the BATTll
Opinion
THE BATTALION
11
Monday, April 8, 2002
to keep doctors
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ts have either
ly up, according
partment of Ins!
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Medical Assoc
ill money make amends?
dove descendants deserve compensation
DHARMARAJ INDURTHY
he United States has a
notably valiant history.
Ever since the fearless
bellion against the British
Jonarchy, the United States has
layed the role of the romantic
lero in the minds of many
Americans. Like a paragon of virtue, America
the surgim!prJ as servec * to P romote f he triumph of western
factors. »leals over decadent ideologies of the past. But
ers need to a ® ervatl i ,1 S American history has been the specter
>onsibilitv forW slavery and prejudice. Dating back to the
)olice themsebB 0und ' n ^ ot the nation « tllis transgression has
Starred the integrity of the United States. Now, a
ase is pending demanding reparations from cor-
brations that profited from uncompensated
bbor. Some degree of restitution is certainly
■eserved to those whose ancestors were so
|bhorrently exploited.
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, main plaintiff in
he lawsuit, found specific evidence that compa-
ince^premiimb j des profited from stolen labor and lodged the
v.j. t u j t she states, "These are corporations that ben-
fited from stealing people, from stealing labor.
nee companic
! responsible
writing accoum
aid.
s say doctors ms
ve that tort refc
ry awards willb
he New York-r,
for Justice
because their crimes are too
awful. Slavery cannot be
forgotten as a crime,
and its victims cannot
be disregarded. The
profits of the slaves
ought to be
returned to the descendants
of the laborers, not the per
petrators of the crime.
Dharmaraj Indurthy is a senior
physics major.
reparations not necessary
f Deadria
Farmer-
Paellmann, the
main Plaintiff in
the reparations
^ lawsuit has her
way, possibly
more than 1,000 American cor
porations will be paying restitu
tion to 35 million African-
American citizens. Farmer-
Paellmann is the only named
plaintiff in a lawsuit against three
major American corporations
seeking redress for the descen
dants of African slaves who suf
fered and toiled on American land
for centuries without any
compensation.
Unfortunately, this
found that its font forced breeding, from torture, from com
mies benefit.
S IN BRIEF
iucation
monitors
le program
P) - School distt
come under serttf'
as Education Ager:
i/ system to redut
; n how schools repc'
ion.
ricts are required I
TEA anyd/sc/pfe
esults in o studef
;d front the clssi
nt to a
ication
senior dWw'
Bitting numerous horrendous acts, and there’s no
•eason why they should be able to hold onto
assets they acquired through such horrendous
acts." No specific dollar amount is sought.
Economist Larry Neal estimates a value of
H.4 trillion of uncompensated labor before
emancipation, and researchers at the University
of California at Berkeley append another $1.6
trillion from labor market discrimination sim
ply during the years 1929-1969.
Can these companies really be asked to
offer trillions of dollars in compensation?
Probably not, since the govefnment shares
blame and any such award would be imprac
tical. But such large numbers should compel
anyone to take seriously the harms rendered by
a racist past.
Some critics submit that only the U.S. gov
ernment should be at fault since it made legal
these abuses. However, the fact is these compa-
thesdid commit abuses and profited from slav-
e tykegardless of what governments say, abuses
/restitution is deserved. This is the same rea
ds division
mistakes are$®|
i for data ii
oncerned that
s too quick to P'|
its aside
tive programs.
identsarei
> apply t 1 !
nocratic
.^ning behind other suits lodged against German
Japanese companies that supplied Axis
Wiies during WWII.
What is unprecedented about this case is that
factual victims of abuse and slavery are ances-
taof the plaintiffs. Awards have been made to
survivors of abuse but never to their descendants.
Critics say that an award in this case would
cts will rem«Jinip]y that anyone with persecuted ancestors
je tardies,’hecould file a lawsuit. This is a woefully irrespon-
ons of The visible argument. African-Americans have a case
“We see atreltobe made for continued socioeconomic disad-
v antages as a result of the persecution of their
[tocestors. Moreover, the entities responsible for
•he abuse still thrive, and without capitalizing on
•heir labor theft, they would probably not exist
today as successful companies. Most compelling
iJMhat active prejudice prevented proper reenu-
1601 pOSI’|meration to slaves in the aftermath of emancipa-
_ Blacks i'| tlon - Companies should not escape justice just
because the abused died before the fervor of
racism could settle down enough to make repara-
[dons feasible.
It is undeniable that Farmer-Paellmann and
•he 35 million other plaintiffs fight a steep, uphill
battle. It is equally undeniable that the lawsuit
tests on a foundation of validity, bitter though it
m ay taste. Hopefully these targeted corporations
w ril feel some embarrassment from the publicity
and decide to settle the cases.
Americans want to ignore the past and move
0n despite the fact that slavery and prejudice left
a profound imprint on society that lingers today,
home feel that the crime is so dreadful that prop-
er restitution cannot be made. While this may be
lore likely to a l
ed post undet
■nor than
;rnor, according
srnatorial apl
by the
man.
\ Richards
minorities re|
cent of applff
ts from
a review of
records.
/hen RepubjJ,
i and Rioh one cannot conclude that no restitution
appointment j mould be made. Defendants cannot win a case
ntage of
>d to l7.4 p erC: j
s come
iat includes' 1
pirants
for post 5
been
ts.
5 include
?e s, univ
md comm®
cies.
COLLINS EZEANYIM
is another indication that the repara
tions movement has no intention of
slowing down.
What Farmer-Paellmann and
other reparations activists need to
understand is that although slavery
was an atrocity that never should
have happened, it ended more than a century
ago. The pursuit of financial gain for its effects
can only deteriorate racial relations in modern-
day America.
The three corporations named in the suit are
Aetna, an insurer, the railroad CSX and
FleetBoston, a financial services firm. This is a
disappointing action, especially when one consid
ers that some of these corporations have
expressed sorrow that their company was ever
involved in slavery and have taken steps to make
amends. They are doing this even though no one
working in these companies has ever personally
profited from slavery and were born well after
the passing of the 13th Amendment.
For example, Aetna told USA Today that it has
“deep regret” for issuing slave policies. It also
claims that it has invested over $34 million in the
African-American community. In addition,
according to The Associated Press, when Farmer-
Paellmann was gathering evidence for the law
suit, she claims that Aetna was cooperative in her
research.
According to USA Today, many of the finan
cial, banking, insurance, transportation, manufac
turing and publishing companies that might later
be named in the suit are some of the most
aggressive when it comes to targeting African-
Americans for employment and promotion
opportunities. And like Aetna, they also give a
significant amount to black causes. Thus, instead
of suing these corporations, members of the repa
rations movement should work in tandem with
these corporations to find solutions to problems
affecting African-American communities.
The reparations activists need to ask them
selves what their goals truly are. If the objective
is to conduct the greatest corporate shakedown in
history, they are certainly on the right track. But
if their aim is to truly improve the lives of black
Americans, they must find a different method
because race relations can only deteriorate with
the use of such a divisive tactic.
These activists claim they are justified in their
actions because the effects of slavery are still felt
today. To a certain degree, this statement is true.
A common misperception that has survived since
the slavery era is that blacks are not intelligent.
For many years this ridiculous stereotype pre
vented many African-Americans from receiving
the education they deserve.
Reparations activists say they would like to
use the money gained from reparations to fund
education programs aimed specifically at
African-Americans — but how useful would those
education programs be if so many African-
Americans see education as something “white”
and not to be bothered with? The fight for young
black people’s minds is a battle more deserving
of reparations activists’ attention.
Slavery was a horrific evil that will always
remain a stain on the history of this country. But
instead of using their ancestors’ suffering as a
tool for financial gain, reparations activists
should look to their ancestors for motivation to
make America a place that treats all of its citizens
equally. Despite what people such as Farmer-
Paellmann think, this is something that money
cannot buy.
RUBEN DELUNA* THE BATTALION
Collins Ezeanyint is a junior
computer engineering major.
Virus poses a significant threat to humans
COURTNEY WALSH
e wom en
ated
■ ierrez S irf
elding t° le ''
j resume
I n light of recent
estimations that
. the West Nile
virus — a mosqui-
'Hransmitted dis-
[ ease Primarily
effecting birds, horses and humans —
1 be reaching Houston this summer,
„? ITle alerted, at-risk groups are
s read y taking precautions for the
o a et y the birds. According to one
j tae Houston Zoo’s veterinarians. Dr.
06 Flanagan, the zoo is currently vac-
mating its collection of rare and exot-
inf ^ t0 P revent them from being
1 ected - However, the public is large-
tgnbrant of the virus’ impending
e jv Va l ar >d there are no concerted
otts geared toward creating aware-
l ar Ss an ytime soon. Houston, the fourth
th^ est cd y in America, is handling
nj SltUat ' on i' 1 much the same man-
r '• has handled events in the past,
“i a PP roac hing it with the attitude of
6 n °re it, and maybe it will just go
away.”
The reality of this situa
tion, however, makes it quite
clear that the West Nile virus
is here to stay, and its move
ment across the United
States is without impediment. The
virus’ global history is prolific,
beginning with the first documented
human case in a Uganda woman in
1937 and the first reported equine
cases surfacing in Egypt and France
during the 1960s. Today, the virus
can be found in Europe, the Middle
East, Africa, West and Central Asia
and now North America.
The virus is a member of the fam
ily Flaviviridae and referred to as a
flavivirus. It is sometimes catego
rized as part of a viral/disease com
plex that includes St. Louis
encephalitis, due to its extremely
similar symptoms and disease mani
festations. As with St. Louis
encephalitis, the West Nile virus
causes a disease condition in which
the virus multiplies in the blood
stream, crosses the blood/brain barri
er and causes inflammation of the
brain, impairing nervous system
functions and often resulting in
death. Theoretically, any vertebrate is
capable of contracting the disease,
and cases have been documented in
squirrels, dogs and bats, although
these are typically mild infections
that are resolved, unlike those in
horses and humans.
The reason the West Nile virus is
even a threat is three-fold. First, mos
quitoes transmit it. The virus has been
documented in numerous samples of
Culex mosquitoes, which poses a par
ticular problem since the culex species
is what is referred to as an “over win
ter” mosquito. In layman’s terms, this
means the species can survive extreme
cold, so there is no natural die-off in
the population. Second, birds are carri
ers of the virus and serve as migrating
disease reservoirs. This migration has
contributed greatly to the virus’
increased distribution in America.
Thirdly, until just recently, there has
been no vaccine available. The current
vaccine is less than a year old,
designed specifically for horses, and
there are doubts as to its effectiveness.
It seems the Houston Zoo is using this
vaccine to protect its bird collection as
an almost last ditch effort.
According to the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, “All
residents of areas where virus activity
has been identified are at the risk of
getting West Nile Encephalitis.” While
the chance of human infection result
ing in death is relatively small, it is
still enough of a concern that the
United States has set up ArboNET, an
enhanced human and animal surveil
lance system for monitoring the geo
graphical spread of West Nile virus
and areas at increased risk for human
infection. The program was imple
mented in Washington D.C. in 2000
and is now available in all 50 states.
Granted, there are a limited number
of ways that Houston, or any other
city, town or state, can prevent the
spread of this virus; however, the city
is leaving itself as vulnerable as New
York was in 1999. With the recent
finding of a dead cardinal in Baton
Rouge, La., one would think Houston
would begin implementing its own
surveillance system in addition to
ArboNET to better protect its people.
The only way the public will be pre
pared is through public education and
awareness, not by following the exam
ple set by the city of closing its eyes.
It is a sad state of affairs when the
birds at the city zoo are the recipients
of most of the preventative action.
Courtney Walsh is a senior
biomedical science and English major.