Pawned Sovereignty: Sharpened Black Perspectives on Americanization, Africa, War and Reparations

By Ezrah Aharone

"Pawned Sovereignty will be a collector's item, alongside Welsing's Isis Papers and Woodson's Mis-Education of the Negro." - Rolling Out Magazine

""Aharone's bold blueprint for black sovereignty sounds more like a long overdue prescription than an incendiary manifesto." - Lloyd Kam Williams, Syndicated Writer

"The themes of Ezrah Aharones political book, Pawned Sovereignty, revolve around Black America being a "free," but not a "sovereign" people. The book however does not promote a sovereign movement, but rather a sovereign consciousness and evolutionary outlooks.

"Since sovereignty (not civil rights) is the pinnacle of all freedoms, the book provides Black America with solutions and insightful viewpoints, based on sovereign-minded frames of reference. This approach pierces the core of mainstream body politics and leads to redefined ideals and worldviews which better serve Black/African interests. According to Aharone, "Such outlooks also help bridge the political and philosophical gap that now separates Hip Hop from the Civil Rights/Black Power generation."

"A central premise of Pawned Sovereignty concerns what he calls different "Concepts of Freedom." According to Aharone, Black America's concept of freedom has historically been limited to "Civil Rights, Integration, and Citizenship." However, freedom for White America entails nothing less than "Sovereignty, Independence, and Statehood." Aharone says, "This conceptual distinction is arguably the most consequential, yet most unrecognized, source of racial disharmony and inequities. As a result, certain sociopolitical conditions that Whites would never tolerate have become normalized within the Black Experience."

"Aharone surgically dissects and separates the flaws and misperceptions from the realities of American democracy, while drawing political distinctions between the character of America and the image of America. In prototype fashion, he reconfigures today's sociopolitical landscape as he expounds on 55 original topics.

"Among other things, Aharone asserts that whether the issue is international terrorism; domestic crime and homicides; or inadequate numbers of Blacks in government . . . the solution does not lie within America's current "Brand" of democracy. Pawned Sovereignty addresses the root causes of such issues, while offering prescriptions to remedy both the human and systemic failures of American democracy. The blueprint he outlines will undoubtedly enhance or make you rethink your worldviews.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9781491860229

Ezrah Aharone

Ezrah Aharone is a scholar of Sovereign Studies and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Delaware State University. He is the author of the political books Sovereign Evolution and Pawned Sovereignty. Born in Newark and raised in Passaic, NJ, he is a graduate of Hampton University. He has lived and worked in West Africa where he is now a business and political consultant (see www.EzrahSpeaks.com).

Book preview

© 2003 by Ezrah Aharone. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

ISBN: 1-4107-8641-2 (e-book)

ISBN: 1-4107-8642-0 (Paperback)

ISBN13: 978-1-4918-6022-9 (ebook)

1stBooks-rev. 11/12/03

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I.The Politics, Economics, and Psychology of Western Democracy

I. U.S. Nationalism and Weaponized Democracy

Pillars of Americanization

Politicizing Religion

Sovereignty or Death

White Independence/Black Indifference

The Three-Fifths Clause

Positions of Strength

II. Psychological Warfare and Contradictions of Being African and American

Two Versions of History

Psychological Associations and Indoctrination

New Philosophical Directions

Prioritizing Black Lives and Causes

Inheriting Enemies

The Value of our Identity

Destructive Mentalities and the Hip Hop Revolution

Psychological Migrations, Philosophical Revolution, and States of Freedom

Fallacies of Democracy and Voting

Equality Verses Equity

III. Plutocracy Disguised as Democracy

Controlled Economics

Early International Capitalists

Economics and Abolition

Centralizing Financial Powers

The Federal Reserve

The Value of Money

The Anatomy of Corporate Crimes

Getting the Gold

A Future World of Economic Disproportion

Part Ii.an Answer To The Question Of Reparations

IV. The Rise and Fall in Brief

African Intellect and Antiquity

Primary Centers of Civilization

The Dark Ages and African Misconceptions

The Transfer of World Power

V. The Economics and Aftermath of Captive Labor

Labor Witho3t Wages

Perfecting the Science of Captive Labor

The Triangular Trade

Cotton

Tobacco and Sugarcane

Shipbuilding

Ivory

Metallurgy, Firearms, and Violence

VI. The Goose, the Golden Eggs, and Geopolitical Roulette

Fertilizing Colonial Grounds

Understanding February 26, 1885

Solidarity Versus Counterintelligence

Pan-Europeanism Versus Pan-Africanism

Occupying South Africa

The Strategic Value of Southern Africa and the Persian Gulf

Bush, Baghdad, Bombs and Black Gold

Geopolitical Allies and Adversaries

VII. Self-Preservation and Developmental Reparations

A Fate No Better Than Captivity

A Black Provincial Assembly

The Strength of Sovereignty

Political Racism and Self-Preservation

Earned Equity and Developmental Reparations

Economic Fact-Finding Studies

Education

Healthcare and Housing

Politics and Investment Capital

Vertically Integrated African Relations

Conclusion

Footnotes

About the Author

Dedicated to my parents, and all my living and transformed family members, including those in Africa who I never knew, and never will know.

Special thanks to:

Benaiah, Sharon, Veronica, Marcey, Joan, Kent, Steve, Janis, and Nowick

PAWNED SOVEREIGNTY

The First Book of a STONE SERIES

…The STONE was cut out of the mountain without hands…

…And the STONE that smote the image became a great mountain…

The STONE which the builders refused is become the head of the corner.

And he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth STONES out of the brook…

Introduction

This book comes at an uneasy time in history when the world is plagued with problems related to poverty, disease, racism, ideology, terrorism and war. The inflamed nature of these issues leads to the inevitable conclusion that conditions will worsen before improving. Rather than respecting the array of humanity’s cultural, religious, and ethnic differences, some people and governments are more motivated by skewed forms of nationalism that superimpose particular ways of life on others. In today’s world, might often makes right.

The one word that best links all the subjects of this book is thoughts. Like every other nation, America is the result of thoughts. Its customs, traditions, laws and constitution are all products of thought. Americanization can be summed up as constellations of thoughts that people have learned to accept and apply as a way of life. As valuable and benevolent as this way of life may seem to Americans, some people in other countries will always embrace thoughts and ways of their own.

The central message that runs through all the subjects is that Black America lives in a world of thoughts and has adopted a way of life that do not incorporate enough input of our own thoughts and ways. By the 1960’s when the establishment thought it was finally time to concede to integration, the political and ideological design of America was already well thought out. Hence, we did not participate in casting the actual mold of Americanization. And since our specific political and economic interests as a sub-culture did not always fit, we were forced in many instances to painfully adjust to the prefabricated contour and contents of the mold.

Pawned Sovereignty is therefore written from a strictly Black perspective, to shuffle the deck of American democracy, so as to put some different political and ideological factors into play, and to provide a keener awareness of international affairs. Although some subjects undertaken may perhaps be considered politically incorrect, these are the very subjects that need more examination and discussion. I say this because history presents enough examples for us to know that legitimate Black interests have not always been in conciliation with political correctness.

The title, Pawned Sovereignty, is not to suggest that Black America should launch a sovereignty movement of self-government, but rather to contrast our life without sovereignty and to draw attention to the resulting quandaries thereof. What I call Sharpened Black Perspectives in the subtitle, are based on interpretations of history and a discernment of the world from viewpoints aimed exclusively to advance and safeguard Black interests.

Black America has a history and experience unlike any other people on earth. To use the word resilient to describe our nearly 400-year sojourn in America understates reality. Even though we have more-than paid our dues to society in full, we still face uncalled-for domestic hurdles. Instead of continually trying to reform away the effects of these hurdles, the wise thing is to understand what lies at the core of our age-old struggle for equality.

One of the best ways to do this, as Pawned Sovereignty does, is by conducting two distinct levels of objective scrutiny. The first involves scrutinizing the history of Americanization as it evolved into what is now regarded as an ideal. The second level scrutinizes the circumstances under which we as Africans resigned ourselves to accept and pursue Americanization as a goal. The sequences of these particulars offer telling insight about America’s character as a nation, and unveil political and psychological influences beneath the surface of democracy, that pose inevitable limitations to true equality for Blacks in America.

If you were to regard Americanization as an ongoing journey to a specified endpoint, this book would be a rest stop and refueling station for you to pause, take a look around, and survey the political/economic terrain, as well as the surrounding obstacles. From this vantage, you will be better positioned to see where Black America came from, and then properly gauge our present status to determine if we are traveling in the right direction, at the right speed.

Maybe we should have arrived at our destination already; maybe we need to veer at the next fork; or maybe the vehicle needs repair. And just as importantly, we need to assess if the company of people we keep are helping, or hindering, our progress. You will find that the contents of Pawned Sovereignty unfold an updated roadmap of new thoughts to help navigate this journey.

The positions and conclusions, however, should not be viewed within the context of a racial standoff with White America. Racism is an outward shadow of spiritual immaturities within man that cannot be legislated away in bills or constitutional amendments. Its only cure is for people to search the depths of themselves, with the desire to root out pollutants lurking within.

Racial themes are however unavoidable, since racism is intrinsic to America’s political and economic construct. But another unique factor that differentiates Pawned Sovereignty from other works is that it surgically dissects and challenges the components of this construct, as opposed to trying to harness the elusive shadow of racism.

Its rare insight and information penetrates the armor of this construct, while offering an alternative construct, designed to improve the life conditions of Black America and Africa as well. After turning the final page of Pawned Sovereignty, you will be enriched with proactive ideals and renewed concepts of self-preservation that can effect a far more productive and empowering way of life.

Ezrah Aharone

Part I.

The Politics, Economics,

and Psychology of Western Democracy

Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice…Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

Senator Barry M. Goldwater

He is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins.

Fredrick Douglass

I. U.S. Nationalism and Weaponized Democracy

Pillars of Americanization

Every nation has a unique character that reflects its history and people. Nations establish an identity by adopting or developing doctrines and ideologies that define politics, economics, religion, culture and all other aspects of life. These perspectives set parameters for societal norms and traditions that help formulate a nation’s sense of nationalism. Nationalism is defined as: Loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.¹

Influences of nationalism are known to give rise to many conflicts in the world. Nationalism can therefore become an extremely dangerous force, especially when it is used to advance one nation’s interest at the expense of others. Throughout history, people have developed nationalistic doctrines and ideologies that have done just that, even to the extent of war and killing innocent people. Sometimes, when people are driven by a particular doctrine or ideology, it becomes difficult for them to see the world in any other terms. They view themselves and their way of life as the barometer of what is right and good for others in the world. In this sense, nationalism can play a determining role in the declaration of war and negotiation of peace.

The doctrine of America is largely comprised of the often-misunderstood ideologies of Democracy, Capitalism, and Euro-Christianity (Protestantism of European origin). These are the pillars upon which this country is founded. And together with America’s subjective version of history, they formulate the principles, practices, and politics of Americanization that foster U.S. nationalism. They are often misunderstood, because the character of America as a nation is very different from the image it projects to the world. Although these pillars supposedly represent the highest of ideals, they have been used under the banner of nationalism for destructive outcomes.

Because of America’s economic strength and political stability, these pillars are believed to exemplify the most cherished way of life. People worldwide have risked life and limb to adopt them as their own. Even Black people that exist on the bottom-most rungs of society, consider them sacred, and believe they provide the best of all opportunities in life. However, it is no secret that these same beloved pillars also existed side-by-side with slavery. Although the earliest generations of Blacks in America were clear about the detriment of these pillars, the intoxicating fumes of modern nationalism have blurred the ability to distinguish the beneficiaries from the casualties of Americanization.

There are specific reasons why our honest embrace of Americanization has not been reciprocated in kind. Much of the difficulties we have faced in history stem from not understanding the makeup of America’s true character. In our sincere efforts to belong, we have not properly differentiated the character of America—as confirmed by the facts of history—from the image of America as it appears through perception. Though its image seems like a beacon of peace and justice, history verifies a character that covets economic power and is unhesitant in becoming violently disagreeable when others do not comply with its ways.

To make sense of this character and its violent nature, certain features of U.S. nationalism are too important to ignore. First and foremost, under no circumstances are any of America’s principles of nationhood up for compromise. This country was established by, and for, Western Europeans to express and promote European values, or more specifically, Euro-American values. The first 7 presidents, (1789-1837) prior to Martin Van Buren, were all born in Europe and reared on Anglo-based values.

America was not founded so that Africans or any other non-Western European people could impose any type of foreign influence. Because the lineage of most White Americans can be traced to Europe, I sometimes refer to them as Euro-Americans, to distinguish them from other Americans who are not of the lineage of the founders and sovereign rulers of this country.

In the simplest terms, sovereignty is the independent power and authority of a government to control its people and the territory within its borders. In dictionary terms, it is defined as, Supreme power especially over a body politic: freedom from external control: autonomy: controlling influence.² Obviously, neither Black people nor any other ethnic minority group has supreme power over America’s body politic.

All ethnic groups are under the sovereign authority of Euro-Americans. They defied the British to establish this country. They wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They have power and control over the government and all major political posts of power, including the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the White House. They declare war and decide the terms of peace.

There are a few points about sovereignty that need to be understood from a strictly Black perspective. First of all, the word sovereignty is rarely used in the Black vocabulary, because the type of freedom we received with emancipation is not synonymous with sovereignty. Neither are civil rights synonymous with sovereignty. Yes, we are free within the context that freedom is offered in America, but by no means are we a sovereign people. Any sense of sovereignty that we may think we have is simulated through our association with Euro-Americans. However, association should not be confused with sovereignty.

Sovereignty is absolute and nationalistically distinct to a particular race or group of people. People are either sovereign, or they are not. To occupy a middle ground like Black America constitutes the absence of sovereignty. America may be a melting pot of people, but it is not a melting pot of sovereignty. The sovereignty of Euro-Americans is an indivisible substance that will never be sliced in pieces to share with others.

The holding of citizenship makes a person a member of society, but like association, citizenship should not be confused with sovereignty. As an analogy of the difference between sovereignty and citizenship, consider athletes in professional sports. Athletes play for a team, but they do not own the team, or the league that sanctions the games. Black America is a member (citizens) of the team (society and its national institutions). However, we do not own or control any of the teams, and we certainly do not own or control the league (the federal government and its agencies).

Over the last century, America has welcomed people of all races, creeds, and colors to naturalize as citizens. Its citizens come from all over the world. But make no doubt about it, America is still a Western European nation, and its sovereignty is the exclusive possession of Euro-Americans. Unless defeated in war, Euro-Americans will never allow their sovereignty to be diluted by anyone, including Black America.

The State of Israel provides another good example that defines what sovereignty is all about. A Palestinian, or anyone else, can become an Israeli citizen and even hold a seat in parliament. Still in all, the sovereign rulership of the country belongs to Jewish people. To quote a comment made to the media by Israeli Communication Minister Reuven Rivlin, "This is the state for the Jewish people, not the state for all its citizens. That has to be obvious."

The facts of history should make it obvious that the same holds true in America. Blacks and many other people are citizens, yet the authority of Euro-Americans has never been in question. This country will always be owned and governed by White people of Western European descent—not African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, or any other non-Western group of Americans. Anyone believing otherwise is obviously unfamiliar with the character of Euro-Americans.

The spirit of their sovereign authority is expressed throughout society. On a superficial but interesting sociological level, it’s funny in a peculiar way when Whites deride Blacks to go back to Africa. Even though we are Africans by nature and Africa is our homeland, strangely, this remark is regarded as an insult. So there is clearly something more to this than just the literal meaning of the words, because telling a White person to go back to Europe does not have the same impact. For one thing, we know that we were unfairly used to build this country, and most of us have not received a fair share of the benefits. We undoubtedly hold the short end of the stick.

It certainly is not an insult to suggest that people govern themselves. Self-governing is one of the ultimate ideals of humanity. However, telling us to go back to Africa has nothing to do with self-governing. And a person making such a remark may not even understand the ideal of sovereignty. But the one thing that all of us know, is that Black America lacks supreme power, and because of slavery, we have no African country to go back to. So a remark of this nature is a verbal kick-in-the-butt that shreds our dignity.

If however the government did desire us to go back to Africa, we definitely would not be here today, because it always controlled what we did and how we did it. We are not here because of the goodness of democracy, or because the establishment likes African people. The bottom line is that we remained here after slavery because it was the most profitable and convenient option. Any other solution, including sending us back to Africa, would have devastated the economy. So the government decided to segregate us for 100 years, and then begrudgingly integrate us into society.

Integration can also be somewhat misleading. Just as citizenship is not sovereignty, integration is not independence. Unlike the equal blending of people, as implied by the definition of integration, there is no equal blend of African authority, values, traditions or languages into American society. Americanization is more of a vacuum that sucked the African identity out of us.

In many ways, the African side of being an African American is somewhat like a hobby or extracurricular activity, that is kept separate from the more significant parts of life, especially the workplace. There are set times and places for being African, and as is true with any hobby, the time comes to put it away. In our case, being African must be put aside in order to live and function according to Western traditions.

If you think this is an integrated society, try going on a job interview for corporate America, or showing up to work in corporate America wearing African clothes, and see what happens. It would likewise be inappropriate for a Black government representative to act in an official capacity wearing a garment, or hat, or head-wrap, of the kind customarily worn by African leaders.

Of course, language and clothes are not defining factors of being African. And maybe someday a Black government representative will wear African clothes in the White House. But the point is that sooner or later, every Black person will run smack into the brick-wall reality, that America is a European nation that is far from being equally blended with Africans.

The American flag illustrates this same point on a different level. The Confederate flag is understandably offensive. However, the official flag that is loved and honored by millions of Blacks, is far from innocent. It was during slavery in 1818 (47 years before emancipation) when Congress determined the flag would have 13 red and white stripes, to symbolize the original Union members, and a corresponding star for each state. The flag was meant to memorialize America’s colonial past and its victory of independence.

Since we are no longer enslaved, some people may say, so what regarding the years that the flag flew over slavery. But based on principle, and considering the circumstances we were forced to endure, would it be unreasonable for the flag to recognize us in some way? The jolting thing about this is that most Euro-Americans would probably find it offensive, if we ever raised the issue of modifying the flag. They could care less if it flew before, during, or after slavery. Our thoughts and positions are inconsequential, when it comes to something as sovereign-centered as the flag. The historic stars and stripes mean so much to them, that the idea of changing Old Glory on our behalf, would be met with just as much gritty resistance today as in 1865.

Contrary to our ready acceptance of European culture and nationalism, Euro-Americans are not open to the suggestion of saluting a flag that symbolizes anything Black. But when you think about our plight, the fact that the flag does not memorialize us, is no less insulting than go back to Africa. The essence of this issue, however, extends beyond the mere design of the flag. It has to do with another character trait that is too important to ignore. Contrary to its perceived image, America has a selfish and unilateralist character that is known to impose its ways upon, and disregard the humanity of, Black and Brown people.

Despite the so-called higher ideals of America’s pillars, the progress of Black America was achieved as a result of struggle, fortitude, and death—not democracy, capitalism, or Euro-Christianity. The human ransom we paid far surpasses any material benefit America could ever provide. Just think about it for a moment—what material substance could Euro-Americans possibly give us, in return for disconnecting us from knowledge of our ancestry and generations of oral family history? What is the going compensation rate of litigation for that? Most astonishing of all, Euro-Americans have imposed their ways upon us so thoroughly, that we are expected to keep silent and not make a big deal out of what happened to us.

Destroying the ancestral knowledge of an entire people is not like discarding an old pair of shoes. The English language has words to define and describe just about everything. However, it lacks the word or combination of words that encapsulate the severity of what we endured. Knowledge of ancestral lineage is a distinction of humanity that separates us from animals. It is an irreplaceable linkage of each individual to their genealogical origin. This connection adds definition and a greater sense of purpose to a person’s life, within the stream of human continuity. But tragically, most Blacks have been deprived of this knowledge and connection.

We are the world’s greatest causalities of what I call ancestorcide, which is an act when people are responsible, by intent or results, for destroying another people’s knowledge of and ties to, their ancestral lineage. In our case, the intent was based on political and economic self-indulgence. Along with its bookend companion of genocide, ancestorcide is one of the gravest acts that humanity can commit against humanity.

At the same time, blue-blooded Euro-Americans place great importance and take pride in their European ancestry. An interesting newspaper article titled, Electing A King? touched on the ancestry of President George W. Bush and former Vice President, Al Gore. It stated:

Burke’s Peerage, the revered guide to the blood lines of aristocracy, has found that both George W. Bush and presidential rival Al Gore are of royal descent, but investigations deep into their heritage show Bush has far more noble and royal connections. Bush is closely related to every European monarch on and off the throne—including the deposed king of Albania—and has kinship with every member of Britain’s royal family, the House of Windsor. Gore does have direct links to the Holy Roman Empire. He is a descendant of medieval Emperors Louis II, Charles II and Louis I and is therefore also a direct descendant of Charlemagne. Gore’s Charlemagne links also make him a distant cousin of Bush.³

So here we find that Bush and Gore have common bloodlines of royal descent, that date back to the Roman Empire. Yet Black Americans have living relatives and family history in Africa, that most of us will never know anything about.

Speaking of royalty, the late Princess Diana was a descendant of President George Washington, and she is buried on family property alongside other relatives of Washington. But many Blacks over age 50 do not even know the gravesites of relatives from just three or four generations ago. This is because many of our relatives are buried in shallow unmarked graves somewhere in the South. If this seems hard to believe, just randomly ask Black people over 50 if they know where their grandparents or great-grandparents are buried.

Instead of all Americans being terribly disturbed that Black people are casualties of this sort, the general attitude of society is to forget about the past. As unpopular as it is to say, Euro-Americans have been highly apathetic regarding our humanity. Wealth and power have given rise to an exaggerated sense of self-importance within them. They feel as though Americanization is so lofty an ideal, that it even has the power to justify the worst of their behavior.

~~~~~~~~~~

Politicizing Religion

The Americanization of Africans had a lot to do with philosophically containing the thoughts of ex-slaves, and instilling a commitment to nationalism within them. It was important to keep close tabs on the 4 million newly freed Africans, to insure they did not pursue counter-ideals that could have sparked more civil dissent. To this end, politics, patriotism and religion were infused into one cultural bundle of nationalism. This bundle has since been transferred down throughout the generations until today.

By no means is this intended to offend or attack anyone’s beliefs. America is not the only nation to do this. So before going any further, I will shed light on the general conformity that exists between religion and nationalism.

Religion establishes a common philosophical and moral foundation that influences how people think and feel about society and the world. Therefore, it is important to a government that the religious beliefs of citizens, do not clash with its laws or politics. Each must complement and endorse the other. For example, the laws of Saudi Arabia are different than laws in America, because the Saudis adhere to a different theology and a different set of religious principles.

It is highly unlikely that a Christian could ever become the president of an Islamic country, and vice versa. A Muslim president in America would create a political and philosophical conflict of interest, and violate the unwritten laws of U.S. nationalism as well. Although America has freedom of religion, most Christian Americans would not vote for a Muslim, Buddhist, Jew or person of any other religion. Americans do not want any other religious influences infused into government or politics.

John F. Kennedy was the first and only Roman Catholic president. Even though Catholicism is Christianity (just like Coptic or Eastern Orthodox Christianity) it has doctrinal differences that clash with certain freedoms and political positions of America. Hence, there was concern as to whether Kennedy had greater allegiance to the Pope or the Constitution. He had to publicly address the contrariety of being a non-Protestant presidential candidate, in a nation founded on Protestant beliefs. During a campaign stop in Houston, Texas in 1960 he said, I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me. For whatever reasons he was assassinated, the fact that he was Catholic probably did not add points in his favor.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. represented a different type of philosophical clash between religion and politics. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover dubbed him the most dangerous man in America. It was not so much the pursuit of civil rights that made Dr. King dangerous. If that were the case, we would still be segregated. So obviously the danger went beyond civil rights. The real issue was that his words and philosophy posed a threatening challenge to mainstream positions. Ironically, he was much like his 16th century namesake, Martin Luther, who helped lead the European Protestant Reformation that now partially forms the basis of America’s beliefs.

Although Dr. King was a Christian minister, he did not fit into the prescribed American Euro-Christian mold. America’s political direction violated the religious principles he philosophically espoused, and he was therefore adamantly unwilling to compromise the integrity of his faith in order to make America politically happy. This caused him to stand against America’s domestic racial policies and its foreign policies related to war in Vietnam.

With his moral and spiritual intellect, he continually sharpened the contradictions of America’s politics—as a so-called Christian nation—verses the manner that a genuine Christian nation would conduct itself. His clear and easy-to-follow analyses exposed the political dualities and mental shallowness of America’s true character. Thus, he became dangerous because the establishment felt that his contagious influence was growing so extensive that it could have possibly incited a political/religious reformation of the wrong kind.

Since certain religions forbid specific practices, no government will tolerate a mass religious movement that contradicts its policies. Such a movement could cause radical shifts in thought, and breed unpredictability in society. In instances where religion conflicts with politics, the followers must either prepare for persecution, convert to mainstream theology, or rise up against the establishment. History is replete with many examples of each. To curtail religious-based rebellion, governments must be able to understand and calibrate the religious thoughts of