belong to classes and races, or to individuals?" Chief Justice Warren stated in his opinion in Brown that the intentions of the Founding Fathers "are inconclusive." Yet the language of the Fourteenth Amendment could not be clearer. What part of "No state shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" did Warren and others not understand? Our Founding Founders knew a nation that viewed and treated its citizens as individuals would be constrained from dividing them and treating them inequitably. The emergence of Black groupthink is the unfortunate product of our courts and laws treating Blacks as a monolithic group instead of as individual citizens.
Another factor responsible for perpetuating Black groupthink was the subsequent emergence of the so-called Black leaders who successfully convinced the majority of Blacks that their economic prosperity and survival was dependent upon their support of the Democratic Party and its liberal economic and social policy agendas. The so-called Black leaders are activists like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Joseph Lowery, along with NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and numerous Black elected officials across the country. These "leaders" have for decades preached to the Black electorate the myth that their prospects for success are wholly contingent on Blacks voting as a bloc for Democrat candidates, regardless of the candidates' race, and on their active support for liberal policies. I refer to these individuals as the "so-called Black leaders" because I do not in my lifetime recall an election in which Blacks got together to select our leaders. Nor do I recall anyone appointing them leaders of all Blacks. The last time I checked, I am a citizen of the United States, and the Black citizens have not seceded from the Union.
The so-called Black leaders rose to prominence in the political arena due to their activism in the 1960s on behalf of the civil rights and voting rights struggles. Many were schooled under the tutelage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. No one can deny them the honor in fighting for and securing basic civil and voting rights for all citizens. Unfortunately, many of those, like Jesse Jackson and Joseph Lowery, who fought so long and hard to achieve a society and system of laws blind to the color of one's skin, have fought even harder in the years since to keep Blacks on the Democrat plantation and make race a key component of discussion on virtually all political issues.
The so-called Black leaders want to remain atop the lofty perch of notoriety and success, but to do so they must have support from a majority of the Black electorate. The formula for maintaining their prominence and power is quite simple: Convince the White Democratic Party leaders that they can deliver a majority of votes from Blacks, and the Democratic establishment rewards them monetarily and publicly. Because the "leaders" have their entire lives invested in maintaining power and influence over the Black electorate, while at the same time reaping vast financial rewards, they seek to impose harsh and public sanctions on any African-American who dares leave or criticize their Democratic plantation.
We have all heard the terms used to vilify Black Republicans: "token Black," "Uncle Tom," "sellout," and some that cannot even be printed here. Yes, I have been called some of these labels, but I am unfazed by anyone who would deny my Constitutional and God-given right to think and decide for myself. Prominent African-Americans in President Bush's cabinet, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former Secretary of Education Rod Paige, as well as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, have all been criticized simply because they worked for or were nominated by a Republican administration.
I was criticized by a so-called Black leader in 2004 for running in the Georgia Senate Primary race as a Republican (see text box
Another factor responsible for perpetuating Black groupthink was the subsequent emergence of the so-called Black leaders who successfully convinced the majority of Blacks that their economic prosperity and survival was dependent upon their support of the Democratic Party and its liberal economic and social policy agendas. The so-called Black leaders are activists like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Joseph Lowery, along with NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and numerous Black elected officials across the country. These "leaders" have for decades preached to the Black electorate the myth that their prospects for success are wholly contingent on Blacks voting as a bloc for Democrat candidates, regardless of the candidates' race, and on their active support for liberal policies. I refer to these individuals as the "so-called Black leaders" because I do not in my lifetime recall an election in which Blacks got together to select our leaders. Nor do I recall anyone appointing them leaders of all Blacks. The last time I checked, I am a citizen of the United States, and the Black citizens have not seceded from the Union.
The so-called Black leaders rose to prominence in the political arena due to their activism in the 1960s on behalf of the civil rights and voting rights struggles. Many were schooled under the tutelage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. No one can deny them the honor in fighting for and securing basic civil and voting rights for all citizens. Unfortunately, many of those, like Jesse Jackson and Joseph Lowery, who fought so long and hard to achieve a society and system of laws blind to the color of one's skin, have fought even harder in the years since to keep Blacks on the Democrat plantation and make race a key component of discussion on virtually all political issues.
The so-called Black leaders want to remain atop the lofty perch of notoriety and success, but to do so they must have support from a majority of the Black electorate. The formula for maintaining their prominence and power is quite simple: Convince the White Democratic Party leaders that they can deliver a majority of votes from Blacks, and the Democratic establishment rewards them monetarily and publicly. Because the "leaders" have their entire lives invested in maintaining power and influence over the Black electorate, while at the same time reaping vast financial rewards, they seek to impose harsh and public sanctions on any African-American who dares leave or criticize their Democratic plantation.
We have all heard the terms used to vilify Black Republicans: "token Black," "Uncle Tom," "sellout," and some that cannot even be printed here. Yes, I have been called some of these labels, but I am unfazed by anyone who would deny my Constitutional and God-given right to think and decide for myself. Prominent African-Americans in President Bush's cabinet, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former Secretary of Education Rod Paige, as well as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, have all been criticized simply because they worked for or were nominated by a Republican administration.
I was criticized by a so-called Black leader in 2004 for running in the Georgia Senate Primary race as a Republican (see text box
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