Posted by
Michael C. Sheahen on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 6:13:54 PM
Should blacks be given "restitution"?
Only if "restitution" is paid to every other descendant and/or "member" of virtually any race, color, creed, ethnicity, etc., ever to walk the earth; no matter how "direct", or "indirect"; no matter how remotely related, and regardless of any "inter-marriage, or any other form of inter-mingling, throughout the history of mankind.
Not ready to agree to that? Good! Because if Blacks are to be paid money, or any other form of "restitution", because any their ancestors, of both or either gender, "lived in virtual or outright slavery, then virtually every American (including "Native American") is equally "owed", because, if you know your history, virtually every race, color, creed, ethnicity, etc., has lived under "enslavement" to another, and even among themselves, at some point in the history of mankind.
Not only that, but there are millions, of people living now, who have such "mixed heritage", and "mixed race", etc., in their "family trees"!
For example: There the numerous descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings; many of whom are now each "as White as can be" and "as Black as can be", and they don't even know they're related to each other, and the "White" Thomas Jefferson, and the "Black" Sally Hemmings!
There are also millions of Americans like me, Irish-English-Scottish-Scandinavian (Viking)-French-Americans, who would end-up, not only Hyphenated-To-Death, but also suing everybody in sight, including ourselves!
How so? Well, there are the numerous descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, including those who are now "Black" and those who are now "White" and don't even know they are "blood relatives" of and to each other; Plus, there are Americans like me who are not only Americans of Irish descent, but also English, Scottish, Scandinavian (Viking), and French descent! Now what? Sue myself, and the English today for "restitution" for having forced my Irish ancestors into virtual slavery, and treating them like "an inferior race" in their own homeland, and for doing many of the same things to my Scottish ancestors? Plus, sue both myself and the Swedish and Norwegians today for "restitution" because my Viking ancestors invaded and over-ran Ireland, plus parts of England and Scotland, killing, capturing, enslaving, and subjugating my ancestors there, and because my Viking ancestors did the same thing in parts of Continental Europe, including France?
The fact is, such killing, capturing, enslaving, and trading in slaves has also been engaged in by people in areas around the world, including the "Black native tribes of Africa" who willingly captured other "Blacks" for "Whites" engaged in "the slave trade"!
So if any Black Americans want to be paid "restitution for slavery, etc", then they better admit the hundreds of millions of other American in their "restitution line" with them while they're "suing" everybody in sight, including themselves, for the same thing!
The bottom line to this whole thing is: Neither they, nor I, or any other American, owes them, me, or any other American, any "restitution" because any of their ancestors, my ancestors, or any other American's ancestors, have suffered any form of "slavery" and "prejudice", etc, at the hands of anyone's ancestors or anybody else!
Indeed none of us should be expected to "pay restitution" for that which we did not do and for which, therefore, we are not personally responsible!
In other words, it's about "full personal, individual responsibility" for one's own way, no matter what anybody, of any "race", has done at any point in time, and no matter what "skin color" anybody happens to have now!
So, those "Blacks" who demand, or expect, "restitution", had better stop trying to live in the past and expecting others to pay any part of their way, including through such "restitution"; unless, of course, they want to let nearly 300 million other Americans into their "restitution line" with them, regardless of which "skin color" anybody happens to have now, to demand "restitution" from everybody in sight, including themselves!