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kopp0e

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  1. Did Democrats Kill Black Progress?: The Forgotten Story Of Gaddafi’s Blocked Billion Dollar Pledge Nate Wilson August 18, 2020 24 years ago, an African leader from an African nation attempted to give African-Americans living in the United States $1,000,000,000. (Approximately $1.65 billion today.) It was one of the most unusual donation attempts in United States history. It’s also one you probably never knew about. The US has long held the reputation for “aiding” other countries. As the wealthiest and most powerful economy in the world, this has been par for the course. It’s what they do. On the surface, they propose grandiose loans, grants and aid packages. The idea is to “help” the people in another country. But rarely do other countries send aid to the United States. It’s even more odd to consider that an African nation (often branded as too poor to do anything) would have the means or desire to donate an extremely large sum of money to people living in the US. However, in 1996, it was Libya’s infamous leader Muammar al-Gaddafi who pledged $1 billion USD to the African-American community via Minister Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam. It promised to be a groundbreaking grant that would change the trajectory of black lives in America. Two years prior, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, also known as the 3-strikes “crime law,” was passionately authored by then-U.S. Senator Joseph Biden. He’s the same guy that’s currently running for President of the United States. This crime law, which Joe Biden reveled in, disproportionately herded thousands of Black and Hispanic men into newly built prisons throughout the United States. Calling for “100,000 new cops” and “125,000 new prison cells” Joe Biden’s 1994 Crime Law increased the militarization of police departments and generated the harsh mentality that police would force against black communities. In response to Biden’s ‘94 Crime Law and several other policy moves disproportionately affecting African-Americans, Farrakhan responded with one of the most infamous runs in black man history. He helped to organize 1995’s infamous Million Man March in Washington D.C. and followed with an extended “side-eye” tour including some of America’s most disliked nations in the Middle East and Africa. Farrakhan seemed to enjoy pissing American politicians off and defying good ol’ American branding. He told anyone that would listen that America was evil to African-Americans. He irritated the American establishment so much that he was being threatened to register as an Iranian Agent by an annoyed Justice Department chief who felt he was looking to stir up trouble. Most concerning for The Justice Department was the gold in Farrakhan’s iconic run; Libyan leader Gaddafi’s big money pledge during the tail end of his tour. JANA, the official Libyan news agency at the time, quoted Col. Gaddafi that American blacks should set up their own state within the U.S. and form the largest black army in the world. The ex-Libyan leader said: “Our confrontation with American used to be like confronting a fortress from outside. Today, we have found a loophole to enter the fortress and to confront it from within. On this basis, we agreed with Louis Farrakhan and his delegation to mobilize in a legal and legitimate form the oppressed minorities…” Such powerful words would eventually run into tremendous opposition. But how? On the surface, the pledge appeared to be completely legal. Despite the fact that – in 1996 – Libya was on America’s bad list, there was actually no law against any country donating to an American charity or non-profit organization. Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam is and has been recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization. And under this recognition, all donations would have been tax deductible. The IRS classified the NOI as a Charitable Organization. The idea was to allocate hundreds of millions of that $1 billion to invest in black, Hispanic and Arab-owned banks to offer low-interest loans. Imagine being able to purchase property and start businesses with the help of a black owned bank, thanks to Gaddafi’s gift. $400 million was to be put under management of five black-owned investment firms to “encourage executives to adhere to social and economic policies helpful to minorities.” Money was set aside for voter registration efforts and social programs. Could you imagine? Farrakhan – already a divisive figure – knew in advance that pulling something like this off would be almost impossible to do alone. He had garnered an ugly reputation – by American standards – by cavorting with the likes of dictators and leaders disliked by the American establishment. It also didn’t help that he said a lot of socially insensitive stuff. So, to help underwrite the deal and execute the transaction, Farrakhan and others solicited the help of a little known black superhero named Marion “Rex” Harris to be an agent for the Nation of Islam. Harris was a tenacious businessman from North Carolina. For the record, he was never affiliated with the Nation of Islam; he stood as a Christian, self-made businessman. In 1966, at the age of 31, he saved up for years to buy a dry-cleaning store on Fayetteville’s main commercial drive, becoming the first black business owner there. He soon secured a lucrative five-year contract from the nearby Fort Bragg base to clean uniforms. But in 1968, someone — after repeated death threats and cross burnings on the lawn of his home — burned Mr. Harris’s business to the ground. No one was charged. That didn’t stop a resolute Mr. Harris. He rebuilt the cleaners and expanded the business, becoming a local multi-millionaire in the process. The idea of aiding this transaction excited a then 61-year-old Marion. “We’ve always wound up in the service areas rather than owning a business and providing a service,” he told the Wall Street Journal back in ‘96. “Until we start owning land, buildings and businesses and manufacturing companies, we will never build an asset base where our children can come in like the whites, build on it and move forward.” The ideas made sense. The concept was solid. The loopholes were clear as day. This was absolutely possible. So much so, The New York Times, L.A. Times and Wall Street Journal covered the possibilities of an inevitable transfer. But there were still challenging prospects to transfer large amounts of money from one country to another. This wasn’t a simple Cash App transaction. It’s almost impossible to transfer ONE BILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS without tons of oversight and examination. To broker a deal like this, Farrakhan and Harris prepared to go through what is known as one of the “most powerful, yet unknown” government agencies called the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Founded in 1950 as an extension of the US Treasury,, they basically were created to have the power to take money from outside countries whenever they please. They can impose fines, freeze assets and block people from sending money to the United States. To get large amounts of money from other countries, they had to go through them. It required a formal application and a license, which could take up to six months or longer to get an answer on. It takes the hiring of lawyers and filing books of arduous paperwork. Harris and his team worked tirelessly with lawyers, advisors and lobbyists to ensure this type of deal could go through. Despite their best efforts, they were denied. Despite evidence that Libya’s donation met the legal criteria, officials at the State Department said that they were concerned about Kaddafi gaining a foothold here in the United States in some fashion. “That kind of talk is not something that we view positively at all,” State Dept. spokesman Glyn Davies said. That didn’t stop a stubborn Farrakhan and Harris making a public stink about the process; calling the media, speaking out about it to anyone who would listen. “We are not terrorists,” Farrakhan said. “We are not trying to do anything against the good of America. What we want to do is good for our people and ultimately the good for our nation.” The lingering question remains as we continue to debate on who decides what is ultimately “good” for the United States. African-Americans would never touch that money, much less Minister Farrakhan. Libya eventually was torched by America, assassinating its leader. Ironically enough, it cost US taxpayers about $1 billion US. Mr. Harris faded into obscurity after his business was shut down by an outstanding tax bill, only making headlines when he was being harassed by local banks and getting into disputes with police. Biden is now running for President. And Farrakhan continues to be controversial. As the African-American community gears up to vote in another Democratic President, I hope we stop to think about what is ultimately “good” for us.
  2. Drop Baylor, under the premise of "its a private school"/ West Virginia is placed in ACC... And XII regains Nebraska, & Colorado, that's 10 members, XII also adds 6 PAC brands...
  3. "Outkick the snooze button", to get his thoughts together..?
  4. I don't think XII (for example) has a "horrific contract) but maybe XII works with ESPN to poach PAC brands..? XII can be appealing to PAC brands as USC (CFB blueblood) Arizona/ Arizona State/ Utah (similar to XII states), Colorado (old foe)...
  5. No fans for the Navy vs BYU game allowed...
  6. B1G may need to pay Warren a bonus, if this part actually happens: As some schools may not be able to fully recover (as Illinois is already $325m. in debt, before counting losses from no football this fall)...
  7. A gametime is set in Death Valley:
  8. The Mormons have 5 on it..?
  9. Looking back maybe Maryland/ Nebraska & Colorado joined the pansy athletic association of schools' who thick of themselves as public Ivies..?
  10. Man, gonna be "lit" when SEC raids the top 4 brands from B1G, after a season of no football to fund athletics (I kid you all)...
  11. Hey, time to call your media provider for a sports subscription discount..? The situation may be compounded by overall cord cutting (for BTN & PACN):
  12. I didn't know so many B1G schools rate at the top of the heap for athletic departments in financial debt:
  13. How has a shot at a CFP natty this year..? In: Bearcats/ Out: Buckeyes...
  14. The "name image & likeness" marketing of student-athletes on the horizon, could force some lesser schools out of a potential *power 4* setup...
  15. It probably increases the chances of having a football season this fall, as "regular students" have no incentive to obay mask mandates, players do... On another note, B1G could be in this situation as the school presidents look to side step the unionization within the region (same as PAC players)...
  16. A little Frost in the truck [no, not that stuff, the coach damnit], just rollin':
  17. Never saw a SFOD patch on an Army football helmet. Wonder if that is a green to gold guy. Furk, I really need to start sleeping at a local Holiday Inn for such astute observations to be correctly answered... 🤔
  18. While B1G & PAC are "running scared", XII/ SEC & ACC are looking for the "sweet freedom" of college football this fall... #TaskUp-MaskUp..!
  19. Kppp0e's CR contribution still being about realignment is so on brand Let me "fix my ways" (of not making sure I post on the right thread)... What does a change in leadership do, for the widening gap of "distanced learning" for pupils..?
  20. Alabama Football @AlabamaFTBL "You are very lucky to have the resources at the Alabama Athletic department... your risk in practice is lower than what it would be out in the community" - Jerome M. Adams, @Surgeon_General Surgeon General of the United States #BamaFactor #RollTide 3:04 PM · Aug 18, 2020·Twitter Media Studio
  21. Don't forget Husker fans that peep this thread: "tOSU & UM saved you from the obscurity of not playing football" whoops...
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