Charlie Crist “open” to reparations for slavery? Update: Portman for VP?
posted at 2:50 pm on March 26, 2008 by Allahpundit
A helpful reminder from an unlikely quarter that the new national conversation on race isn’t so new. Presumably Obama himself would be cool to this idea, believing as he does that white grievances are a function of economic insecurity and, therefore, would likely be intensified by massive compulsory redistributions of wealth based on race. And indeed he was cool to it during his senate run in 2004. Might be worth checking again.
As for Crist, if he’s angling for the VP slot, this is a mighty interesting way to do it:
As a black senator openly wept, the Florida Senate issued an apology Wednesday morning for the state’s ”shameful” history in enslaving black people and passing laws that called for savage lashings and even the nailing of their ears to posts for crimes like burglary…
The resolution stops short of calling for reparations for descendants of slaves, though Republican Gov. Charlie Crist said after the vote that he was open to the idea “if we can determine descendancy, certainly.”
Exit question: Big winner — Chris Cox? I don’t know much about him and I’m skeptical that he’s going to put California in play, but “hardcore conservative” and “omnicompetent” do have a certain ring to them…
Update: Er, who’s Rob Portman?
Blowback
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Charlie, from an angry Florida Republican…
JUST GO AWAY !
There are just too many skeletons in your closet.
stenwin77 on March 26, 2008 at 2:51 PM
I didn’t leave the Republican party. The Party left me.
TheBigOldDog on March 26, 2008 at 2:52 PM
Brilliant. Taking my money to give to someone I never did anything to and the person receiving it never actually had anything done to.
amerpundit on March 26, 2008 at 2:53 PM
Want to pass out money Charlie Brown, use your own and keep you grubby hands out of the taxpayers till.
Wade on March 26, 2008 at 2:53 PM
If this is enacted, I will not pay taxes the year it goes into effect.
Not a dime to reparations. It is truly blood libel and I will not pay.
My great-great-great-grandfather was imprisoned in Andersonville by Confederate Troops.
I will not pay federal taxes if a dime of it goes to reparations and if the federal government wants a new civil war, they will have it.
NoDonkey on March 26, 2008 at 2:53 PM
You can say that again!
Weight of Glory on March 26, 2008 at 2:54 PM
And considering my family never owned slaves, strongly opposed slavery and fought for the Union, I wouldn’t have to pay, right? Right?
amerpundit on March 26, 2008 at 2:55 PM
Get ‘em while you can
Weight of Glory on March 26, 2008 at 2:55 PM
It just figures! Mrs. Obama pays Mr. Obama, and Mrs. Clinton pays Mr. Clinton.
JiangxiDad on March 26, 2008 at 2:56 PM
I owned no slaves, therefore I will pay no reparations.
If they want a firestorm regarding race, try to force reparations….
Darksean on March 26, 2008 at 2:56 PM
Ditto that. If they pay descendants of the slaves, they also must pay the descendants of those who died trying to free them (MY RELATIVES).
stenwin77 on March 26, 2008 at 2:56 PM
Uh, while they are in an apologetic mood, is Gov. Crist and The Florida State Senate ready to issue an apology to the Seminole Indian Nation for having their land yanked right out from under them about 200 or so years ago?
pilamaye on March 26, 2008 at 2:57 PM
Are you a honkey or not? I’m sure that’d be the only qualifier.
lorien1973 on March 26, 2008 at 2:57 PM
Sweet merciful heavens.
funky chicken on March 26, 2008 at 2:57 PM
One more thought:
Obama’s family owned slaves once upon a time. Does that mean Obama would get reparations for the cruelty…his ancestors inflicted on others?
amerpundit on March 26, 2008 at 2:58 PM
Wait until you folks hear John
Kerry’sMcCain’s speech on foreign policy today… I had sound bites on Rush and it’s obvious why he thought about being Kerry’s running mate and leaving the party. God help us.TheBigOldDog on March 26, 2008 at 2:58 PM
Crist said after the vote that he was open to the idea “if we can determine descendancy, certainly.”
That’ll cost more than the reperations.
Taking my money to give to someone I never did anything to and the person receiving it never actually had anything done to. – amerpundit
Exactly. But hey, you deserve to be punished!
I, on the other hand will break even, my money will be taken from me and given to my wife (who is black) but then again, that happens every day.
Tony737 on March 26, 2008 at 2:59 PM
Amen brother. The reparations were paid in blood in America’s bloodiest conflict.
TheBigOldDog on March 26, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Sounds to me like Florida was paralleling Islam in terms of slavery, whippings and torture. It took many Black Americans another hundred years to embrace this type of culture as their own by becoming Muslims and supporting Islamic expansion….and they wish to get more race entitlements for what?
Hening on March 26, 2008 at 3:01 PM
eh maybe if the reparations were put into black college funds or helped improve inner-city schools then ok, but monetary rewards would probably just intensify animosity between the races. There are some instances where monetary reparations might make sense though, like in the case of the victims of the Tulsa race riots, where some of the victims and their childrena are alive and easily identified.
crr6 on March 26, 2008 at 3:01 PM
they also must pay the descendants of those who died trying to free them (MY RELATIVES). – stenwin77
Good point Sten, what if it can be proven your family was involved in the Abolition movement? Do you get paid reparations too?
Tony737 on March 26, 2008 at 3:01 PM
I agree. I cannot believe this. I had ancestors who fought on both sides of the Civil War.
Reparations have already been paid in blood.
INC on March 26, 2008 at 3:02 PM
I’m from a Southern family, and my great-great grandfather was one of 9 children during the War. He was the only survivor.
Almost exterminating the Hoods isn’t enough for them?
Techie on March 26, 2008 at 3:02 PM
I think Crist needs some directions, he sounds like he’s lost his party.
4shoes on March 26, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Calm down. Think about it. That was his polite way of saying, “It ain’t never happenin’”
tommylotto on March 26, 2008 at 3:04 PM
There is a void at the top of the Conservative Party, and nobody is stepping in to fill it.
PappaMac on March 26, 2008 at 3:05 PM
That was his polite way of saying, “It ain’t never happenin’” – tommylotto
I was thinkin’ the same thing Tommy. It would take so long that we’d all be gone by the time they figured it out, and the cost would be more than the reparations.
Tony737 on March 26, 2008 at 3:06 PM
Reparations?
You want 10 foot fries with that?
BL@KBIRD on March 26, 2008 at 3:07 PM
A second civil war brewing indeed. The only people who believe they deserve reparations are people who are already on the government teat. Just another entitlement.
txsurveyor on March 26, 2008 at 3:07 PM
tommylotto,
It’s not that hard to determine descendancy. There are many records from the time. I have relatives who are avid genealogy researches.
Shall the sins of the fathers be paid for by the 5th, 6th and 7th generations?
INC on March 26, 2008 at 3:09 PM
“League of Democracies”, God help us, indeed!
Seven Percent Solution on March 26, 2008 at 3:09 PM
/Looks at his Great Great Grandfathers UNION Civil War Saber…
Nope, not gonna pay…
Romeo13 on March 26, 2008 at 3:13 PM
Have you given privately yet?
JiangxiDad on March 26, 2008 at 3:13 PM
Can someone tell me why Crist is a Republican?
Clark1 on March 26, 2008 at 3:13 PM
A fair reparation plan may be a good idea.
I believe family ancestry should be a factor in reparations for slavery, at least, a class action law suit would be based on this concept. For example, my ancestors did not own slaves. Therefore, a share system should be designed that would eliminate the possibility that my family would participate in reparations in any manner. This would mean no loss of wealth in any manner for my family including payouts from the federal government. Why should my children suffer for something they had nothing to do with?
Also, a benefit analysis system that would determine how a particular slave owning family benefited financially from slavery should be established. For example, if a family owned hundreds of slaves and benefited greatly from this ownership, that family’s wealth should be impacted greater than families that owned just a few slaves and benefited only slightly from ownership.
Next, a system that accounts for care for slaves should be determined. If a slave received housing, food, clothing, and medical care, a portion of reparations should not be paid since the slave family was already partially compensated.
Of course, a person would have to prove that he or she was a descendant of a slave beyond a shadow of a doubt. If he or she has mixed ancestry, a pro-rata reparation would be in order. Just saying “my great great great grandmother was a slave” would mean zip.
Remember, a fair reparation plan would be court tested and only a completely fair system would be acceptable.
saved on March 26, 2008 at 3:13 PM
Chin up all you McCain lovers, – this man (I use the term carelessly) just might be McCain’s running mate and only one heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
stenwin77 on March 26, 2008 at 3:15 PM
So people who never knew their slave ancestor should get money from people who never owned slaves and never knew anyone who owned slaves?
amerpundit on March 26, 2008 at 3:15 PM
Original sin can only be absolved by Charlie the Reparationist.
dmann on March 26, 2008 at 3:16 PM
Doubt it. Crist becomes less popular by the day and would really only help in Florida — a state I’m pretty sure McCain would carry anyway.
amerpundit on March 26, 2008 at 3:16 PM
That doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t own slaves. Many a Union lad had slaves back home. Just sayin.
Thing is, they are about 130 years late with this I should think. How many ethically challenged folks in the African American community are going to suddenly discover their ancestors were owned by one of the Forbes 100 founders?
Reparations is a fine idea for the generation afflicted but 4 and 5 genealogical leaps later? Please. Crist is either pandering for an appointment or he’s a loon. Either way, as Kos might say, Screw’m.
Pilgrim on March 26, 2008 at 3:17 PM
What, I’d actually get behind a League of Democracies. One of the UN’s fatal flaws is that we delude ourselves into thinking that making Libya, Syria, and the Ivory Coast our equals in world standing is a good idea.
Techie on March 26, 2008 at 3:17 PM
Ya know,
That bill was alledgedly paid by more than 350,000 Federal soldiers who lost their lives to end slavery.
One point I am still wating to hear someone talk about is the number of free blacks who were also slave holders. The 1860 census data shows that in Virginia alone,. there were some 5,000 free blacks who owneed slaves.
But, yeaj, the problem is sorting out who is an actual descendant of a slave. Gonna be as bad as figuring out who the legitimate Indians are when casino licences come up for grabs……
AW1 Tim on March 26, 2008 at 3:17 PM
Um, are you nuts?
The only people who would win in your scenario are the lawyers… as this would be litigated forever, all with 2 lawyers charging an hourly rate…
Romeo13 on March 26, 2008 at 3:18 PM
The time for reparations did exist at one point and that time was the 1870s. That timeframe passed a long time ago.
Techie on March 26, 2008 at 3:18 PM
That sounds onerous, and would hit minorities, elderly and the poor the hardest. Typical heartless Republican sentiment. You’re the same type that want people to provide photo ID when voting. Surely taking someone’s claim at face value should be sufficient. And don’t you dare discriminate against our new
illegal“immigrants.” Without them, this country would be nothing and there’d be no reparation $ to pay anyone.JiangxiDad on March 26, 2008 at 3:19 PM
Just wait until the illegal aliens want reparations. The big corporations are getting rich on their cheap labor.
Just wait… it’s gonna happen.
stenwin77 on March 26, 2008 at 3:19 PM
I owned no slaves, so I owe no reparations. If anything, the government should pay me reparations for being enslaved by the IRS.
saiga on March 26, 2008 at 3:19 PM
Looks at his Great Great Grandfather’s picture with visible wounds…
Nope, my family paid already.
Pilgrim on March 26, 2008 at 3:20 PM
We should also put the sons of murderers in jail; if their parent (mother or father) is never convicted of the crime and evidence of guilt was only available after their passing.
lorien1973 on March 26, 2008 at 3:20 PM
Seems Obama owes some reparations.
amerpundit on March 26, 2008 at 3:21 PM
Well, someone better tell our wonderful Gov because he believes he’s going to be the VP.
Can’t find him anywhere around Florida, he’s off campaigning with Johnny.
stenwin77 on March 26, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Surely you jest. If not, head to the emergency room immedeately.
saiga on March 26, 2008 at 3:23 PM
It’s just feel-good silly-talk for intellectual lightweights. Don’t take it seriously. I have a better chance of turning in the Hulk. This is something that people talk about every few years, and will continue talking about every few years, until long past the time when all of us are dead. It’s like those locust that sleep underground and pop up every few years, a sort of naturally occuring pundit event.
Don’t get your panties in a wad. This too shall pass.
Vote Sauron 08 on March 26, 2008 at 3:24 PM
Charlie never fixed the Insurance crisis, his budget cuts forcing laying off thousands of Cops, Firefighters and Teachers to save every homeowner $240 on their taxes is a joke.
Don’t know where they’ll get reparation money other than charging $20 to everyone on their way OUT of the state.
My GG Grandfather lost his leg in the Civil War fighting for the North. INC’s right, we already paid…..
Fires1 on March 26, 2008 at 3:24 PM
Sounds like typical Manager-ese!
dmann on March 26, 2008 at 3:25 PM
Let’s pay reparations. However, the payback needs to be offset by the difference between the recipients current income and their counterpart in Africa.
Since most Africans are in abject poverty, I think most African-Americans would own the government something.
SPCOlympics on March 26, 2008 at 3:25 PM
What is Obama’s policy on Reparations?
pseudonominus on March 26, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Didn’t the slaves get reparations after the war? I vaguely remember something about 10 acres and a mule for freed slaves. Maybe a history buff here can enlighten me on this.
txsurveyor on March 26, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Does any one no anybody, anybody at all who enslaved blacks?…who in this country, has ever met someone who enslaved blacks?
Here I’ll say it for all of the living slaves…oh wait, there are no slaves in this century or the last century…I’ll say it anyway, sorry one of your relatives was a slave. And before that, sorry one of your relatives sold him to a slave company. And before that, sorry your relatives owned slaves…slavery, as wrong as it was, had been around for more then a few thousand years…oh I forgot, has Egypt ever apologized to Jews? they were only slaves for a few hundred years…
And who the do black slave owners apologize to?
I am sorry anyone was a slave or indentured servant (blacks, germans, irish, etc.)…but better to have been that, and living here, then still living in Africa.
right2bright on March 26, 2008 at 3:26 PM
My family fought in the Civil War to free the Black Man, does that mean I submit a bill??? and to who???
Mike Mose on March 26, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Pay it and get it over with.
1. It will end a major argument once and for all.
2. No more race based affirmative action.
I seriously say put it to a vote and tie #2 into it.
- The Cat
MirCat on March 26, 2008 at 3:27 PM
I’ve had family here for around 300 years. Mostly from Maine so I know I had family fight for the Union. I also have Cherokee blood in me. When am I going to see a check for the trail of tears? Eh? Oh, it’s only for blacks? Pity.
Reparations huh?
Who the heck is going to go through everyone’s genealogy to distribute the funds? This is a bad idea all the way around. We cannot set a precedent on this or it will never end.
I never owned a slave. I never met a slave, have you? It’s all booshite and if you think the majority of whites will lay down for this, I think you are mistaken.
Geronimo on March 26, 2008 at 3:27 PM
.
Brilliant!!!
dmann on March 26, 2008 at 3:27 PM
Brothers and Sisters,
It’s time, it’s long past time to own up to the suffering caused by slavery. Yes, reparations are due to those who suffered under slavery and those who fought to end it. Yes I say again, it’s time that the authors of the nation’s tragedy be forced to pay for all the centuries of misery they caused.
My friends and neighbors, there is one – and only one – entity still in operation today that has not paid for its perfidy. It’s time to pay, it’s time to pay! I point the accusing finger towards that organization which still exists and causes misery today. They’ve never been justly punished for what they caused. Today is the day! Today is the day! Now is the time! Now is the time!
Let justice be done! Let justice be done! I demand that the federal government bill this group for all the costs of the Late Unpleasantness. They owe reparations to all the descendants of slaves, to all the descendants of Union soldiers killed and wounded, and even to the descendants of the poor Confederate soldiers who were forced to fight to defend a way of life most abhorrent to civilized men. Yes, fellow citizens. I demand the authors of all the evil that caused the great war be charged with the full cost of making the nation whole!!! I demand the federal government heal the wounds caused by slavery and its effects by immediately confiscating all assets and future assets of the true authors of our pain: The Democrat Party! Can I get an A-men?
/bloody shirt
ScottG on March 26, 2008 at 3:27 PM
What about paying me reparations for having to endure rap music?
What about reparations for families of ancestors that died in the civil war?
Everyone now days seems to want something for nothing. Sue for hot coffee, win the lotto, everyone is a victim and someone should pay for it. It reminds me of the “nuke the Gay Whales for Jesus” campaign.
saiga on March 26, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Descendancy would need to be determined on both sides, right? Reparations would only be proper if only paid to the descendants of slaves and if only paid by the descendants of slave owners. And you are right, with DNA and other records maybe we could figure it out. However, considering how much cross-pollination there was between slaves and slave owners, I’d bet most African Americans would be paying the reparations to themselves.
And don’t look to me. My descendants were rock farmers on the slopes of Mt. Etna when all that was going on. So, I have my own historical grievance. My peeps were subjected to an endless parade of conquerors: Carthaginians, Greek, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Byzantines all traded my homeland like the center square on a chessboard. In 827 A.D. even the Muslim Arabs got in on the act and occupied Sicily, subjugating the populace – forcing them either to convert to Islam or become second-class dhimmi. Then the Normans drove the Muslims out in the 1060’s – the same time their relatives were conquering England. The German (Swabian) Hohenstaufen rulers replaced the Normans. The Germans were replaced by the French (Anjou), who were replaced by the Spanish, who were replaced by other French (Savoy), then the Austrian Hapsburgs, then still other French (Bourbon).
There was a revolution in the 1860’s and independence was finally thought a possibility, but in 1866, the reunified Italian navy bombarded Palermo and conquered the island. The Italians summarily executed hundreds of thousands of Sicilians, burned villages and imposed a cruel martial law to maintain order. The sicilian economy collapsed and people were starving. It was at about this time, that my grandfather said “Screw It” and moved to Monteclair, New Jersey… He didn’t complain about 3,000 years of persecution. He just got out of Dodge and opened a barber shop. So, explain to me, again, exactly why I should feel guilty because some unrelated white man, at a time long ago, in a land far away from any of my predecessors gave fetters to negros, or gave small pox to savages or stole the brown man’s land.
AND THEN REV. WRIGHT CALLS ME A GARLIC NOSE!!!
tommylotto on March 26, 2008 at 3:29 PM
I’m thinking the same thing. What’ll it cost me? $1000? $5000? I’ll pay it if it means my kids don’t have to worry about race when they apply to college.
tlynch001 on March 26, 2008 at 3:29 PM
sure as long as you adjust for the damages done to Africans by colonialism i.e. loss of natural resources, infrastructure entirely geared towards extraction of said resources, government oppression, resulting dissillusionment with govt etc. The whole “they’re better off being enslaved for 300 some years, lynched and de jure discriminated against for another 100 then if we had left them alone” is tired and frighteningly ignorant.
crr6 on March 26, 2008 at 3:30 PM
Don’t care what Charlie says. Great great grandad fought for the Confederacy, though neither he nor any of his immediate family owned slaves. Matter of fact, he almost went to jail for teaching slave children to read. The only thing that got him out of being behind bars was his defense that he was teaching them to read the Bible. That and his standing in the community. Nope, sorry Charlie, this Florida resident will fight tooth and nail on this one.
jcon96 on March 26, 2008 at 3:30 PM
I would guess that pretty much every person on the planet can probably truthfully claim some ancestor’s enslavement at some point in history. If I can prove that my ancestors were enslaved by the ancient Romans, can I demand reparations from Italy? Apparently I should spend every waking moment of my life simmering with anger and hatred toward Italians for the enslavement of my ancestors, too.
Pretty much any Jew in the world today can sue Egypt for reparations, right? Imagine how much they’re owed for all the labor their ancestors did to build the pyramids, adjusted for inflation!
Plus, most people don’t realize that many Africans sold other Africans into slavery at the height of the slave trade. Do they owe reparations for capturing and selling members of neighboring tribes for a profit?
Why is it just the U.S. government and just slaves of African descent that count when it comes to historical tit-for-tat?
aero on March 26, 2008 at 3:31 PM
I didn’t leave the Republican party. The Party left me.
TheBigOldDog on March 26, 2008 at 2:52 PM
Unfortunately Ronald Reagan said the same thing about the Democrat party
flytier on March 26, 2008 at 3:31 PM
Both my grandmothers came over on the boat, as did one grandfather’s family. Now I did have some family in the US before the Civil War, but they were on the Union side — in uniform. So does that mean I only pay 1/4th? And do Derek Jeter & Mariah Carey get only 1/2 reparations (being biracial). And why in hell does Michael Jordan need dime one of my money. He’s got way more than I’ll ever have.
This is an asinine idea. No way in hell would I pay it.
rbj on March 26, 2008 at 3:32 PM
“That doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t own slaves. Many a Union lad had slaves back home. Just sayin.”
My relatives were off the boat from Germany and Missouri farmers. Not a lot of cotton farmed in Missouri.
Historically, Germans did not own slaves (how many black Americans have German surnames, they’re all Irish and English) and my relatives were far too poor anyway, like most farmers back then.
NoDonkey on March 26, 2008 at 3:33 PM
Hey, Obama might be descended from slave-owners since his mother was a white American, but he is definitely NOT descended from slaves since his father was from Kenya. Where does that put him in this rhetorical reparations game? I expect him to avoid any discussion of reparations if he possibly can.
aero on March 26, 2008 at 3:33 PM
An ancestor of mine was hung by the KKK for cutting down a black man hung by the KKK, and although I had ancestors on both sides in the War of Northern Aggression, none had any slaves. This is truly BS, and will certainly cause more problems.
jdawg on March 26, 2008 at 3:35 PM
Well, my family wasn’t in the US before 1867, so I guess I’m safe from paying… (sarc).
I do agree Crist was saying ‘good luck with that’ in other words. The bright spot in all of this is that he probably just said goodbye to the number two slot.
Think_b4_speaking on March 26, 2008 at 3:35 PM
ameripundit:
How do you feel about the billions of dollars that European countries have paid for Holocaust reparations? I doubt if more than 0.1% of them were involved with the killing of Jews in WWII. And as for those receiving the reparations, not much seems to be trickling down to the Holocaust survivors, a third of which live in poverty.
dave742 on March 26, 2008 at 3:36 PM
First let me say that I’m not trying to be racial here.
That said, wouldn’t reparations involve repatriating them to the country of their ancestors origin? Because unless another of their later ancestors had chosen to immigrate here, isn’t that where they’d be living now? Present them with this scenario and of course they’d cry racism, but for them it’s not about true reparations, it’s all about the money.
Kowboy on March 26, 2008 at 3:36 PM
Tracing the ancestry of every American is way to complicated. The only workable solution is to assess an institution that was in existence at the time which has assets to distribute today. I’m not talking about businesses, but some sort of organization — such as a political party — that had a direct hand in promoting and advocating slavery, and actually wrote the laws making it possible.
I would double the fine if that political party ever advocated open rebellion against the United States.
Nosferightu on March 26, 2008 at 3:36 PM
Billions for defense, not one red penny for tribute.
Seems I read that (or something similar) once before…
jdawg on March 26, 2008 at 3:38 PM
Crist is pandering, he’s not a governor, he’s a pimp. Wonder if his view would change if the money were coming out of HIS pocket?
GarandFan on March 26, 2008 at 3:38 PM
JiangxiDad on March 26, 2008 at 3:38 PM
We have already paid in welfare funding, low income housing, support for out of wedlock births,food stamps, grants and loans for school,medicaid, crime, prisons to hold all the black murderers,thugs, etc- shall I go on. Reparations have been paid.
nnaus on March 26, 2008 at 3:40 PM
I can’t believe people of sound mind are even thinking about this nonsense. It must be some perverse offshoot of the Stockholm Syndrom. Political correctness run amuck.
saiga on March 26, 2008 at 3:41 PM
You’ve got to be f’in kidding me.
My great-grandfather’s house was broken into ’round about 1860. Do I need to go find out who stole his money and track down their great-grandson and ask him to pay up? Hm, I think adjusted for inflation, he’d probably owe me about $50K. Yeah, that sounds about right.
CP on March 26, 2008 at 3:41 PM
All have different and more benign colonial histories than Africa. India was the “jewel in the crown”. And did you seriously compare N. America’s colonial history to Africa’s? Serious question, have you graduated from highschool?
crr6 on March 26, 2008 at 3:42 PM
I thought we’d been paying reparations for over 40 years. Affirmative Action sound familoiar?
FishFearMe on March 26, 2008 at 3:43 PM
Your first link refers to an article which states that 70% of the Holocaust survivors living in Israel receive NO reparations because they emigrated to Israel after ’53.
Your second link refers to poor Holocaust survivors now living in Israel who emigrated there from the USSR.
Neither of your own links supports your own contention.
Do the heirs of Holocaust victims receive continued payments? I think not.
If you have a deed to a piece of property in Berlin, for example, that was confiscated by the Nazi Gov’t, do you believe the heirs have a legal right to try and claim the property?
JiangxiDad on March 26, 2008 at 3:45 PM
Ah, you don’t like any of the examples cited. Perhaps you meant to say that only Africa didn’t benefit from its colonial phase.
JiangxiDad on March 26, 2008 at 3:46 PM
And, all of that expense didn’t seem to do much good. And in too many cases, it did more harm than good. Getting people addicted to something for nothing is bad for the human spirit.
saiga on March 26, 2008 at 3:47 PM
“I owned no slaves, therefore I will pay no reparations”
Anybody who really feels that reparations are necessary is out of his/her minds! How far back are we supposed to go with this foolishness? 200 years? 500 years? How about 1000 years and let’s all make up for man’s inhumanity to man since the printed press! Shall we also pay for the damage we did in WWI, WWII and so on? How about paying the South back for the hardship the North imposed after the Civil War?
I, for one, will NEVER pay reparations for slavery, Manifest Destiny or any other agenda-driven, hair-brained attempt to buy votes. That is all this is one and all. Another attempt to buy votes!
JonR on March 26, 2008 at 3:47 PM
Descendants of slaves have been given their reparations. They are not living in Africa where even today some are sold into slavery, dying of AIDS, slaughtering or being slaughtered in the name of allah or any number of reasons it’s better to live here rather than there. Citizens of the USA, be they Black, White or Green with Purple Polka Dots should count their luck stars that they are where they are and simply S.T.F.U.
Oh, and Charlie Crist is an idiot.
Swinehound on March 26, 2008 at 3:47 PM
Probably for the same reason that Juan is a Republican.
Probably a lot sooner than you think.
Nope, if you are a honkey, you must still pay.
MB4 on March 26, 2008 at 3:49 PM
I think I probably had some ancestors who were slaves. I accept cash, major credit cards and personal checks (with proper ID).
Cicero43 on March 26, 2008 at 3:49 PM
Awwwwww crap!!! Someone’s gunning for Veep.
Reparations? More like rape-a-nation. How much more in affirmative action and social programs are needed?
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on March 26, 2008 at 3:49 PM
How about all of those “open” to paying reparations, well, “open” their own wallets first?
Starting with this stooge.
NoDonkey on March 26, 2008 at 3:50 PM
Well then, let Crist pay them!!
jeanie on March 26, 2008 at 3:51 PM
The irony and “dirty little secret” here is that there is probably a larger percentage of “Black people” who have white slave owners as ancestors than the percentage of “White people” who do.
MB4 on March 26, 2008 at 3:51 PM
There isn’t a black man or woman alive today who was a slave. The only thing paying them reparations will do is encourage them to not do anything with their lives. After all, bitching and whining pays.
The white man is no longer keeping the black man down. Obama is proof that a black man is on an even playing ground.
The only thing keeping the black man down, is the black man himself.
E L Frederick (Sniper One) on March 26, 2008 at 3:52 PM
*shrug*
If these folks are smart, they’ll ask for their reparations in Euros.
spmat on March 26, 2008 at 3:52 PM
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