Just wondering.....

[wind149]

What does everyone here think of Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton?? Before I posted this I asked Freshwater her opinion as to writing about these two clowns without sounding racist. She agreed with some of my views, so now I would like to share mine with you all. These Two need to look no further than their own mirrors to see who is the biggest racist. They hide behind the guise of being men of the cloth and a right hand of God and they think they are the reincarnate of Martin Luther King and they could never hold a candle to that great man. He wanted racial harmony between all races, for peace among men and it is too bad he never got to finish his mission and that one was from God. I am disgusted with these tools-* in the sense of the minute they think a black person is being wrongfully accused of a crime, or dissed in some manner, or was "racially profiled" here they come spewing their rhetoric. Anyone remember the Towanna Brawley case? The black girl that claimed she was kidnapped by white men, chained to a pole in a basement and raped and was covered in feces?? Sharpmouth gets all righteous and indignant, claiming the NYPD was not doing enough to find her because she was black, screamed racism from every corner and then when it is revealed the little brat made the whole sorry ass story up, he slithered back into his hole and the poor white men that were accused and vilified, never received any kind of apology from either her or Sharpmouth, he acted like nothing happened and raises money to get her a scholarship. He is the worst of the two as he just runs his mouth without finding out all the facts first. Then we have several other cases over the years and he wanted Gov Arnold to grant clemency to Tookie Williams who was due to be executed in Dec 05, forgetting all about the fact of why he was on death row, he killed 4 white people and laughed about it and half of Hollywood like the trash rappers, that idiot Snoop Dog wanted him to be given a pass as well and Gov Arnold refused and there is JJ and AS screaming about a black man who has turned his life around, yeah, prison has a way of doing that to you, and he talked to young boys coming in about gang life, he should know, he started the Cripps, and he wrote a book. Tough, and he got the needle which he justly deserved. Then it was the Katrina nightmare and how people were shot at by cops for no reason, yeah, sure, and the media and them were hyping black people were looting and white people were doing it for survival. And then we have the Don Imus thing. Yes, he was wrong for saying what he did. He should not have been fired, he apologized to the young women, they accepted it, but no, Sharp had to keep it going, as usual. About that time JJ was trying to keep a low profile as the world learned about his child out of wedlock which he had hoped no one knew about and from another poster I found out one of his charities was paying support checks to the Mama. Then comes the Michael Vick debacle. He is a dog murderer, a lying, sack of trash, and I don't give a crap how good of a football player he is! He killed viable dogs for greed, and when they would not fight, he electrocuted them, starved them, he is a piece of s**t!!! But of course, he is being "racially profiled" Sorry,, they have arrested several people here in Detroit and Flint for dog fighting and all the defendants were black and there was some tool who ran his mouth and called it a "sport" Sharp wet himself over this one refusing of course to see the truth. It is not the color of his skin that got him arrested, it was cruel, and horrible the way he harmed and murdered those poor dogs for greed, but of course it became a race issue due to the fact the NAACP and Sharp had to fuel the fires of racism once again. Kinda fuuny how all the others that were arrested were all black, not a white face in sight! The NAACP is another racist organization as well. Blacks have their own colleges, but if we wanted to have an all white college, all hell would break loose. Then came the Newark NJ kids that were murdered by a Mexican illegal and two black juveniles. See AS and JJ near Newark? Nope. Had those poor kids been killed by a white man, the riots would have rose their ugly heads again, but since it was a black and Mexican crime, they wanted no part of that. Very rarely, unless they can milk a photo-op playing the bereaved Reverend's do they show up for a black on black crime. And now comes the Jena Six. I tell you before this incident happened that town was already racially divided, case in point, on Nightline, they interviewed some white good ole boy who tells the reporter that "They have their churches and we have ours" Did that not sound racist to you? Like he was telling you, they have their place like it was 1950. Two wrongs don't make a right. That was extremely white trash to hang those nooses and the black boys should not have retaliated against a white boy, especially a boy who was not involved in the incident. And here comes the blow-hards screaming we shall overcome, calling in people like it was a march for harmony, getting the dander up in the whole town and Bell was charged as an adult and should still be. They put the beat down on that boy. 6-1 is not good odds, they could have killed him. The clowns wet themselves over these great photo-ops, beaming from ear to ear, basically building the walls of hate back up again, set the clock back in time. These two only do it for their own agendas and My, do they love that camera. And JJ latest lame remark that Obama was acting two "white" disgusted me to no end and when asked about the comment from some talking head on CNN, he tried tot have an attack of amnesia. See, they can say anything, even vaguely racist and it is fine and dandy, some one uses the n-word and here they come. I wrote an e-mail to CNN asking them not to feature these clowns on their shows because it is their own big mouths that keep it going and I was sick of them standing on their soap box thinking every white person is racist. I have two black friends that hate these tools. It is like they have appointed themselves the spokesmen for the black race and my friend wrote a scathing letter to JJ and told him basically what she thought of him and he writes back and tells her he will pray for her soul as God thinks she listens to her white friends too much. Now was that racist or what?? I had to get this off my chest as this world is too screwed up now, without these clowns stirring up the pots of hate and anger. I remember the riots of 1965 in Newark as I iwas born in NJ and lived there till I was eight. Yes, through centuries black people got treated horribly, and unfairly, accused of crimes they did not commit, but I was not one of the ones who was doing the hating. Everyone is precious in God's sight and I just wish all races would realize that.

[kurro07]

Excellent post! Yeah, those two are quite racist. Of course any black person who tells them have just been brainwashed by whitey. Honestly, people like them are the reason we have not advanced as much as we should in terms of racism. They keep black people scared that every white person is racist.
When I was 7 (or younger) I had this belief. My aunt married a black guy and I have a half and half cousin. We always played together and my aunt and uncle have always been well off (You should see the gas guzzler my uncle drives, it is nice and BIG LOL) anyways, when I was little I was under the assumption, and this is little kid logic, that it would be a terrible crime for me to be racist because I was related to black people and you just don't hate family members for something as silly as skin color.
I always think it would be funny to be called a racist then I'd say "come with me" and tell them to meet my uncle Marvin. Because even though I am 25 now I still consider it was terrible crime to hate anther family member because of skin color, and just introducing someone to my multicultural family (another aunt married a Mexican) I think speaks loudly that my family (my mom's side at least) does not care about skin color. (My dad has a sister who is married to a racist and when I found out my opinion of that uncle went down quite a bit.)

[One2Snoop]

I can agree with 95% of what you say here wind149. I can't stand either one of them.
I think you should have this topic renamed to "What do you think of Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson". You might get more responses although the conversation may become somewhat heated. IMO, JMO

[dallasvic]

Hi Wind,

I do agree with you on many things. Could you please explain to me where we will go from here with this thread ? I do know that since Jena Six, things have been coming to light not just in Jean ,but NY, that town 40 from Jena where that boy had the nooses on his truck. The ordeal in the NY police deportment really showed me something.
I live in Nacogdoches Tx East Texas and it is about 30 mile from Jasper Tx where that black boy was dragged behind a trunk,3 white boys did it. When I heard about Jena it popped in my mind about Jasper. Small town still living in the past. There is a move out call Jasper Texas. Everyone needs to see it. Oh MY God it is horrific

[wind149]

The Jena Six thing pretty much but my dislike of these guys go way back and I was sick to death of seeing them on every freaking network screaming how the black race gets a bad rap and this where I get ugly with them. On another message board I opened up a can of worms when I agreed with a BLACK reporter from a Kansas City newspaper regarding Sharpton and how blacks commit more violent crimes than whites, keep it mind these were his words not mine and he gave examples, and statistics that were very accurate. I can think of many black people in the news in any town where there are drive-by shootings, hell, that happens every night in Saginaw MI, a six month old baby was hit a couple months back and the defendants are 17 and 20 all over drug turf. The drugs wars in some inner cities are all conducted by young black men, home invasions, car jackings, robberies, rapes, and assaults. I hate this black career criminal in NH that took the life of a decorated police officer, Michael Briggs of the Manchester NH PD a year ago. He was shot in the head by Michael Addison, who has a record a mile long with many violent charges. He has been charged with capitol murder and the SA is going for the DP and she gonna get it. His trial is not supposed to start for another year as his NAACP lawyers try to dream up a defense putting the skin issue center court and the reason I say that is already they are moaning NH is too "white" They are wrong, many nationalities live in NH, maybe not as many black people say, like New Orleans? I expect the gruesome twosome to show up for that trial screaming their rhetoric. The reporter said something that stuck in my head about these two. A minute of truth and a mountain of lies, and this is from a black man. It is how they use the color of their skin to bail out of charges, jams, and who does most of the racial profiling? No one from the prosecution end decided to charge Vick with killing dogs for profit because of his skin, he was charged because he is murdering dirtbag who to me is less then human for harming innocent animals and this is the reason pit bulls get a bad rap. My friend has two of them who are slobbery marshmallows! So if they can do it, more white people should say they were persecuted for the color of their skin. OJ, played the race card and won and I am hoping this time he gets some serious jail time as he is a violent, loser and I smile every time Fred Goldman takes another chunk right out of his hand as I loathe OJ! The reporter went onto say that JJ was a hypocrite preaching to his flock about fidelity and family and here he has a child out of wedlock, SharpMouth hated it when it was revealed he had a piece of the white DNA coursing through his veins. They are both hypocrites, blow-hards, and total jerks. So while this has become my page so to speak, I am glad to see on this board, there are sane, reasonable, intelligent, folks who get the meaning of life and don't live in La La Land. I speak my mind and I can't see me any other way. Anyone who promotes racism of any kind, I don't want to know you, and I too, was horrified when them white trash dirtbags dragged that poor man to his death and was glad to see they got the DP. I know that there are red-neck, losers, KKK members, white supremacy groups that also fuel the fires of racism. A group came here this summer and it almost got ugly. My god-daughter Shelly is bi-racial and while growing up we had just a smattering of racist yahoos bother her, for the most part VT is live and let live and that is what should happen everywhere .Those white trash POS's in GA who murdered Christopher Barrios thought nothing of doing what they did as Mama says "He ain't white, it ain't right". This from a piece of dog crap who is married to a man who was charged with incest with their daughter, a son, who is a half-wit child predator ,and she masturbates while they abuse that little angel!!!! So I really don't think there will ever be true racial harmony, the Two will be running their mouths till they die, white trash will be doing their evil. I see my friends, I don't see a black woman or a man. I see my good friends, hard-working decent folk.

[cildawg1]

As a black person who was born in the early 1950's, I have a different perspective from most of you. It's not that I don't understand your perspectives. Really, I do. I could cite examples where my children benefitted financially merely because there were so few minorities on their college campus. They actually received scholarships for which they didn't even need to apply. One daughter merely applied for law school. When she was accepted, she was given an $8,000/year scholarship!!!(Go Figure)

So I can understand why white people would feel frustrated and cheated. The scholarships didn't take anything away from white people, but one would be less than human to not feel envious of funds being so readily available to someone merely because of the color of their skin. So as the kids say, "I feel you!"

Now, about Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

There was a need for a Jesse Jackson in America, especially after the death of Dr. King. Jesse Jackson filled that void well. He encouraged students with "I Am - Somebody." He was a handsome, eloquent orator and spoke well for the race. He was witty and clever and I was proud that he was our spokesman. However, I lost all confidence in him when I learned that he had fathered a child out of wedlock. I feel like if a person can't be honest with his life partner, how can you trust that person for anything. As far as boycottes, I only remember a few. (1) Black people boycotted Revlon, when the owner claimed that hair products produced by black distributers were inferior. (Ouch! That hurts. He should have known better.) (2) I remember when there was a boycotte of Phillips petroleum, but for the life of me, I can't remember why. So Jesse Jackson doesn't have this power that a lot of white people believe he has to bring down companies. After his mistress and love child became public, I felt that he started trying to find every cause he could to support - to try and regain what he'd lost. The way he goes about it, it looks like there is no bad black person in the world, and we know that's not true.

It is not a favor to black people for Jesse Jackson to find racism as an excuse for every problem in the world that anyone black has. You know what, I've been the victim of racism many times. But the racism that I've experience actually made me stronger. I was determined to succeed. I felt that I had to be better than my white counterparts. Mediocrity was not an option for me.

So my opinion of Jesse Jackson has diminished somewhat. The need is still there. Racism is alive and well in America. But I prefer Barak Obama's "pick yourself up by your bootstraps" image. He doesn't go around looking for an excuse.

Okay, I'm tired of writing. Maybe I'll talk about Al Sharpton (who I hated for a long time, and now I'm starting to like him) tomorrow.

[One2Snoop]

Welcome cildawg1 - awesome post and I look forward to hearing what you have to say about Al Sharpton.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[wind149]

Thank you cildadawg for an excellent post. It was refreshing to hear thoughts from a sane minded black person. I asked Freshwater before I posted this so I would not come off sounding racist for the simple fact on another message board they all thought I was some white red-necked cracker for not liking the Two as I call them. I just posted my feelings and all boards agree to disagree that is half the point of being on these boards, opinions are gonna vary. And I am totally impressed by your thoughts on JJ. His credibility as the fine upstanding man of the cloth went out the window the minute it was revealed he had that child and you know he hated anyone to know about it and I think among other things he is a hypocrite. But he could not keep his ass away from Jena, plenty of hornet's nests down there to fuel, with the righteously indignant tool as center court with him. I can't wait to hear what you think of him, and please don't hold back, everyone will value your opinion, I know I will either way. I don't expect you would agree with me and that is OK. People on these boards at least have an open mind, are intelligent, same minded and it is a joy to post here because you have those qualities going on here. Sometimes, on the other boards, I would get into pissing contests say, over the DP! You get the bleeders on there who think anyone for the DP is a blood thirsty vigilante and they feel for these mutts and want to bake them cookies. We called them trolls, don't feed the trolls, in other words, not worth posting back, and put them on the ignore feature. Thank you for your insight.

[Athena]

You certainly picked a deep topic to discuss. Talking about Sharpton and Jackson no matter what your opinion of them inevitably leads to racism and economics but I will try to stay on-topic here.

Being an avid supporter of civil rights and the fact that my husband is black and my children are mixed I do know some of their backgrounds and while it’s not all good it certainly is not all bad either.

For almost 20 years Jesse Jackson was truly a civil rights leader and actually became an activist in college before he met Martin Luther King. He led the movement with his determination to end segregation. He led protestors to restaurants and public buildings that did not allow blacks in and was jailed. He was part of the reason that NC integrated their restaurants and theatres. He was instrumental in creating the Chicago Freedom Movement to integrate schools and force open housing. When Martin Luther King was in Alabama leading the fight for the right to vote, Jackson joined him.

Al Sharpton actually met Jackson when he was 14 when he became the youth director in NY of Operation Breadbasket that distributed food to needy communities in NYC. His whole teenage life was spent being involved in civil rights. He formed a National Youth Movement in the early 70’s which was devoted to the specific problem of black urban youth. During the 80’s he brought attention to racial crimes such as the Howard Beach incident, the Goetz shooting of 4 black youth on a subway, etc. and became known as a strong advocate for civil rights in the justice system. The incident with Tawana Brawley IMO was the beginning of his downfall. He was sued for defamation by one of the falsely accused rapists and has never apologized for his wrong conclusions and for the racial divisiveness, which this case caused.

I believe somewhere along the line Jackson’s focus and abilities have became diluted and he has become a race baiter exploiting IMO the poor urban blacks that he is supposed to be representing. Rather than heal the racial disparities in this country recently he has only served to bring contempt for his actions and has further divided the country along racial lines. Exposure of his financial empire and wealth after the birth of out of wedlock baby has left him less of a spokesman for the poor and personally, I have lost a tremendous amount of respect that I had for him. I was genuinely shocked when he made the comment that Barack Obama was too white. In his effort to rehabilitate himself, he has only bred more contempt by taking on every single cause, right or wrong and just inserting himself anywhere media is around and cast him in a role of reverse racism by telling blacks that they should blame everything that happens to them on white people. Racism is alive and well in America but Jackson is not the one who is going to do any healing.

Sharpton IMO has actually toned down his rhetoric in recent years. The issues I have with him are his self-promotion and he takes certain incidents to the extreme such as he did with the Imus case and the Duke U case. What Imus said was not excusable but I believe a monetary fine, suspension and apology to the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team should have sufficed. In the Duke U case, he should have apologized as he should have in the Tawana Brawley case and that is also a fault I find with him. When he is wrong he just ignores the repercussions and will not apologize which hurts his credibility.

Having said all that, if it were not for Sharpton, many injustices in this country, racial and criminal would be swept under the rug. While I have said repeatedly on the Jena 6 thread is that there is no excuse for six students to attack one however I do believe the charges were beyond what should have been charged. While I agree that the potential was there to hurt Justin Barker, the fact was that the medical reports I have read do not justify the charges and the punishment should fit what did happen, not what could have happened.

I do believe the Jena 6 should be punished for what they did, they should be given anger management classes and community services in addition to whatever punishment is fairly given, but there is no way I believe that any of them deserve to spend the best years of their lives in jail for 15 years. These are not hardened criminals here we are talking about. I believe the entire series of events that happened in Jena were handled inappropriately and ineffectively and clearly shows two systems of justice in Jena. Al Sharpton made a statement where he said that he did not condone violence on any side, but just believed they were overcharged and that Bell should have been tried in juvenile court and he would not interfere any further in Bell’s case now that he believes it is where it belonged for Bell.

While I may not endorse some of the methods he uses, Sharpton is a much-needed figure in the black community like him or not. Jackson IMO should just retire.

[cildawg1]

Before I give my thoughts on Al Sharpton, I want to explain the need for an Al Sharpton and/or Jesse Jackson - even though I know that they are personally distasteful to many.

Being an old woman, I have a long memory:

1. I remember when a jogger was raped (I think in Central Park.) During that time, a group of young, black kids were "wilding," going out knocking down signs, overturning trash cans - you know acting like d@mn fools. Well it was decided that these young kids had probably raped this woman. There was no DNA evidence that pointed to any of these children. But the prosecutors separated the boys, lied to them, deprived them of sleep and a lawyer, and finally got someone to say that the others had done it. Then the threat of life in prison caused some to plead to lesser charges. It was a circus. No evidence. I remember that Al Sharpton was the person who fought for those boys. They were eventually released after serving a few years in prison. (This was about 15 or 20 years ago)

2. I remember when a special prosecutor in Texas falsified evidence and put dozens of law-abiding black citizens in jail. He claimed that they were drug dealers. These were the poorest people in the community. Some were living in huts with bare minimal necessities. The prosecutor (just to make a name for himself) railroaded these poor, black citizens. He created the evidence. Some organization finally got to the bottom of it and the citizens were released. (This was about five years ago. It was a CourTV special. I think it was called "Texas Injustice" or something like that.)

I could go on and on. I hope that everyone can accept the fact that racism exists in America. Racism Exists!!! The Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world are out there fighting racism. I'll be the first to admit that in every situation, it isn't racism. But in a lot of the situations it is.

I remember the Tawana Brawley case. I believe that woman lied. Al Sharpton believed her and fought for her. It ended up costing him in the end.

Now, my opinion of Al Sharpton. I used to hate to see him coming. I hated the way he looked. If he had black pride, why didn't he wear his hair as a natural instead of that d@mn greasy perm. Did he actually think that jogging suit was hiding his fat behind??? He appeared to be a media hog - always on Geraldo taking on the Ku Klux Klan or some group like that. I just didn't like him. I remember once when he told a white woman who said something like "Your race is the most violent, vile race in the world. Your race rapes and kills." His retort was, "Anyone who would want to rape you would need their eyes examined!" That response embarassed me. Couldn't he come up with something smarter than that??? Couldn't he point to the Thurgood Marshalls and Roy Wilkins of the world and tell that woman something else? I thought he was a sad excuse of a leader.

But as I get older, I have developed more respect for Al Sharpton. You see, I sat comfortably back and reaped the benefits of those who marched, protested, boycotted, and fought the civil rights battle. My husband, children, and I have advanced degrees. When my husband was in graduate school, he benefitted from affirmative action scholarship. He came from a very poor family and would have never earned his degree without it. My children came from a fairly prosperous family, but they got affirmative action scholarships too.

When you do a load of laundry, there is this device in the center called the agitator. It moves back and forth and gets the clothes clean. That's what I think about Al Sharpton. He's the agitator. He's not always on the correct side, but he's always on the side of the poor and the minorities. He is like a lawyer for his people. When I hire a lawyer, I don't want someone who is going to be fair. I want someone who is biased in my favor.

I've seen a lot of growth in Al Sharpton. He has come a long way from getting in fights on the Geraldo show. He speaks well. He is an advocate. Sometimes he gets it wrong (like those Duke LaCross players). But he will always be on my side.

Okay. I'm tired of writing. Gotta go.

[cildawg1]

I wonder why the punishment for crack cocaine is so much harsher than the punishment for cocaine? Is it because crack cocaine is a drug that poor people use and cocaine is a drug of the affluent?

[wind149]

Thank you ladies for your insight and absolute truth. Racism does exist everywhere and until we all can come up with a solution, it will continue. I am really pleased with both of your views on JJ, my sentiments exactly! I know years ago he seemed to be a man who was driven to help the black race, became a crusader for civil rights and then boom! All of a sudden he becomes more of a media ***** than anything else. He should have never tag teamed up with Sharpton as I think between the two of them their egos began to get in the way of civil rights, and it became more about them and their OWN rhetoric and their version of civil rights and made sure the camera's caught every angle! I can not forgive Sharpton for the Brawley case, that girl lied a big fish tale and then when the truth comes out, his credibility with me went in the crapper. I followed the case because I was horrified that this could happen to a young girl, I hated those white men that were accused, but I knew the police were doing everything they could to find her and seeing as it was New York City it was like trying to find a piece of lint in a garbage dump. They did not have much to go on and here comes Sharpton in their face screaming they are not doing enough and I found out on a show, I believe it was "American Justice" that the man power hours that went on to find her were incredible. Cops went into over time trying to find her and then comes the truth. Oh, Gee Whiz, I made it up so my Daddy did not know I have a boyfriend! She should have been charged with false info to a police officer and it is a class D felony, she should have been MADE to apologize to the young men, and Sharp should have gotten on his knees and apologized. I saw one of the men one night on Geraldo and believe me ladies, he is still pissed off to this day. Even though he was not a rapist, his hood treated him like crap, he lost his job, basically went through hell and not one word from that lying trash! And Sharp went on like nothing happened till the next time he felt like he needs to be there. This is what I have a beef with him. He can call me a racist cracker to my face and if I call him something back, I find myself on every network being branded a racist!!! His own agendas ladies, it is all about him and his image. The black reporter I wrote about saw him in action in Jena and it disgusted him enough to turn tail and leave before he as he calls it "got caught up in the madness" This man spoke eloquently about his childhood and having to deal with blatant racism. He was turned away at a college as they did not allow blacks. He was turned down for jobs he thought he was quite capable of doing. He met JJ and was turned on by his idealisms, the way the man fought for civil rights and 25 years later, he does not even want to see him! So you can see in 25 years time JJ has not really lived up to the expectations that was afforded him. He has failed in my eyes and I wonder what the great man himself would say. I was a little girl in 1964. It was the year before the horrific riots in Newark. My grandfather and I were going to a zoo that used to be there and MLK was at a rally in front of the courthouse. My grandfather looked at me as I was looking in wide eyed wonder at the hate I saw on people's faces and he said to me "That man is going to change the world for the good" At the time I don't suppose I truly knew what he meant as in our family no one cared about color. Grandpa's best friend was Abel. He was black and we called him Uncle Abel. He worked with my grandfather at a car dealership in Nutley and Grandpa hired him because he was a bang up mechanic. He got married and then we had Aunt Gussie and soon they had two daughters and I would hang out with the babies! I saw racism when we went to a park in NYC one day. The security people would not let Abel and the family in so my father told the guy to go to hell and we went down by the East River and had a picnic there. I remember the night Newark burned. We lived only 12 miles away. I remember looking out the living room window as our house was on a hill. I remember my whole family were worried about what was gonna happen next. My school was fire-bombed as my school was allowing black students and some of the white asswipes decided to burn it to the ground. The next year we moved to Vermont. And Abel and family came too. No one in Vermont was really racist as it has always been a state where live and let live. In January, I was in Newark for the first time in 40 years. And my mind went back to the day with grandpa and how much has changed and how much hasn't. I am so glad that I started this thread because I got insightful answers and advice and opinions that make so much sense. If we all can see the light at the tunnel why can't everybody else? Why does it have to do with the color of your skin? There are good and bad people of all races, people make their own destinies in life. I plan on voting for Obama as the man is eloquent, educated, and speaks from the heart. We need a president that has lived the life of us regular folks not born with the silver spoon. He lived in abject poverty so he knows how many poor people there is in this country. He is gonna do great things and that is why I was so disgusted with JJ's hurtful remark and then tries to fish lie his way out of it by laying on the trip of how he supports him, Horse pucky! he meant what he said. So again, thank you ladies for all this goodness and maybe we can make a difference somewhere.

[Athena]

Originally Posted by cildawg1

I wonder why the punishment for crack cocaine is so much harsher than the punishment for cocaine? Is it because crack cocaine is a drug that poor people use and cocaine is a drug of the affluent?

Great example of the two different systems of justice. JMO

[Wichita]

Crack cocaine is cheaper, metabolizes faster than snorting, and therefore afflicts it users with addiction quicker. Poor people can afford it, and street pushers can finance inventory with less overhead. Because its addictive qualities are quicker, it's easier to exploit young women by causing them to become prostitutes to continue their supply, while the hustlers profit. It's also easier for street cops to infiltrate street culture than for them to infiltrate upper middle class, corporate user cultures.

The crack cocaine is hurting our culture in a more visible way than those who have gainful employment, and can afford to do lines. The "romance" of snorting coke at a corporate "Happy Holidays" party is pushed by Hollywood in movies, and the informal "royal family" of our culture, ie. celebrities, are constantly in the headlines, either going to, or graduating from rehab.

Poor people cannot afford rehab. It seems that no matter the ethnicity of the criminal, money talks. (OJ is a good example.) Our system is biased toward money. Since the street addicts are unable to pay their way through hiring the finest attorneys, paying for rehab becomes the responsibility of the criminal justice system. Street addicts go to prison for their "rehab", while the rich are given the "easy" way out. While the affluent pay taxes, hire employees, who in turn pay taxes, the system raises the blindfold from the eyes of "lady justice" who is holding the scales, and considers them participating in society while street addicts are draining resources and giving nothing in return.

I realize this is cynical, and truly, I doubt that anyone sat down and planned to create the inequities described. It would be impossible to do, because it would require cops, prosecutors, judges, and juries to agree to be prejudiced against other than white, wealthy criminals. It happened as a result of the ideal that people with money are somehow superior to those who don't. It legitimizes the statement "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil."

Therefore, the "affluent" may be any color, and be pampered by the system, and conversely, "hammered" if they are poor.

[Wichita]

People are just people. We are capable of deep love and compassion on one end of the spectrum, and be completely evil at the other. The color of one's skin has no relationship to either. It is character that makes the difference. I have seen much strong character displayed in this thread.

[Athena]

Excellent post Wichita. Crack also accounts for a large percentage of the minority population in jail because it is sold in a more volatile setting as opposed to cocaine and/or heroin.

Article which further describes what you are referring to:

[urlhttp://www.sentencingproject.org/Admin/Documents/publications/dp_cc_sentencingpolicy.pdf[/url]