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Thursday, January 3

New Jersey to Apologize for Slavery - WHY???

Now I’ve read it all.

I ran upon this gem of an article when I was reading the paper yesterday. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319549,00.html

“New Jersey considering an apology for slavery”.

Just for a moment, think about that headline.

What? With all that is going on in New Jersey politics, New Jersey schools, the price of gas, the insurance rates, the high taxes….this is what this representative from Essex County (the heart of political corruption, it seems) focuses on ? An apology for SLAVERY? How about apologizing for the lack of paid family leave? How about an apology for all the high taxes we in New Jersey have to pay. It just goes to show what is really important in our exalted legislature. And a rep from Essex County - the home of Newark, Jersey City and Orange, where the mayor was arrested for corruption – how about apologizing for that?

Although some may differ in opinion, slavery is a historical event, much like the Holocaust, where many people of a same race and/or religion were exterminated and/or eradicated culturally by moving them en masse from one country/continent to another. My comments here are not to lessen the impact of this historical event. (In fact, why don’t we demand an apology from the descendents of some of the African countries who sold these slaves in the first place? It wasn’t all about kidnapping, if you know your history!!)

This William Payne needs to get a life and look around in his own backyard:
“But Payne, an Essex Democrat, said an apology would comfort black residents and set an example for other states. "Slavery was an evil and shameful practice and New Jersey should profess remorse for its past involvement," he said.”

“Comfort black residents” COMFORT? Is New Jersey going to give me a great big motherly hug? No, thanks. Save your time and energy for something more productive that passing this stupid bill. So New Jersey apologizes….what difference would it make? Will it change the inherent racism that goes on even today? Will it change the incidence of black on black crime that takes place in low-income areas? Will it inspire the drug dealers who recruit little ones as young at 8 to stop their indoctrination? My guess is no….so what’s the point?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I posted an article about that on my blog yesterday morning when I first read the papers. It is appalling that is all he could come up with given the economic climate we are living in. Also, did you read what the Republicans had to say about it? Some lines of reasoning were absolutely true, others insulting. Yes, I agree with you, the Africans who sold our forefathers and mothers into slavery are the first people to blame.

Check out my blog: http://blackpoliticalthought.blogspot.com