Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Blacks and War

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Jill at Jack and Jill politics recently posted another one of her challenging post.

Yes, I said challenging post, because she challenges all of us.

This challenge is about America's war on Iraq and the lack of conversation on black blogs about the disguised hypocrisy of America on this critical issue. Jill recently wrote that she is frustrated like most African Americans on the continuing failure to set a timetable on Iraq. She feels that members of Congress and the political blogs are ignoring African-Americans, in part I think because we have not blogged as much about Iraq as other issues.

I agree we Jill. Black bloggers should get more vocal about the war. We need to do what Malcolm and Martin taught us, become more international in our conversation. We need to comment of the Iraq war as they did about the War in Vietnam and the war against our people. I just finished taking another look at my blog(s). At African American Opinion we have posted on issue of the war many times see below:

I'm reminded of what Martin Luther King said during his Christmas Sermon back in December of 1967, which reminds me of 2007, just change the name President Johnson to Bush, Just change the country North Vietnam to Iraq:

"And the leaders of the world today talk eloquently about peace. Every time we drop our bombs in North Vietnam, President Johnson talks eloquently about peace. What is the problem? They are talking about peace as a distant goal, as an end we seek, but one day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. All of this is saying that, in the final analysis, means and ends must cohere because the end is preexistent in the means, and ultimately destructive means cannot bring about constructive ends."

--Martin Luther King, Jr., "A CHRISTMAS SERMON" 24 December 1967

Read more of Jill's thoughts below:

African-Americans on the Iraq War -- The Military and Electoral Impact

What's interesting is that you don't see a lot of discussion about the Iraq War among black bloggers. That's because we all agree on it and solutions seem obvious. If other bloggers are like me, I am just so sick of talking about it. The difference among black folks is that we were largely against the war before it started and have quietly been protesting it ever since.

Most African-Americans can point to someone they know personally who has been impacted in some way -- negatively -- by this war. Could be a neighbor, relative, classmate, co-worker, relative of a relative. You nah mean. Me -- I've had 2 cousins go over to Iraq. And my cousin's half-sister's husband. This colors our view of those who believe in a wait-and-see or worse yet, a "surge" approach.

Discussions in the black community tend to focus on Osama bin Laden -- isn't he still at large? -- and on the Money -- it sure seems like a lot of money is being spent over there in Iraq. How is it that none of that money was seen fit to spend on helping the victims of Katrina or re-building New Orleans? Or on better healthcare, education, poverty, our cities, the environment for folks living right here in the United States?

Still it's critical to talk about it because Democratic candidates looking for black votes will need to speak to us on those terms to be heard. And it also impacts the current national security. Quietly, the military has been dependent for generations on regular enlistment by young black soldiers. Why do you think that the educational and career opportunities are always touted. That's been the lure for young men and women eager to join (or stay in) the middle class. More HERE

1 comment:

rikyrah said...

I think the Anti-War on the other side of the racial fence just don't get it with regards to our community, and this war.

They think that the only way to protest this war is to be out on the mall somewhere.

I think Black people don't do that, by and large, because of the vestiges of the Vietnam War. Black folk watched how those protestor treated the people that came home from Vietnam - a lot of them with our skin color - and they were pissed off. We are a conservative people by nature. Plus, we have always seen the military as a possible way for improvement, not only career wise, but personal wise.

I bet everyone of us knows someone that joined the military, because they were 'on the edge', and it could have gone 'either way' with them and a parent took them down to the recruiting station, or the judge gave them a choice between the military and jail. And, the military wound up being the thing that gave their life definition.

I have to admit - if we weren't in this god awful war, I might have suggested to my nephew that he join the military. I think that it would possibly do him some good. My niece wanted to go to dental school, and the only ones who would pay for all of it was the Army. We begged and pleaded with her not to do it, so she's put it off.

We do our protesting by convincing our sons and daughters that they shouldn't sign up to be slaughtered in this debacle. We do our protesting with that. We DO however truly respect anyone in uniform, and I think that we suspect that those on the other side of the aisle, only give lip service about respecting the troops.

Black folk were out ahead of the curve. We were the only ones asking about Osama Bin Laden, and said this was a war about oil, and called unpatriotic, as is usually the case for people who don't jump on the patriotic bandwagon.

We would have to be completely out of Iraq for me to convince anyone to join up with the Army.

Someone complained about Obama's speech about the Armed Services and him saying that we needed more troops.

We are hurting. We need more troops. The ONLY reasons that we have the troop levels we have now are:
1. The BACKDOOR DRAFT
2. The HUGE re-signing bonuses
3. Allowing rural terrorists (White Supremacists) that otherwise would have been vetted out, to join
4. Allowing urban terrorists (Gang Bangers) that otherwise would have been vetter out, to join
5. Allowing actual CRIMINALS, yes, CRIMINALS to join

And, even with all of this, our troop levels are spread thin.

Before I encourage anyone to go into the military, we'd have to get out of Iraq. And, I know I'm not alone in thinking along those terms.