. . . . . . .;
.-
. .
4
. ,
the orld to the ed e
r, every ction by the Bu h ait
.dmini tration w de i n d to the
ma e conflict ith Iraq nation- of
. I ob e ion. By re ortin to nd
oc er room bo ts, vo in to
-kic S dd m' .. , Bu h need­
le Iy person Ii ed t e conflict,
,undctcuttin the po ibility of
ne oti tion .
By incr ing the numb r of me ric n
Amcric n troop without Con­
re ional uthority, he tr n -
formed h t w initi Ily I
. defen ive tripwire to chec Ir qi
aggre Ion into an offen ive
force. At the United N lion.
Bu h rcfu ed any lin ge be­
tween Kuw it nd the occupation
of the ·We t B nk by I rei, al-
though regional ccurity con- dome tic cri tic called for
Iere nee hicb connect the .. "peace dividend". n re ed e -
problem of the Mldea t will be • penditur for cduc tion, job,
lh only mcans to move tow rd health care. a d human needs.
peace. With the retreat of Soviet troc p.
In Congre ,Bush even rom the center of Europe. it be-
sertcd that he alone had the came difficult to j u tify the
power to t ke the country into prcse nee of thou nd of
WU, de pite Con titutional American troops acros the
provi ions to the contr ry. world.
Ag ln t the war?
Don't b intimidated
The media, George Bush, and certain tight-wing nut are
very succes fully portraying as unpatriotic any dissent with
the war in tbe Per i n Qui!.
What' going on is mind control effort led by the media.
For example, there was no report of the information-filled
peeches delivered at the January 26 Peace Rally in
WaShington. D.C. .
Tho e citizens who-hadthe time and the cable connection
could tune in C-Span and hear a weal th of hi torical an
current information on the conflict in the Gull'. But without'
I'�I t c�e tq)�-�l\an, thc public deprived of thc information.
What the televi ion tiid ort wa i t-,,· ..... �
o minimal. The camera captured the war protcsters for les
th n 30 seconds. thc announcc related the rally took placc
nd then t)1e camera 'went to a crowd in rtont of the White
� House cheering on Bush's war as th ugh it were a football
pcp rally. And always, the media introduces such war sup-
porter as the ones "supporting the troops," '
Speaker after speaker at the peace rally pointed out the best
upport for the troops in the Gulf is to bring them home. not
goa them on to death. '
Je e Jac son said it best when he told the crowd, these are
our sons aughters, our neighbors and cousins and aunts
and uncles. Yes, we support them. �hy does Bush only
.. support them When. they're w'earing a uniform, carrying a gun
in Saudi Arabia, Jesse asked. We support them when they're 0
here looking for hou ing or a job, .trying to get a scholarship
for an education, Jesse said. The best support is to �ring them
home.
Citizens opposed to the war should stand by their beliefs
knowing that the full force of the media is ag inst them. And
that media is not impartial. When :ro� Brokaw is talking
about "our" missiles, he'means it literally. NBC'is owned by
General Electric, one oC the nation's largest mili tary sup­
pliers.
And when ABC fails to provide equal coverage for dis-
5enters, recall that when CIA chief William Casey sHed in the
middle of the Ollie North Irangate scandal. he was the largest
stockholder in the company owning ABC television.
With the CIA-minded military contractots controlling the
nc�s, there i little chance for the masses t have access to
'balanced reporting. To really know what is going on requires �
a lot of reading, something too many American citizens are
unwilling to do. A steady dig�st«)f only television reports will
stcer the unwitting viewet to join the national pep squad. ' "
Cheering on the troop,s as though war were a' game helps the
enlistments: After all, it takes bodies to fight a war, '
To get the 'bodi'es, control the minds. ,
"THE MICHIGAN CITIZEN
Publiehed each
Sunday by
NEW DAY
PUBLISHING ENTERPRISE
12541 Second St
P.O. Box 03580
Hlghland'Park, MI 48203 ,
Ph�n.: (313) 889·0033 I Fax II: (313) 889·0430
Western Michigan Bureau: 175 W. Main St
P�O. Box 21 e, Benton Harbor, MI 49022
(818) 927·1527
Publisher: Chari • D. K lIy
General Manager: Michael T. John.on
Editor: Tere.a Kelly
Office Manager: B rnlce-Brown
,
Correspondents:
Derrick L wi •• Bernie Brown
Mary Golliday ·,Flbd an S. Rlgg.
Michael Stroud • Vera White
L ah Samuel. _
Production Staff: Ka.cene Barks • F�an Caaon
Advertising Representatives: Ga'ry Watkin.
Darryl Carth n
J -
Ideolo ic lly, the demi e of
the Communi t thrcat under­
mined the polific I con en u
which unit d the force of
Re g ni m. With the 'end of the
Cold W r, merle n con erva­
tive no Ion er felt obli atcd to-
upport Bu h' dome tic or
foreign policie .
By the summer of 1990. even By .. ahan . J9De refu es to addre the ba ic
b f S d·1 H '" human need of it people i in-
core u at m u e In m- I watched a lot of tetevi ion
, f K it h ' . unoral nd wrong.
v Ion 0 uv 'eU , t ere wa Ig- 'growing up nd w educed by
niticant evidence th t Americ the gl moriz tion of violencev , I STAND 0 PO D to a
w lipping into a m jor th r of be' g a "th
economic rece ion. An external e no Ion 10" mong e .. government that dispropor-
en I w ne ded to divert lhe f�� nd t�e proud . S� �efore I tionately placed African­
Iini .hed high cbool, I joined the American on the frontline, giving
ttention of Americ ns t nding Manne Corp Re .erves. At 17, I us the option to die in the desert
on unemployment line and had only a v gue Idea about what or to remain in a community
awaiting pin slip. to do with my life. It wa my
By ending 400,000 American recruiter who put me on track plagued by drugs. homicide and
troop into the Mideast, Bu h .. with a surances hi-tech elec- other social and economic inju -
ticess.
accompli hed ever I political tonics training, health benefits,
objective. Fir r, American home loan nd even braces for I refuse to participate in a war
intervention rce t bli hed thi m.y teeth. which the President ays is about
country' central role as the None of the promises' ending naked aggression, at the
world's mercenary policemen. .' same time he ignores the erie of
materialized. And at ome point
suppress i ng Thi rd World th oppressed 'in our society: the
between boot camp and the day hI' I
nationali me ess, the Job ess .. .ihe sick
last August when President Bush with no health care, the poor and
announced the deployment of non-white people robbed of their
troops, to .the Persian Gulf, my dignity.
thoughts about the military
I resist knowing thar 1 am not
changed. alone. My views are shared by
Not only did the Marine Corps unfold number of African­
instill illusion about myself and American G!s. Some prefer
manhood, hut through the in- silence for fcar of reprisal.
doctrination I was stripped of my 'Others like jne publicly resists.
mahnood. Killing was glorified. feeling that to do otherwise
heroic. 1 nov reject that premise would be imrporal.
for t)l� �.,tq.. V� q �ys� t has beeoG' illite y'
., , h .�' t i �,
d ossibility of being
w.�,r. I J!,aye becql'!l.e a cdnscien- ishonored are real.
tious-objector. convinced that But the biggest pressures come
any war waged by a nation that from within. I've grappled with
world's greatest
threat is not Saddam Hussein, it
is the power and exploitation of
we tern governments and cor­
porations. U.S, intervention en­
sures more decades of American
dominance, and provides a warn­
ing to all non European countries
struggling against
neocoloni li q\", ..... _ " .. , " .... ""
ECOND, TIlE American il1-
tervention justifies the expansion
of the military budget, the
production of nuclear and con­
ventional weapons, eliminating
the peace dividend. Thirdly, in
terms of dQmes tic poli tics, it
divided the Democratic party
into prowar and antiwar camps.
Prowar Democrats were manipu­
lated to grant Bush unprece­
dented authority to initiate
massive warfare abroad.
The onl.y language the
American political and corporate
elite understano is resistance,
This means conlluc'ting teach-ins,
explaining why the war was un-
, necessary, It means civil dis­
obedience. marches, -demonstr,a­
tions, an political organizing,
bri ngi ng toge ther religious
groups, trade unions, civil rights,
feminist and 'other progressive
constituencies. 'Creative,
democratic protest fo.r peace
abroad and s'ocial justice at home
should be our focus.
Dr. Manning Marable is
Professor of Political Science,
University of Colorado, Boulder.
"Along�the Color inert appears,
ill over 170 newspapers interna­
tionally.
Protest tax on
"pen ions
Dear Edi tor:
Gross inequity and unfairness
exists in the state income taxa­
tion of penSion benefits. State,.
city, county, s<:hool district and
federal r�tirees enjoy comp'lete
exemption from state income tax
on their pension benefits.
Pensions from private in­
du try plan • Keogh plan and
IRA's are exempt up to S7,500
, per year for a, single return and
$10,000 per year on a joint
return.
Regardless of source. pension
benefits should be treated the
same across the board.
Please contact your state rep­
resentative and senator and
demand that parity be enacted.
Gleen Meyaard, CPA
P.O. Box 220
Z�el.nd, MI 49464
u
Wo
•
•
,
•
I
y
•
rrn
rvi
the cholce of i htin for 'I
country or aglinst my COD­
clence.�
I am not ilolatcd, but in IteP.
with the gro in entiment I •
African-Amcriun communitie
aero the nation. We cln', foraet
the 28 percent of thc Vietnlm
War dcath ca ualties in 1967 -
African Amcrican ho ere
less than 12 pe cent of the
population. And Jtl likely the
death toll in the Gulf will be even
higher.
TO PRESIDENT BUSH I
say, bring thc troop homc.
Secure negotiated settlcmcnt. ..
Stop the bombing.
In a twisted way, thc Marine.
taught me the most important lei·
son about strength and cour&ae.
It's not in macho, phYllcal
might. It' in facing your renee­
tion in the mirror. quarely in the
eye, seeing yourself and really
being proud.
Tahan Jones, a corporal in the
Marine Reserves since 1987, at·
I' rl 'La ,,"1im,"" Cdllt�'iw
Oaleland, an I , :) 2bft
,. --'
While so�e Blacks in this couDtry 'have ..
concerns with the military posture of the
las t two pros idential adOlinis tr atioDI
(Grenada, Libya, and Panalila), maDY of UI
are proud pf General Powell's persoDal
, accomplishments.
At a time when the state DepartmeDt of
Public Health reported that 109 of 194
youth homicides last year were 'gun-related
deaths of Blacks between the ages of 1S aDd
19, we must find ways to curtail tbe
fascination of sta�ter athletic j.ckets, draa
pushing, and recklessness and promote
,positive peo'ple in our community: Shaw .aDd
Powell are t�o great examples.
Kenneth Cole a. Jr.,
Detroit
Gulf War gives
us new, role
models
Has Droit proclaimed 1991 as the year
of the A iean-American male? One would
certainl think so when WJLB's talk-radio'
program discusses the grim issue "Where
are a11' the good Black men?" for two
consecutive shows last month, or when
News reporter Chauncey Bailey writes
ab�ut Black men who are in his opinion
,"Fif'St in war, last ill opportunities", and
fin'ally when Frank Hayden of the Detroit
Public School Board proposes an all-male
Black academy "to teach the history of
Afriean accomplishments in the diaspora
and to pro��te self-esteem."Well, if mayor
Young hasn't done it yet, this citizen of
Detroit is officially_ making the
proclamation, let 1991 be the year of the
Afriean American Male in Detroit!
Meanwhile, in the first days of the
Persian Gulf 'War, two African American
me'n are performing tremendously in two
different, but equally stressful jobs. Second
only to our young men and women in the
Saudi Arabian desert, Bernard Shaw and
, Gen. Colin Powell are two heroes in an
unfortunate war.
Bernard Shaw, the Cable News Network
(CNN) co-anchor of Primetime News, 'is
one of the best news men in the business.
, The 50-year-old Chicago nat ve has the
distinction of being the only leading anchor
in Baghdad, Iraq when the coalition of
nations lead by the United States began its
military action against Saddam Hussein on
January 16.
. Although many reporters have covered
war sccnes, and Shaw is probably not the
first African American to cover such an
event, he is the first to do s·o as a Black
anchor. His work was stellar as he painted
a vivid picture of Baghdad und attack.
General Colin Powell ha been as
brilliant. As Chairman of the Join C . fs of
Staff, Powell has had a strong ha in the
direction of military deployment against
Hussein.
As Emerge magazine pointed out in its
January 1991 issue, "His (Powell) impact on
the image of African A ericans and on
people around the wor Id in 1990 has been
'pro-found. He could have ever greater
influence if war were to break out in the
Persian ,Gul , when he would be the fist
Black man in charge of an American war."
What BI��k HIStory'Month
do tom
I can feel like I will, like I'm ready to kill,
during this Black History Month but I think ,
I'll just chill ... �nd here's the deal:' ,
I gotta leok as if I just drank. fifth, like
eYerything's hip and life's a trip on a ctuise
ship. Or, I gotta look like I don't wanna fight,
though business crooks mig t up and take my
life for a buck. For a buck, ith sucb al WID
God We Trust", to make me y and ruin my
life is much more than I could uy right DOW.
Right now I find folks blowing their miada
on coke and crack, saying the deck iSltacked
because they're Black and "Who gives a beck,
, as a Qlatter of fact." But it am't like that for
a crackerjackl
What the heck's going wong is there's
nothing g.oing on. Black History'
month-long and all I hear is a smgsong about
overcoming till the' cows . come
h�me.Overcoming prejudice, some folks now
insist, was the right thing to do back in 1962,
when it was in vogue to cuss bu iness roguel
and al,l of those counting their loot by
truckloads. · .,
But now, Reagonomics say rac'ial
prejudice, like c ass bigotry, is oka for you
and me - it's a sign of being free. Another
sign of this reckless time is how history
repeats itself endlessly a we zoom straigbt
ahead staying unhealthily well-fed wbile
piritually we are dead. Thanks for listenin'.
Sign me,
Have Gun, But Will Be Very Stili