How the media injected black men with syphilis

March 23, 2008

When Malik Shabazz spoke for the New Black Panthers on talk shows last week in regards to Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s racial comments, he stated the US gov’t infected black men with syphilis according to the Tuskegee Experiment. Conservative pundits didn’t know how to rebuttal him. They couldn’t deny the Tuskegee Experiment took place between 1932 and 1972 where over 300 poor and mostly illiterate black sharecroppers were denied treatment for syphilis. It is one of the more shameful chapters in US history, alongside slavery and lynching.

However, it’s disconcerting pundits didn’t argue a crucial fact. Black men were NOT injected with syphilis. The men who volunteered to participate were already infected. The ethically unconscionable and monstrous act by federal researchers was denying them proper treatment of penicillin. Instead, the subjects were informed they had “bad blood” and were studied like lab rats to examine how syphilis would take its toll over the course of years.

But Shabazz was not the only one to have uttered this dangerously misleading inaccuracy without question. Obery Hendricks, professor at the NY Theological Seminary, stated on The O’Reilly Factor “we do know the government injected black men with syphilis.” Journalist Ed Gordon also stated “the government was giving syphilis to black men” on Hardball with Chris Matthews. Woefully inaccurate statements, which can’t be excused as “taken out of context”, have now become, for some, absolute truth.

Extreme fear of political incorrectness coupled with ignorance has muddied the waters of a needed dialogue once again on mainstream news channels. It’s no wonder we have yet to achieve a rational and peaceful resolution between blacks and whites as well as the left and right, when those in the media who speak to millions of viewers each day and earn just as much per year don’t do their homework.

As the battle for network ratings continues on the issues of racism and politics, it’s amazing no one has touched upon another study from the Tuskegee Institute to addresses the utter irony behind Rev. Wright’s hateful berating of Condoleeza Rice as “Condoskeeza” or Colin Powell as “Colonel Colon” for their Republican partisanship. Between 1880 and 1951 over 3,437 African Americans were lynched in the US. These crimes occurred not only due to the deep-rooted hatred in states along the Cotton Belt, but mainly because lynching wasn’t considered a federal crime.

Yet, during that same time, 1,293 white Americans were also lynched. Nearly all were Republicans who no doubt defied the Southern Democratic agenda of segregation. Also known as the Dixiecrats, this was the Democratic base Franklin D Roosevelt didn’t want to upset in order to pass his New Deal programs. This was the reason why FDR, nowadays viewed by many as a Democratic demagogue, never signed anti-lynching legislation during any of his four terms in office. Ultimately, some of these programs granted unions power to lock blacks out of the labor force during the Great Depression.

It wasn’t until after 1948 when Harry Truman introduced anti-lynching legislation that lynching finally became a federal crime. Truman, the same president who dropped the atomic bomb and inspired Rev. Wright to state “God damn America” (and break with the Third Commandment no less) for Americans supposedly not even batting an eye to the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Just another obscure and ironic historical fact that shows life isn’t as black and white or left and right as the mainstream media would have us believe.

The Ron Paul Revolution lives!!

I just got this absolutely killer Ron Paul video from  www.HighTidepromo.com.

As Rudy fades, what new evil lurks?

Remember back in September when Giuliani was the heir apparent to the neo-con throne?  According to an average of poll results at RealClearPolitics.com in 3 short months America’s Mayor has slipped from about 23% in the New Hampshire polls to about 9% dropping from 2nd to 4th place.    I guess he’s not New Hampshire’s mayor. Unfortunately,  he has been replaced by an even scarier proposition,  the free-speech-snuffing John McCain.

As illustrated in this famous video , John McCain thinks it’s OK to joke about bombing Iran, but as an author of  McCain-Feingold he feels that serious political speech must be regulated.   According to this story, when asked about criticism of his “bomb-bomb-Iran” joke, he suggested critics should “get a life”. 

Now of course we hear that the new National Intelligence Estimate indicates that Iran ended it’s effort to develop a nuclear weapon in 2003.   But we can’t hold Senator McCain accountable because he might not have read it.  He didnt bother to read the one on Iraq before he voted for that war either.  They don’t read the bills they pass.  Why read National Intelligence Estimates?  It will only cloud the decision making process with pesky old facts.

Is this the kind of judgement and due diligence we should expect from a Presidential candidate?  Well - unfortunately yes.  Particularly if you are talking about Republicans.   With the exception of Ron Paul,  they all cling to the same neo-con dogma that ruined the Bush regime (not to mention our civil liberties and our economy) and which will almost certainly hand the White House over to the socialists in November.

But New Hampshire voters might still surprise us by turning away from the big government neo-cons and their welfare-warfare state.

 Granite State Republicans and Independents - vote for Ron Paul.    

Proposed New Democratic Strategy: Vote for Ron Paul

Sometimes I amaze myself.  I never really thought of myself as much of a political strategist - duh! I’m a Libertarian after all.  But today - things are different. First, I re-registered as a (gritting of teeth) Republican so I can vote for Ron Paul in the primary.   Years ago I used to be a Republican - something for which I will surely go to hell - and I swore I would never do it again.  But I didn’t expect Ron Paul either - so things are different.  In case you are wondering I will change back to Libertarian instantly after I have voted for Ron Paul in the primary. BTW - In violation of the law - the BOE requires you to write it in on the “Other” line in order to register Libertarian.

So today we were out in Union Square registering people to vote in the primary and the Impeach Bush crowd (a fun group who do important work) from the Village Independant Democrats set up next to us. That’s when it hit me.

Democrats should re-register Republican to vote for Ron Paul in the primary in order to hand Rudy Giuliani a crushing defeat in his own back yard. And of course it will be that much more fun if Ron Paul is the guy that beats him because as we know, Rudy isn’t a fan of Dr. Paul’s non-interventionist foreign policy.

Think about it.

Rudy has already ready informed us he is the only Republican that can beat New York’s most hawkish Senator. Certainly not Ron Paul, a peace candidate who wants to abolish the IRS. I mean, the American people really LIKE war and taxes right? Ok then - so if Rudy isn’t the Republican nominee then Hillary will surely coast to victory next November. It’s not like Hillary will need the votes to win the New York primary.

As you might expect I am no fan of our junior Senator. But if you happen to be a pro-war, socialist you have to admit my logic is impeccable.

Rudy can’t get nominated without New York. He has assured us no other Republican can beat Hillary and America’s mayor wouldn’t lie to us, right?

So that settles it then. Democrats need to run out and change to Republican by October 12th. Then of course you have to remember to vote for Ron Paul in the primary - just to - as Miracle Max (almost) said - give Rudy a nice paper cut and rub lemon juice in it.

Have fun stormin’ the castle…..