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Fifth Column
Harry Belafonte Calls Black Republicans 'Tyrants'
2005-08-08
Atlanta (CNSNews.com) - Celebrity activist Harry Belafonte referred to prominent African-American officials in the Bush administration as "black tyrants" at a weekend march, and he also compared the administration to Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany. Belafonte, a featured speaker at Saturday's march in Atlanta commemorating the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act, previously ignited a political controversy in 2002 when he likened then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to a "house slave."

At Saturday's civil rights march, Belafonte said the Bush administration has been "rather dismal" for the lives of black Americans. The march, which featured prominent civil rights groups and labor union representatives, was intended to drum up support for extending and strengthening the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Belafonte used a Hitler analogy when asked about what impact prominent blacks such as former Secretary of State Powell and current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had on the Bush administration's relations with minorities.

"Hitler had a lot of Jews high up in the hierarchy of the Third Reich. Color does not necessarily denote quality, content or value," Belafonte said in an exclusive interview with Cybercast News Service. "[If] a black is a tyrant, he is first and foremost a tyrant, then he incidentally is black. Bush is a tyrant and if he gathers around him black tyrants, they all have to be treated as they are being treated," he added. When asked specifically who was a "black tyrant" in the Bush administration, Belafonte responded to this reporter, "You." When this reporter noted that he was a Caucasian and attempted to ask another question, Belafonte abruptly ended the interview by saying, "That's it."

Another prominent celebrity marcher at Saturday's civil rights march also employed Nazi analogies to the GOP and conservatives. Civil rights activist Dick Gregory mocked the existence of African-American conservatives in America. "They (black conservatives) have a right to exist, but why would I want to walk around with a swastika on my shirt after the way Hitler done messed it (the swastika symbol) up?" Gregory said in an interview with Cybercast News Service. (The swastika was an ancient symbol generally regarded an emblem of strength and luck before the Nazi Party adopted it in 1920.) "So why would I want to call myself a conservative after the way them white racists thugs have used that word to hide behind? They call themselves new Republicans," Gregory said.

Gregory trashed the United States, calling it "the most dishonest, ungodly, unspiritual nation that ever existed in the history of the planet. As we talk now, America is 5 percent of the world's population and consumes 96 percent of the world's hard drugs," Gregory said.
Gregory also accused President Bush of stealing the 2004 presidential election. "They didn't win, and I got that from the white press. At four o'clock [on Election Day 2004], that evening, the white press said from the exit polls that [Democratic presidential nominee John] Kerry had won by a landslide and then three hours later something funny happened," Gregory said of Bush's eventual election victory.

Asked why approximately ten percent of African-Americans typically vote for Republican presidential candidates, Gregory responded, "I have no idea. You have to ask them. That's like asking me about a woman having a baby. Go ask her, I don't know."

And even more goodness, EFL: "They all need to be locked up because they are all criminals and they are all thieves," said Judge Greg Mathis, the star of the syndicated television program "The Judge Mathis Show." Mathis made his remarks to an enthusiastic crowd assembled in Atlanta to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Participants are launching a two-year campaign to extend and strengthen key aspects of the act when it expires in 2007. "It is indeed criminal to steal an election and within two years run up a federal deficit of half-a-trillion dollars, send our young people over to Iraq to die for an unjust war. What they are doing is criminal," Mathis said to loud cheers.
Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California appeared at the march and noted that minorities may not have had full voting rights in the last two presidential elections. "Some changes have to be made so we don't have a repeat of 2000 and 2004 where there was intimidation and discrepancies at the polls," Pelosi told Cybercast News Service during the voting rights march. "In the state of Ohio, where they had fewer voting booths and long lines in minority neighborhoods and no lines and many voting booths in white neighborhoods, that the balance is not what it should have been," she added.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) echoed the accusation of many at the march that Bush was an illegitimate president. "The last two elections were stolen. They were stolen and so we will not rest until we reclaim our democracy and this is what today is all about," Lee told the crowd gathered. Lee also called the war in Iraq "unnecessary, immoral and illegal" and added "our nation was lied to in order to justify this invasion and occupation."

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) made it clear who the marchers were directing their anger at on Saturday. "We are here to take on President Bush, [Vice President] Dick Cheney. We are here to take on [House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay. We are here to take on the new appointee to the Supreme Court, John Roberts," Waters said from the podium to cheers from the crowd.

Musician Stevie Wonder addressed the marchers demanding that the Voting Rights Act be extended and strengthened. "Having to demand that we have a bill that will guarantee the voting rights of all American citizens forever is ridiculous," Wonder said. He also read the lyrics of an upcoming song to be released in September. "At this time we have a choice to make. Father God is watching while we cause Mother Earth so much pain. It's such a shame. Not enough money for the young, the old, the poor, but for war there is always more," Wonder said.

The Bush administration was also targeted by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who declared that the president's "record against human rights, civil rights, economic rights, is absolutely terrible."

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) said America was being ruled by the "Bush mentality," where "crony capitalism" was supreme.

Jesse Jackson said the Voting Rights Act extension is critical because "the same old enemies of civil rights and voting rights will always keep up their ugly activities. "Race baiters and discriminators may go underground, but they never move out of town," Jackson said.
Posted by:Steve

#21  The Clintons and US DemoLefties are still playing everybody against the other - America > a Communist-controlled Fascist nation like Russia-China while pretending they are against Dubya's "imperialist" or "warmoner" policies in the WOT, i.e are the alternates to Dubya and the GOP-Right. The DemoLeft alternate to [national] Unitarian, GOP-Dem or GOP= Dem "Fascism", is COMMUNISM except by indirect route, where alleged "Fascism" is merely relabeled as DE-REGULATED COMMUNISM/SOCIALISM. Commie Fascist Russia-China = Commie Fascist/Fascist Commie America. Can a Commie-controlled "Fascist" government still be "Fascist"??? Leftism stands for nothing except politics, and all the amount of relabeling isn't gonna hide an insincere patriot or PC treason - ITS NOT "SOCIALISM",
"COMMUNISM", OR "REGULATION", BUT "NATIONWIDE" and "PERSONAL" "SAFETY" AND "SECURITY", ETC. FEEL-GOOD SURNAMES!?
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2005-08-08 23:54  

#20  When you're a has been you got to do something to get your name out.
Posted by: 3dc   2005-08-08 17:55  

#19  What?! Harry Belafonte is black?! Well, whoduh thunk negros could be racist...
Posted by: Hyper   2005-08-08 16:20  

#18  Semi OT, but RantBurg needs a Ogeretla songbook.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-08-08 15:58  

#17  Mark Z: 'fraid not. In the antebellum period, the slave-owners were mostly Whigs, and before that, National Republicans. They were only Democrats for the brief period between the collapse of the Whig Party in 1854 and the collapse of the Democratic Party in 1860. For most of the slave-owning period, the Democratic Party in the South was the "popular" party, of those who both hated the slaves, and the slave-owners. Poor white trash, in other words. Like Andrew Johnson, frex.

Which is all utterly irrelevant to the main point, which is that Harry Belafonte is batshit insane. And Dick Gregory? Walking proof that bullshit and bile aren't carcinogenic.
Posted by: Mitch H.   2005-08-08 15:34  

#16  Harry B. is continuing to live large on the Democratic Plantation. Somebody needs to explain to Harry it's okay to leave the plantation and think for yourself. Harry should be reminded that most slave owners were the original Democrats. Oh, never mind...
Posted by: Mark Z.   2005-08-08 13:10  

#15  I'm withholding judgment until Mel Torme weighs in.
Posted by: Matt   2005-08-08 11:33  

#14  "Race baiters and discriminators may go underground, but they never move out of town," Jackson said.
If anybody knows about that it would be Jesse.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2005-08-08 11:24  

#13  Harry Belafonte's New
"Banana Boat Song"
"I'm So Los'"

Hey-oh, Hey-ey-ey-oh
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
Hey, he say hey, he say hey, he say hey,
Hey-oh, Hey-ey-ey-oh
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Go all day on a cup-a jo'
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
It's a-gettin noon, There's a Burga King!
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Walkin' a-roun’ mumlin' to ma self
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
Walkin' a-roun’ mumlin' to ma self
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home


Six mile, seven mile, Where am I?
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
Six mile, seven mile, Where am I?
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Hey-oh, Hey-ey-ey-oh
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
Hey, he say hey, he say hey, he say hey,
Hey-oh, Hey-ey-ey-oh
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Eight mile, nine mile, Where am I?
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
Eight mile, nine mile, Where am I?
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Come to dis park spoutin' foolishness
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
Lotsa people cheer ma' foolishness
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Hey-oh, Hey-ey-ey-oh
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
Hey, he say hey, he say hey, he say hey,
Hey-oh, Hey-ey-ey-oh
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Come Mr. Taxi-man take me back to ma' place
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
I got so'money you can take me back to ma' place
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Hey-oh, Hey-ey-ey-oh
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home
Hey, he say hey, he say hey, he say hey,
Hey-oh, Hey-ey-ey-oh
I'm so los' and I ca’ find ma home

Posted by: Ogeretla 2005   2005-08-08 11:20  

#12  Musician Stevie Wonder addressed the marchers demanding that the Voting Rights Act be extended and strengthened. "Having to demand that we have a bill that will guarantee the voting rights of all American citizens forever is ridiculous," Wonder said.


riiggghhtt. Didn't make an ass of himself? We all know that the eeeeeevil Reps are trying to keep blacks from voting over and over , and asking ridiculous requirements like ID's and no dead voters...
Posted by: Frank G   2005-08-08 11:13  

#11  The campaign commercials, they're just writing themselves!
Posted by: Dreadnought   2005-08-08 11:04  

#10  At least Stevie Wonder didn't make an ass out of himself.

Any wild guesses as to Bill Cosby's absence?
Posted by: Raj   2005-08-08 10:29  

#9  Oddly enough despite being such a nightmare on Earth the folks sneaking past border guards are trying to get in, not out.
Posted by: RJSchwarz   2005-08-08 10:24  

#8  Gregory trashed the United States, calling it "the most dishonest, ungodly, unspiritual nation that ever existed in the history of the planet. As we talk now, America is 5 percent of the world's population and consumes 96 percent of the world's hard drugs," Gregory said.

Um, so you're saying that we should share our hard drugs more? Tell Belafonte to quit bogarting the joint.
Posted by: BH   2005-08-08 10:17  

#7  After reading about Rummy and Sinise - this brings back cold reality. Belafonte's insane. He's been insane for quite some time.

Interviewing him is merely mining salt - you know precisely what you're going to get, so this must be what the editor wanted to print. Fuck 'em both.
Posted by: .com   2005-08-08 09:49  

#6  Harry and Dick Gregory! Wow! There must've been a special on round trip flights out of Bolivian.
I swear, I thought Dick Gregory was dead.
Posted by: tu3031   2005-08-08 09:33  

#5  That is quite the cast of characters, all right. Harrangers, race baters, demagogues, inflammatory speakers, and NOT ONE PROBLEM-SOLVER among them. Heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-08-08 09:32  

#4  Hitler had a lot of Jews high up in the hierarchy of the Third Reich
WTF? Get a grip Harry, your ignorance is showing.
Posted by: Spot   2005-08-08 09:30  

#3  What a farce.
Posted by: MunkarKat   2005-08-08 09:16  

#2  The old black leadership is only concerned with maintaining their position and petty power by delivering up their own people's future. There's a name for that. The three greatest contributors to poverty in America are substance abuse, single female head of household, and blowing off education. Name me those in the leadership who have publically hammered those problems within the community rather than shift the blame elsewhere. They sell the souls of their own people to the one party which literally protect those delivering substandard education because the union buys the party with gold. Before there was an America, blacks sold other blacks to islamic slavers for the Cairo-Damascus trade. The practice may have changed in form, but the substance remains the same.
Posted by: Clomoling Ebbutle1219   2005-08-08 09:16  

#1  To quote somebody:
"Shut up and sing, already!"
Posted by: N guard   2005-08-08 09:01  

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