By Dr, Marcellus Andrews, Ph.DThe justconcludedpresidential~~ economy lag-Bing in impor-i tance whileuestions oabout pov-erty, eco-racial justice languished in the shadows.As always, the concerns of black peoplewere invisible to the parties and to whitememgheiee en sonar were. gain caught in a viseful white nationalist conservatism of theRepublicans and an increasingly indiffer-ent business liberalism of the Democrats.But one geis the sense that blackAmerica is at a breaking point in mattersof politics, The old alliance between blacksand the Democrats is about to end whilethe war between blacks and conservativesis going to get much wotse. Most of all,the unique solidarity between the blackmiddle class and the black poor will soonend as the pressure of economic sutvivalturns former allies into enemies. Poor blackpeople are about to become the victims ofa great political betrayal that is as predict-able as is me i Detrayal is due toe unyie of modern economiclife, whch he slowly but inexorably de-stroyed the basis for black unity. A briefassessment of our current economic pre-icament shows why the old forms ofunity cannot endure.The Republican Party, that peculiunion of fundamentalist i pike anfundamentalist Christians, is all aboutcutting the size of government throughlow taxes and fewer regulations, includ-Whenfinalthevotes came in,- PresidentBush's blackvote lookedike adrop inthe bucketamid his na-~ tional flood,= -but it looked: Sirhis Democeatico ponent... rna Diack vote'that surged upwarabout 25 percent from 2000 to 13.2million voters, 11 percent of it went toWhich_ Rev. Jessee JacksonDip Gop Vore REPUBLICAN?Youd think so if you listen to someof the evangelical supporters of GeorgeBush.Regular churchgoers véted dra-matically Republican in the election.20% of the voters identified omorals ? astheir major concern and voted over-.whelmingly for George Bush. (Whereasthose who named the economy and jobsor Iraq as their lead concerns voted threeto one for Kerry). Bush charged JohnKerry, a religious, practicing Catholic,with representing Hollywood values.d many voters believed in Bush be-cause he said he straightened himself outby taking Jesus into his life, and because¢ uses the imagery and language ofevangelicals - othe culture of life ? -through his speeches. Democrats, Re-publican operatives charged, are simplydivorced from the values of mainstream,religious America.But Republicans have no mo-nopoly on religion or on faith: And Re-publican policies often seem a far di-vorce from the moral teachings of theBible. The Bible tells us we will be mea-sured by how we treat the least of these.But under this president, poverty is ris-ing, Childhood poverty is up. Poor chil-dren grow with inadequate nutrition,no health insurance, no preschool, Mr.Bush Ts policies of top-end tax cuts andcuts in support for the poor only makethings worse.esus was born in a manger, notin amansion, He had a manger-up view ofthe world, not a mansion-down view.Jesus taught that a rich man was as likelyto get into the Kingdom as a camelthrough the eye of a needle. This isnotexactly a widespread sentiment at theRepublican National convention.He urged his followers to bewareof worldly ig to simplify their livesand follow him. He instructed them toserve the poor, not neglect them. Jesustaught us to love every child, to rise abovehierarchies in America,CeNo Exit in Black: Trapped ing public action to counter the outcomesof peivake racial discrimination in theeconomy or other parts of the private sec-tor. icans have done a brilliant jobof buildi an alliance between capitalistand racists that does not rely on govern-__ Ment power to promote racial segregationor racial inequality. Instead, the leadisectors of conservative America have relion the typical mechanisms of economicinequality and social class to sustain racialing them tochampion competition, choice and indi-vidal ight in ¢ face of persistent racialties in économic outcomes.Modern Ametica is, according to Re-publicans, a place where the economic for-tunes of different groups reflects the cul-tural and intellectual capital that thesegroups bring to an impartial competitivelace, which assigns value to peopleicles of what they do rather thanwhat they are. So, according to this viewof things, black people are poorer thanother fo » well, they are just notas smart or as industrious as other people.Poverty and racial inequality are not dueto discrimination, but rather mean thatblack people should imitate the culture of: if they want to get ahead.This boats "etlerale eae racialinequality is an electoral winner for freematt sdrocees who oppose most formsof redistribution as well as white national-ists who are loathe to support blacks whothey view as biologically and morally infe-riorCan blacks appeal to American liber-als and progressives for support in theirdrive for real equal opportunity? ttsdoned its concern with the needs of poorand badly schooled Americans of all colorsin the modern, technology driven globaleconomy in favor ofa of businessliberalisn thatis largely in-ifferent wo blackinterests,- The harsh reality of American eco-Bush, compared toa paltry 8 percent in2000.He came as the Messiah segs peoplewere expecting, praying for, a miwarrior that Tight deliver them hytheir oppressors, Instead, God broughtthem a baby, wrapped in the manger.Jesus taught the power of love, hope andcharity - not of weapons. He delivered " by sacrificing himself that they mayee.His teachings are a far remove fromGeorge Bush's war of choice in Iraq, theeuphemism used to describe ansive war on a country that posed no tereato us. The Pope has harshly criticizedBush's war; the U.N, Secretary GeneralKofi Annon has called it illegal.Democrats, particularly those likeSenator Kerry who serve in the Senate along time, do fall into the trap often oftalking about plans and programs, notright and wrong. They talk policy, notues, Not surprising, the Democratswho have fared well politically - JimmyCarter, Bill Clinton save been raised inthe church and are comfortable with theteachings of the Bible. Americans sensi-bly want their leaders.to have a stronmoral grounding as they meet the chaklenges yet to come.But God is not a political animal,The Bible tells us to tell a tree by thefruit it bears, not the bark it wears. Christwarns against hypocrisy - the public dis-play of faith without a true heart or with-out deeds of faith.Coriservatives now suggest thatGod is on the side of Republicans athome and America abroad. That Bush isright.to » that he has a missionfrom above in the war on terror, Thisgets the stakes exactly wrong. It isn't anothic life is that the blue-collar road tothe middle class has collapsed in the faceof a world economy dominated by tradeand technology. A large fraction of theAmerican work force have been strandedin the declining sectors of the Americaneconomy, even as their luckier counter-parts in the growing sector are experienc-ing a sustained economic boom. Themajority of black American workers havebeen stranded on the wrong side of theeconomic divide and -un-skilled labor, a far larger fraction thanamong the white majority. Even skilledworkers face job and employment threatsfrom trade and technology, so they are inno mood to help people in even greaterneed then themselves,Black Americans need governmenthelp more than whites in order to achievea middle class standard of living, which inAmerica, means their claims fall on deaf orhostile ears. The Republicans argue againstBig Government help for anybody,thereby ensuring that poor people staypoor forever, Every time that a conserva-tive claims that "people can spend theirmoney better than government can," heor she isalso saying that poor people are ontheir own because ri wing povernmen tis not about to offer them a bridge fromthe broken me ad economy to thei obal economy. Eveneducational efor isa fraud, since mostdollars for schools come from local districtswhich depend on local and state tax mon-ies that reflect yawning disparities acrossclass and color lines. governmentconservatism, as a practical matter, meansthat poor people will be locked out of edu-cational opportunity for as long as the rightis in eeDemocrats are not much better.The Democrats T business liberalism pto-motes the well being of the middle classmajority by increasing the competitivenessof the business sector ina hyper-competi-tive world. For example, Democratic sup-lina (14 percent, up from 9 percent) andident Bush improved hisin America. On the matter of travel, |understand that his next stop is DouglasHigh School, Atlanta, Georgia on No-vember 18, 2004,If Cosby is accurate in hisra0from his pleasure of golfmij moor poetic in the Berk-shire Mountains of Massachusetts, We'vepissed him off is what we have done. Hewants to know how can poor Black folksjustify spending $200.00 for a pair ofsneakers yet NOTHING for the educa-tional Hooked on Phonics or any-thing women sal, Not that how anyparent s money, entstipend or thong 40 hours oflabor in-tense sweat, is any of his business- yet it'st some. spend money on that defiessensible thinking to him. ting thatthe sneaker is true, are some of usguilty child sacrifice to the Baal god lordconsumerism and other lessor but as mor-ally drainitig ones?Cosby's unbridled anger has no lessarrested the attention of the Media, PaulaZahn in particular, Attention that allowshay sayers to replace Clarence Thomas andmeporailhdr titlerace traitor who's aiting ouraward. ? Clearly Cosby is no mere anaestraitor than Farrakhan. isa Bush confi-dant. Besides whom better than Cosbyto give his beloved agood tongue-ang. Lan obightench otheneglect ofthe poor, however, is obviouslynot one them, baalstairb| Because whatev:rt for cutting the cost of health care forfamilies and seine parand should be especially whencompared to the Republicans T limited ini-tiatives that leave too many people with-out insurance. The same is true of Demo-Cratic proposals to reduce the burden ofcollege tuition and housing on family bud-gets, which use various tax incentives andsubsidies to help people pay for the goodsthat they need.Do the Democrats have a programto create genuine equal opportunity foreducation, health care an te chances inAmerica? No. Middle America is far moreinterested in shoring up schools, medical Tcare and life chances for them and theirchildren than they are in creating real fair-ness for all. In this divided society where asizeable group of poor and working classbig draw for black Bush voters, too.his home state of Texas (1 percent, up A recent poll by the Joint Center forBut the real cost to Sen. John Kerry from 5 percent). Political and Economic Studies, a Wash-appeared in key battleground states like Since African-Americans are the ington-based think tank specializing inio, where Bush received an impres- Democratic Party Ts most loyal major eth- black issues, forecast a surprisingly largesive 16 percent of the black vote, 7 points nic or racial group, that Ts alot of Kerry's black turnout for Bush. It also found thatmore than he received in 2000. political base that jumped the fence. pro-Bush blacks were more likely thanAnd in Florida, where 13 percent Many of those fence jumpers ap- Kerry supporters to be regular churchgo-of the black vote went to Bush, almost to be new voters, part of Bush po- ets, over age 50, opposed to gay marriagetwice the 7 percent he received there four litical adviser Karl Rowe's successinmo- and not as worr, about where their nextyearsago. . bilizing the 4 million evangelical Chris- dollar would come from.ahaa eer nai ihich Kerry :. tianisnwho)teportedly:stayedshvonne in. 1-64 he Supreme Court put Bysh'inwon, Bush nevertheless took 16 percent 2000. The omoral values ? issue, however the White House in 2000, ? Davidof the black vote, up from 7 percent in | you define it; that emerged surprisingly Bositis, the Joint Center's senior pdlitical2000. . . in exit polls as.a bigger concern for voters analyst, observed, othe Massachusetts~ And. in Georgia (12 percent, up than any other issue, including Iraqand " Supreme Court (which upheld gay mar-from 7 percent in 2000), North Caro- the economy, apparently proved tobea riage in that state) probably put him back@ ! | oY in the White House in 2004. ? .ide Is oO n et itboinsrucie note bow. BO ff quickly same-sex civil unions, a radical} the divisions of race or tribe or religion. "_ question of whether God is on America Ts idea just a few short years ago, have be-When the men gathered to stonea pros- side. The question is whether America is | come the new politically safe alternativetitute, he challenged them. Who _ on God Tsside. And as war in Iraq | position for candidates of both parties.amongst you, he asked, can throw the _and children hungry in the richest Even President Bush endorsed civilfirst stone? He asked us to stand with ° nation on » the question should so- | unions, oif that Ts what the states want tothe weak, the ill, the stranger in a forei ber the political operatives who see God | do, ? in an October interview on ABC Tsland. The Good Samaritan stops for the asa political weapon rather than an abid- | Good Morning America, disagreeingwounded man on the Jericho Road, stop- ing guide. " with his own party's platform.ping to aid someone from another tribe, .even when his own tribesman cross to t We Sacrifice theea ai ithe road o pas him byWe are called on to be our brothers T . . aaa Fae Ezekiel 16: 43-63, Genesis 18:20 andae . ar pE .B : is ,se The division politics practiced in of Jon shed aan ed 19:4-1)the last election, the appeals to our fear (Theodore Shaw. Wash; n Post, May Cosby while on CNN Paula Zahnof the other contrast starkly with those 2 ree Now, Thursday, November 11, 2004, asks27, 2004 "Beyond What Bill Cosby the lot of poor Black America: "HowNordocs George Bushs rollback of Si T. a: you ging wp whisper hore[¢) .environmental regulations reflect well. missions erase He hab i ni epidemi Sn your apartment when theThe bible teaches that nature is God Ts launched ea hosts knoe but ies are coming out in sheets?" Thecreation. We may use it for a while, but not caring who us willbebrened epidemic to which he's refering (pet tran-we have no ownership of it. We are as b nego het script records), that Blacks make up 65%stewards to the bounty that God has °Y La his words in missile styl of the prison population can neither readcreated. We should be working to pre- formation, while traveli through our 2F write and a are thus termed illiterate.serve it, not rolling back regulations to communiti holding town hall style meet- Add to that the issue of black teen preg-poison our air, neglect our seas and turn ings, his is an in your face effort to save dene apreportionately high con-a blind Ts eye to a global warming that ote chil dren from the sacrificial altar he S#dering that Blacks in general are onlymay threaten all of God Ts creation. hints'that we've fashioned for them here 13% of the total population. To that heFinally, Jesus was a man of peace. adds, "We're off the board [with these fig-ures}." (Paula Zahn Now, Interview wiBill Cosby, Transcript November 11,2004). hisIn this fight, Cosby is leaving no stoneunturned. He ing on politicians, com-munities, and especially parents and fami-lies. Although accused of using back bit-ing techniques to drive his point, he prom-ises that we ain't seen nothing yet! Nodoubt with his money and clout, in WhiteAmerica and as Black America's belovedHeathcliff Huxtable, might there be forcedhouse cleaning in the near future? All dustballs and cobwebs of immorality out, out,out! I find myself just as anxious as I amscared that he's gonna denounce our mostrevered institutions as the greatest eminentfront there ever was. Remember, he saidwe ain't seen nothi ceeing the question 'sthe money?),you can be rest assured that we're about towitness a modern turning over of thetables in the » OOPS, Don'tknow about you but I'm looking for abomb shelter lay-a-way plan at this writ-However unthinkable the practicesof child sacrifice it is not new. . .rarely dis-cussed, but not new. Evidence of its an-cient practice was found some time ago ina place called Carthage. There bones ofchildren and animals were discovered at aPhoenician altar or so called Ti . OldTestament records that parentsmade their children pass through the firein worship of the Baal gods Molech andChemosh at such places, 1 Kings 11:5-8,for such favors as good crops, rain, for-breed chil-dren for this purpose. In 2 Kings, 23:8-Bi ippe) -_ -" 0people simply cannot make it on their own,black voteto Blacknsnomy and Politics; Pee 0 a¢ Co, a oeY pal eh de me: aan insecur F ?,? middle clas is not about tospend money on other people, particu-llyiftheyareblck. PP ?The Democrats have no reason to- champion real equal opportunity becauseit is expensive and would take at least ageneration to achieve. The problem withthe Democrats is that they do not have acommon program of economic reconstruc-tion that can unite the poor and themiddle class. The fact that there are mil-lions of people who cannot make it ontheir own, no matter how hard they try,will not convince Middle America to helpout their ling countrymen unlessthey see something in it for themselves.This sense of looking out for number oneis not just or even racism, but isalso rooted in the politics of economic sur-Despondent Democrats should takeheart from that shift as they wonderwhere and how they lost their mojo:Most Americans eventually grow morecomfortable with new frontiers of free-dom and equality, but you can Tt pushthem too fast.So, take heart, dear Democrats:Come in, come in off that ledge. Pleasestep away from that circular firing squad.is wet lost ~FRO Vis is a party at onice indisput-, ably held the mor high ground in the\bnids of most American voters, and youcan seize it again. .First, you've got to stop letting theother party do a better job of definingyour omoral values ? than you do of de-fining theirs,oure not likely to win over manyhard-core liberal-haters, but you can winback many of the persuadable, middle-of-the-road i ts who see themselvesas the people who President Clinton said owork hard and play by the rules.Their moral values question, forexample, the withholding of full fund-ing for educational reforms (like oNoRam in the Thick10, King Josiah dismantled the altar ofsacrifice in the Valley of Ben of Hinnom.re Child sacrifice ir also manifest itselfough instances of unrepented genera-sonata The problems associated withthis can be so strong that one must breakall ties of iniquity coming down the fam-ily lines ten generations backwards andten generations forward (Richard InSpiritual Warfare, Whitaker House, 1996),Biblically speaking the matter must be at-tended to either before the fourth genera-tion or immediately following it. SeeNehemiah 1:4-9; Jeremiah 14:20 andDaniel 9:1-21. More importantly, it's notonly that the origins of generational sinstops and begins with the Clalso of discussion amongst peteists whose research points to ity andfamily experience in addition to commu-ity as the contributing factors to the moralissues of children. (chn Santrock, Chil-dren.1997).In the absence of solid parental val-ues and moral framing, of which Cosbyspeaks, can we then attribute the unnatu-systemic occurrences of delinquency,pregnancy lack of educational attainment,of self respect in the absence of re-spect, poverty, through the roof rates ofincarceration to the sacrifice of Biblical ori-gins? Ifsuch events are happening who'sgaining the return or rewards? Is it pos-sible that the reward be discourse and fail-ure for the unsuspecting subscribers to thismadness?I recall reading last year, that a thir-teen year old child a teacher to goa knife and kill him. In this instance I,didorkurhgresin Chee!or generation ose sinsof the family had completely claimed hissoul. Was the child aware thaps, onsome other plane of thought, that his deathwould meet the sacrificial requirements thatwould allow his family to go on existing?Might we sacrifice not our children, butthe ram re thicket instead? I remainYours in str uggle,Susie Clemons,opinionsandtalk@yahoo.comLamentations 5: 1-21Remember, O LORD, what is comeupon us: consider, and behold our re-proach, (2:) Our inheritance is turned tostrangers, our houses to aliens, (3:) We areorphans and fatherless, our mothers are aswidows. (4:) We have drunken our waterr happens to tagKIDICKICA yirskt...an_ on»butitisAmericavival.So why do black people stay withthe Democrats, even ifthe party noreal program for creating genuine equal ~opportunity that can command enoughsupport from Middle America to counteropposition from free market co: ivand their racist allies? A different politicsof survival: the black middle class needsthe Democrats to protect them froin whiteioe 7 classIr majority are just hfor dear life. Black America ica.is in anexistential bind between a party that willtolerate their presence so long as they sup-Port business liberals and the fierce whitenationalist wing of the Republican Partybent on pushing blacks back into society'sCONTINUE ON PAGE 12since 2000Child Left Behind ?) to help fund taxbreaks for wealthy corporations.Their moral values agree that whena senior citizen has to choose betweenpaying for her prescription medicine andpaying her rent, it makes all of our livespoorer, as Illinois Senator-elect BarackObama told the Democratic NationalConvention. oNo, people don't expect govern-ment to solve all their rrr AAthat with just. a change in priorities, wecan make sure that every child in Americahas a ore shot at life, and that thers Of opportunity remain open to all,They know we can do ae theywant that choice. ? :Yes, not every American voter sharesthose moral values. But, as conservativeauthor Phyllis wrote in the yearof Barry Goldwater's disastrous loss 40years ago, all of us deserve to have thechoice, not just an echo.Page is a Pulitzer Prize-winning syn-dicated columnist specializing in urbanissues. He is based in Washington, D.C.cpage@tribune.com)Instead?Susie Clemonsfor arene is sold unto us. (5:)Our necks are under persecution: welabour, and have no rest. (5) We have giventhe hand to the Egyptians, and to theAssyrians, to be satisfied with bread. (7:)Our fathers have sinned, and are notyandwe have borne their iniquities. (8:) Ser-vants have ruled over us: there is nonethat doth deliver us out of their hand. (9:)We gat our bread with the peri of ourlives because of the sword o: the wilder-ness. (10:) Our skin was black like an ovenbecause of the terrible famine. (11:) Theyvished the women in Zion, and themaids in the cities of Judah. 12: Princesare hanged up by their hand: the faces ofre hs not honoured. 13: They tookyoung men to grind, and the childrenfell under dewee Tee he » the young men fromtheir musick. 15: The joy of our heart isceased; our dance is turned into mourn-ing, 16: The crown is fallen from our head:Woe unto us, that we have sinned! 17: Forthis our heart is faint; for these things ourcyes are dim. 18; Because of the moun-tain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxeswalk upon it. 19: Thou, O LORD,remainest for ever; thy throne fromeration to generation. 20: Wherefore tosthou forget us for ever, and forsake us so{ong time? 21: Turn thou us unto thee, OLORD, and we shall be turned; renewour days as of old. 22: But thou hast ut-terly rejected us; thou art very wrothagainst us. .