Color of skin is important to different people for different reasons.
But the growing numbers of People of Color, should not even be an
item. It says that we still have deep convictions that color does
make a difference.
But not always. Our eldest grandson was living with us for a year, in
order to establish residency for college. We were watching a Sea Hawk
football game. A player made a remarkable play and I thought he had a
different sounding name. Is he Black?" I asked Cathy. "Yes", she
replied. "What difference does his color make?" asked our grandson.
"His color makes no difference at all", I said.
"Then why did you want to know?' Cathy jumped in, saying, "Matt, you
can look at the TV and instantly see who is Black and who is White.
Grandpa is merely asking for the same information". And she was
right. To me, it's just one more piece of information. Over the
years I have watched as our University of Washington football team
went from pure White to a team consisting mostly of Blacks. I
remember the first two Blacks who made the Husky team, Luther(hit and
run)Carr, and Incredible Jim Greene...I think over the years I've
forgotten Greene's first name.
For me, checking folks color from time to time helps me see just how
well, or not well, efforts to integrate are doing.
But what bothered me was how quickly my grandson looked past all of my
actions, and closed his mind to all of my lectures and the
conversations we'd had over the years, and concluded that I was
prejudiced just because I openly asked for the same information that
he had.
But the other thing is this, we blind folks think that all we have to
do is to show the world how competent we are, and Americans will soon
treat us as equal. I used to buy into that idea, the NFB way. I also
thought that I could rehab anyone, given enough time.
Wrong, and Wrong.
Think about how slowly attitudes change. Think 1865 and the end of
Slavery. Then think of the many Black Americans who have made major
contributions to our well being, and think of the millions of Black
soldiers who marched off to war to defend America. How many examples
will it take before Black Americans are treated as equal partners?
But there is a very sinister reason why we are not embracing our
Brothers and Sisters of Color. It is to the advantage of the Ruling
Class to keep us at each others throats. I believe this is
deliberate. And I believe that our societal attitudes regarding blind
peoples status, is unspoken prejudice, reinforced by stories and
misconceptions that are ingrained in our culture. Not deliberate
efforts to keep us in a subservient position, but every bit as
effective.
You have to laugh in order not to cry. We go to a new client, someone
who is 70 years old and just losing enough sight that they are scared.
We do our rehab stuff for about an hour, making some great inroads.
"Time to close for today," Cathy says.
"May I use your bathroom?" I inquire. The man grabs my arm and begins
to pull me down the hall. I tell him that all I need is which
direction the bathroom is in. He shows me the light switch, the sink,
the stool. I almost wet my pants waiting for him to finish the tour
and leave.
Later, or at our next visit, we talk about this reaction. But it
would take far more time than we have in our budget in order to effect
that attitude that I need help, probably because he feels deep down
inside that he needs help.
Frankly, we are miles and miles away from being civilized.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/25/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
And all these years later, the changes in race relations are only
superficial. Nothing has really changed because racism is built into how our
society is structured. A news item appearing on the local NPR the other day
was that the population in the US is becoming more black and brown. Now
explain to me why that should be a news item. The person who read the item
didn't explain why it was significant so I suppose that to NPR, the simple
fact of the color of people's skin is newsworthy.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2019 7:07 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Bernie Sanders Proposes New Economic Bill of
Rights
You're right. Of course I was being too superficial in merely comparing the
Biden remarks and FDR's dealings with the Dixicrats.
I realize that times were different between then and now. Still, FDR was
more zealous in upholding White Labor. Think of it. FDR was elected 67
years following the Civil War. In 1932, Negro children still walked
barefoot to tumbled down schools while their White counterparts were taught
in school houses like the one I attended in 1940-49. My school, John Hay,
was built in 1931. We had between 20 and 23 students in a class. No
children of any color other than
White. No families on Queen Anne Hill other than White families. I
never came face to face with a person of color until I was 13, and my dad
took me to listen to Paul Robeson. Seattle realtors were into Red Lining,
and most Negro families lived in the Central District to the East of down
town business district.
World War II ended 80 years after the close of the Civil War. Most of
Seattle was White. From the wino on Skid Road, to Bill Boeing, it was an
all White world. Whenever I took a train from Seattle to Spokane to see my
grand folks, I was assisted by "Colored Porters". I never wondered where
these people lived. But they were always happy and smiling and joking with
one another, so I guessed they must have nice homes...somewhere. 80 years,
and we were still keeping our boot on the neck of the Blacks. And now, 74
years after the "Good War" where we freed the Jews and the Chinese, and
brought democracy to the world, after all those years Joe Biden comes along
painting himself as a Liberal, when he is actually a Closet Racist.
That ramble doesn't make much sense, but I'm trying to help Cathy with her
mother's funeral arrangements.
By the way, I'll bet it'll be an all white funeral!
Carl Jarvis
On 6/25/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Carl,
There's a real difference between Biden and FDR in terms of their
relationship with the Dixicrats. FDR compromised with them in order to
get the legislation that he wanted, passed. Biden, on the other hand,
actively fought against integration in the schools and he promoted the
crime bill which stereotyped black people and led to mass
incarceration. Additionally, he actively structured that hearing
regarding Clarence Thomas so that Anita Hill would not have a fair
hearing. And FDR never made a public statement like the one Biden made
during the primary campaign when he was running against Obama. This
week's New Yorker starts with an obnoxious article, touting the
praises of Biden as opposed to Trump. The pro Biden, anti Sanders
propaganda has begun in earnest.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2019 4:41 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Bernie Sanders Proposes New Economic
Bill of Rights
Looking back, especially as far back as WW II, allows us to "shape"
history. People doing the same things we are doing today are judged
harshly if we believe that they were "wrong thinkers". And we measure
those people by our culture today. I find it interesting that we are
jumping all over Joe Biden for behavior that is very much like that of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR played footsie with the Dixicrats,
looking the other way whenever the rights of the negro were violated.
And, like Donald Trump, FDR had his own concentration camps, even
separating family members. And by the way, how do we make it up to
the few Japanese Americans we stripped of their homes, businesses and
belongings, as well as make it up to their children and grand
children? Right now we are in a waiting game, waiting for the actual
detainees to all die off, so we can tell their off-spring, "You
weren't detained, so why do you think we owe you anything?" Today
this is what we tell Blacks. There are no slaves left, so why should we
pay anything to their off-spring?
But hey, why not? This is what the banks tell those of us who lost
our homes, or lost huge percentages of our homes value. "You still have a
job.
Go buy a new house." We've been cheated just as our Black brothers
and sisters were, and are being robbed. of opportunities that might
have been ours, if we had not taken a setback. Our children and grand
children are being robbed, too.
Forced to have a college education in order to compete for most decent
jobs, they are saddled with huge debts as they head out into the
world. This financial yoke will impact their futures. They will put
off marriage, postpone having children, rent instead of buying, and
even leave the country for work in more friendly places.
And how do we compensate all Americans for the destruction of our
environment? The cost will come back in cost and quality and
availability of basic foods.
And why is all right for the Working Class to be burdened by medical
costs, or the costs incurred by our never ending wars, when the Ruling
Class gets a huge tax reduction? How do we right all these wrongs?
When the dam bursts, as it will do, and the masses rise up, it will
once again be too late for those currently enjoying the good life.
Frankly, if I were a billionaire today, I'd be worried.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/24/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
And if you heard that on Democracy Now this morning, you also heard
that horrific story about the unaccompanied children in that
concentration camp run by the border control. If only enough
Americans cared deeply about this.
People sneer at the "good Germans" during the Nazi era. But the
average American is no better. That, alone, should be enough to
impeach Trump!
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, June 24, 2019 11:10 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Bernie Sanders Proposes New Economic
Bill of Rights
Agreed, Miriam.
Bernie Sanders is way out in front of the pack, in so far as social
reform is concerned. I just heard that he introduced a bill in the
Senate calling for, among other things, the forgiveness of all
student loans.
Even if Sanders only pushed a fraction of his proposals through, it
would put us in better shape than under the weak promises of the rest
of the two dozen candidates. We would still need to double down on
his foreign policies, and triple down on electing like-minded people
into the house and senate.
Now if I were King, I'd declare Donald Trump's election to be a
fraud, and I'd cancel all judicial appointments made by the Great
Pretender.
...Wait!...I hear a Voice!...What? I am King? Oh thank you
Father...or Mother...or Whatever...
Carl Jarvis
On 6/23/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Richard,
Please tell us what parts of Trump's methodology you think have been
successful?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of R. E. Driscoll
Sr
Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2019 5:49 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Bernie Sanders Proposes New Economic
Bill of Rights
Carl: Biden in my opinion is the symbol of a system we know is a
great failure. Some parts of Trump methodology seem to be a good
success. We need another four years to see if his errors can be
corrected.
Richard Driscoll
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 23, 2019, at 1:57 PM, Carl Jarvis <carjar82@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:candidates, those two stand out.
At this place in time, only a bit over 15 months before the 2020
primary, I can only vote for Bernie Sanders. I just don't think
the Democratic Party will allow me to do that. Joe Biden will be
the "Man of the Hour" if they can keep his good old boy mouth shut.
At this time, I also have no intention of voting for Biden as the
"lesser of two evils". The Trump forces have damaged our judicial
system almost beyond repair, but Biden would be no match for the
White Supremacists who would greet him. He'd make Barack Obama
look like "The People's Hero".
Carl Jarvis
On 6/23/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I also think that he's better than Warren because has faulty as
his foreign policy is, it's better than hher's. And as excellent
as her program suggestions are, she is still not interested in a
basic change in our system back to a true social welfare state and
certainly not, to anything more radical than that. But given the
other
survive."
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2019 10:03 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Bernie Sanders Proposes New
Economic Bill of Rights
While Joe Biden puts one foot after the other in his mouth, Bernie
Sanders sends a clear message. Although I feel we need to bring
pressure on Sanders regarding his foreign relations, he certainly
is the best of the male contenders. It will be interesting to
watch the Democratic Party Leaders shoot him down.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/16/19, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Bernie Sanders Proposes New Economic Bill of Rights
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders addresses a rally at the
Pasadena Convention Center Sen. Bernie Sanders has proposed an
economic bill of rights affirming the right to health care,
affordable housing, education, a living wage and more.
Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images
By Marjorie Cohn, TruthoutPublished June 13, 2019
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders delivered a full-throated
defense of democratic socialismin his June 12 speechat George
Washington University.
Sanders quoted FDR's 1944 State of the Unionaddress: "We have
come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual
freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence."
Sanders, like FDR, proposed an Economic Bill of Rights, including
the rights to health care, affordable housing, education, a
living wage and retirement.
"Economic rights are human rights," Sanders declared. "That is
what I mean by democratic socialism."
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Sanders cited figures of vast wealth disparity in the United
States, where "the top 1 percent of people own more wealth than
the bottom
92 percent."
He
said there is higher income and wealth inequality today than at
any time since the 1920s. And, Sanders stated, "despite an
explosion in technology and worker productivity, the average wage
of the American worker in real dollars is no higher than it was
46 years ago and millions of people are forced to work two or
three jobs just to
further.
He also noted, "in America today, the very rich live on average
15 years longer than the poorest Americans."
Economic Rights Are Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rightssets forth two different
categories of human rights: (1) civil and political rights, and
(2) economic, social and cultural rights.
Civil and political rights comprise the rights to life, a fair
trial and self-determination; freedom of speech, expression,
assembly and religion; and freedom from torture, cruel treatment
and arbitrary detention.
Economic,
social and cultural rights include the rights to health care,
education and social security; the right to form and join unions
and to strike; and the right to equal pay for equal work,
unemployment insurance, paid maternity leave, and the prevention,
treatment and control of diseases.
U.S. policy since Reagan has been to define human rights only as
civil and political, excluding economic rights.
These two types of human rights are enshrined in two
international treaties
- the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights(ICCPR)
and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights(ICESCR).
The United States has ratified the ICCPR, but not the ICESCR. U.S.
policy since the Reagan administration has been to define human
rights only as civil and political rights, excluding economic,
social and cultural rights from the realm of human rights.
The ICESCR, which has been ratified by 169 countries, guarantees
the rights to work with favorable conditions, to the highest
attainable standards of physical and mental health, to education,
to housing, to an adequate standard of living, and to enjoy the
benefits of scientific progress and cultural freedom. It protects
the rights to form and join trade unions, social security and
social insurance, equal rights for men and women, and protection
and assistance to the family.
Cuba, whose human rights record is frequently criticizedby the U.S.
government, puts the United States to shame with its recognition
of economic rights. Cubans enjoy universal health care, universal
free education including higher education, the right to form and
join unions, and government-subsidized abortion and family planning.
Cuba has a higher life expectancy than the U.S., as well as a
relatively small ecological footprint due to low energy consumption.
Democratic Socialism vs. Corporate Socialism
Trump and his fellow oligarchs oppose democratic socialism,
Sanders said, but "they don't really oppose all forms of socialism."
Indeed, "they absolutely love corporate socialism that enriches
Trump and other billionaires."
Sanders noted that FDR and his progressive coalition were
successful, and their legacies continue to flourish.
Sanders cited the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street in 2008 by
the Treasury Department "after their greed, recklessness and
illegal behavior created the worst financial disaster since the
Great Depression - with millions of Americans losing their jobs,
their homes and their life savings
- Wall Street's religious adherence to unfettered capitalism
suddenly came to an end."
He also mentioned tax breaks and loopholes for fossil fuel
companies, pharmaceutical companies, Amazon, and the Trump family
who "got $885 million worth of tax breaks and subsidies for your
family's housing empire that is built on racial discrimination."
As Dr. King observed, the United States "has socialism for the
rich, rugged individualism for the poor."
Embracing Socialism Is a Winning Strategy
Sanders noted that FDR and his progressive coalition were
successful, and their legacies continue to flourish in programs
and protections like Social Security, regulation of Wall Street
and unemployment compensation. He pointed out that Roosevelt
aimed to go
inequality."
"In 1944, FDR proposed an economic bill of rights but died a year
later and was never able to fulfill that vision. Our job, 75
years later," Sanders said, "is to complete what Roosevelt started."
He then set forth his vision of a 21st Century Economic Bill of
Rights, which would recognize that all Americans should have:
.The right to a decent job that pays a living wage .The right to
quality health care .The right to a complete education .The right
to affordable housing .The right to a clean environment .The
right to a secure retirement
Sanders listed Democratic presidents vilified by the oligarchs of
their time for their programs of alleged "socialism." Lyndon
Johnson was attacked for Medicare, Harry Truman's proposed
national health care program was dubbed "socialized medicine,"
and Newt Gingrich called Bill Clinton's health care plan
"centralized bureaucratic socialism."
55 percent of women ages of 18 to 54 would prefer to live in a
socialist country.
Although none of the other leading 2020 Democratic presidential
candidates has embraced socialism, the party's base has.
Candidate John Hickenlooper, former governor of Colorado, was
roundly booedat the California Democratic convention earlier this
month when he said, "If we want to beat Donald Trump and achieve
big progressive goals, socialism is not the answer."
Indeed, Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First
Century, argues, "Without a strong egalitarian-internationalist
platform, it is difficult to unite low-education, low-income
voters from all origins within the same coalition and to deliver
a reduction in
justice."
Keith A. Spencer, writing at Salon, cites Pikettyfor the
proposition that "nominating centrist Democrats who don't speak
to class issues will result in a great swathe of voters simply
not voting."
"The only way we achieve these goals is through a political
revolution."
Moreover, a 2018 Gallup poll determined that a majority of young
Americans have a positive opinion of socialism. According to a
recent Axios poll, 55 percent of women ages of 18 to 54 would
prefer to live in a socialist country.
Sanders said the U.S. and the rest of the world face two
different political paths. "On one hand," he noted, "there is a
growing movement towards oligarchy and authoritarianism in which
a small number of incredibly wealthy and powerful billionaires
own and control a significant part of the economy and exert
enormous influence over the political life of our country. On the
other hand, in opposition to oligarchy, there is a movement of
working people and young people who, in ever increasing numbers,
are fighting for
After his speech, Sanders told CNN's Anderson Cooper, that real
change is generated by mass movements. He cited the civil rights
movement, the women's movement, the gay movement and the labor
movement.
"It is time for the American people to stand up and fight for
their right to freedom, human dignity and security," Sanders
affirmed.
"This is the core of what my politics is all about." He
clarified, "the only way we achieve these goals is through a
political revolution
