[The Cushite]

Great discussion !!!!

The thing that frustrates me about black conservatives is that there seems to be a lack of love for black people in there critique of the black condition. To hear people like Alan Keyes and that 'ignant' preacha' Rev. Peterson say things like "black people just are immoral" and " we will stop being profiled by police when we stop committing most of the crimes" to me just seems shrouded in self -hatred. Min. Farakhan was on C-Span this morning and he fielded calls about the march on Saturday. One of the things that I noticed was that he has the same beliefs that many conservatives want to call 'conservative' (i.e. strong family, faith, and personal responsibility). This is why I state emphatically that these values don't have to translate into conservative politics, and that you can hold these values as sacred and not have to fall into the self-hatred that I see in many black conservatives. Min. Farakhan will be quick to point out that there is a lack of discipline in our community that translates into a lot of bad choices that can in turn characterize our social, economic, and spiritual condition. But, his love of black people informs his perspective, and as a result, he asks the question of why so many of our people are finding themselves in these adverse social circumstances? The conservative just responds with the whole immoral schtick that really irks me, because to repond that way just insults all of the good black people who happen to be poor and disenfranchised in our society. Min. Farakhan's perspective turns to the posibilty of institutional racism that has more credance with me because there is sufficient evidence of this, and the logic is more responsible.

As far as whether black conservatives are sellouts, I think if they do what Rev. Peterson did on C-span yesterday, saying things like "cities were doing fine until black folks started running them" and "the people in the superdome after Katrina were dirty, immoral people" then that makes you a sellout. Those types of comments are what endear black conservatives to many white people, because it justifies the subhuman consideration of black people by the mainstream (white) national conscience. You can have "traditional" values without the rampant self-hatred I see in many black conservatives. Black conservatives get no respect in the black community not because black people don't like traditional family values, but because black people many times actually love being black and don't see "blackness" as a moral disadvantage that has to be unlearned or cleansed in order to be fully American. Our enemy is not our blackness, but the systemic racism that eats away at the very fabric of this nation.

Do we need our own political party? I think so, because neither Democrats nor Republicans speak to our unique position as people who do have traditional values yet see the need for radical change in the social order. This doesn't mean that we have to be a monolithic people, be we do need to value our own humanity. We should do what these political parties do, have a core platform of "essentials" (i.e. elimination of systemic evils, control of our own economic, cultural, and educational institutions, etc.) while being able to disagree on "non-essentials" (methods or priorities). This doesn't require a charasmatic leader, just organization.

Blackwatch!!!!!!