The question of reparations for the ancestors of American slaves has been around for a long time but nothing has come of it. Here I make a case for reparations but not only does it apply to American ancestors of slaves but it has to include all those who have been deeply afflicted, harmed, hurt, injured, pained, saddened , deceived, deluded, misguided, tricked for specific but historical events upon them by the American government of their citizens and or others.
How about reparations for millions of those who lost out in many ways to affirmative action people which is tantamount to reverse discrimination.
How about reparations for the ancestors of hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers and their families who were maimed or died to free the slaves and keep the Union together? Their loved ones carried this pain and economic loss through the rest of their lives and were denied any real compensation.
How about President Abe Lincoln and his family? President Lincoln and his family never had the chance to finish and fulfill his second term of office and be grandparents together and they lost a father, husband and the special moment’s families share together. Their sorrow lived on after his assassination.
And Japanese Americans of WWII who were not compensated sufficiently?
How about billions of dollars for the death, injuries and damages from the 2020 riots (500+) all over America re: George Floyd’s killing?
Remember the Twin Cities riots being reported by MSNBC’s news correspondent and reporter Ali Velshi May 29-30, 2020, as America watched on their TV screens large fires in the background, buildings burning, and police abandoning their precinct building as gas lines were cut there, Mr. Velshi calmly reported and I am paraphrasing; These are mostly protests, not generally unruly; clearly suggesting it was not a riot but peaceful protests.
The “woke” press insulting Americans what is clearly seen on the news to protect, control and diminish the impact of the handling of these riots and its effects on the Democrat party and its leadership.
What about compensation for over a million three hundred thousand +/- dead American soldiers leaving their families alone who died in wars fighting for our country? Can anyone imagine their final moments, their agony, their fear, their physical pain, their final longing to say goodbye or see a loved one or have someone hold them in these final desperate moments as they made the ultimate sacrifice, some as teenagers. They made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. The lucky ones died instantly. Too many who returned home were destroyed forever along with their families. What about them and their loved ones? Too many of us take these lives for granted.
Military Losses in American Wars:
- Civil War 620,000
- World War II 405,399
- World War I 116,516
- Vietnam 58,209
- Korea 36,516
- Revolutionary War 25,000
- War of 1812 20,000
- Mexican War 13,283
- Iraq-Afghanistan 6,626
- Spanish American War 2,446
- Gulf War 258
What about racial discrimination against Jews who were denied access to higher education and professions and also reparations for Asians who were denied admissions to Colleges, Universities and specialty schools that they had worked hard for, sacrificed and rightfully earned the privilege to attend yet turned away? Asians are real minorities in America but because they are so smart they were discriminated against. Jews are real minorities if you want to count numbers. The definition of minorities is discrimination in itself. More than half of Spanish are White but are considered minorities. It’s all political and subjective and not scientific or objective. There is real pain to so many when the government picks their favorites based on politics and not reality.
Right now governments are looking into a law to pay reparations for pre civil war slavery. Reparations should be looked into for other failures by government and society and fairly applied to all Americans for their sacrifices and discrimination against them as well. These additional reparations listed below should be investigated and considered for inclusion into the law if such a law is passed.
Going on in Washington D.C. and in Albany are serious discussions of paying Blacks for reparations for slavery that ended 160 years ago. It is possible that legislation may go through.
At the end of this article is a photo of Clint Eastwood and words that express how many people feel. I don’t know if these are his words or he gave his approval of this photo but it sends a message that many Americans feel.
One question is should Americans who had nothing to do with slavery pay for the sins of others and should blacks who were the descendants of slaves get paid reparations when they have been paid already by affirmative action programs, and preferences by governments in giving special treatments to minority companies over others; university’s giving extra points(350) to their entry application scores to help them get into the schools, scores that were unearned to move minorities into their institutions that give a disadvantage to Whites and Asians disadvantaging them to the back of the admissions lines because they were White and Asians. American corporations who in order to get government contracts had to hire a certain percentage of minorities qualified or not.
It’s punishing a successful hardworking group over a less successful hardworking group so that the discrimination became systemic against White and Asian families especially hurtful to those that are of lower income, and have only one parent in the home. They did not cause slavery so why should they be disappointed, punished, demonized or blamed for the sins of others. None of those being punished owned slaves and none of the recipients picked cotton or other products.
Should Black slave owners pay for reparations? And what about the blacks of Africa who sold their Black brothers and sisters ? Shouldn’t they pay reparations as well?
What made the freedom of slaves possible were the Abolitionist states and a strong sense of morality led by the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln to hold the Union together and fight and die for freedom. 300,000 to 400,000 Union soldiers were drafted to fight, hold the country together and free the slaves.
More men died, were wounded, mentally affected than any war in American history. Those who survived were maimed, got PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder, sometimes known as shell shock or combat stress, occurs after you experience severe trauma or a life-threatening event), some blinded, dismembered, tortured, imprisoned under the worst conditions; Nothing to ease their pain and many died in prison due to starvation, lack of medical care and those who survived along with their loved ones were never to be the same again.
It was these men and their families that suffered and deserve reparations.
If the congress in Washington D.C. or the legislature in Albany N.Y. enact laws for reparations for slavery as may happen the application of reparations should be considered for various inequitable actions to Americans who sacrificed in war and under affirmative action laws which are basically unconstitutional. They too should be considered for reparations.
Reparation Proposals:
1) Blacks whose ancestors were slaves in America (They were sold and delivered from Africa by Blacks. Many blacks in America were also slave owners. But no one will tell you this). All who were involved in the slave trade should share the responsibility of reparations for slavery not the people who had nothing to do with it.
2) Restitution should be given to the heirs of Abe Lincoln who lost his life to free the slaves. Lincoln did not have a chance to live out his second term in office or enjoy the rest of his life with his family and friends.
3) Reparations to Civil War Union soldiers to their heirs, including some family members who fought alongside them who died on the battle field or in prisons deprived of food, medical care, communications with their loved ones, many lost arms, legs, eyes, mind and spirit, came out of the worst war in American history. They left their farms, their businesses, missed an education and lost their innocence behind to fight. All who survived lived the rest of their lives with PTSD and disabilities to cope with, along with their love ones. And some lost the chance to marry and have families because of their physical and mental conditions from the war.
4) White and Asian students who were denied a place in colleges. Their hard work and merit was diminished in order to give these seats to minority’s who had less achievement, grades, test scores and merit due to affirmative action programs that has been going on since the mid 1960s. Colleges and Universities gave a large of amount of extra admissions score points to them so they could jump ahead of the line and push out more deserving students of color. The colors of Asian and Whites.
5) It has to be fair in all areas of society if you truly believe in this philosophy. Equal application of the affirmative action laws should allow the balancing of the sport rosters to have a fair representation of players in professional sports. That would entail having more Whites, Asian and Hispanic athletes in professional sports as football, basketball etc. “Whats good for the goose should be good for the gander “. Let’s eliminate double standards and hypocrisy.
6) Reparations to White and Asians who were denied federal government contracts due to affirmative action.
7) Jews who were denied admissions to colleges, university, medical school, law schools and other professional schools due to quota systems even though as a group of 2 % of the population, Jews are a minority in population. There are black Jews, Sephardic Jews, Middle Eastern Jews, mixed race Jews etc. There are more hate crimes against Jews in America than any other group even though their crime rates are extremely low compared to other groups. Should there be affirmative action treatments for the persecuted or a group whose population is only 2% of the total population when other groups get preferences when their populations are 12-19%?
52 percent of Hispanic Americans are White (Wikipedia). On average 52 percent of Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Salvadorians, Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hispanic Latin Americans and all others identify as White (Wikipedia).
In the Pew research poll 58 percent of Hispanics identify as White. The question here is why is this group given minority status and preference in jobs, colleges, government contracts, and scholarship money over populations of Asians (5.6%) of the population, Jews (2%) of the population, especially when some are in single family homes at poverty levels? Whites represent 58 percent of the population, Blacks 12 percent, Jews mostly White represents 2 percent, Hispanics 19 percent but of the 19 percent of which 52-58 percent identify as Whites from Spain and Latin America. Poor Whites and Asians should have minority status to compete on an equal footing as others.
Let’s redefine the definitions of what minorities are not based on political manipulations and pandering but based on real factors as economic minorities of all groups should be a major category regardless of your race, creed, sex, national origin or religion. A person in need economically should be the first measure of a minority. Another factor that should be considered is the number of people in each group in quantity order. Although Hispanic and Latino people are a minority in numbers they are approximately 50% White so which group do they fall into. Or should we divide them into White Hispanics and Latinos and non White Hispanics and Latinos. Latino and Hispanics are approximately 19 % of the population.
White Americans are the majority representing 58 % and in that group are the Jewish populations which are 2% of the U.S. population and the world population. Among Jews there are dark Jews, Hispanic and Latino Jews, Chinese and Black Jews; so as a 2 % minority of the American population and 2% of the world population, shouldn’t they be classified as a minority? The same for Asians representing 6 % of the population and Blacks are 13 % of the population. Minorities should be listed in percentage order and the economic need should be the primary standard.
Whites are the largest group although the numbers are changing as we are allowing millions of illegal’s into the country each year. They shouldn’t be considered a minority with the exception of economic minority status where there income falls below a certain level. Keep in mind that Whites too have single parent households and many fall below the poverty level. These criteria should be considered for all racial groups in determining minority status.
There should be two standards for special treatment, one is your minority status and two is your economic status. Poor Whites and Asians need affirmative action assistance as well and anyone on a poverty level regardless of race or ethnicity should share the same privileges and have the same opportunities. Why are Spanish and Latinos given minority status when about half are White? It sounds like a political error or pandering for votes at the expense of Whites and Asians especially the poor with single parents’ households.
The system doesn’t make sense and is not fair overall. Politicians preach fair and balanced policy’s but they don’t know what they are talking about. The system needs an overhaul. Who sets the guidelines that determines who and what are minorities and why aren’t they applied using the same standards? Were they pandering to the minorities for votes?
8) Reparations should be given to Whites and Asians who were denied work due to affirmative action. Who were denied admissions to colleges and universities . Who were denied promotions. The Supreme court just ruled that affirmative action is and was illegal and unconstitutional after 60 +/- years of discrimination illegally instituted by our government under the Lyndon B. Johnson administration in 1964 and implemented by private and public companies, schools and institutions. Crimes against Whites and Asians .
9) Reparations to 125,284 Japanese Americans including families and individuals who during WWII were removed from their homes and businesses to be relocated, incarcerated and held at U.S. detention sights, losing their livelihoods, opportunity of education, dignity and self esteem. What they received was inadequate. They had to share housing with other families.
10) Reparations for military losses in all American Wars. No one can measure the pain and suffering to the soldiers and their loved ones.
11) Reparations due to the recent rioting (500 +) for the destruction to neighborhoods, businesses, homes, infrastructure, to families, police stations, first responders and individuals who were beaten, lost their lives, were traumatized when the “woke” media and their reporters called one riot a “peaceful demonstration” while buildings were clearly burning in the background as Mayors and Governors told their police to stand down and let the violence unfold. And these woke Mayors and Governors refused thousands of National Guard troops offered by President Trump to end the violence and destruction.
12) If you are a male and want to identify as a female and vice versa or if one is allowed to identify oneself as one sees fit, then my question is simple: Can you identify as an individual or one in a group of individuals in one of the categories above in order to receive reparations? The whole “Woke” philosophy is convoluted. “Woke” don’t work. Can I identity as black and get certain privileges others can’t get?
13) Reparations for parents, grandparents, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and children for the deaths of their loved ones caused by our governments’ negligence in keeping fentanyl out of our country. Fentanyl is estimated to killing 110,000 young Americans a year equivalent to 2 Boeing 737-800 Max airplanes crashing everyday and killing all its occupants 365 days a year. It doesn’t seem to get anyone’s attention in the White House. President Biden says the border is closed and it is under control. He hasn’t been there and his appointment of Vice President Kamala Harris as border czar has not gotten close enough to the border to see the truth because they don’t want to see the truth. They are responsible for the death of these young lives (110,000 +annually) and the pain and suffering to their families. Some say the deaths are in the hundreds of thousands.
Because the government is complicit and criminally negligent by not protecting our borders it must be concluded that they are deliberately allowing drugs to enter our country with disregard to the deaths of millions. These actions fall under the RICO criminal activities statutes and an assault on our Constitution.
If it were you or I we would be in jail for the rest of our lives. Those Presidential administrations that allow illegal immigrants from all over the world along with the Mexican cartels to control our borders and come and go at random are criminally libel for the deaths of 300 +/- young Americans a day from fentanyl and another 5 a day that are murdered by these illegals that cross our borders with the help of the President, Homeland Security and any politician that doesn’t take action to stop the violations of our Constitution and the sovereignty of the United States of America.
The point of all of this is where does it begin and where does it end and who will fund and pay for all of these reparations. It’s a very complicated and complex issue. There are more grievances besides the color of your skin and your ethnicity. The economics and single family status of Whites and Asians should be considered to the equation of giving restitution. Times have changed but the systems old rules have not. And the “Woke” politicians are pandering to the minorities at the expense of the rest of the American population.
Considering all the injustices, what is a fair formula of distribution of tax payers’ dollars for reparations caused by all kinds of injustices in the public and private sector so that all men and woman of all races, creeds and ethnicity’s are treated fairly and equally? Slavery should not be the only issue to be considered for reparations.
There should not be exclusivity when it comes to reparations by pandering to one group for votes and ignoring and insulting all the other deserving groups. There must be justice for all or nothing!
