocumented migrants, or Dreamers, and they want to let anyone enter the country who wants in. This is all to solidify another Democrat voting block. And yes, you and I should provide them free health care. 6. The push is still on by some to defund the police. It doesn’t matter that crime continues to spike in areas where this reasoning is the strongest. 7. The pious WOKE want to personally destroy any public figure that has the audacity to think differently than they. 8. Apparently, the only advice that we should listen to is from the Squad of Four. They know what is best for us and the country. The liberal media cannot express their joy with the Four more often. 9. The media has become a lap dog for liberals. The former President was always wrong while the current is always correct. It’s almost impossible to recognize reporting that is factual vs. convoluted opinion. 10. Our current President is determined to put people in responsible positions based on identity politics instead of whether they are the best qualified. As a side note, one might say that it doesn’t seem wise to socially experiment with the security of our country. 11. Recently, a new House bill was introduced that, if passed, will require federal registration of all firearms. Imagine where that will lead. 12. The left wants it known perfectly clear that any white person that does not agree with what black people want is a racist, bigot and white supremacist. As a matter of fact, the local CEOs of both Coke and Delta have just made that assertion the newest reality. 13. And, last but certainly not least, Mr. Ward, they want you and me to pay reparations to atone for slavery because apparently you and I are responsible. And, if not for slavery, then redlining business districts or Jim Crow. Apparently it doesn’t matter that trillions and trillions of dollars have been spent since Lyndon Johnson shared Lady Bird’s epiphany. But, I would be remiss if I did not point out that all of these “new investments” will be done to supposedly promote peace. As the House member from New York, Jerold Nadler, recently pointed out as he agreed to entertain the House bill on reparations, it is not meant to divide or harm, rather it will promote reconciliation, harmony and a reason to come together as Americans. Mr. Ward, you are distraught over the COVID 19 Rescue bill. Your head will explode if they pass the Infrastructure bill as written because at least half of it is rampant with political payoff. In the last election 75 million Americans voted conservative. I don’t know what it’s going to take to wake up this very large silent minority. As you pointed out, “It is not the United States of America that I grew up in, and if we don’t make a stand, it never will be again.” Tom Holley |
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