"Eldridge Cleaver made his way back to the United States in 1975. Upon his return, he claimed to be a Republican, born-again Christian, and anti-Communist. In 1978, he explained his "religious conversion" in another book, Soul on Fire, was arrested on parole violation, and was released on probation in 1980.
Over time, he began to pull away from Newton and Seale. As the Black Panther Party leaned towards community programs such as housing for the homeless, free food and clothing, and free health clinics, Cleaver kept his old ideas of revolution.
He attempted to win the Republican California nomination for senator in 1986, but failed. "Red-fighting" was part of his congressional platform."
snood,
The topic is loaded. That does not mean you were untoward, just that it is a loaded topic.
I don't think I know what you wanted and only said that I felt it was a thread that you wanted to give direction to. It might have been as simple as a thread in which you wanted people to stay on topic. Or just a subject that you were eager to discuss. To clarify I felt that you really wanted something and make no guess as to what it was.
I waited and if I was wrong I was wrong. 'Tis just a discussion. But there is nothing inherently evil about wanting a discussion to go a certain way (e.g. I like my topics to stay on-topic). My mentioning it is simply to note that it is possible that others feel this way. I was unsure of the thread's direction to the degree that I witheld comment for a while. I simply raise the possibility that others might have done the same. Who knows.
Is till think this is a thread that was special to you and that you wanted to see meaningful discussion. That's not crafty. But it might be unrealistic. For example there have been many topics that I wish were serious but they dissolve into drivel.
SC,
I do not equate gender equality with feminism anymore. I fully spport gender equality.
snood wrote:Was it Stokely, or H. Rap Brown who later became a staunch republican?
Or maybe Eldridge Cleaver?
(man, reading "Soul on Ice" as a teen really fucked up my head for awhile, but I digress...)
Yes, truth is stranger than fiction: as BillW wrote, it was Eldridge Cleaver; for info on the other 2:
http://www.nathanielturner.com/hrapbrownsharif.htm
and
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/year.review/obits/politics.government/#carmichael
Er, this thread has got me thinkin', again. (That's good! Mostly.)
Is Experience the Only Path to True Understanding?
Stokely Carmichael, or, Kwame Ture, as he renamed himself, died in 1998 in Guinea, of prostate cancer. After he split from Martin Luther King's non-violence approach he advocated violent change all the way to his end. He would answer every phone call with, "Ready for the revolution."
All told, I'm heartened by what this thread has produced.
Our serenity is inversely proportional to our expectations. (12 step stuff)
None of us is untainted. Poison of this kind, once in the system, however minutely, never is wholly purged. But we don't have to let it rule even small portions of our lives. Most importantly, we owe it to our children to set an example of tolerance and love.
I thought that, considering the subject of this thread, Tim Wise's article about White Racial Preference would be appropriate here. I've yet to see a more thoroughly laid out explanation:
http://www.alternet.org/print.html?StoryID=15223
OMIGOD!!!!! Mandatory reading there. The hits just kept coming. Is there any way all people, especially those self-identified "liberal" hypocrites, could be forced to read this as some sort of continuing education requirement for maintaining membership? I'm only half-kidding... Thank you, Snood. Words fail me...
Enjoyed the article, if the truth hurts then feel relief because you all have Scalia, Thomas and Rheinquist firmly slated your way!
The sad part about that article, beautifully articulate, and telling as it is, is that it is based upon the same old "yardsticks" of "wealth and status" to define human "success" as the white tribes use!
However that said, that is the world, and the legacy of racism is there in the swollen bank accounts of the priveliged be they of whatever colour, so how
about spending all that money on making a difference?
Would the first person willing to contribute large amounts to schools in poor urban areas, catering largely to minority groups, please stand up.
And hey, while we're at it lets expand affirmative action to include a ban on NONmixed marriages; that'll solve the problem in the long run. But which fine upstanding "african American" male would want to marry "Dubiya's" girls? Ew! father in law, ewwwwwww!
Craven
I recognize the murderous baby in your avatar. Only really good character on the show.
Nah, the dog (Brian) is pretty good too.
Stewey is the best though:
"Ahh the breakfast scene. It's not the eggs... I LIke eggs! ... You might have noticed a bit of tension between Lois and I.
It's not so much that I want her dead so much as I DON'T want her to live ANYMORE!"
Well; that little exchange went right over my head!
Craven; got a new signature line for you.
"The more I think deeply, and try to explain what I meant, and rationalize the things I've said, the more the sand under my feet turns to "quick"!
[Anyone could sign that one!]
And, by the way, I went back and edited my spelling errors on the one you are using, but then, that would destroy the effect eh?
When you think of people like Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King you have people of great dignity and restraint. I can still see MLK making his speech----- "I have a dream"---- How different from the people who belittled them and carried clubs, guns, whips and did all they could to ruin the far sighed truths
oak, All based on ignorance. Using force against peaceful demonstrators is not justified under any circumstance. c.i.
That's the size of it CI. Time a few million people grew up
