Customer Reviews

Uncivil Wars: The Controversy Over Reparations for Slavery

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...unfortunately, all slaves and their former masters are dead. Demagogues like Cornell West base their demand for payout on fallacious and ridiculous arguments that defy reason and logic. Forcing the current population of Americans to pay for the sins of people that lived over 150 years ago is not the triumph of morality, it is the negation of morality, holding people responsible for acts that not only weren't committed by them, but weren't even committed by any of their ancestors. (We are an immigrant nation, after all.) To argue that people who had no part whatsoever in slavery are morally responsible requires such intellectual contortions as would confound any psychologist. David Horowitz has provided a public service with this book, both by exposing both the fraud of the reparations movement, and the intellectual dry-rot that has infected an academia that would support such a proposition and engage in browshirted tactics to try to silence any opposition to it.

In this book, conservative commentator David Horowitz actually fights two fronts in he liberal-conservative "culture war".One is the idea of race reparations for slavery, the other, the entrenched leftist ideology of the modern American university. Horowitz began his battle by formulating "Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Slavery Is A Bad Idea--And Racist, Too" and sent it to 71 college newspapers nationwide in the form of an advertisement. The first half of the book deals mainly with reaction to the ad on college campuses. Horowitz details the reaction of university student newspaper editors, profeessors and administrators at places such as UC Berkeley, The University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Brown University. Here, Horowitz tells a chilling, frightening account of the kind of censorship attempted by the far left-of-center campus "commisars". This section is an eye-opener for those who still believe that our American universities are centers for the free exchange of ideas. The section on Brown University, and the lengths that some of the students would go to to suppress the ad is particularly disturbing.The last sections of the book are mainly devoted to the idea of reaparations for slavery itself. The idea itself has been floating around for many years, but has gained monmentum in the last decade due to the publication of the bestselling book "The Debt" by black activist Randall Robinson as well as the formal adoption of the reparations concept by the city councils of several US population centers including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Horowitz gives a reasoned,well-researched refutation of the reaparations concept which leaves one wondering what the folks populating the campi were worried about. Could they be afraid of the truth? Buy this book. It is an essential part of the debate on an issue that will continue to be part of the American landscape, and a revelation to those who seek the truth.

Many of us sit back and enjoy the world through the prism of another's eyes. All too often this is the case with America's age-old racial conflict. We are told how bad the situation used to be, and it was quite terrible for all who experienced the days of Jim Crow and the fight to resist him. We are told by much of today's commentators that we have not come very far in this fight and how white America is still oppressing their neighbors with tenacious, overt hatred. And this despite the fact that most American's today identify with a much more egalitarian American society. Horowitz's book poses a succinct, common sense argument against reparations for slavery. He delves sufficiently into several precedents, showing how each is inapplicable to this case, and finishes with the very correct conclusion that American tax payers owe nothing but kindness and brotherly respect to those around us. Read this book for an insightful look at the reparations debate.

This is an important book, one which the reader will not only enjoy, but which sheds light on an important social issue, one which the US mainstream media has given little attention to.

Horowitz correctly points out that the reparations issue is an on-going attempt by a relative handful of the usual black 'victicrats' to exploit lingering white guilt, stir up black animosity, but most importantly to keep their names in the news and hopefully to shake down some unearned cash.

The whole idea of reparations is clearly insane, on many different levels. Horowitz does a good job of covering them in detail. The idea that all US blacks today are owed huge sums of money for slavery some of their ancestors suffered is certain to be controversial. Basically, reparations supporters are saying, "Whites owe blacks money for something they themselves never did and which never happened to any black alive today." Truly, truly bizarre. The sad thing is that many gullible, poorly educated people fall for this scam and support the racketeers who are trying to run it on the rest of us.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Horowitz's book is the portion where he describes the vicious racism, hatred and hypocrisy he faced for even wanting to discuss the topic of reparations. His descriptions of how the minds of many reparations supporters seemed hermetically sealed against reason, logic and common sense were absolutely chilling.

As a black man myself, I consider this book to be a valuable look at the sociology of race in the US today, as well as an appeal by Horowitz for an end to racism and divisiveness. It's well worth the price, and deserves the high ratings it's received. Buy it today at Amazon.com.

As the author says, Uncivil Wars is two books in one. It describes the way in which a small but dedicated totalitarian left is able to stifle discussion of critical issues on college campuses across the nation, and it is also a look at the struggle for the soul of black America. The reparations movement is the most powerful attempt to turn black America against this country. That it does so in time of war is a matter that is both serious and disturbing.

Sadly enough, reparations today is a critical socio-political issue. Already most black organizations and media outlets have endorsed the reparations claim, as have 38 congressional sponsors of a reparations bill and the city councils of Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco and other cities. The State of California has already written into law and funded a Reparations Bill that will assess how much black slaves are owed even though they're dead and even though California never had any slaves.

The issue will gain additional prominence with the ascendancy of Al Sharpton's campaign for the Presidency in 2004.

This book is not about mainstream liberalism, but the growing fringe of totalitarian and collectivist (postmodern) thought that's shutting down intellectual diversity on campus and gaining influence within the liberal movenment in America. It documents the authoritarian methods and the intolerant mentality of the left wing professoriat and their minions.

Uncivil Wars will be hated and burned by the authoritarian left. It's written by one who was formerly their own. And it documents the progress of political correctness, multiculturalism, and totalitarian collectivism in corrupting traditional American liberalism and the Party of John F. Kennedy.

As an accomplished and voracious reader, I judge any book (and thus also judge the author) by its "readability", "relevance", and "reliability". The best reading most enjoying text is essentially worthless if the topic is irrelevant, or if the writer is unreliable. Conversely, a highly reliable and perfectly relevant piece is of equally little value if it has the readability of a parts assembly guide. To my positive delight I recently discovered that David Horowitz's work more than meets my criteria in this regard. I find everything that he writes to have been well researched and eminently factual; and at the same time highly readable, thoroughly enjoyable. Uncivil Wars is no exception. Count on Mr. Horowitz to pull no punches in his relentless presentation of painful truths.

The reperations debate has been around since the 1960s (as some other reviews neglect to mention). Horowitz has a rather bombastic style, but that is reflective of his personality (as it is of mine, so I sympathize). Do not let that distract from the fact that he hits a key point here - that free speech is a non-starter on the campus, and in our life in gereral, when the issue is one that the Far Left has chosen to monopolize. Those who dare to challenge the assumptions of the Leftists are subject to bombardment with Marxist-inspired personal attacks, which are designed to marginilize ("he's a kook"), demonize ("He's a Nazi, racist, homophobe,"etc.) and neutralize ("Don't buy the book")the mesenger. As those of us from the Old School know, the first one to start calling names has lost the debate. (By this, I do not mean "Left" or "Right," but the use of personal epithets such as, "racist.") Horowitz makes points that are not new, as in the monopolization of the traditional megaphones of society (academia, the press, etc.), which Buchannan, for example, describes in his, "The Death of the West."
The value of this work lies in the author's exploration of the reperations debate, and how it is limited by the forced acceptance of certain underlying assumptions, such as white guilt for slavery and discrimination, the uniquily racist nature of society, and the slave-labor basis of our present prosperity. While not every reperations supporter uses all three, and some other arugments may be given, the above are descriptive of the basis for the claim that monies are owed to the decendants of American slaves.
In response, it can be countered that slavery was universal, worldwide, and endemic from the dawn of history, that it existed here before the existence of the US Government, and that the US Government eventually ended it, in the persons of white, male, Christians with guns, known as the US Army, who faced shot and shell to end it.
It also bears noting that the slaves were enslaved by their fellow Africans, or by Arab slave traders, who also did a land-office business in whites. ("Slave" comes from "Slav," and uncounted numbers of them were Janizaries, eunuchs, etc., in the Ottoman Empire.) To use a notable example, Cinque, of "Amistad" fame, became a slave trader after he was freed.
To make the above arguments exposes the maker to intemperate verbal assault (as it has this writer). There seems to be an underlying theme, which Horowitz took up in "Hating Whitey" before continuing it here, that while people are, quoting Susan Sontag, "a cancer on the human race." Thus, whites bear blood guilt for the sins of all involved in slavery, which must be viewed as a white-on-black conspiracy, unique in history. No expurgation of this guilt attended on US victory in the Civil War, regardless of the blood shed in battle.
Economically, the reperations crowd argues that slave labor built this country, in spite of the fact that most of America was free soil, that slaves did a minority of the work in slave states (as most farmers were freeholders), and that Sherman and Co. destroyed most of the wealth of the South, America's least-prosperous section.
Having considered their arguments, it is easy to refute them. Horowitz concentrates on their motivations, and writes as an insider, having been a leader of the Left in his youth. This book is good reading for those who wish to devote more honest effort to understanding the issue than is needed to peruse the back cover while loitering in a bookstore.
-Lloyd A. Conway

The idea of slave reparations has been met with thunderous support from many influential African-American politicians and community leaders, as well as a fair share of guilt ridden white liberals who desperately want to demonstrate their personal compassion and virtue.

David Horowitz, former radical editor of Ramparts magazine, has written a reasoned and rational response to the inflammatory subject of slave reparations.

Essentially, Horowitz lays out Ten Rules that state that since the Civil War is over, and many African-Americans are very prosperous today, why should it be the responsibility of struggling, recent American immigrants to foot the bill for these past injustices, of which neither they nor their ancestors took any part?

Faced with factual analysis, reasoned arguments and logical thinking, the knee-jerk left was left with only one response...label Horowitz a racist.

The subject of slavery reparations is one not easily dealt with, and one that is bound to result in loud and intense debates. But avoiding intellectually honest discourse, as the left desires, will not resolve this festering issue. Discussing the issue openly, honestly and factually will contribute significantly more. Read the book and decide for yourself.

...and what's crawling under it is yet another pitiful attempt by the Civil Rights "Jack" to racially polarize America so that it can continue to extort money from those who've earned it and give it to those who haven't. I love this book becuase it shows that the reparations movement is in essence a Marxist scheme that benefits lawyers and politicians at the expense of those it purports to benefit. By documenting the intolerance of those who support reparations to any competing argument, Horowitz reveals the movement to be based on factual error, myth, and the politics of envy. A great read! Buy this book!

David Horowitz, the radical turned conservative gadfly, hits another home run in this carefully documented book. Hard as it is for those outside academia to believe, reparations is seen as a serious issue on certain liberal campuses. More important than the reparations issue itself, Horowitz details the increasing censorship imposed by those who claim to be in favor of free speech. Because these institutions educate many of our future leaders, we all need to be concerned about the leftist bias and censorship which are going on on college campuses. David does an excellent job of describing this challenge.