Reparations is not throwing stones....

It is said, "if you live in a glass house, don't throw stones." Yet, we continuously launch them at the establishment, although we have no platform on which to stand. Last night, I watched Al Sharpton on Sharp Talk. He led a discussion on Hurricane Katrina, her aftermath and the Government response. Like the good guard dogs that we are, we bark up the tree at Republicans, lick the feet of Democrats and receive nothing substantial from either.

Again, we need to understand Reparations...what it is, and what it is not. Reparations is about seizing opportunities, not waiting for them to be handed to us on a silver platter. We witness all the opportunities for economic prosperity unfolding in New Orleans. We witness the opportunity to build a city that meets the needs of our people. We witness the opportunity to seize political control of a city that means a great deal to the Country economically. Yet, instead of seizing the opportunity, we're waiting for someone to open the door for us.

We're upset because the majority of the contracts are going to white firms. We're upset because Mayor Nagin sought "right-wing" support. We're upset because the Government is not providing the people with a means by which to return to the city. Like Jay-Z's old parody, "the Mad Rapper," we are "Mad Citizens;" wasting time crying to the Ref about the last foul while the game is still being played. I like that "Mad Rapper" parody. What Jay was saying is that while everyone else complains about the game and how it's being played, he was going to focus on out-playing everyone. And, he has. As a present day Kennedy-type, he took his hustle to a higher level, ignoring unfairness and outsmarting the opposition. Who says you can't learn anything positive from a rapper?

We have to play the game better. We have to outsmart the opposition. In the scheme of things, who cares about what they didn't do in assisting the Katrina victims? What's more important is what we're going to do now. Don't get me wrong: having been through two hurricanes - one a 4, the other a 5 - I can completely empathize and sympathize with those who suffered Katrina. We in the United States Virgin Islands were without power for SIX (6) months! We were without telephone for about a YEAR! And in a small territory where there is very limited television (one local station), we were without cable for more than one year! Two and three years after the storm, people were still waiting for FEMA to send the money to fix their roofs. Two and three years later, our islands were still full of homes covered with blue FEMA tarp. So, believe me, we in the Virgin Islands understand.

But, once we understand what is our response? History should tell us that the Government isn't going to respond effectively. And, that's not a Democrat/Republican thing. That's a Government/Citizen thing. We must take charge of our destiny. The Declaration of Independence states that God endowed us with inalienable rights. It is we, ourselves, who are to pursue those rights. It is not the Government's duty to secure those rights for us. Nor, should we want the Government to do so. Do you really want the Government telling you how to be free?

Reparations says that WE lay claim to New Orleans. We ought to ensure that the 75% of New Orleaneans (Negro) are able to vote and have a 75% stake in the rebuilding of that city. We should be mad at the Congressional Black Caucus. Instead of holding the Government accountable for the future, they're busy trying to hold them accountable for the past. Meanwhile, the future is running away from us, and we're being shut out of the process.

Don't be hoodwinked! Don't be bamboozled! Reparations will not allow us to think as Democrats or Republicans, but as Negro people. We have joined the Democrats in blasting the Republicans over the response to Katrina. The Democrats are expecting us to vote Democratic in '06 and '08 (as usual) because of the "Republican response." But, has any Democrat given us a plan for what they will do to ensure that we receive that 75% stake in the rebuilding of New Orleans? They state how the response was inept. They talk about what they would have done differently, and if something like this happens again.

Why are we worrying about "if something like this happens again?" Christ tell us, let tomorrow worry about itself, and that today's worries are enough. Only God knows if we will face this type of destruction again. We do know, however, that we have to rebuild. We do know that we are being excluded from the rebuilding process. We do know that hundreds of thousands of New Orleaneans have been displaced, with no means of return and no reason to return. We do know that the dynamic of the city is changing as we speak; the game is still being played, while we cry foul to the Ref from what happened in the second quarter.

Reparations dictates that we find a way to make every situation work for us. How do we ensure that "New Orleans will be chocolate again?" How do we ensure that it is not only chocolate, but mint chocolate: brown with a strong base of green? Has a high-level Democrat pushed a program to do this? Has a high-level Republican done so? Until then, pledge no allegiance to neither...Get your Reparations!