European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 10, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 letters the stars and stripes tuesday nov Muer 10,1987 readers oppose paying for past injustice 1 would like to answer the writer who asked for compensation and an apology because of injustices done h is race. 1 want to offer a suggestion that he should Stop dwelling on injustices done by a society that no longer exists. Social thought is evolving slowly that is granted but we arc getting better if we keep the Ideal in sight and put our efforts and Hopes in Ihal direction. Dwelling in the past is not productive. Learn from it and move on i cannot offer an apology for injustices done by a society that existed in a a prod of the Post in which i feel no responsibility. But i can say i feel sorrow for injustices done any person past or present. As for compensation i ask this ques Tion. Is $20,000 the Price lag for his Pride of heritage i think not. Monetary compensation is not a cure for our social ills. The compensation i can offer is that of the heart sharing a dream of an America undivided by prejudice of Cele Brating a National heritage instead of Black history month hispanic week. Native american weekend. I want to be proud As an american and share the contributions made by Blacks hispanics asians native americans and euro peans As my heritage because i am an american. So 1 say to this writer Don t look Back and feel you Are owed something. Look Buck As i a Lac team and work for the future. Together we have a dream staff set. Louis j. Paliani ans Ucb Germany so the government is compensating inc indians by giving them Back their land and compensating the japanese americans for Wii Camps plus Hunt ing War criminals not just at the jew Sand you want something Loo. Why the government did not enslave your ances tors Ihal was done by private profiteers. So now what All my life i have heard you owe me it s your fault my ances Tore were Welt i have paid. I have been denied jobs for which i was perfectly qualified because the businesses by Law had to hire a set percentage of minorities. What no entry to College because they had to fill their quota of minorities. Might i add at that Lime iwas a divorced Mother of iwo children with no child support or Alimony. The minorities were Given housing assist Ance. I was t. I realize thai All people Are different but again it was Lime to pay for not being a minority yup i had to do my Job f plus the jobs of two other women be haps it will be a time Hal they la Only cause they were Black americans an were going to scream discrimination and prejudice if pushed to do the jobs for which icy were hired and paid to course you can imagine the mess of paperwork and waste of time to try to fire them. And now it s still the hand clicking out saying let s get some facts of my family. My ancestors came from three different countries. I have not requested reimbursement or dues be repaid to me for the hardships they Well through when their families were a lil up at Ellis Island mothers and fathers from their children and husbands from their wives. Uliey made three trips by boat to their Home land to gel their family together. Of no they weren t wealthy or even Well to do they were very poor people. They had chains of a different sort which were just As confining hey did t speak English just like your ancestor they weren t accepted in communities but yet they had to pay Cash for everything. My family did t have Staves nor did icy condone slavery. Shelters and food were not Given to them. They had to struggle to live at All. And now you want me Topay you far the hardships your ancestors suffered i owe you nothing. You Are so Quick to hold our your hand. Why Are you a slave yourself perhaps a slave of greed. I m not even a half Breed. I m a third Breed. However i have not been Classi fied As a minority. Yet through All this i am an american and very proud to Leone. I want to help my fellow americans and my country not Drain them. Plymouth Rock did not land on you and1 Don t believe the greeted your Grandfather at the Airport upon his Arri Val from fighting the War. The Black americans As Well As the majority of while americans Bave All struggled for equal rights. My family has paid for Many things and helped Many people through our lairs and personal giving. I have Given my last Penny Many times because someone was in need. Are you in need i do have two loaves of bread and some meat and milk if you Are hungry. I have a bed and blankets if you Are tired and cold. I la even help you if you need my strength and if it came Down to it i would Lay my life Down for you because my lord did it for me. But greed is not in my picture is it in yours we need to Slop living in the past and get on with making a great country for our children and their children per hear the words american instead of White american Black american amerasian Etc. Name withheld Fulda Germany this writer asks the question when will Black americans gel an apology for the injustice done to us when will we be compensated for the unnecessary hardships we were Pul through and How much what do you think our society and our government has been doing for the last 20 years millions of dollars have been spen enacting legislation and implementing programs to ensure that the in justices Are corrected. The civil rights act desegregation school busing affirmative action Leo quotas Etc. I should not be made to Bear the guilt for what my forebears is May have done. We Are responsible and should be held accountable for our own actions or in action not those of others who have gone before us. By the same Token to assimilate past injustices done to your race As your own Persona injury and to further demand retribution Only perpetuates the Cycle of prejudice and hostility. Granted there Are still traces of kick. Mentality to be found in today s society just As there is a Radical Black Muslim faction still alive in the states. We have to Rise above the isolated cases of bigotry and get on with the business of encouraging the racial Harmony that is essential for a healthy society. Name withheld wies idea if this airman does not think Blackshare been compensated for the slavery of their ancestors what does he Call affirmative action How about compensation for those of us whose ancestors were deported to the United Stales As Inden tured servants or As criminals because of penury How about compensation for White males who have been discriminated against because of affirmative action where do we draw the Tine and ask peo ple to stand up on their own two feel stall sol. Don a. Dullard Livonia july. The cause for his concern was recent Bill which was passed compensating japanese americans because they were held in internment Camps As Chil Dren. First off these people were the Vic Tims they had their rights taken away you talk about an Issue that you were not part of. To me this sounds like an other Way to get something for tree. Like the wont prejudice when i grew up i never knew what the word prejudice meant. I just read about it in school books until i got in the army i found Black people abuse the word. Always talking about their rights. Slavery has not taken place since the Lincoln Era. The Issue is still being brought up even though you nor i were Ever there. I was not my great great Grandfather s keeper and i cannot and will not be accountable for what the did. You have everything now. You Are handed jobs because you Are Black no for your qualifications. More and More whiles Are being discriminated against so that you May i ave a Job scholarships Etc just so a company or corporation May fill their quota for minorities to appears to me that All you want is hand outs a free ride and you Don t want to work for what you gel. In other words How can anybody be prejudiced when the people who wan Equality so bad Are the most prejudiced Nintendo location withheld How much longer must we the White population go on paying for something our ancestors did Over a Hundred years ago granted your ancestors May have suffered undo hardship and injustice but Here s a Shock for you so did mine. Blacks today seem to think Ihal they were the Only people who grew up in poor family and had to struggle for everything they have. There s just As Man Whites who have struggled. So the next Lime you Start thinking we were born with a Silver spoon in our Mouth and have had everything handed o us on Silver Platter top and look around at All the poor while people who Are suffering. We have tried for the last Hundred years to repay and make up Tor the unfair treatment and hardships your ancestor received. But it s people like you who can t let the past stay were it belongs. No we should never forget it but at least try 10 forgive us. I m sure not All your ances tors were saints. So the next time you feel like bad mouthing us take a while and Trace your roots and see what your ancestors were like. And lastly you say we landed on Plymouth Rock and had it crushed on you. But we picked it up off you and have been carrying it Ever since. I ask when will you let us Lay our Burden Down name and location withheld produce damaged by careless shoppers profile Bias addressed As a commissary employee and Patron i feel that each of you should be informed of a cry important thing produce damaged by Custons. Several limes a Day i find that the Patron has done a lot of damage to produce products such As plums grapes tomatoes pears and apples just to name a few. These items Are poked thrown around and pulled. These items Are replenished daily however the Cus Tomer will always reach to the Bottom to get a package thinking that the one on the Bottom is fresher or of better Quality. During All of this pulling the items Are smashed and badly damaged. When you or your children damage these items you Are destroying government property. You the customer Are paying for the damage in the Long run. When the merchandise is damaged the produce department takes a loss and that loss must be accounted for through higher prices on other items. We would like to give patrons produce at Cost Price but when a department loses anywhere from 130 to As much As s60 a Day because of negligence on the Cus Tomer s pan it is impossible for you to Purchase these items at Cost. Customers also have been observed eating produce or giving produce items to their children while shop Ping. Please be aware thai technically you Are shop lifting. The reason is that you have not paid for this item. Sometimes by the Lime you get to Check out you May forget to Tell the cashier about that item you consumed. The commissary is not Here to make a profit but to provide for you the customer. But it is nol Here to lose Money either. So when you pick up n pack of grapes or plums Etc., Don t throw them around. Place them Back gently. These items Are easy to Bruise and we can t sell them at Cost to you if you Are going to continue to damage the merchandise. To the customers who stand around and Gripe Aboul How bad produce looks be informed that it does t took like that when it is placed on the shelves. Take byword for it if you were poked thrown around pulled from underneath 20 other items you would look Terri ble too and to those of you who stand around and Gripe about How expensive merchandise is. I believe i have just told you Why. I sympathize with you. I m a paying customer too. Please be considerate and handle the merchandise As if it were your own personal merchandise. If you were to go on the Economy and damage merchandise you would surely have to pay for it. Nune us location fit Bem All letter to the editor mul contain the full printed name us add i of the writer and mul be to tent we a not Rad Sib Lynnl Alten Bat we will withhold Jou name on request and protect your privacy All he ten at subject to editing. All right leaders let us talk one More time Aboul discrimination we Are nol going to elaborate on the usual issues such As race sex Grade Etc. These issues Are constantly discussed. I want to voice my opinion on another discrimination soldiers with valid physical disabilities pro files who Are not getting a fair shake. Needless to say. There Are some soldiers who Are bums and ride Irir profile. On the other hand we still have soldiers left Over from Vietnam and Grenada. What is so disgusting to me is that in most cases the leaders who discriminate against these soldiers with disabilities have never seen combat or had the distinct pleasure of serious injury. Whether or not you believe it that Soldier whom you Hurt on her his enlisted evaluation report or officer evaluation report is still probably a Good Leader Soldier. I do not know if anyone will read or believe this. If you did and you fit the Iofik of a discriminating Leader just look around and pick out thai Soldier. Think about what he she has been through with the physical pain and the mental anguish that they must now put up with As they worry about career progression because they gave More than you did name a
