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| Hard won freedom is easily lost |
| This being Juneteenth Week, as well as the
beginning of the official New Year designated by African- American News&Issues (at the
behest of our readers whose ancestors weren’t freed until June 19, 1865), we
definitely are analyzing any mainstream media news that remotely refers to our freedom, or
civil rights. And that’s the main reason the article (“Ashcroft loosens leash on
FBI”), which appeared in Houston’s only daily’s May 31, 2002 edition
captured my attention. It certainly comes as no surprise that U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was literally crammed down African-Americans and all other citizens of good conscience’s collective throats after the Republicans stole “Presidential Election 2000,” wants to give a revamped Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) more power to circumvent citizens’ inalienable rights-- guaranteed by the American leader who knew any thing about Ashcroft tried to tell the nation that he was bad news. Nevertheless, President-Elect George W. Bush, for some reason considered him the best man for the job. And that was long before 9/11. In that article, Ashcroft, who has already been accused-- on several occasions, following 9/11-- of becoming dangerously close to imposing apartheid on every citizen who looks remotely like Osama bin Laden’s relatives, was quoted as saying: “The new Justice Department guidelines governing investigations ‘emphasize that the FBI must not be deprived of using all lawful, authorized methods… to pursue and prevent terrorist attacks.” Ashcroft, who was referred to as an “American Fascist” in the Dec. 7, 2001 edition of American Politics Journal (an online political watchdog), wants to revise the guidelines. History-literate African-Americans certainly should remember when the rules in question were ruled unconstitutional during the 1960s’ civil rights struggle. Surely, you remember how Edgar Hoover’s FBI abused his investigative powers to infiltrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s bedroom? Need we mention he used covert operatives to destroy the Black Panther Party? The jury is still out (in the ‘hood), when it comes to the FBI’s involvement in Malcolm X’s assassination. Even so, Ashcroft feels that it’s important to allow FBI agents to bug or monitor public events, surf the Web, scour documents and use commercial data systems in an effort to prevent terrorist attacks. Civil libertarians have warned that the changes could infringe on privacy rights. In essence, the FBI could too easily abuse their guidelines and violate citizens’ constitutional rights. In short, 9/11 has created a situation much like the disastrous “War on Drugs,” that stepped all over African-Americans’ constitutional rights and filled the nation’s penal system with our children unjustly. Quite frankly, I’ve gotten tired of talking about how the powers that be… first created the drug problem and then used it to violate our civil rights with our blessings. African-Americans were so frustrated and confused about what was happening to their addicted children until they welcomed zero tolerance policing in their neighborhoods. Today, many Black leaders believe that the war on drugs did more damage to our neighborhoods than slavery. Edward R. Murrow, the legendary TV personality once said, “No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices,” and that’s why people like Ashcroft should be held in check. Just as a leopard can’t change its spots, the true Ashcroft (that Black leaders had warned the nation about) surfaced when the attorney general was called before Congress on Dec. 6, 2001. Ashcroft, according to APJ’s William Rivers Pitt, was downright defiant in the face of some skeptical Democratic senators. He actually shook a copy of an Al Qaeda terrorism handbook in the Senator’s faces. “This is proof positive,” Ashcroft explained, while defending the unprecedented restrictions being placed upon the commonest of American liberties. Rivers further reported: “In essence, John Ashcroft claims that if you question the unprecedented steps he and his justice department are taking, if you voice doubts about the concept of destroying freedom in order to save it, if you step out of the narrow line being drawn by he and Mr. Bush, you are a terrorist.” Using fear and patriotism as a sledge hammer, Ashcroft concluded: “If you dare to participate in the most fundamental American activity—dissent—you are aiding and abetting the murderous butchers who sent thousands of our citizens to death three months ago.” Unfortunately, African- Americans have been able to deal with many Ashcrofts who begrudge our hard won freedoms. And, as a result, due to the fact that most of the kids and racially-profiled Black citizens, are too poor to pay for due process, living in a Black neighborhood is no different than pre-Nelson Mandela South Africa. We won’t even discuss how our affirmative action gains have been revised to work against us. By the way, did you know that our right to vote will expire in the year 2007? Don’t take that news lightly, because the U.S. Supreme Court recently made a ruling on behalf of the North Carolina Board of Education that essentially ended school desegregation legislature that we won four decades ago? Did you know that? Probably not. I know I’m not getting much help, although I’m personally fighting against Aldine ISD’s ongoing plan to dismantle the desegregation plan that made its district the number one educator of minority kids in Texas. Thanks to the late Mr. Sampson and many others, the people in Acres Home fought long and hard to get Aldine schools to educate our children equally and it bothers me that the district now wants to fix what isn’t broken. Why? We’re told the desegregation plan had done its job and is no longer needed. If you believe that, you really won’t understand why hard won freedom is easily lost. |
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