A picture of Bert -- a wily old black man, a former slave who forged a future for his family in America.
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Story of Bert
I read the most touching story about the family of an ex-slave, Bert Luster, in the local alternative weekly. I actually cried. Not from joy, but sadness, as I read his words captured in a narrative collected by a black reporter in the WPA (New Deal program).
Scattered among the “dems” and “dats,” is a story of how mean those Yanks were and how good the white folks was to “us niggers.” White men were shot by the KKK for trying to teach blacks in the 1910s and 20s. That was the word that made me break. This was a freed slave! I wanted this fellow human being to lift his head proudly.
We think only of the change forced on white slave owners, to deal with their labor issues and collapsing economy on their own. We rarely think of the change forced on black slaves, to figure out how to support and care for themselves. This change was necessary but hard. Why weren’t we smart enough to recognize the need for a plan to transition the economy of the South to something else and transition these people to new jobs in new businesses.
And that is the CHANGE many are still struggling with. A government has filled the new role of master.
But, thank God, the story continues with his descendants. History constantly moves forward. We met a university professor (insert my big, happy smile) who, despite her joy to discover his freed slave narrative, was dismayed by the language in it. We learn that WPA writers were given instruction to use “dems” and “dats,” obviously someone’s stoopid political agenda. Or maybe one black reporter’s agenda, to spice up the flavor of the piece. The great-great granddaughter insisted he didn’t speak that way.
Grandson Frank Luster, raised by Bert, said he was savvy, spoke however he was expected in different situations, to his advantage. This “downtrodden” freed slave, at different times, was a real estate broker, farmer, produce importer, clerk for the State Board of Agriculture, and janitor at the state capitol. He originally moved from Texas to OK so his kids could receive an education.
“I came to Indian Territory in search of educating my kids,” he said. “I landed here 46 years ago on a farm not far from now Oklahoma City. I got to be a prosperous farmer. My bale of cotton amongst 5,000 bales won the blue ribbon at Guthrie, OK…dat bale of cotton and being a good democrat won for me a good job as a clerk on the Agriculture Board at the State Capitol. All de white folks liked me and still like me and called me ‘cotton king.’ “
When I think of the intelligence and perseverance of this man, I could scream at every confused, young black man today, engaged in crime, violence, drugs, gangs…doing everything but paying attention in school. My heart breaks at the disrespect shown to this ancestor’s hard work and sacrifices. I feel the same way about women who don’t vote. Really? People died for you to have certain rights, and you don’t care?
Other narrative excerpts found online:
“I am a member of the Church of God. My wife is a member of the Church of Christ. I’m a good democrat and she is a good Republican.” (I adore this couple!)
“I’m glad slavery is over, but I don’t think dem white folks was fighting to free us niggers.” Despite the contrived ebonics, you can tell how smart this man was.
The Story of Bert is this: In a few generations, the great-great grandson of a freed slave once custodian of the House of Representatives is elected as a member of the House of Representatives (Rep. Mike Shelton, D-OKC).
That WPA narrative? If the government’s name is on it, it’s usually a lie. The truth is found with the people, the ancestors and the lives they live today.
The Story of Bert should be told in every church this Sunday, taught in every classroom next Monday. It’s a story that teaches all of us to face an uncertain future with courage and hope for the best. And reminds us to shoulder the burden of expectations of our ancestors with resolve. It’s a salute to excellence.
A recent photo of some of Bert's descendants...yeah, the guy with the bow tie is the politician.
Scattered among the “dems” and “dats,” is a story of how mean those Yanks were and how good the white folks was to “us niggers.” White men were shot by the KKK for trying to teach blacks in the 1910s and 20s. That was the word that made me break. This was a freed slave! I wanted this fellow human being to lift his head proudly.
We think only of the change forced on white slave owners, to deal with their labor issues and collapsing economy on their own. We rarely think of the change forced on black slaves, to figure out how to support and care for themselves. This change was necessary but hard. Why weren’t we smart enough to recognize the need for a plan to transition the economy of the South to something else and transition these people to new jobs in new businesses.
And that is the CHANGE many are still struggling with. A government has filled the new role of master.
But, thank God, the story continues with his descendants. History constantly moves forward. We met a university professor (insert my big, happy smile) who, despite her joy to discover his freed slave narrative, was dismayed by the language in it. We learn that WPA writers were given instruction to use “dems” and “dats,” obviously someone’s stoopid political agenda. Or maybe one black reporter’s agenda, to spice up the flavor of the piece. The great-great granddaughter insisted he didn’t speak that way.
Grandson Frank Luster, raised by Bert, said he was savvy, spoke however he was expected in different situations, to his advantage. This “downtrodden” freed slave, at different times, was a real estate broker, farmer, produce importer, clerk for the State Board of Agriculture, and janitor at the state capitol. He originally moved from Texas to OK so his kids could receive an education.
“I came to Indian Territory in search of educating my kids,” he said. “I landed here 46 years ago on a farm not far from now Oklahoma City. I got to be a prosperous farmer. My bale of cotton amongst 5,000 bales won the blue ribbon at Guthrie, OK…dat bale of cotton and being a good democrat won for me a good job as a clerk on the Agriculture Board at the State Capitol. All de white folks liked me and still like me and called me ‘cotton king.’ “
When I think of the intelligence and perseverance of this man, I could scream at every confused, young black man today, engaged in crime, violence, drugs, gangs…doing everything but paying attention in school. My heart breaks at the disrespect shown to this ancestor’s hard work and sacrifices. I feel the same way about women who don’t vote. Really? People died for you to have certain rights, and you don’t care?
Other narrative excerpts found online:
“I am a member of the Church of God. My wife is a member of the Church of Christ. I’m a good democrat and she is a good Republican.” (I adore this couple!)
“I’m glad slavery is over, but I don’t think dem white folks was fighting to free us niggers.” Despite the contrived ebonics, you can tell how smart this man was.
The Story of Bert is this: In a few generations, the great-great grandson of a freed slave once custodian of the House of Representatives is elected as a member of the House of Representatives (Rep. Mike Shelton, D-OKC).
That WPA narrative? If the government’s name is on it, it’s usually a lie. The truth is found with the people, the ancestors and the lives they live today.
The Story of Bert should be told in every church this Sunday, taught in every classroom next Monday. It’s a story that teaches all of us to face an uncertain future with courage and hope for the best. And reminds us to shoulder the burden of expectations of our ancestors with resolve. It’s a salute to excellence.
A recent photo of some of Bert's descendants...yeah, the guy with the bow tie is the politician.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Trumping China
In every article playfully postulating and probing whether Donald Trump plans to run for POTUS, there’s a tidbit of him hammering China.
“I would tell China that you’re either going to shape up, or I’m going to tax you at 25% for all the products you send into this country. I’m all for free trade, but it’s got to be fair trade,” he said. “China has taken advantage of this country for a long time.” Trump said China stands to make $300 billion from trade with the U.S. this year.
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/04/06/n_trump_china_sob.cnnmoney/
What’s the deal with his focus on China? A friend commented that it’s never a good idea in foreign policy to antagonize someone to whom you owe a lot of money, and has a bigger army. I would tend to agree!
But I can’t get this out of my head. By golly, I think the Dude with the Toupe has hit it on the head. Everything.
We stood a better chance of funding LBJ’s Great Society if we had healthy American Business to pay for it. I’ve heard (repeatedly) that taxes are paid by the middle class and all those amazing small American-owned businesses. Yeah, the mom-and-pops. The ones who went out of business because they couldn’t price their goods to compete with the Chinese crap sold at Wal-Mart. Over half of them in bankruptcy court are there due to tax debt.
Nixon and Kissinger extended the olive branch and opened the gates and we got flooded with cheap Chinese crap. Substandard food, dangerous toys and furniture. It’s tough to find seafood in American grocery chains not “farmed” in Asia.
So Chinese imports ran ‘em out, resulting in no taxes collected from those American businesses. And no taxes on the Chinese company’s profit. And no jobs for the Americans at those belly-up companies, thus no personal taxes from them and the added burden of their welfare. The American economy just shrank from those less companies, less jobs, less GNP, less taxes. (I believe it was offset for a while off and on by other factors.)
This is the picture for the last 35 years. Protectionism…a dirty word for those wishing to hurry along that vision of a global economy. I used to like the idea of Germans making the beer and Japanese making the cars. After 35 years of kumbaya, I think we need to look at protecting our own interests. We’re the ones who got hurt in this deal, and to add insult to injury, China is now coming into America and buying up the struggling businesses and re-opening defunct businesses as “foreign investment.” Who gets the money in the end? And Americans are thrilled to get a bone thrown their way – they get to go back to their job at the factory, and we at least get their personal tax, tax on purchases, and them off welfare.
And our appetite for more and more Great Society benefits has grown out of control, forcing spineless politicians to spend money we/they don’t have. Who’s got money to lend so we can continue to operate – China.
The road doesn’t run both ways, you see. They won’t allow our exports in or foreign investment.
Lord, it’s a nasty place. My engineer husband dealt with Chinese factories a lot a few years back when his factory began buying all raw materials from China and assembling in Mexico. The U.S. locations were closed, except skeleton crews of engineers and salesmen.
What they’re doing to their people and environment is wild. Wanton. Hubby said it’s freezing and filthy in the factories, no heat, little light. We need to think of a new word for “sweat shop,” a cold Chinese version. They’re not going to pass labor laws and environmental protection laws unless they’re hurt in the pocketbook.
I glanced at a book at the library today that suggested “how China goes, the world goes,” meaning they are so huge and have such a large impact, we’re all screwed together. They’re beginning to amass wealth in a newly developing upper class, very into conspicuous consumption, and they’re hungry. I’ve referenced before their Industrial Age on Steroids. They are the largest contributor to global warming right now, and they want more cars.
Blaming China for our weak economy may seem simplistic. A case can just as well be made against labor unions who made it impossible to price products competitively. Maybe it was just a perfect storm, with the Democrats and their labor unions and the Republicans and their trade agreements. But, what if cheap Chinese crap had never been introduced into our market? And more recently, communication between Chinese and American businesses to escalate the purchase of their raw materials and components.
Every time someone buys something, an impact is felt somewhere.
And we’re continuing to do it. Oil. Gulf Coast. Brazil. My friends in Houston explain. Obama froze all new drilling permits after The Big Spill. He has since un-frozen the approval of new permits, visited Brazil, and the only permits he has approved are for Brazilian oil companies. He wants Brazil to get rich, not America. We need American companies to drill, if anybody’s going to drill, to make a FAT profit so we can tax it. I don’t know, maybe Brazil will loan us some money so we can continue to operate our welfare society. They seem nice…snivel, snivel.
It’s about jobs. And Obama just gave ‘em to a bunch of Brazilians.
I like the idea of a businessman as POTUS, for a change. Hell, I liked it 20 years ago when I voted for Perot. I understand what Trump means when he says China has been taking advantage of us for a long time, and if they don’t shape up, he’ll tax all Chinese imports 25%.
It’s the only way to fight our greatest enemy, who has brought us to our economic knees, without spending a dime or firing a shot. Just the public threat of a POTUS might make them open their market to us, instigate a few laws, quit playing with the exchange. The 25% tax would bring in a lot of revenue and create jobs here.
I can’t determine yet if he knows anything else, but he knows how to fix our economy.
"Obama, you're fired!"
“I would tell China that you’re either going to shape up, or I’m going to tax you at 25% for all the products you send into this country. I’m all for free trade, but it’s got to be fair trade,” he said. “China has taken advantage of this country for a long time.” Trump said China stands to make $300 billion from trade with the U.S. this year.
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/04/06/n_trump_china_sob.cnnmoney/
What’s the deal with his focus on China? A friend commented that it’s never a good idea in foreign policy to antagonize someone to whom you owe a lot of money, and has a bigger army. I would tend to agree!
But I can’t get this out of my head. By golly, I think the Dude with the Toupe has hit it on the head. Everything.
We stood a better chance of funding LBJ’s Great Society if we had healthy American Business to pay for it. I’ve heard (repeatedly) that taxes are paid by the middle class and all those amazing small American-owned businesses. Yeah, the mom-and-pops. The ones who went out of business because they couldn’t price their goods to compete with the Chinese crap sold at Wal-Mart. Over half of them in bankruptcy court are there due to tax debt.
Nixon and Kissinger extended the olive branch and opened the gates and we got flooded with cheap Chinese crap. Substandard food, dangerous toys and furniture. It’s tough to find seafood in American grocery chains not “farmed” in Asia.
So Chinese imports ran ‘em out, resulting in no taxes collected from those American businesses. And no taxes on the Chinese company’s profit. And no jobs for the Americans at those belly-up companies, thus no personal taxes from them and the added burden of their welfare. The American economy just shrank from those less companies, less jobs, less GNP, less taxes. (I believe it was offset for a while off and on by other factors.)
This is the picture for the last 35 years. Protectionism…a dirty word for those wishing to hurry along that vision of a global economy. I used to like the idea of Germans making the beer and Japanese making the cars. After 35 years of kumbaya, I think we need to look at protecting our own interests. We’re the ones who got hurt in this deal, and to add insult to injury, China is now coming into America and buying up the struggling businesses and re-opening defunct businesses as “foreign investment.” Who gets the money in the end? And Americans are thrilled to get a bone thrown their way – they get to go back to their job at the factory, and we at least get their personal tax, tax on purchases, and them off welfare.
And our appetite for more and more Great Society benefits has grown out of control, forcing spineless politicians to spend money we/they don’t have. Who’s got money to lend so we can continue to operate – China.
The road doesn’t run both ways, you see. They won’t allow our exports in or foreign investment.
Lord, it’s a nasty place. My engineer husband dealt with Chinese factories a lot a few years back when his factory began buying all raw materials from China and assembling in Mexico. The U.S. locations were closed, except skeleton crews of engineers and salesmen.
What they’re doing to their people and environment is wild. Wanton. Hubby said it’s freezing and filthy in the factories, no heat, little light. We need to think of a new word for “sweat shop,” a cold Chinese version. They’re not going to pass labor laws and environmental protection laws unless they’re hurt in the pocketbook.
I glanced at a book at the library today that suggested “how China goes, the world goes,” meaning they are so huge and have such a large impact, we’re all screwed together. They’re beginning to amass wealth in a newly developing upper class, very into conspicuous consumption, and they’re hungry. I’ve referenced before their Industrial Age on Steroids. They are the largest contributor to global warming right now, and they want more cars.
Blaming China for our weak economy may seem simplistic. A case can just as well be made against labor unions who made it impossible to price products competitively. Maybe it was just a perfect storm, with the Democrats and their labor unions and the Republicans and their trade agreements. But, what if cheap Chinese crap had never been introduced into our market? And more recently, communication between Chinese and American businesses to escalate the purchase of their raw materials and components.
Every time someone buys something, an impact is felt somewhere.
And we’re continuing to do it. Oil. Gulf Coast. Brazil. My friends in Houston explain. Obama froze all new drilling permits after The Big Spill. He has since un-frozen the approval of new permits, visited Brazil, and the only permits he has approved are for Brazilian oil companies. He wants Brazil to get rich, not America. We need American companies to drill, if anybody’s going to drill, to make a FAT profit so we can tax it. I don’t know, maybe Brazil will loan us some money so we can continue to operate our welfare society. They seem nice…snivel, snivel.
It’s about jobs. And Obama just gave ‘em to a bunch of Brazilians.
I like the idea of a businessman as POTUS, for a change. Hell, I liked it 20 years ago when I voted for Perot. I understand what Trump means when he says China has been taking advantage of us for a long time, and if they don’t shape up, he’ll tax all Chinese imports 25%.
It’s the only way to fight our greatest enemy, who has brought us to our economic knees, without spending a dime or firing a shot. Just the public threat of a POTUS might make them open their market to us, instigate a few laws, quit playing with the exchange. The 25% tax would bring in a lot of revenue and create jobs here.
I can’t determine yet if he knows anything else, but he knows how to fix our economy.
"Obama, you're fired!"
Monday, April 11, 2011
Full Frontal Face…in France!
Ah, those Frenchies. Today their new law banning the “full-face” veil went into effect, and I can’t stop smiling at the article. The French law does not single out “full-face-veil-wearing-Muslim-women,” but obviously this is an outrageous assault on their religious freedom! Pah. It’s kinda hard for me to give a s***. They could leave France and go to Afghanistan or Iran. They love the veil statement there. You know, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Personally, I don’t care what they do, wear, or subject themselves to willingly. BUT it is difficult to see in one of those things when driving a car or crossing a busy street, I would think. No, France is not medieval Persia, sands a swirling…and they have a right to make and enforce laws that uphold a safe society for all, even for the veiled ones.
I’m intrigued by the idea of disguising yourself as a Muslim chick to pull off a bank robbery, gun someone down, heck, any crime at all. How does crime compare in veiled countries with non-veiled countries. Nevermind. They get their hands chopped off for stealing (quite the crime deterrent); here they would get an all-expenses paid vacation to the pokey.
It really ticks me off when people come to a new country, refuse to assimilate or modify their behavior or customs in any way, even get militant and obnoxious in their insistence to act according to the culture of the place they left. Why did you come? Please go back. If you did not want change, why did you change countries? Why are you demanding we change? I don’t want to become Big Iran.
What is the veil thing about? Is it that the men like to hide their treasured possessions from the eyes of others, elevating their own importance as the only “man” to see her face, or does he just like to be a pain in the ass to his woman, perversely chuckling at her clumsy attempts to navigate stairs? Oops, there she went down again. Isn’t she cute? Like a pet, a clumsy dog that makes you laugh. Why would a woman want to be demeaned so? Some love it, feel it preserves their “mystery,” forces everyone to focus on other aspects of them besides physical beauty. Interesting…but only for about a second. We live in a world in which you need all of your senses to get around and stay safe. Publicly drunk, publicly veiled, not a big difference to me. Thanks for the car keys.
So, France is the first in Europe to focus on this problem…and the liberal world sees it as violating religious rights (I guess screw my rights to not be hit by her car as she squints through a slit to maneuver a killing machine through a 360-degree environment).
Well, you knew this part was coming, right. A Muslim leader is encouraging the women to engage in CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE (that almost sounded sexy), wear the full-face veil, and meet up at Notre Dame cathedral for a prayer to protest (he’ll pay their $216 fine). Will they pray a Catholic prayer at the cathedral, like a Hail Mary or something like “Please, Mary, OUR LADY (Notre Dame in French) and Mother of Jesus, don’t let them take my face veil and strip me of my religious identity and identification with the ways of Mohammed…” It kinda takes a little of the steam out of their sails…
The French Muslim chicks need a new director for their film. The location shots are all wrong, the dialogue not ringing true, not enough emotion from the main stars…
Oh, and Osama bin Laden has called for attacks on France. He’s a peach. I mean, France is just sitting there, being France, and bin Laden thinks they need to be attacked for not being Iran. Actually, I wonder if he is the anti-Christ.
One reporter managed to get two veil-wearers to speak to him. They explained that they will go out in public a lot less now, that the ban will create a hidden underclass. Create? Really? The French ban will create this?
Do you ever get the feeling that you are the only one in the world who is not a brainwashed moron?
You’re creepy! Stop it! You’re in France, for Pierre’s sake, go get a nice hat!
I’m intrigued by the idea of disguising yourself as a Muslim chick to pull off a bank robbery, gun someone down, heck, any crime at all. How does crime compare in veiled countries with non-veiled countries. Nevermind. They get their hands chopped off for stealing (quite the crime deterrent); here they would get an all-expenses paid vacation to the pokey.
It really ticks me off when people come to a new country, refuse to assimilate or modify their behavior or customs in any way, even get militant and obnoxious in their insistence to act according to the culture of the place they left. Why did you come? Please go back. If you did not want change, why did you change countries? Why are you demanding we change? I don’t want to become Big Iran.
What is the veil thing about? Is it that the men like to hide their treasured possessions from the eyes of others, elevating their own importance as the only “man” to see her face, or does he just like to be a pain in the ass to his woman, perversely chuckling at her clumsy attempts to navigate stairs? Oops, there she went down again. Isn’t she cute? Like a pet, a clumsy dog that makes you laugh. Why would a woman want to be demeaned so? Some love it, feel it preserves their “mystery,” forces everyone to focus on other aspects of them besides physical beauty. Interesting…but only for about a second. We live in a world in which you need all of your senses to get around and stay safe. Publicly drunk, publicly veiled, not a big difference to me. Thanks for the car keys.
So, France is the first in Europe to focus on this problem…and the liberal world sees it as violating religious rights (I guess screw my rights to not be hit by her car as she squints through a slit to maneuver a killing machine through a 360-degree environment).
Well, you knew this part was coming, right. A Muslim leader is encouraging the women to engage in CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE (that almost sounded sexy), wear the full-face veil, and meet up at Notre Dame cathedral for a prayer to protest (he’ll pay their $216 fine). Will they pray a Catholic prayer at the cathedral, like a Hail Mary or something like “Please, Mary, OUR LADY (Notre Dame in French) and Mother of Jesus, don’t let them take my face veil and strip me of my religious identity and identification with the ways of Mohammed…” It kinda takes a little of the steam out of their sails…
The French Muslim chicks need a new director for their film. The location shots are all wrong, the dialogue not ringing true, not enough emotion from the main stars…
Oh, and Osama bin Laden has called for attacks on France. He’s a peach. I mean, France is just sitting there, being France, and bin Laden thinks they need to be attacked for not being Iran. Actually, I wonder if he is the anti-Christ.
One reporter managed to get two veil-wearers to speak to him. They explained that they will go out in public a lot less now, that the ban will create a hidden underclass. Create? Really? The French ban will create this?
Do you ever get the feeling that you are the only one in the world who is not a brainwashed moron?
You’re creepy! Stop it! You’re in France, for Pierre’s sake, go get a nice hat!
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