Cobb: Say Thank You, Dammit

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September 15, 2005

Say Thank You, Dammit

Now is the time for all good Reparationists to thank God for Katrina and thank George W. Bush for 60 Billion dollars.

Over at Booker Rising, an interesting angle cropped up on the matter of Reparations and Republicans. But my angle is this: Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are basically the heart of Dixie. Anybody and everybody knows that most of the blackfolks who live there represent those too unfortunate to migrate. I'll state it plainly. If you didn't get out in the Civil War and you didn't get out after the failure of Reconstruction, and you didn't get out during the Great Migration of the 1920s and you didn't get out in the Civil Rights Movement and you are still stuck in the South and poor and black...DAMN!

Now let's say you didn't get out in Katrina either. Symbolically, is there anyone more oppressed and downtrodden and left behind than poor blackfolks who have, since Slavery, missed five generational opportunities to leave Dixie? I mean, DAMN!

Now I'm going to jump on the rhetorical bandwagon of one of my idiot commenters for a moment to make a point:

70 percent of New Orleans is African American. I don't know the stats, but I'm willing to bet that's more than any other city in this country, where the colored is the majority. I've been there once and despite the distractions of drunk women, packed bars, and loud music; I glimpsed the iron hot tin roof history of segregation being perpetuated in the old city. It was simple too, I simply noticed who was working where. At my hotel- the mariot in the French quarter- The receptionists, cashiers, and information clerks were all white. But the maintanence workers, all of them were black! I read in our local paper today that there are no hotel's in New Orlean's owned by African Americans and If you want proof of this fact ask me and I'll post another reply with the link.

These are the people who are going to reap the benefits of SIXTY BILLION DOLLARS OF FEDERAL AID, FREE!. Those blackfolks from New Orleans typify the beneficiaries of those dollars that America just can't seem to give away fast enough. Unless Osama bin Laden drops a nuke on Harlem there is never going to be another opportunity for poor black people to get free Federal Aid on this scale for 100 years. THIS is Reparations. The more you have been saying that blackfolks are getting the short end of the deal, the more on the hook you are for recognizing what goods are coming. If Katrina was a hurricane of race, then blacks have to be said to be reaping the whirlwind windfall of Federal largess. There's no way around it.

America has, unwillingly to be sure, looked at black poverty and squalor dead in the face, longer than anybody ever wanted to - for weeks on end. This isn't the OJ Simpson trial, this isn't about Rodney King, it's about destitute black faces on the air 24/7. Enough so that just about everybody freaked out and said something stupid. From Barbara Bush, to Kanye West to Wolf Blitzer to Randall Robinson, the gaffes just gushed. Why? Because nobody knew how to handle a black catastrophe - which is poor black people taking center stage in America's living room.

Now it's done. And the President of the United States has said unequivicably that New Orleans is too important to abandon. He's giving away money. Let me repeat that. He's giving away money. You don't have a job? Here's $5000 for training. You don't have a house? Here's free government land so you can build a new one. You need a place to stay in the mean time? Here's $600 a month for 6 months. All that on top of unemployment insurance, Social Security and all the other entitlements. This, ladies and gentlemen is field day, and don't think that Conservatives aren't bitching under their breath.

The same people who couldn't stand the idea of victims of September 11th getting government money, can't stand the idea of Katrina victims getting government money. I know that some Lefty blacks from the Coalition of the Damned can't take any pride unless they feel that their successes are costing whitefolks a pound of flesh. I assure you that teeth are gnashing. But that changes nothing. Step up to the trough ladies and gentlemen. It's feeding time.

When I was in New Orleans this spring, I looked at the gorgeous old homes on Esplanade just south of City Park and I said, man I could live here. But I talked to my Uncle Clyde and he told me about the school shootings and the ugly side. And I thought what a pity.. if only.. Well, if only has happened and I'm thinking about it again. I know I won't go because I couldn't stand myself taking advantage of this blatant opportunity. But anybody who lives in New Orleans (not that you have your ID or anything) should be taking huge advantage. Git while the gittin' is good. This is shameless time.

Anyway, this is what I'm thinking. Reparations is now. As they used to say around the way, if you're slow, you blow. You better recognize. And say thank you to your president, the Compassionate Conservative who cares about 60 Billion dollars worth.

Posted by mbowen at September 15, 2005 08:39 PM

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Comments

Cobb, I agree. I just wrote on VC that his speech sounded like something Blacks should be agreeing with.

I can't wait to see the reaction.

Come on, this is more "poverty program".

This speech had to be written by a Black person.

More later...

Posted by: DarkStar at September 15, 2005 09:32 PM

Sometimes, I have to agree that you do deserve a higher profile in blogspace. Posts like this are a prime example. It's hard not to agree with the thrust of what you're saying (if not entirely with the how). Still, my built-in, handy-dandy heebie-jeebie detector glows yellow. Might be out of habit, tho.

Posted by: memer at September 16, 2005 08:18 AM

p.s. do you still have to say thank you to a rube who's owed you money for, like, forever? i'm more likely to snatch my cash and say, "damn, nga."

Posted by: memer at September 16, 2005 08:19 AM

nah, that would be like the minister saying, after alter call, "It's about time".

Posted by: Cobb at September 16, 2005 12:20 PM

Cobb, I'm surprised at you, breaking out the "bubbly" before one red cent of that money is actually in action. I will not deny that the offer is indeed generous, so a "thanks for the consideration" is due. However, is that all it will be--just a consideration, overblown then reduced signifcantly?

Posted by: JW at September 16, 2005 10:12 PM

Oh please. If you thought it was for Halliburton you'd be bawling your eyes out.

Posted by: Cobb at September 16, 2005 11:08 PM

How much of the $60M do you really think Black folks are going to see or get a chance to reap the benefits, either individually or collectively? Many have said they aren't going to return to New Orleans. Many can't return even if they wanted to, especially if they aren't property owners, to get their share of these "reparations."

Posted by: Peaches at September 17, 2005 07:13 PM

More than they ever did before, or ever will again. And that's all that needs to be said. If blackfolks have decided to be elsewhere when the good are handed out, what can we tell them? If we were crooks or racists, we'd probably tell them what the Democrats will tell them. Don't believe Bush, he really doesn't mean it. Stay away. That money's not really for you. Don't even try. That's what you're saying isn't it Peaches?

Jeez.

Posted by: Cobb at September 17, 2005 10:50 PM

Amen, my brother! Trackback

Posted by: PurpleMD at September 22, 2005 11:43 PM