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("Quid coniuratio est?")
LOUIS FARRAKHAN -- 03/14/96
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[Farrakhan had recently returned from a trip to Africa and the Middle East.]
[...continued...]
You don't know, America, unless you've travelled! And if you've travelled and seen, you can't keep your mouth shut if you're a human being, with moral consciousness.
I'm not anti-American. This is the only country I know. I was born here. With all America's faults, there's not another country like this anywhere on earth. And I said this in the heart of those persons who don't like America. I said, "If I spoke like this in this country or any other country, I probably wouldn't live tonight." But I can speak like this in America. That is America's saving grace: freedom of speech, because we can correct her when she goes astray. We pay a price for it though. Oh yeah. Oh yes. But you have to be willing to pay the price.
This is a ship, a great ship. But her rudder is gone. And she needs guidance. If she doesn't get right guidance, this great nation will go the way of those nations before her, that died of an internal rot. There's no nation outside of America that can destroy America. America's destruction is coming from within! And she has been set up already and made ripe for a takeover. Why shouldn't I be able to say this to the American people!?
You are like masturbators, playing with your sex organs while your world is going to hell! Should not somebody tell you!? What's wrong with the preachers, what's wrong with the teachers, what's wrong with you that your government has gone astray and you can't say it? And if I say it, I'm an "unpatriotic", "anti-American", "cavorter with dictators".
That's awful. That is awful.
I got up, after the Million Man March, and I had no desire to speak anymore. I looked in Newsweek magazine, and I saw a caricature by a cartoonist. He had the tomb of Martin Luther King, Jr., and on that tomb, "I have a dream." And then a caricature of Louis Farrakhan, "I have a scheme." "The dreamer is dead. The schemer lives."
What is the subtle message there?
Mr. [Carl] Rowan writes, "Farrakhan is a curse that just won't go away." Will you now send me away?
Brothers and sisters: this is a dangerous time. And that's why the NNPA [National Newspaper Publishers Association] should be applauded. Because they had the courage to make Farrakhan "Man of the Year". People call you and say, "Why would you do that? He's controversial." But I heard there was a big argument in the boardroom of Time magazine, because they also said there that I should be "Man of the Year", at Time magazine. They said, "How can we do this?" [laughter] So Newt Gingrich won out. [laughter]
(I heard. I don't really know that that's true. It's rumors, you know. And you all print rumors. [laughter] So print that!)
I'll be finished in a second.
I became so despondent after the Million Man March. I wanted to be quiet, to know what I should do next. And I went out into Arizona, in the desert, and I became quiet and I prayed and I fasted. And the Spirit told me to get up, and leave the country immediately, and go to Africa and make a world day of atonement. Go to the Middle East. Go to those countries that are under sanction and see the effect on the people.
You live in America, and that is a great blessing. Because you've never suffered one city to be bombed. Only we, the blacks in America, have experienced bombing [sic]. In Oklahoma, and in Philadelphia. But as a rule, Americans have not suffered like the peoples of the world. You can look at war stories, but to live them... You can go and see the devastation of cities like Sarajevo, Mogadishu(sp?), and Beirut: once beautiful cities, levelled because of civil war, civil strife. But you have not seen that, except of course during the rebellions of '64, '65, '66. And after Dr. King was assassinated, in '68. We rose up, and burned down neighborhoods. But in the Rodney King situation, people were thinking a little differently and there was serious devastation. But by and large, the American people are very blessed. Very, very, very blessed.
But when God told me to get up and go... I didn't hear a voice; I don't want you to think that I heard a voice now. I didn't hear no voice. It's just the Spirit. And when the Spirit moved me to do that, I got up.
And usually a trip like that will take 6 months to plan -- and a minimum of 3 months. It was planned in *3* weeks.
And brother, in the middle of the planning, President Ab- Acha(sp?) of Nigeria sent an emissary to me, to ask me if I would come to Nigeria. And I said on one condition -- two conditions: that there be security (because I didn't want to take a chance and get assassinated in Africa). And secondly, that I must be allowed to speak to Chief Ab-Eola(sp?), I must be allowed to speak to the opposition. And within 3 days, I got word back that my petition was granted.
And so we included Nigeria on our world tour. Now when you read about it, they'll make you think that I only went to Sudan, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. "Thug-fest".
Well let's see all the thugs that were in that fest.
We landed in Ghana. (President Rawlings(?) is very respected in these circles these days.) And we had serious talks, private talks, about Africa, about democracy, and about Nigeria. I wanted his opinion. And I got it.
From there we went to Liberia. War-torn Liberia -- which is produced of America. And yet hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, and America hasn't done anything; the United Nations hasn't done anything. Not anything.
We visited Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Libya. (I gotta say something about Khadaffi.)
Members of the press, look: When the Million Man March was over, I got a call from President Khadaffi. I was surprised. He was so excited, I couldn't even recognize his voice. When he calmed down (and then he spoke through an interpreter), he said words to this effect: he was so impressed with the Million Man March, that he would put the wealth of Libya behind the Nation of Islam.
Now that's what he said. And I know the CIA has it, 'cause it was trans-Atlantic telephone.
Now I went to Libya. Not "grubbing" -- looking. [laughter] If Khadaffi wants to grant us a billion or more dollars, some of you say, "Well I won't receive it." Well fine. But with America cutting back on everything that is meaningful to us... "Welfare reform", huh? Well then if Khadaffi wants to grant a billion dollars, for us to build homes... I certainly won't buy guns. You know my history, and you know the history of the Nation of Islam. We buy farmland. We set up schools, universities, factories. Isn't this what black folk need!? Send the money, Khadaffi! [applause]
And listen: if there is a legal way to do it, I think I should receive it. (We don't want to do anything illegal. Oh no. Oh no. But we want to do everything legal.) And if he sends it, and I receive it -- you'll be the beneficiary. I don't need a billion dollars. But we do.
We've got plenty of money in America. But that would help, to get something started. Can you think of what we could do with it? I thought to myself (honest to God), "The NAACP. That's my organization. They shouldn't have to be in debt. Not with what they've done for all of us." I would love to free all black organizations from white philanthropy.
[...to be continued...]
I encourage distribution of "Conspiracy Nation."
See also: http://www.europa.com/~johnlf/cn.html
See also: ftp ftp.shout.net pub/users/bigred