Farrakhan Urges Black Americans to Collectively Purchase Land…

[NJCardFan]

I thought Africa belonged to the blacks? Why doesn't he organize them to buy land there?

[Novaheart]

Why is it that land belonging to a black family in Mississippi is referred to as "our land" by a family in Miami?

There is a lack of context to the entire meme. Refusal to consider context is hardly exclusive to black people, but it is essential to many of their complaints.

For example: it isn't difficult to find black people who hold a grudge owing to the belief that slave labor was stolen labor and what is to them a logical presumption that had they been paid, they would have built wealth. It is often pointless to counter this belief with the fact that slaves were indeed paid (records of allowances paid (Thomas Jefferson, George Washington) as well as records of earnings in side work (Frederick Douglass, George Purnell) and that white field hands and house servants pretty much only made food, clothing, and shelter with no excess or wealth building. I am often surprised at how few black people there are who have actually read The Slave Narratives and disappointed that so many seem satisfied to read opinions and summaries rather than source materials.

So you have black people who say "They stole our labor." who disregard that the poor whites working the land of the wealthy died with nothing to show for it.

So you have black people saying "They stole our land." when countless white people had their land appropriated for roads and development as well. I happen to know about that one personally, because US 13 runs over the place where my great great grandfather's (mental picture Col. Sanders) house once stood. Trust me, he wasn't paid a lot of money for it, even though to many it would look (from a distance) like Oak Alley Plantation. Up close it would look like an old farm house in need of renovation.

Even so, if it would make them feel better I think we ought to open up some homestead land for blacks under the same rules it was available for whites.

[Unreconstructed Reb]

Even so, if it would make them feel better I think we ought to open up some homestead land for blacks under the same rules it was available for whites.

I'm against reparations in any format.

But just for grins, how would you decide who qualifies? Would you have to be full black or would Bronco qualify? Would it be based on skin color alone or would you have to have proof of slave ancestors? Could they have been slaves in any country? Wouldn't using the same rules for homesteading that applied to whites be racist?

[LukeEDay]

I'm against reparations in any format.

But just for grins, how would you decide who qualifies? Would you have to be full black or would Bronco qualify? Would it be based on skin color alone or would you have to have proof of slave ancestors? Could they have been slaves in any country? Wouldn't using the same rules for homesteading that applied to whites be racist?

Due like they do with Indian tribes. Do a genealogy test and a DNA test. Make the requirements be that they have to be have a certain percentage of DNA to match their ancestors.

[Unreconstructed Reb]

Due like they do with Indian tribes. Do a genealogy test and a DNA test. Make the requirements be that they have to be have a certain percentage of DNA to match their ancestors.

But what if your slave ancestor blood was tainted with caucasian blood? Shouldn't that be a disqualifier or at least require pro-rating based on impure lineage?

[Novaheart]

I'm against reparations in any format.

But just for grins, how would you decide who qualifies? Would you have to be full black or would Bronco qualify? Would it be based on skin color alone or would you have to have proof of slave ancestors? Could they have been slaves in any country? Wouldn't using the same rules for homesteading that applied to whites be racist?

I am opposed to giving people money for some generic wrong done to their ancestors by my ancestors. I don't see the homestead in the same light. Black people by and large did miss out on the homesteading as a direct result of their legal non-status in the US. To open up some new homestead land, or better promote that which exists, UNDER THE SAME RULES would not be reparations in my book. Yes, it's an attempt to correct an historical disadvantage, but it requires work and dedication or you don't get the land.

As for who qualifies, let's keep it simple: Every citizen of the US. I'm thinking also that if we are going to give "path to citizenship" to the Mexicans here illegally, we might offer them homesteads as well. Not because I am particularly fond of Mexicans or illegal aliens, but I am given to believe that if we offer land to the migrant workers here in the US, the family farm might be reborn and agribusiness shaken up. Anyway, it's unlikely to happen, but before getting too defensive about black homesteading think of how it would build a better black community. That's quite different from reparation strategies.

[Novaheart]

But what if your slave ancestor blood was tainted with caucasian blood? Shouldn't that be a disqualifier or at least require pro-rating based on impure lineage?

Are you playing, or do you have a sound objection to homesteading?

[Bailey]

I'm against reparations in any format.

But just for grins, how would you decide who qualifies? Would you have to be full black or would Bronco qualify? Would it be based on skin color alone or would you have to have proof of slave ancestors? Could they have been slaves in any country? Wouldn't using the same rules for homesteading that applied to whites be racist?

To them it doesn't matter, if you are darker then an Italian the US somehow or in someway screwed your people and deserve a butt load of money. One of the benefits of a broke country is that we have no money to give to them.

[Unreconstructed Reb]

Are you playing, or do you have a sound objection to homesteading?

Both.

[Unreconstructed Reb]

I am opposed to giving people money for some generic wrong done to their ancestors by my ancestors. I don't see the homestead in the same light. Black people by and large did miss out on the homesteading as a direct result of their legal non-status in the US. To open up some new homestead land, or better promote that which exists, UNDER THE SAME RULES would not be reparations in my book. Yes, it's an attempt to correct an historical disadvantage, but it requires work and dedication or you don't get the land.

As for who qualifies, let's keep it simple: Every citizen of the US. I'm thinking also that if we are going to give "path to citizenship" to the Mexicans here illegally, we might offer them homesteads as well. Not because I am particularly fond of Mexicans or illegal aliens, but I am given to believe that if we offer land to the migrant workers here in the US, the family farm might be reborn and agribusiness shaken up. Anyway, it's unlikely to happen, but before getting too defensive about black homesteading think of how it would build a better black community. That's quite different from reparation strategies.

First of all, homesteading in this context would be reparations. Period.

Second, if there were to be a homestead act for blacks then there would have to be another gubmint agency and thousands more beauracrats.

Third, there's already a sort of homestead/reparations act for blacks. It was the result of Pigford vs Glickman: http://www.libertynewsonline.com/article_301_29166.php.

Fourth, lets be real. If you were to give every black and illegal mex in the country the proverbial 40 acres and a mule, 98% of it would end up in the hands of white 'carpetbaggers' within two years.