The Past
The past is not so far away
I remember when “the cloud” was just something you worried about ruining a picnic
Slavery
Slavery is white-washed on Independence Mall
Most Americans can stand hearing the truth.
Race reltions
When Philly government discrimination is just peachy
I have long been on record as rejecting the idea that America suffers from “systemic racism.” Do we suffer from some racism? Yes. But does the system — meaning our laws — support it? No. But some governments do practice racism, and they are not always in the South. And the victims
Uncategorized
Reparations: San Francisco says “Sorry,” but no cash
Remember when you were dating, and you got a handshake instead of a kiss? Now imagine you got a handshake instead of $5 million. That’s how some Black San Franciscans are feeling after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors issued a formal apology for slavery, racism, and discrimination, but
Racism
Slavery did not end with the Civil War
I’m not sure why Michael Days recommended I read the Pulitzer Prize-winning, “Slavery by Another Name,” by Southern journalist Douglas A. Blackmon. It followed a brief discussion about race, which we sometimes had. Especially when Days was the editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, and I was the self-designated
Race
No, Florida is NOT saying slavery was beneficial
Here’s an unpleasant truth: During the Holocaust, in the Nazi death camps, some Jewish prisoners used their skills to escape extermination, even as their brethren were marched into gas chambers. Vice President Kamala Harris (left), has her facts wrong, says Dr. William Allen One example were Jewish musicians who
Democracy
What does the Fourth of July mean to you?
What does the Fourth of July mean to you? To me, being slightly cynical, one thing it means is a triumph of branding. July 4th = Independence. And Independence = Freedom. Who could be against that? Well, some African-Americans, who note that “independence” did not apply to most Black people in America.
Race Relations
Guest essay: Applying legal test, reparations might be zero
By Prof. John Banzhaf WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Several members of Congress have introduced a "Reparations NOW" resolution calling for $14 trillion in reparations for Black Americans, claiming that "The United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and
Race Relations
I lost my brain in San Francisco
I lost my brain in San Francisco Amidst the homeless and debris To be where Lincoln now is banned And reparations are in demand The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care The Woke waits there in San Francisco To hand out lots of cash for
Racism
Let’s discuss reparations
California may have created a template for a conversation about reparations, which we are bound to have. Repeat — may have. It is part of the “racial reckoning” ignited by the murder of ex-con George Floyd we are now experiencing. The idea of somehow “making whole” African-Americans who experienced loss because
Slavery
The black truth about slavery
Sad to say, The New York Times’ controversial 1619 Project opens with a lie that it never quite recovers from. The project -- challenged by numerous historians and journalists such as George Will https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/17/new-york-times-1619-project-historical-illiteracy-rolls-on/ -- begins with the premise that slavery in
Uncategorized
Small state, smaller racial idea
It’s always painful to admit ignorance, so it hurts when I say I had no idea that the full name of the state of Rhode Island is “the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” I’ve been there, had friends who lived there and showed me the Gilded