In an article in today's NY Post the Rev. C.L. Martin accused Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson of highjacking the Trayvon Martin tragedy and trying to create racial division. He said: "The epidemic is truly black-on-black crime. The greatest danger to the lives of young black men are young black men." The disturbing statistics on this issue bear this out. Whatever the leaders of the black community are doing to reduce this ugly truth, it isn't working. It seems, perhaps in frustration, that they do all they can to deflect attention from it, and their greatest weapon is a questionable shooting by the police, which occurs about once a year. I'm not going to pretend to know what happened in this instance. The reports are now conflicting. Common sense dictates that if the shooter, Mr. Zimmerman, were even remotely guilty of a crime he would be locked up to prevent not only protests but worse. He has already been tried in the court of public opinion: guilty until proven innocent. The cynic in me suspects that the charlatans have a bigger goal in mind, using the issue to shame whites into voting for Obama. Blacks do not have to be galvanized. 90% will vote to re-elect the President. Was black on black violence as prevalent prior to the '60's? As a conservative, I believe that liberal policy has been the fault of this epidemic. Once fathers began to be replaced by government checks, it precipitated the disaster of single parent homes, the lack of guidance and role models. Perhaps this is oversimplification of the problem. What, then, explains why so many young black men resort immediately to violence, especially against each other? Is it still plausible to say that the psychological scars of slavery and bigotry have yet to heal for many? Is that fair in light of the success of so many people of color? The President of the United States is black, as are many CEOs, and the entertainment and athletic industries are full of success stories. What is the answer to the ugly truth of the mystery of black-on-black violence?
The wind diminished considerably today but was still icy. Fortunately, Bob Rubenstein stopped by the floating bookshop, and our conversation helped take my mind off the cold. Of course, we touched on the Martin incident. Bob, a liberal when he's not an anarchist, once was mugged, a knife held to his throat, and in the ensuing six months anger had him snapping at blacks. The mind works in bizarre ways. Only sociopaths revel in bigotry, but we're all susceptible to it. Even if we were all one color we'd find something to dislike. Fortunately, few of us are violent.
I thank the kind folks who bought and donated today, and my lovely niece Tanya, who ordered a copy of Killing by mail. 22 left.
Read Vic's stories, free: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
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