180 Years of Emancipation- Some Perspective
Submitted by Mohammed Degia
On August 1, 1838, enslaved people across the British Caribbean gained their freedom. Contrary to what is often peddled about the singular role of abolitionists in ending transatlantic slavery, there were two main reasons for abolition- economic and rebellions. The British did not in some great moralistic and ethical wave bestow freedom upon the enslaved. The system was altered because slavery had become an economic liability. Furthermore, the planters lived with the constant fear of slaves rebelling and of another Haiti transpiring. In the end, it was better to agree to free the enslaved than to live with this fear or worse to experience a rebellion. I discuss all of this in more detail in a piece I wrote in 2007 which was the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade by Britain.
As we commemorate the emancipation of our Caribbean forefathers, remember that the British in abolishing slavery also provided a large compensation package for the slave owners. The sum of money amounted to £20 million (£15 billion today) or about 40% of the national budget. The formerly enslaved of course received nothing. What is even more perverse is that the loan taken out at that time by the British government to fund the compensation package was not paid off until 2015. Thus, the British taxpayer was until recently, through payments to the holders of the slavery bonds, still contributing to the beneficiaries of slavery. This is the same British government and society that dismisses the descendants of the enslaved condescendingly, lecturing to them that they should move on and stop living in the past. This is the same British government and society that refuses to consider the just demands of Caribbean people for reparations. The same British government that argues absurdly that the slave trade and slavery were not illegal at the time and so they are not obliged to provide compensation for the heinous role they played in one of the worst crimes against humanity. For these people though, it is not a historical matter to be left behind when until February 2015 they were still reaping the benefits of the slavery abolition loan. The height of dishonesty, arrogance and hypocrisy.
In addition, as we celebrate August 1, we must be mindful that 180 years after abolition and 56 years after the decolonisation period in the British Caribbean commenced with Jamaica’s independence on August 6, 1962, we have a long way to go in the quest for true freedom. The legacy of colonialism and slavery endures in our tiny island states. Most of us continue to experience significant socio-economic challenges. Race and class considerations remain central factors in how our societies function. For example, in Barbados, the justice system still operates in two forms- one for the rich and white and nowadays Indian and one for blacks particularly those that are not rich. Just under a year ago, I penned a long article about the harsh realities of race in Barbados beyond the symbolism of its Emancipation statue. Last week, two prominent white Barbadian businessmen were charged with drug offences and anyone following the saga would have seen first-hand the playing out of the politics of race and class that I wrote about.
The Caribbean has much work to do. We need to examine in earnest these mental chains that impede us. An honest, brutal conversation about our past, how it looms large over us and how we must proceed is essential. Our intellectual giants started the process. It is necessary for us to build on it and propel it to the next level. It is also imperative that we do this together as a region. We are one people with a shared history of colonialism, slavery and exploitation. People to people relationships that transcend artificial borders have always been a central feature of our Caribbean reality. In addition, in a world of large and medium powers, we have no choice as small islands but to integrate. Our politicians with their egos and selfish interests have frustrated the institutionalisation of our deep ties. We the people must take the lead.
Omorosa will be put in the Trump dust bin with his other long time friend Cohen.
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@Sargeant,
The recording device could have been a weapon of Trump destruction.
How protected is the President if his security team is so careless.
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@Moneybrain
Whether we should believe Omaresa will be redundant if she has a recording.
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@Hants
People entering the WH or West Wing are screened for dangerous weapons, a cell phone is a weapon of destruction but not in the way you intended.
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“These Pasty Faces have produced most of the food, technology, medicine etc that not so Pasty Faces crave,”
Food, technology and medicine is produced in third world Holmes, dig deeper and learn.
((►)) Voice Of The Poor, Poor Man’s Story
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Trump was an idiot to trust Omorosa in the first place but not to have her monitored 24/7 is beyond stupid. Most of the leaks in the WH should have been fixed over 1 yr ago. Omorosa was interviewed yesterday on NBC and made all kinds of claims regarding her recording of the meeting when she was fired by Kelly BUT on listening to the tape her lies were evident. Omorosa is an absolutely brilliant schemer without peer. If Trump used the N word then he is wrong!
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Trump and USA are not even worth wasting time to think about. Layers of dirt are an axiom and antonym for scum that they are.
White trolls are full of same crap. Shallow arrogant people.
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@Moneybrain
Trump can’t be trusted even his own lawyer ( I would take a bullet for him) taped him, as for liars who is a bigger liar than the “straight arrow” Gen. Kelly, remember how he lied about Congresswoman Frederica Wilson?
As for Trump’s lies enough said.
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Sarge, there is no question that the vast majority of politicians are liars and thieves who brainwash the people. Trump lies about his lies. I would still take his policies over Shillary.
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This statement says it all doesnt it.
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MoneyBrain August 13, 2018 1:52 PM
“Sarge, there is no question that the vast majority of politicians are liars and thieves who brainwash the people. Trump lies about his lies.”…
Correction Brain Donald Trump was never a Politician neither is he a thief! He has earned his wealth by him being an Entrepreneur and by developing his Talents and Abilities. He has over 500 successful Businesses, fifteen Best seller Books under his Belt and a successful TV show that ran for fifteen years. The President is an accomplished man, he is not a perfect man but is in a much better position to make America Great than any other president in recent US History.
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Trump was only promoting Brand Trump and is soiling USA’s reputation with it’s number one obsession
He should listen to the Compassion Mantra
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I see we have a graduate of Trump U in the house.
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Trump has an impressive signature!
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555 wrote “shallow arrogant people” who still own 90% of the Nukes, produce the majority of available food, medicines, and most things that many others benefit from today—wait till the Creamies (Chinese 1.6bn++) take over!!!
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David, please clarify “statement says it all”. What exactly do you mean? I am ready and willing to expand my answer.
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@Moneybrain
Hobsonâs choice, if you lick yuh lick up.
Hilary or Trump.
Hell in a hand basket.
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Money Brain has a white brain and is a toxic human,
goes the long route to denounce crimes of slavery,
but wants to take credit for other people’s inventions,
as though living a privileged western lifestyle means he’s better than others
he used the standard alt-right troll meme that he can’t be racist as he married a chinky
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`So trump was stupid for putting his faith in a black woman.mmmmmm This trojan whore was taken in with money signs in her eyes but should have been given a boot down instead of a hand up. Loyalty seems to be one of trumps failings, I wonder how long it will be before she claims she banged trump to sell her book .This woman has just made it very difficult for others of her kind to be trusted as a racial story sells to the left and rather than have one happen good people may be overlooked.
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555 is money brain trying to steal that four sided wheel your ancestors invented and patented
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David, I tend to agree that those two were both UNWORTHY humans. I agree with some of Trump’s basic platform but dont necessarily like how he operates sure would not invite him over for a pool party and BBQ.
Agrree with 1 must solve UNfair Trade with China as this was permitted because the rich fellas told other Presidents what to do. 2 Border Security is obviously essential 3 Jobs, Jobs, Jobs 4 immigrants should come in to help with High Tech STEM ie permit people who can perform Day 1., America has failed to educate properly for the future so select immigrants to fill those jobs today (immigrants can be from Africa, Asia SthAm anywhere once qualified to hit the ground running. 5 suspend migration from areas where the people have been Brainwashed to want to kill us 6 Truth is most Mex / CentrAm are not well educated, the USA has enough idiots already and certainly does not need MS13 guys, especially as one third of all El Salvadorians are already in the USA. 5.7BN people on Earth are poor and disadvantaged the US cant take them all anyway.
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Trumps problem is that he wants to operate like a maverick every time, he wants to dismantle the establishment, he wants to trash anything that Obama built added to which he is promoting divisiveness with his rhetoric in a country that is inclined to be racist.
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555 wrote
Money Brain has a white brain and is a toxic human,
goes the long route to denounce crimes of slavery,
but wants to take credit for other people’s inventions,
as though living a privileged western lifestyle means he’s better than others
he used the standard alt-right troll meme that he can’t be racist as he married a chinky.
So why do U live in a White man country 555????
Toxic human = one that 555 cant scare or in anyway control!hahaha
MB will never be conned by a simpleton like you who is a lazy thinker.
I am NOT a racist but have had to reconsider after reading the utter excrement you write. Inventions? Credit? What is that about 555 Dunce?
So 555 what would you recommend as viable solutions to the racial problems you see?
There are standard Alt-right memes? Please provide a list.
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David, I agree somewhat excepting that the Establishment is a major problem that should be solved. Shadow Govt!
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Lawson / Money Brain
in case you didn’t know
IT Technology Software and Hardware is produced in East not West
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“…anything that Obama built…” Do tell us what that mighyt be David, other than a pack of lies, promotion of islam, cosying up to America’s enemies, rejecting its allies, hand over-promotion of criminal blacks, and the employment of the arch-criminal Clinton. A true ‘community organiser from Kenya who despoiled his adopted country!
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555 in case you didnt know scotsmen invented pretty near everything, that you probably use penicillin lol, telephone, television bicycle, fridge ,flushing toilet, tires,golf,radar, microwave, driving on left the road you drive on and so on and so …on unlike your ilk who invented female circumcision
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lawson, US healthcare is dose up patients with drugs and make money. addiction from drugs is not their problem
your scum mind thinks I invented circumcision for calling out racist scum
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@Lawson
This trojan whore was taken in with money signs in her eyes but should have been given a boot down instead of a hand up
++++++++
You seem to have something against Black women you continue to drag Maxine Waters into the conversation with disparaging remarks when she isn’t even part of the debate. If Omerosa is a “whore”, Trump is her pimp, he pimped her on his show and he continued to pimp her before the American people as something she wasn’t i.e. a legitimate, qualified representative and spokesperson for Black people. He continued to try to pimp her by offering a dubious job paying 15Gs a month for her silence after she was fired from the WH.
As for loyalty Trump is loyal to himself and his family, he and Omerosa deserve each other.
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Sarge,
Max and Pelosi are real stupid, retirement required. Kamala Harris is clever and is possibly a future Pres, although she is too Lefty for me.
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The brain trust is here
MB
@45
Lawson
Wuhloss
I ded
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One post by Sarge and one from each of the brain trust and Sarge has them catspraddle
1 to 3 is murdah
send for John
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Notice that I did not comment… would have (in the words of one of John’s heroes) to ‘tie half my brain tied behind my back’ just to make it fair
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Like it already tied 🙂
to have “half my brain tied behind my back ”
Sorry guys, I cannot take you seriously… will leave now
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Sarge I have a problem with stupid people in general, waters is a race baiter, pushing for a civil war, omer is hateful person hawking a book. I dont particulary like leona helmsley, marge schott or trump I have worked for bullys like him all my life but to deny things are moving forward because of that dislike is hoping america will fail. America failing will affect most countries to some degree negatively people will be unemployed, there will be soup kitchens and bread lines and your people will be in them because they are at the bottom of the totem pole in the us all 13% of them.
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the O gazert….. look at you trying to be an irishman,……. be confortable in your own skin……nobody is looking down on you
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Sarge my trojan whore was my play on horse she used to work for al gore in the clinton era and you never know maybe deep under covers sorry cover lol
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The enslavers are not always of the hue of the white man or those who are not in the colour of our skin so in this regard de grandson has given you all an item that is a blog that will be published soon by the Honourable Blogmaster
The subject matter related to the Little Known Charles John who some beleive to be a spy against the people a la 2018 technology.
So, lest we swap masters you need to keep vigilant
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333
The Three countries driving war on terror
which is making the white boys paranoid
are the three biggest warmongers
They also were anglo-american slave traders and financiers
Seems like USA + UK + Israel wars on terror are wars of terror
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Maybe the three white boys are brothers
John and Freedom must be their uncle and auntie
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So if you are the big tree I am the small axe ready to cut you down (well sharp) to cut you down
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Theo G,
Sarge catspradling who? How? When? Where?
Sarge is a good man but not that good.
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Theo, I trust you appreciate by attempting to put all the white bloggers as one entity you are being rather Racist. Sarge is correct that Trump and Omarosa are birds of a feather. I still would like to know if Trump grab at it and whether any other activity took place, Omarosa is quite attractive but Kamala Harris / Sunny H look sweeeter than sugar itself.
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“I trust you appreciate by attempting to put all the white bloggers as one entity you are being rather Racist. ”
=
Whites are all one entity
They are all the same
They are not individuals
They’re racists
=
Just mind how you run up your mouth
acting like a gorgon
be careful how you are going all about
pretending you a dragon
I am the conqueror conquering and to conquer
I am the conqueror some call I the dub master
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Dub snub white club flub
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Babylon must fall
Babylon you must go down
Babylon throne must go down
Kingdom of Jah is here
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MB, how can I be racist
If you came in to port with $3M in drugs, I would be one of those proclaiming your innocence, our HC connection, and years of knowing you.
Doesn’t that count….
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But this isn’t Omarosa’s first series of White House problems. She worked in the Clinton Administration under Vice President Al Gore. As Al Gore’s former office administrator Mary Margaret Overbey said at the time, Omarosa “was the worst hire (the Office of the Vice President) ever made.”
People magazine reported in 2004, she was “banished from four jobs in two years with the Clinton administration.” The White House personnel office transferred her to the Commerce Department briefly. At her last short-lived administration role, Cheryl Shavers, the former Under Secretary for Technology at the Clinton Commerce Department, opined, “She was asked to leave as quickly as possible, she was so disruptive. One woman wanted to slug her.” Omarosa only lasted in that final role for several weeks.
Another Clinton administration official reported she was fired “because she couldn’t get along with people.” Another former Gore staffer noted, “she didn’t do her job, and it got everyone in trouble.”
She has been busted for exaggerating her roles in the Clinton administration, too. As Omarosa told an audience in Washington, D.C. on March 19, 2004, at a panel discussion on “Wearing the Pants: A Woman’s Experience in a Man’s World”:
“I have done logistics and advance and event planning for the White House under the Gore staff. … At 23, I got appointed to the White House. That was not a place to learn how to be a young professional. That’s a very difficult environment, because they don’t believe in training. They just kind of throw you in the fire.”
The problem? Anonymous Gore staffers confirmed Omarosa never was involved in advance work or logistics. Her job was “to respond to invitations.”
When asked about her employment history, Omarosa falsely claimed the shifting was due to her marriage to Aaron Stallworth. They have since divorced, and Omarosa married John Newman in 2017.
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555,
Still waiting for you to give us the solution to the racial problems.
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The blogmaster listened to the recording by Omareso then saw this!
https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/39141023_2221560691191942_394674998779838464_o.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=e7bc05311a887afe00baa88a24675015&oe=5BF95741
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Theo,
Maybe so, but I will make sure your loyalty is not tested. Anyway it should be obvious that I write as an individual and dont just blindly agree with what others contend.
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Money Brain
Any reason why you are trawling white troll sites and cutting and pasting like a half brain.
White boy trash is a pollution.
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“Still waiting for you to give us the solution to the racial problems.”
Racial problems are due to white racists. Ignore them neanderthal scum. No problem.
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555 wrote,
Any reason why you are trawling white troll sites and cutting and pasting like a half brain.
Actually I dont troll such sites so U are confusing MB with someone else which is not a surprise.
Regarding half brains, I can assure I only need to use a decimalised part of my brain against you, and that is when I am actually focused on several other business solutions.
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Cutting and pasting and googling your words comes up with political insider website saying same verbatim.
which makes “Anyway it should be obvious that I write as an individual and dont just blindly agree with what others contend”
more meaningless self praise.. arguing with you would be like arguing with somebody else’s works /words cut and pasted
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555, if whites were all one entity then people with your attitude would be in very deep excrement!
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Check how Trump squeezed Omarosa from the newsfeed.
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What you watching????
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You getting your news from 45gov???
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@David
Typical Trump, when the going gets hot he attempts to distract, the original letter to remove the top security clearance was d/d July 26 but he waits until Aug.15 for Huckaby -Sanders to read it to the Press. The folks there are so careless they didn’t change the date of the memo until the Press brought it to their attention.
If Omerosa is not bluffing she can one -up him by releasing a tape.
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@Sargeant
If she releases another recording then Trump will go ahead and cancel Clappers clearance?
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@David
Perhaps Clapper, Comey and Hayden. When the tape of him uttering the “n” word surfaces, will you be surprised?
I heard he is not worried it plays well with his base and the “principled” Republicans have spines of jello.
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Who let the dogs out labels yesterday.
Today it is grunt, grunt.
#brennan
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” if whites were all one entity then people with your attitude would be in very deep excrement!”
That probably sounds clever to a white boy like yourself.
White ghosts don’t scare me.
Boo.
Conscious Guide, Conscious Guide (Slight Return), Guide Line
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