Politics Mondays: The Hidden Hand in American Politics by Alton H. Maddox

By 2050 at the latest, the minorities in the United States will become the new majority. Reconstruction is not only occurring in Iraq but also in the United States. This is the Second Reconstruction for Blacks after Florida created a second political debacle in 2000.

The hardest hit population will again be descendants of enslaved Africans simply because it is the only ethnic group in this country which has demonstrated a capability to sustain an assault on White Supremacy until recently, but we have also failed to learn from the lessons of history.

Cong. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., in his "My Black Position Paper," notes, "The Black masses must demand and refuse to accept nothing less than that proportionate share of political jobs and appointments which are equal to their proportion in the electorate."

For example, there should be at least ten Blacks in the U.S. Senate and a similar number representing Latinos, Asians, and Indians. In more than a century, only two Blacks have been elected to the Senate. Carol Moseley Braun was seated in 1993 from Illinois. Edward Brooke was seated in 1967 from Massachusetts.

Excluding the two Native Hawaiians in the Senate, there will be no minorities in the Senate with this year's resignation of Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who was also seated in 1993. He is the only Indian in the Senate.

Although Black leaders have failed to demand an affirmative action program for the Senate, the political establishment has conducted a pre-emptive strike by continuing tokenism through the selection of Barak Obama as the next junior senator from Illinois.

Congress is bicameral. The upper chamber was established for rich White men while the lower chamber was established for common White men. While the lower chamber is subject to "one man, one vote," the upper chamber is not. The upper chamber has veto power over the lower chamber and members of the upper chamber serve for six years while members of the lower chamber only serve for two years.

For some years, Congress has been passing repressive laws with a view towards complete racial and social control by 2050. The Patriot Act, for example, ensnares historically oppose groups. Under the guise of implementing the 9/11 Commission's report, Congress intends to eliminate its sunset provisions and expand its scope under Patriot Act II. Some of the "milder" provisions of the act are set to expire at the end of 2005.

On the opening day of the High Court, on October 4, 2004, it heard oral arguments in U.S. v. Booker and U.S. v. Fanfan. Finally, Sixth Amendment questions have arisen under the Federal Sentencing Guideline and have been ripened for Supreme Court review. These guidelines empower hanging judges. Consequently, the prison population has exploded.

In short, serious policy decisions, with long range consequences, are being made in this country by Whites only with Blacks et a. serving as window dressing, tokens or rubber stamps. Rules rule. Joel Kotkin in "Tribes" observes that Great Britain continues to influence the British Empire through rules it promulgated when it was the premiere military power. Congress is using the same approach to rule the new majority by 2050.

The interpretation of the law will be crucial to keeping the new majority in check. The best strategy is to put a Black face in a high place. Similarly, President Andrew Jackson nominated Roger Taney as chief justice. Taney was the first Roman Catholic on the Supreme Court bench and Jackson's opponents described Taney as a "political hack." Taney proceeded to author Dred Scott v. Sandford.

According to Ken Foskett in "Judging Thomas," Bush is interested in nominating Justice Clarence Thomas to replace a possibly retiring Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Bush obviously believes that Thomas can get away with fratricide and sororicide through a right wing construction of the Constitution.

Although the chief justice enjoys several powers, his greatest impact on decision-making is in devising the "discuss list," which is comprised of cases that the chief justice believes should be heard by the court. The chief justice presides at any conference and sets its tone. The chief justice also decides who writes the majority opinion, thereby giving the legal rule a certain flavor or twist.

If Sen. John Kerry wins the presidential sweepstakes, he is not expected to nominate a jurist who will openly upset the applecart in either direction. Kerry's problem may be overcoming religious bigotry. While it is true that the country may be ready for another Roman Catholic, it is uncertain if the country is ready for a person with a Jewish background.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman's religious faith, for example, may have prompted Bush v. Gore. To be sure, the Supreme Court engaged in illegal and ultra vires conduct by substituting federalism for states' rights. When a crime is committed, you should look for motive.

Kerry's grandfather was Jewish and his brother, Cameron Kerry, is also Jewish and a partner in a Boston law firm whose practice is primarily in assisting Israeli companies. He recently traveled to Israel reportedly under the auspices of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

In Israel, he met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu and Shimon Peres purportedly to convince Israel that it would have a friend in a Kerry administration. Reportedly, Israeli officials had an interest in meeting Sen. Kerry's brother.

When I was a child in the 1950's, I remember adults talking about signs in Florida, reading "No N_____rs, Jews, or Dogs." Excluding dogs, the same sign could be hung at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in D.C. today. The deed to the White House is still subject to a restrictive covenant.

According to a recent poll, most persons view Kerry as more intelligent than Bush, but Bush, a military coward, is viewed as a stronger leader. Obviously, strong and brave are not synonyms. Biases are still on the horizon and bigotry is alive and kicking.

If Obama is sent to Washington, anything is possible, including sending Kerry to the White House. In the final analysis, the hidden or true owners of America will decide who secures the lease to the White House. Colin Powell, if he had done a Democratic flip-flop, probably had a fair shot at uprooting Shelley v. Kramer at the White House.

See Courts at www.reinstatealtonmaddox.com

This article appears in the Amsterdam News