Farmer April 25 2010





Volume 13

Volume 13, Number
2                                                
April 25, 2010

The Farmer

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Water and Will: Limits to Growth

By Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

 

During the Saviours’ Day weekend of 2010 Mother Tynetta Muhammad invited me
to come on the Mxodus tour to some small villages on the west coast of Mexico.
It seems that there is a small enclave of Mexicans of African descent who could
be helped by some of my agricultural expertise. I said that I would love to
come, however I must first get a clear picture of what the farmers there were
already doing and what were the environmental and agronomic constraints for that
area. Farming techniques and equipment that may work well in one environment may
not work in another environment. I had to take a lesson from my own book “The
Science and Business of Farming vs. The Art and Hobby of Gardening”. In this
book I emphasize how you must look at the farm as a “system” and must fully
grasp the environment that the farm system must operate under. Successful
farming is a matter of balancing forces of nature and human society to obtain a
sustainable system. Just because a plant will grow or an animal can live does
not mean that an economically viable system can be produced in which the
majority of the population is satisfied and the land, water and air is not
destroyed.

We arrived in the Huehuetan in the Costa Chica area of Mexico on Friday,
April 16th, and I immediately noticed how dry and hilly the land was. The
vegetation was dry and a dull green. The animals were thin and emaciated. This
was in April where things were getting very green back home in Georgia, but here
I wondered about the rain.

The next day I asked local farmers through an interpreter what were their
major problems. Immediately they said they needed water and their soils lacked
fertility. I noticed that there were a number of capped off wells at homes in
the little village. The farmers said that the wells dried up about 15 years ago.
The water table has dropped but there is water from 5 to 30 meters underground.
It would cost about $6,000 to dig a well, but they had little financial
resources.

I also asked them about the rain. They said that they were in the dry season
which goes from October to May. However, even during the rainy season 60 to 75%
of the total rainfall comes in just two months, July and August. When these
rains come they fall in torrents which washes away the remaining topsoil on the
hilly slopes.

We compared notes on how to grow different crops like corn, beans and
watermelons at our farm in Georgia compared to their farms in and around
Huehuetan. Indeed where we might use a bottom plow to turn under weeds in
preparation for planting, harrow and smooth the soil, then plant with our
tractor driven planters, they just waited for the first rains and pushed the
seeds in the wet ground with their finger. At first one my say, well you see
they need to come up to the modern times and learn how to grow scientifically.
Fortunately, there was a scientist who gave a presentation at this annual “Black
People’s Conference” in which we participated. Mr. Fermin Marinez Hernandez
from the Universidad Automa Chapingo specializing in appropriate technology
emphasized that because of the hot climate and thin soils American styled
farming depending on heavy tractors and the turning up of the soil would destroy
the fragile soils in this area. A farmer would want to disturb the thin topsoil
as little as possible, because when he exposes lower levels of the soil to the
sun, the excessive heat will burn up the organic matter and nutrients in the
soil. Therefore the local farmers’ method of sticking a seed in the ground
after a rain, waiting for the plant to emerge, then pushing more dirt to the
plant as it grows is the “scientific method” to use under their climatic and
agronomic conditions.

I thank Allah for sending Mr. Hernandez to us so that I could learn from a
scientific point of view what was happening and what might be needed in this
poor area. Again Mr. Hernandez emphasized the need for the farmers to augment
their water supply by either digging wells, building cisterns or restructuring
the roof system on their houses to catch water and divert it to home cisterns. A
cistern is a receptacle to catch and store rainwater. They can be built above
ground or below grown. It can be as small as a 10,000 liter (2,642 gal.) plastic
container for home use. The islands of Bermuda and the US Virgin Islands can be
looked at as examples of the extensive use of using roofs as rainwater
harvesting devices and cisterns for storage.

For irrigation purposes farmers can get together and build much larger
rainwater storage systems that would capture the excessive rains in July and
August to have it available for plants and animals throughout the dry season.
However, there is another important element that Mr. Hernandez pointed out that
must be factored into any problem solving equation and that is the human
element. People must first see the need, find possible solutions and then be
ready to change and make the necessary investments to install the systems
needed.

As I stated earlier, the wells in the Huehuetan area dried up about 15 years
ago. The contrasts between the rainy and dry seasons have gotten wider. The
people in the area may have hoped and prayed for the climate to go back to a
more favorable balance, however sooner or later they must decide to either wait
or make a move. Added to their extreme poverty is the unstable political
environment where they do not trust the banking system or the government. If
they were to organize a cooperative, where would they store the money; who could
they trust; how could they protect themselves? These are all very real
non-agronomic issues that must be dealt with before a viable solution can be
actualized.

I mentioned to the participants at the conference how in their past history
of Mexico they had examples of how the people got together on a collective basis
to solve major problems of survival. We were blessed to have at the conference
Mr. Alberto Ruz who was the son of a famous archaeologist in Mexico who
unearthed many pyramids and ancient pyramid complexes in the Yucatan. I asked
him if there was a relationship between water and the pyramids, because I have
written in my books starting in 1988 that the pyramids in Ancient Egypt were
part of a water irrigation and purification system. He said that next to each
pyramid was a “cenote”. A cenote is sinkhole with exposed rocky edges
containing grownwater. Mr. Ruz said that some of the underground streams
attached to these cenotes can be followed beneath the rock until they reached
the Gulf of Mexico. The water is fresh at the top but becomes saltier as you go
deeper and get closer to the sea.

So now the mystery of why the Mayan civilization once flourished then
declined can be explained by observing what has happened at Huehuetan. The Mayan
people centered their agricultural and religious centers around “fresh water”,
cenotes. Evidently, over time the water was over utilized which either caused it
to disappear altogether, as in Huehuetan or become rendered useless due to salt
water intrusion.

One of the purposes of the “Black Peoples Conference” was to instill a
sense of identity and pride among the people of African descent in this area of
Mexico so that they can reach within themselves, organize themselves and solve
problems for themselves. The farmers in the area seem to have a sense of what
they need to do and have started to form some type of organization to solve
their problems. Again I thank Mother Tynetta Muhammad for inviting me on this
journey. I have learned more from the people there than I have taught them. We
hope to continue to work with them, inspire them and then use them as an example
of what is missing in the Black communities of America, the “will” to
survive.

 

Farmer Apr29 07





Volume 10

Volume 10, Number
4                                               
April 29, 2007

The Farmer

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The Sun in your Garden

by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

In our previous article we introduced you to the meanings of "garden" and
"cultivate". This article will get you started in developing your own home or community
garden. Let us first go back over those definitions. A "garden" is a "plot of ground
where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated". And "cultivate" means
"to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops".

If you see a beautiful well kept garden, you can be sure that it was not the work of a
"mystery god". Someone did some real work and obeyed some laws of Nature. In the Nation of
Islam we say that we strive to do everything "right and exact". We also say that we are
"Muslims" which means to submit our will to the will of Allah (God).

The rules of this artificial world require you to do something to get money, then you give that
money to someone else who provides the food for you. As long as you obey the rules of this
"system" you get fed. However, someone behind the scenes still had to understand and obey
the laws of Nature to get that food produced for you. By living in cities on concrete we have been
divorced from the direct contact with Nature and her laws, even though Black people were the first
to understand those laws and produce the science of agriculture.

It is unfortunate that the enemy has tricked us off the land, stolen our science of agriculture
and left us completely dependent on him for the necessities of life that we could get for ourselves
directly from creation if we so choose. In these articles we will help those who choose to go back
to the root of civilization which is agriculture, so taught the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and live
a healthy and independent life.

We at Muhammad Farms bear witness that as long as you obey or submit to the laws of Nature, pay
attention to the seasons and do everything as close to right and exact as you can, you will be
blessed with the bounties of God’s creation. There are a few rules that we have learned: 1. Every
living thing acts intelligently within the bounds of its nature (except maybe the so-called American
Negro), 2. You must pay attention to and respond properly to weather conditions, 3. You must grow
your crops within its proper season, 4. You must look at your crop or plants at least every other
day, 5. After you see the condition of your crop or field and have the latest weather predictions,
you must act immediately, if necessary, and do everything "right and exact". Mother Nature
is a cruel teacher. If you disobey or are lazy, she will shut you down, flat.

First of all, plants must have ample sunlight, water, nutrients and space. You must find a piece
of land or space that gets full sunshine for at least 6 hours per day. You must have a way to water
your plants. If you don’t have fertile soil, you will have to bring in new soil.

Before we go into more specifics, we must emphasize the proper location. In general, city people
pay little attention to the sun and the shadows caused by their house or trees. Therefore, we find
that many people who have a problem with their plants have not checked to see if the plants are
getting ample sunlight. Just because the sun shines on your plants at high noon does not mean that
they are getting sunlight in the morning or afternoon.

Western propaganda portrays the Ancient Egyptians as worshiping many gods such as Ra (the sun),
Nu (water), Min (rain), Tefnut (moisture), Amen (hidden water), Shu (air), Seb (earth), Nut (sky),
Khensu (moon), Tehuti (intelligence), Set (dryness), Hapi (the Nile River), Ma’at (balance) and
the list goes on. However, there is a difference between "worship" and
"respect". To understand and follow the laws of Nature which these principles or "neters"
represent would be wise. However, the ignorant mind of a savage conqueror could easily mistake such
reverence and obedience with worship.

First of all, the so-called Egyptian did not call their land Egypt but Kemit. Kemit means black.
When the Arabs conquered Kemit they called the science which they saw them practicing,
"chemistry" or the "science of the Blacks". Kemit’s wealth was based on
agriculture and her source of strength was the Nile River. Each of these so-called gods was really a
"neter" or law of Nature. Each temple or university was dedicated to study a particular
set of theses "neters" or principles.

In a recent article published in the Final Call Newspaper by Bro. Robert Muhammad entitled
"The Black Man and the Real History of Flight" it was pointed out that the Ancient
Egyptians or Kemitic people knew the principles of flight and even built model gliders. Programs on
the "History Channel" are bringing to light more of the ancient technology of Kemit that
others have previously been given credit for such as ball bearings, steam engines, astrolabes and
clocks. They even now admit that Egyptians had the wheel long before the intrusion of the Hyksos
invaders. In future articles we will go in more detail about Ancient Egyptian agriculture.

Yesterday as today, different universities compete and brag on which school is the best. However,
in the scheme of life on this planet, all of the principles or neters must function properly and in
balance for life to continue. The Black community is divided, out of balance and poor. As a future
farmer or gardener you will learn that you must understand and obey these neters or principles and
balance your time to obtain success.

Let us begin with Ra, pronounced "ray", the sun. Before the discovery of nuclear
energy, all energy on this planet was derived directly or indirectly from the rays of the sun.
Plants, through a process of photo synthesis, transform the light or rays of the sun into chemical
compounds such as proteins, fats and starches. Animals eat the plants to obtain their nutrient and
energy needs. Humans can chose to eat the power of the sun directly from the plants or indirectly
and less efficiently from the animals that eat the plants.

Plants can capture and transform about 10% of the sun’s energy that reaches our planet. Animals
eat the plants and retain only 10% of the energy taken from the plants. This is why to obtain the
same amount of energy it is more efficient to get it directly from the plants instead of indirectly
through eating animals.

In the past, agriculture was a net producer of energy but now it is a net consumer and dependent
on the stored energy of fossil fuels. In the past the sun gave energy to the plants. Humans and
animals turned the plants into the energy needed for them to do the work of tilling the soil to
produce crops. The agricultural lands would then produce more crops than the humans or livestock on
that land needed to eat. The balance was then sold outside of the farm producing "profit".
This is why Benjamin Franklin stated that there are only three ways to produce wealth: 1. conquer
it, 2. steal it or 3. plant a seed.

The White man has perfected the first two methods of conquering and stealing. We hope to help you
plant a seed. If you have questions or comments, hit "Contact the farm manager" on the
front page of www.MuhammadFarms.com.

Farmer Apr14 07





Volume 10

Volume 10, Number
3                                             
April 14, 2007

The Farmer

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Paradise is a Garden

by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

What is "Paradise" and what is a "garden"? According to Webster’s
Dictionary "paradise" is "the garden of Eden". Therefore when we say
"paradise is a garden" we are 100% correct according to the meaning of the words. Now
"garden" according to Webster is a "plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or
vegetables are cultivated". Now "cultivate" means "to prepare or prepare and use
for the raising of crops".

With all these definitions under our belt and the planting season just around the block, let’s
prepare or "cultivate" our minds towards the making of a heaven for ourselves on earth. If
paradise is a garden and you can set up and cultivate a garden while you live, why wait to die to go
to "paradise" when you can have it and eat it too on earth? However, to have a successful
"garden" requires proper planning, preparation and follow through. In other words a garden
or paradise requires a lot of work. And this is where the problem resides. We have become fat, lazy,
spoiled and taken over by both the cares of this world and "sport and play". Therefore, we
don’t have the time or take the time to do what is necessary to survive on this planet as we
strive to do what is expedient to "get ahead" in the artificial world of our open enemy.
As a result, we have placed our stomachs in the kitchen of that same open enemy, instead of growing,
processing and cooking our own food.

If I were Satan and wanted to eliminate the people on earth, I would strive to make them
disrespect work and disrespect the earth. Then I would get them to depend on me for their food and
slowly poison them.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has warned us that death has entered America and that
practicing the tenants of "How to eat to live" is the only way to survive as the food and
water of America becomes what we call the "new weapons of mass destruction". In 1991 the
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan reinstituted the Three Year Economic Savings Program of The
Honorable Elijah Muhammad. In November of 1994 from the donations to this program he redeemed 1600
acres of the 4500 acre farm in Georgia previously owned by the Nation of Islam until the departure
of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

I have been working on this farm in Georgia, which we call Muhammad Farms, since February of
1995. We can bear witness that a seed planted by a Black man has as much chance of producing a crop
as one planted by a white man. Therefore we do not need the white man to produce food for us. Mother
Nature will give us her fruits as long as we abide by her laws and work.

Each year we have been blessed to produce beautiful, wholesome, tasty, holistically grown crops
at Muhammad Farms. However, our people are spread out all over America and the logistical and
economic problem of getting our produce to all corners of America has meant that only a few people
have been able to benefit.

We were blessed to be on a fact finding trip to Cuba in March of 2006 sponsored by the Honorable
Minister Louis Farrakhan. On that trip we learned that Cuba had a different approach to feeding her
people than America. On her large farms Cuba grows such staples as corn, rice, potatoes, and black
beans. However, she grew her vegetables right in the middle of her cities in urban gardens. Most of
the gardens that we saw were done on raised beds.

Minister Farrakhan has his own personal farm where he grows navy beans, but also has a small
personal garden to produce his own vegetables. However, his garden, like many small gardens gets
taken over by weeds in the middle of the season. Since the Ministry of Agriculture is pushing the
concept of urban gardens and we understand that the weed problem is a major concern for all farmers
and gardeners, we offered to put in a set of raised bed gardens at his farm as a demonstration of
the latest techniques in bed preparation, fertilization, irrigation, weed control and greenhouse
construction as was demonstrated at the 2007 Ministry of Agriculture Conference held in January in
Bronwood, Ga.

Recently I, along with three other members of the Ministry of Agriculture, Brothers Earl
Muhammad, Frank Muhammad and Gerald Muhammad traveled to the Minister’s farm and put in a set of
raised beds in his garden. The information gained from this demonstration will provide a blueprint
for other individuals, Mosques and churches who wish to survive the "Fall of America" and
the "Slow poisoning of America". In future articles we will go into more detail about why
you should set up your own garden and how to grow, process and store your own food. In the course of
these studies we will introduce you to the science of agriculture and the economics of food
production and wealth building, because it is "nation time". We must "Do for self or
die a slave" and build a heaven (paradise) for ourselves while we still live.

 

Farmer 27 2006





Volume 9

Volume 9, Number
8                                       
September 27, 2006

The Farmer

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Organic is not good enough

by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

Yes, you can eat the spinach from Muhammad Farms. We hope to be picking spinach in November. It
will be holistically grown which we believe is better than "organic", because we want you
to eat to live.

The source of the recent E. coli outbreak in spinach has been narrowed down to three counties in
California. The contaminated spinach was supposedly grown on an "organic" farm. I put
quotation marks around "organic" because this is a loaded word. Organic simply means
containing carbon. For instance the study of chemistry where the compounds investigated contain
carbon is called organic chemistry. The culturally accepted meaning of "organic" has to do
with how a crop is grown. "Organic" commonly means a crop that is grown without the use of
artificial fertilizers and pesticides. However "organic" can kill you. How?

Investigators have narrowed down the E. coli contamination to three possible causes. The strain
of E. coli bacteria found in the spinach comes from animal fecal matter. It could get onto the
spinach from contaminated irrigation water, non-composted manure fertilizer or dirty hands. Raw
sewage from human or animal waste is a good source of "organic" nitrogen fertilizer. But
it also breeds the E. coli bacteria. A good farmer knows that you do not treat growing plants with
raw sewage. However, a farmer in a pinch might spray raw sewage on his growing crops to increase his
profit margin or just to survive in a highly competitive market where prices are falling but his
costs are rising.

Under organic regulations, raw manure cannot be applied less than 90 days before the harvest of
any food crop – or 120 days if the crop touches the soil. Compost made with manure must reach
temperatures high enough to kill off pathogens. Once infected, simply washing it is not good enough
to destroy the pathogens. The only sure way to destroy them is to cook the infected produce at
sufficient temperatures. Unfortunately, people have gotten so lazy that they no longer cook or even
wash the vegetables that they get in these convenient prepackaged plastic bags.

We use manures at Muhammad Farms, but we compost the manure first which kills the E. coli and
other harmful bacteria. Then we do not spray or dump even this composted manure on growing crops. We
spread it over our fields then cultivate it into the soil before we plant the crop. The plants then
grow in a natural and healthy environment where they synthesize these elements to produce a strong
healthy plant and tasty fruit.

Over the last few years a demand has grown for "organic" foods. The commercial
agricultural industry has moved in to supply that demand motivated by the profit it brings. What
makes you think that just because they call something "organic" that it will be good for
you to eat? These commercial farmers know what to do. However, if they get in a pinch or fall behind
in their scheduling, they may result to cutting corners to "make a crop".

As a consumer how can you be sure of the safety of the food that you buy? One sure way is to
learn how to grow it and grow it yourself. Another way is to find someone that you know and trust to
do the right thing by you. Here at Muhammad Farms we consider this farm "your" farm and
not "our" farm. Our self-accusing spirit will not allow us to do things that we know may
be harmful to you. On top of this we eat what we grow as well as distribute it to you. In fact, we
eat a lot of what we can not distribute to our patrons because of superficial blemishes or size. The
produce tastes good and is good for you, but may not look as pretty as you may be accustomed to.
Most commercial farmers don’t have the time to bother with cooking and eating what they grow. They
grow acres and acres of one crop and try to get as much money as possible so that they can go to the
store just like you to get their groceries. What they can’t sell they may dump into their animal
feedlots.

According to a MSNBC.com article by Samuel Fromartz, the company first linked to the outbreak
works with a vast network of partners, like many companies in the valley 100 miles south of San
Francisco. In addition to the produce grown on its 26,000-acre land base, the farm contracts with
independent growers and washes and bags salad greens for competing brands, making it hard to trace
the outbreak to a specific farm.

Although the E. coli bacteria live in cattle, they can spread through manure in rainwater
run-off, in irrigation lines, in packaging plants or through infected workers. This valley in
California is home to a large number of commercial feedlots where a tremendous amount of raw manure
is produced which can be washed into streams and irrigation canals. Commercial interests have
overloaded the natural environment to the point that millions of people can be affected by the
mistakes of a few.

"The irony is that all the states where people got ill could be growing their own spinach
this time of year," said James Riddle, a former adviser to the Agriculture Department on
organic food regulations.

Now we hear that Wal-Mart is entering the "organic" market in a big way.
"Organic" prices should surely drop and Wal-Mart will surely import lots of
"organics" from China where spreading raw sewage is a farming tradition.

Now that the label "organic" may not be good enough to insure safety, it is time for us
to consider the advice of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan to put a garden in every small
piece of earth that you can find or even in pots inside of your home. The Ministry of Agriculture
would suggest that you do a few things. First, start cooking again from scratch. Second, continue to
read the "Farmer Newsletter" and other related materials at www.MuhammadFarms.com.
Third, contact your local representative of the Ministry of Agriculture whenever you have a food or
agriculturally related question. Fourth, start growing some of your vegetables locally. Fifth, start
local food buying clubs so that when you find a good source of holistically grown food you can share
it with others. Sixth, when you find a farmer that grows good vegetables and fruits or produces good
eggs, milk or meat, be willing to pay him more than the market price for conventionally grown
products especially if he has to bring them to you. And seventh, continue to support the Three Year
Economic Savings Program so we can expand your independent and safe food system.

Muhammad Farms and the other small farmers we work with will be glad to supply you with fresh
wholesome holistically grown produce to supplement your own production. In addition the Ministry of
Agriculture produces a book entitled "No Farms, No Food" which gives instructions on how
to set up your small garden and grow your own vegetables. Soon we will be announcing a workshop
where you can come to Muhammad Farms and be instructed by gardening experts on how to get the most
from your small plots of land.

Read this interesting article: Landless Workers Movement:
The Difficult Construction
of a New World


Books and lectures by Dr.
Ridgely A. Mu’min


Farmer-Sept4-2001





Volume 4

Volume 4, Number
18                                    
September 4, 2001

The Farmer

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The "X’s" and "O’s" of the "Slavery Game"

by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

The argument is now mounting for "Reparations" for the Slave Trade. So-called white
people and even some "negroes" are arguing that that’s all over now and the people who
benefited from slavery are long dead. They use such arguments as "Look, we have basketball
players who are making millions of dollars. In fact, Black ones are making more money than white
ones."

In this article I won’t try to put a dollar figure on the horrors of the Slave Trade, but as
an economist I will try to show you some of the "tricks of the trade" in the modern
"Slavery Game". Back in the old days of slavery the slaves would work all day for "massa".
Everything that they would produce would go to massa. However, massa would allow them to have a
little plot of land to grow enough vegetables and a few hogs so that the slaves could keep
themselves fed. Massa would also allow the slaves on their own time to make for themselves some
clothes to wear and build for themselves a shack to live in.

Now of course, black people work in many different jobs and get a salary. They use their
salaries to buy clothes, cars and homes. Therefore they are free right?

Let’s make a simple economic world of "X’s" and "O’s". And let’s say
that to have a descent way of life you need at least one "X" and one "O". In
the old slavery world, the slaves had to make an "X" and an "O" for massa and
then after working for him they had to work overtime if they wanted an "X" or an
"O".

Now today let’s say that black people make "X’s" and white folk make "O’s".
Let’s assume that it takes the same amount of resources and time to make both "X’s"
and "O’s". In a "perfect" world the Blacks could make two "X’s"
and the whites two "O’s". They would trade with each other on equal terms and trade one
"X" for one "O", leaving both of them with one of each, perfect.

However, let’s say that the Whites control the "terms of exchange" and demand two
"X’s" for each "O" that they make. Now they would trade one "O" and
get two "X’s" leaving the Blacks with one "O" and no "X’s". To
keep up with the "Jones", the Blacks would now have to go back to work and make another
"X" for their family or just do without. Interestingly an article done in the June 7,
1999 Newsweek magazine on the "Status of Black America" revealed that the median income
for a family of four for Blacks was $35,000 per year but for Whites was $58,000 per year, or 3/5ths
(sound familiar?). Therefore, to live the same lifestyle would require almost twice as much effort.
Or in other words, white folks, as a group, are getting 40% more for their labor just because they
are white. This is a form of modern slavery.

However, when you look at the real criteria for evaluating wealth, net assets (equity), each
individual black person owns 1/7th the amount of equity of their white counterparts (see: http://www.muhammadfarms.com/News-Apr1-7.htm#Black-White_wealth_gap).
In other words, many black people work hard all their lives but wind up with nothing and that my
friend is the life of a "slave".

Now let’s move to the international scene. African countries broke away from their colonial
masters and set up "independent" states in the 50’s and 60’s. But white folk came up
with this thing called "floating exchange rates" in 1970’s. In 1976 the world went off
the gold standard and fixed exchange rates to a system of floating exchange rates. That sounds
innocuous enough, "floating exchange rates", but in fact such a system has gone far to
"sink" the countries of the "South" into a form of modern slavery.

This is how it works. Let’s take one country, Liberia, which I visited in March of 2000.
Liberia’s currency is called the "dollar" and since 1940 has had a fixed exchange rate
of $1 Liberian to $1 American until 1976. Now with the floating rate, the market exchange rate is
$40 Liberian to $1 American. In other words it takes 40 Liberian dollars to buy one dollar’s
worth of an American product. If Liberians want to buy American, they must sacrifice 40 times as
much resources and time as an American. The Liberians, therefore are slaves to America even more
than American Blacks.

Of course if Liberia does not buy anything from America, then she would not feel the effects of
slavery. However, Liberia was never taught how to produce her own electricity or set up her own
tire manufacturing facilities or even make wood veneer from her extensive forests. She has
diamonds, but no diamond cutting machines. She has iron, but no steel factories. She produces no
cars, ships, airplanes or even household appliances. So if she wants to "modernize" she
must accept the position of a slave. She must give away her raw resources and the labor of her
citizens to move into the modern era. If she does not move into such an era, then America will rile
her citizens up and stage another coup. To ward off a coup, the government spends Liberian dollars
or trades diamonds to buy American weapons. So she still is being sucked dry.

Economists and other "word magicians" are brought in to disguise these new
"slavery games" under such banners as: "free trade", "global
specialization", "fiscal austerity" and "privatization". But the results
remain the same, the black group works while the white group gains.

.

To be fair, not all Whites benefit from these "Slave Games" equally. In fact only a
few families have accumulated the wealth of nations. However, Blacks must put the demand on the
"white" world in general for reparations. Whites then must sort it out among themselves
as to "who" will pay. Maybe a "class action" lawsuit of the poor Whites against
the super rich is in order and let the rich pay for their "slavery games" and gains.
However, poor whites may have a hard time finding the lawyers who will tackle such a case, since
lawyers are usually on the payroll of the super rich.

The Black farmers found that out the hard way and Black America shall soon find out. See "’Snake’
in the Reparations’ Grass": http://www.muhammadfarms.com/Snake.htm

Peace, Doc


Main
Page

Farmer-Sept17-2001





Volume 4

Volume 4, Number
19                              
September 17, 2001

The Farmer

—————————————————————-

The "New Agricultural World Order"

by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

 

On September 27, 2001 the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Weekend is scheduled
to host a forum called "Is There A Future for African Americans in Agriculture?". If the
forum is indeed held considering the gravity of the "Attack on America" of September 11,
2001, we wanted to be sure to bring us up to date on the plight of the Black farmers in their
struggle to survive in an environment where their desire for justice may be outweighed by the
priorities of the planners of the "New Agricultural World Order".

Back in December of 1998 I started video taping the story of the Black farmers’ struggle
against the USDA which has now been compiled in a 2:20 hour documentary

entitled "’Snake’ in the Reparations’ Grass". Even
though a class action lawsuit was being negotiated supposedly for the benefit of the farmers, I
smelled a "snake". I could not prove what I felt, so I just began to tape.

In editing and reviewing the video footage a statement made by the president of the Black
Farmers and Agriculturists Association (BFAA), Gary Grant, struck my consciousness. The Black
farmers have never understood why the American government seemed to be so callous towards their pain
and in fact was the cause of much of that pain.

On December 17, 1997 there was a scheduled meeting with the Black farmers and the president of
the United States. Black farmers had hoped that the president could use his executive powers to
forestall the impending foreclosures by the USDA of up to 3,000 Black farms. However, two days
before the meeting it was changed to a small farmers’ meeting. Gary Grant was at that meeting and
he related to us on December 13, 1999 some of the contents of that meeting:

"For Black farmers to be in that room talking about what was happening to them and he is
telling us that he feels our pain and he shakes the hand of an Asian. And this is what I heard him
say to him, ‘I am so glad that you all are here and that you are looking at farming. And I want
you to tell your people to keep coming and coming on the land to do agriculture.’"

Black farmers, who are basically small farmers, were being kicked off of their land. Now we hear
more about white family farmers being kicked off of their land due to low commodity prices. Most of
these farmers are completely lost as to why the government seems to have abandoned them as well.
They can not believe that there may be a governmental plan to remove them from the land. They ask
such questions as "If the farmers go out of business, then what will America eat?"

To answer that question we must first understand the nature of agriculture in America. First,
over 80% of the land in America is devoted to the raising of animals, either through grazing or
growing corn, soybeans and other feed stocks for animal consumption. These type of enterprises are
basically "capital intensive" and "land extensive". Here in Southwest Georgia
for instance, they say if you are not farming at least 5,000 acres, then you need to get out of
farming. Now of course most Black farmers average between 100 and 300 acres, so automatically are
too small to compete in these land extensive and capital intensive types of agriculture.

I was somewhat shocked to discover that although Georgia is the second largest producer of
vegetables for the fresh market, only 3.7% of her land is used for vegetable production. The rest
of her over 3 million acres of crop land is used for cotton, peanuts, feed corn, wheat and
soybeans. Now cotton, feed corn, soybeans have been the major focus of genetic engineering which is
further reducing the amount of labor needed to grow these commodities, thus allowing large
corporate farms to take over the production of these crops.

Vegetable production is labor intensive and this is why there are over 6 million illegal aliens
in America working at slave wages to keep the flow of cheap vegetables coming to the market. One
day these "illegal" aliens are going to win some type of legal status and demand a
descent wage.

Now let me add this seemingly unrelated fact that Black people and Hispanic people are growing
in population at a faster rate than white people.

Couple this with the fact that for China to enter the World Trade Organization she must agree to
reduce her farm population by 10 million per year. Now we have the ingredients for understanding
the recipe for this "new world order" when it comes to agriculture in America. Bring in
the Asians and put them on the land to produce the vegetables. They know how to do it organically
anyway because that’s the way they had to do it in China. So the rich can still get the
organically grown vegetables while the slaves eat meat fed off of genetically engineered feed
crops.

Asians stick to themselves, Hispanics stick to themselves and the glue that held Blacks together
was decomposed by slavery. It may be very hard for these separate ethnic groups to find common
ground allowing white folks to play the "divide and conquer" game even as they lose the
numbers game.

For archived articles on the struggle of the Black farmers please visit "THE FARMER
Newsletter" at http://www.muhammadfarms.com

Peace, Doc


Main
Page

Farmer-Sep4-2005





Volume 8

Volume 8, Number
13                                            
September 4, 2005

The Farmer

———————————————————————–

"March towards relief"

by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

 

On May 3rd of 2004 the Honorable Louis Farrakhan warned President Bush that he needed
to pull the troops out of Iraq or the US would be hit with destructive weather. The hurricane season
of 2004 was unusually active and destructive for the US as documented in the "K.R.I.S.T.
Newsletter" article of November 8, 2004 entitled "The Hand of God: Hurricanes and Mighty
Snow" at www.MuhammadFarms.com. If we could read a
message in the track of those 2004 storms, what message can we learn from Hurricane Katrina?

According to the news commentators Katrina could be the most destructive, expensive and deadliest
storm ever to hit America. Katrina hit densely populated areas where the majority of the people who
were left behind were Black. Yet the story about Katrina really began after she had passed over. The
real story is how the people and in particular the US government responded to the calls for help
from her citizens.

I, like many others sat and watched this tragedy unfold as the mayor of New Orleans begged for
help from the federal government. The news commentators and other government officials first began
by blaming those who did not leave for their own suffering. The hurricane hit New Orleans on Monday
but the National Guard troops bringing food and water did not arrive until Thursday afternoon. By
that time people were dying from the heat, lack of medical care for the old and infirmed, sanitation
conditions were unhealthy and the people’s faith in their government had been broken.

The ironic part of this tragedy is that it was both predictable and how to handle such a
situation had been rehearsed at least twice by federal disaster agencies right in New Orleans. So
that bad response is either because the government was surprised and could not respond or the
government responded according to plan. If the government responded according to plan, then what was
that plan?

CNN interviewed a former city planner for New Orleans and she said that the flooding and
destruction of New Orleans could have a silver lining. She said that many of the houses in New
Orleans that were in the flood prone areas were paid for, yet uninsured. There were plans out there
to remove old houses, bring in more dirt to raise portions of New Orleans, then rebuild on higher
ground. This could not be done before because they could not get those people living there to leave.
Now of course many of those homes will be condemned and demolished by the city, so that they can get
on with their "urban removal" and gentrification plans for the over 70% Black city.

The US Supreme Court has made a ruling which allows city governments to seize property under
eminent domain, then resale it to private investors for economic development projects. In other
words private property is no longer private, just leased like in some communist countries. Now this
new ruling can be put into full effect and utilized in one of America’s largest cities.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has warned our Black elected officials, especially our
mayors, that they have been put over "declining affairs." By the time a Black man or woman
gets into the mayor’s seat there is no more money in the coffers and the infrastructure and
economic base of that community has already deteriorated to an almost unrecoverable point. This is
what Mayor Ray Nagin has faced since he has been in office and made most pungent in this crisis.
Over and again we heard him cry out for help. We heard conflicting stories about when the repair
began of those two levees that caused the flood of his city.

Mayor Nagin told many of the stranded citizens on Tuesday to go to the Convention Center to
receive help. Yet FEMA claimed that they did not know any one was down there until Wednesday. No
food or water reached those people until the mayor blew up and told the people to "march
towards relief" to the unflooded west bank. The mayor became the mouth for Katrina and gave the
Black people of New Orleans and America their marching orders, "march towards relief." Don’t
wait on the US government to help you. Help yourself or as we say, "do for self or die a
slave."

From our vantage point at Muhammad Farms, we know that the Nation of Islam in Georgia had taken
in some 40 families and the Baton Rouge, LA mosque is caring for more than 100 refugees. To offer
help, you can contact the Southern Region office of the Nation of Islam at 404-344-9399.

Mayor Nagin could be the grand martial for the 10th Anniversary of the Million Man
March to be held in Washington, DC on October 15th of this year as he leads those
stranded poor people from the beginning of their march out of New Orleans and the poverty stricken
cities of America towards relief.

A hurricane disaster has morphed into a racial wake up call where the difference in how Americans
are portrayed in the media and how the government responds in a crisis can not be denied. Kanye West
spoke of this difference when he pointed out that when whites are shown carrying supplies they are
finding supplies while Blacks are "looting". 

Thank God that Mayor Nagin ordered the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans before the hurricane
struck, while President Bush was on vacation. However, so far Mayor Nagin is not being portrayed as
a national hero, instead the news commentators labeled Mayor Nagin as "out of control"
when he used profanity to cry out for help and get things moving. President Bush when he finally
arrived did not proclaim Mayor Nagin a national hero as he did with Mayor Gulianni. 

Now it will be interesting to see if the Bush administration allows two of its sworn enemies,
Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, to help the flood victims or will the government stop them the way she
stopped Momar Quadaffy when he offered to financially help Black America. It now seems that it takes
an act of God to bring out what is real in the hearts and minds of the people, so that people can
make decisions and plan for their future based on truth instead of speeches.

Katrina answers the question of whether Black people need a "movement". We need a
movement towards a plan for the total freedom and liberation of our people as Minister Farrakhan has
proposed in the form of the Millions More Movement. Go to www.MillionsMoreMovement
and register. "March towards
relief."

Farmer-Sep29-02





Volume 5

Volume 5, Number
29                                          
September 29, 2002

The Farmer

———————————————————————–

"To kill a sperm"

By Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

 

Previously I have written two articles detailing the systematic intention of destroying human
sperm. The first article was called ""9/11" Hype Vs 9/9 Genetic Bomb" published
on November 24, 2001. The next article, published on December 5, 2001, "From Maize to poison
mess" went into depth exposing a company named "Epicyte" for producing a spermicide
which they had genetically engineered to fit into one of the most widely eaten and used crops in the
world, corn. We even posted a direct link to their "Products" page on their web site,
"www.epicyte.com".

Well, I don’t know how many Black people read my article. Neither do I know how many of those
that read the article set down and decided what they were going to do differently to prevent
so-called white people from contaminating the world with sperm killing corn. But at least I know
that someone at www.epicyte.com has taken notice and decided to change their web site to downplay
their new "sperm-killer".

Back in 2001 they boldly put on their chart called "Epicyte’s Foundation Product
Pipeline" that "sperm" was the "immuno-protectant target" that they were
shooting for. Now they have removed "sperm" from the table of targets but kept
"plant-based topical contraceptive microbicides" in the body of the text to let investors
know that they still intend to kill sperm.

On a similar note, I just posted an article sent to me via email on our web site,
www.muhammadfarms.com, entitled "Zimbabwe continues to block gene-altered corn". It seems
that the US is trying to dump genetically modified corn on the Zimbabwean market because Europe will
not accept it. Now what’s in this stuff

I have to give credit to the "devils". Take a people’s best land, destabilize their
government, cause a famine, then send in poisoned food. Ahh, they wouldn’t….

Well, let’s see. White British soldiers who fought in World Wars I and II were given the best
farm land in Zimbabwe while the Black soldiers were given bicycles. Over time this gift to white
British soldiers grew to 46.6% of Zimbabwe’s agricultural land and

was comprised of the best land. At the time of Zimbabwe’s fight for liberation from the
colonial rule of Britain, the white population was 60,000 while Black population of Zimbabwe was
12,500,000. Of the 60,000 whites only 4,000 were farmers, but that class owned 46.7% of Zimbabwe’s
farm land. These white farmers held 40% of their land for speculative purposes and did not farm
them, but would not lease them out to Blacks to grow food. The "mystery" of Blacks
starving in Africa is now revealed; whites own the best agricultural land.

In a related article on September 18th, "We’ve been eating GM food for five years",
Melanie Gosling writes "South Africans have been eating genetically modified organisms for the
past five years, according to Monsanto, the world’s biggest biotechnology company."

The article goes on to say that, "…over 100 000 hectares of genetically modified yellow
maize was grown in South Africa, which would increase to 150 000 hectares next year and to one
million hectares by 2005."

Monsanto would soon introduce genetically modified white maize, "the staple diet of most
South Africans", Lindeque, spokesman for Monsanto, said.

But fear not, Monsanto adds comforting words, "The biggest problem with people who oppose
GMOs is that they are ignorant. Already 42 billion portions of GM food have been consumed worldwide
and not one person has got sick from it. People in the United States have been eating GM foods for
15 years," he said.

If people have not been affected by eating GM food, then why are pig farmers concerned? According
to Jim Riddle of Winona, MN, the April 29, 2002, edition of the Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman contained
an alarming story on sow breeding problems related to the feeding of genetically engineered Bt corn.
According to the article, Shelby County, Iowa, farmer Jerry Rosman was alarmed when farrowing rates
in his sow herd plummeted nearly 80 percent. Rosman, who has nearly 30 years of farrowing
experience, checked and double-checked all of the usual suspect causes. He tested for diseases,
verified his artificial insemination methods were being properly implemented, and poured over his
nutritional program. But he found nothing out of the ordinary.

Eventually, Rosman became aware of four other producers within a 15-mile radius of his farm whose
herds had nearly identical pseudopregnancies. The herds had different management styles, different
breeding methods and different swine genetics.

A common denominator, Rosman says, is that "all of the operations fed their

herds the same Bt corn hybrids."

The pigs were not "sick" they just could not reproduce. Did I hear someone say "spermicide"?

And another question, what is cancer? Cancer is caused by what are called carcinogens. This is a
complicated way of saying that cancer is caused by low doses of poisons that throws the body immune
system into hyper-gear producing t-cells to remove the foreign agents. In the meantime the t-cells
attack healthy organs of the body and kill the host, you. Since Monsanto admits that Americans have
been eating GM foods for 15 years, over this time period has their been an increase in certain types
of cancers? There has got to be a "doctor in the house" somewhere (smile).

=================================================

News article:

Scientists: Eggs May Be Fertilized Without Sperm
Discovery Could Help Infertile Couples

By Marie McInerney
Reuters

ADELAIDE (July 10) – Australian researchers said on Tuesday they may have found a way to fertilize an egg with cells from any
parts of the body, rather than sperm, in a new study which offers hope to infertile men and even lesbian couples. 

Australian infertility scientist Orly Lacham-Kaplan said early research on mice could produce a breakthrough for many men who
have no sperm or sperm-making cells. 

“This is the group for which this kind of technique probably will be very helpful,” she said. “A lot of (these) people would like to
father their own biological children.” 

Lacham-Kaplan said the research, if successful in humans, also theoretically could allow babies to be born without any input from
men, although she admitted that such an outcome could open up an ethical can of worms. 

“If, as a technology, it would be used as a treatment for infertile couples then I would accept it very well,” she told Reuters in a
telephone interview. 

“However I think we need to draw the line where it is used, and I believe a lot of ethical groups would draw the line.” 

Lacham-Kaplan’s research unit at the Monash University’s Institute of Reproduction and Development in Melbourne has so far
been able to fertilize mice eggs with somatic cells from the non-reproductive parts of the animals’ bodies. 

The process has effectively “mimicked” fertilization with sperm, allowing the team to grow embryos in laboratory cultures. 

The next critical test in the study is to transfer hundreds of those embryos into surrogate mice mothers, to see if they can live and
flourish. 

“Then we have a long process of testing those pups, (to see) whether they will be born, whether they are normal, whether they are
capable of reproducing, and if the offspring from those pups will be normal as well,” she said. 

“If we get live, healthy babies out of those embryos, then we’ll say ‘yes’ this is a possibility of fertilizing an egg with a somatic cell,”
she said. 

The mice experiments were expected to take up to a year. 

If they are successful — and Lacham-Kaplan admits to some doubts – then it will be possible to experiment on humans, although
where such trials could take place would be limited. 

Australia, like many other countries, has banned all experiments involving somatic cell transfer into human eggs, but the United
States could be an option, she said. 

“At the moment I feel there will be more problems than success, but if it is a success, it will be quite a good surprise,” she said. “It
would be an incredible breakthrough.” 

Reuters 05:17 07-10-01

Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or
similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or
delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

 

Farmer-Sep19-2004






Volume 7


Volume 7, Number
15                                        
September 19, 2004

The Farmer

———————————————————————–

The Black Belt that should have been

by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

The argument over Reparations seems to center around “slavery”. I most certainly agree
that compensation for slavery should be given to the Black nation of America. Many whites say that
they, nor their forefathers had a direct hand in slavery. White corporations who participated in
slavery have argued that since slavery was legal according to state law, they did not break any laws
and therefore should not have to compensate descendants of slaves. The whole white system argues
that it was just a few that participated and benefited from slavery and that America changed her
ways and now Blacks have had the opportunity to participate in the “American Dream” like
every other immigrant to this “fair” land.

In studying the history of Black land ownership I became fascinated with those 45 years after
slavery when Black people amassed over 16 million acres of land. As cruel as slavery was, it had not
broken Black people to the point that they had given up on being free, independent and productive.
Most of the land was in what is called the Black Belt. Twenty to thirty percent of the farm land in
Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Arkansas was owned by Blacks in 1910. Forty to fifty percent
of the farm land in Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia was owned by Blacks. Fifty to sixty percent was
owned by Blacks in South Carolina, while over sixty percent of the farm land was owned by Blacks in
Mississippi.

These nine contiguous states would have been a good base for economic development of the Black
race in the early 1900’s. Add to this the schools, hospitals, insurance companies and other
institutions which Blacks had produced in this Black Belt region, you have the beginning of a viable
nation. However, the most startling thing that I discovered was the number and type of inventions
that Blacks had patented in the brief period from 1865 to 1899 such as the: baby buggy, bicycle
frame, chamber commode, clothes dryer, door knob, egg beater, electric lamp bulb, elevator, fire
extinguisher, fountain pen, golf tee, guitar, horse shoe, ironing board, lawn mower, lawn sprinkler,
mail box, mop, peanut butter, pencil sharpener, phone transmitter, refrigerator, stove, street
sweeper, tricycle, and typewriter.

All of these things are taken for granted today, yet play an essential part in modern life. The
Honorable Elijah Muhammad has recommended that Blacks unite and utilize our talents under “An
Economic Blueprint”. The Million Man March proved that when Blacks are not intimidated by the
white power structure, they can come together with peace and brotherhood. I might be wrong, but I
feel that one of the main reasons that Blacks do not want to separate is that they feel that Blacks
don’t have the intelligence to build an economy and nation with all of the luxury and conveniences
of white America.

However, the research reveals that right after slavery Blacks showed great genius and ingenuity
which is proven by all of these patented inventions produced in that short period of time. One may
ask “If they were so smart, then why are they still poor?” The short answer to that is
“terrorism”. White terrorism worked to destroy the hope and creativity of a Black nation
on the rise.

In past Farmer Newsletter articles we have shown how the USDA in collaboration with the whites
down South worked to take back that 16 million acres of farm land. A study of lynching will reveal
how whites also used a type of psychological warfare to intimidate the very “minds” of
Blacks.

Below I have presented a chart plotting the number of Black inventions from 1860 to 1939. On this
same chart I have plotted the number of Blacks lynched from 1880 to 1939. To get the number to fit
on the same graph I divided the number of Blacks lynched by 10. So when you see in the decade of
1890-99 the number 112, that refers to 112 Blacks lynched per year for 10 years or about 1 lynching
every 3 days.

We also have plotted the number of Black owned farm land acreage starting from the first national
census data that kept track of it starting in 1900. The acreage data is plotted in units of
millions. Therefore, “16” on the graph represents 16 million acres.

When I looked at this graph my mind was blown away with the level of creativity that Blacks
exemplified in the two decades between 1880 and 1900. This twenty year period accounted for almost
70 inventions compared to less than 10 for the period between 1900 and 1920. What happened to dampen
this quick rise of Black creativity? The answer lies in the increased brutality and lawlessness
perpetrated against Blacks during this period.

After Blacks were sold out by the Republican Party after the 1876 elections which is known as the
Hayes Compromise, the Northern troops were pulled out of the South allowing the KKK to have its way
with Blacks. A string of crucifixions called lynching reached a crescendo by the 1890s terrorizing
Black people literally out of their minds. Between 1889 and 1930 at least 3,000 Blacks were lynched,
some specifically targeted because they owned land or had businesses. All attempts of passing
anti-lynching legislation failed as the federal government sat holding its hand.

Starting in 1890 a systematic disenfranchisement of Blacks began in Mississippi and by 1901,
America saw her last black congressman of that era. In 1896 the Supreme Court ruling on
“separate but equal” in the Plessy vs Ferguson case accepted “Jim Crow laws” as
the law of the land. All attempts of passing anti-lynching legislation failed as the federal
government sat holding its hand. These political and judicial signals, on both state and national
levels, humiliated and frightened the black population, while giving the KKK and other terrorist
organizations more fuel for their “burning crosses”.

Between 1895 and 1921 there were at least 36 riots where white folk destroyed Black neighborhoods
in US cities in the South and North. The most outrageous level of white mob violence occurred in
Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. Many Blacks ran out of the Black Belt into Oklahoma and Kansas. By the
early 1920s they had amassed much wealth in enclaves of Black dominated regions such as “Black
Wall Street” in Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, whites there like whites in the South, when they saw
their once slaves breaking away and doing something for self, reacted with mob violence. The whites
blew that portion of Tulsa off the map using aircraft to bomb Black neighborhoods

Not surprisingly, the level of creativity dropped after 1900 and after 1910 the acreage of Black
owned farm land also began to drop. The “poison” of fear produced by terrorism had
produced its desired affect. Today, many Black youth have been lead to believe that the failure of
Blacks to rise was because they did not have the intelligence or internal fortitude to be
independent and prosperous. However, an analysis of America’s history of psychological terrorism
gives a more rational explanation for the stunted development of Black people in the US.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has described a particular class of white people as
“sentinels standing watch over the tomb” of a dead people. These “sentinels”
look for signs of life, then sic the dogs of white hate to bite at the souls of Black folk.

History has now shown that the monumental rise of Black people immediately after slavery could
have produced a virtual “nation within a nation” in the Black Belt. From 1990 to 2000 over
500,000 Blacks have migrated back to the South. Most of our three million acres of Black owned
farmland is still in the South. Therefore, if Blacks unite and follow a wise economic agenda, we may
yet see the Black Belt rise again.



Farmer-Sep18-2005





Volume 8

Volume 8, Number
14                                         
September 18, 2005

The Farmer

———————————————————————–

Hurricane Katrina and the levee

by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

If it is true that when a piece of false information is spread through the media and people form
opinions based on that information, and after three days those opinions do not change even though
they subsequently find out that the first piece of information was untrue, then what would be the
effect of four straight days of truth? I, like many others, watched CNN, the Weather Channel and
other channels waiting to see if our people stranded in New Orleans by Katrina and the ensuing flood
would get rescued or at least get some clean water and food.

Katrina hit New Orleans on Monday, but the flooding did not begin until Tuesday. I heard Mayor
Ray Nagin say in a press conference that the 17th Street levee had broken, but that the
Core of Engineers were going to immediately start dropping sand bags into the breach. However, all
day Tuesday, the water continued to rise. We looked at the news expecting the "cavalry":
ships, boats and hundreds of helicopters dotting the skies, picking up survivors and dropping food
and water. Wednesday passed and no "cavalry". Then finally, Thursday, Mayor Ray Nagin got
fed up and told everybody to stop giving press conferences, because he felt that these press
conferences were being used to give false hope to his people, leaving them helplessly waiting in bad
situations. He finally ordered them to "march towards relief." In other words they were
told to take care of themselves because the government was not helping them.

Finally on Thursday afternoon a few National Guardsmen showed up and packages of food and water
were dispensed to those waiting in the hot sun at the Convention Center. By Friday, the
"cavalry" was in full force and a modicum of order and hope was restored.

While many people were riveted to their TV screens waiting on the "cavalry", I was
praying that my people stayed calm under these inhuman conditions and not panic or riot. I felt that
when the "cavalry" did finally show up, they would come in with their guns blazing
restoring "order" and shooting them down as the "savages" that the media was
trying to portray. God blessed His people to stay calm and suffer, and die like the Jesus in the
Bible on Mt. Calvary. If indeed there is a Chosen People, those Black people in New Orleans acted as
such, waiting faithfully on first, the US government, but then lastly on God.

After the government finally showed up, it used the media to try to develop a different spin on
what everyone had witnessed with their own eyes, as the events unfolded. But no amount of spin can
now erase those four days where America showed Black people that they did not matter. No spin will
ever be able to dismiss the "rape" of the dignity of those people in the Super Dome, the
Convention Center and those left to die on the bridges of New Orleans. This event will become a
watershed in the racial atmosphere of America.

Like the O.J. Simpson trial, Hurricane Katrina has exposed the racial divide in America. Poles
have shown that 71% of Blacks do not believe that Bush cares about Blacks, while 67% of whites
believe that he does. All of this while looking at the same pictures and stories on the T.V.

Last year, 2004, on www.MuhammadFarms.com we wrote an article called "The Hand of God:
Hurricanes and Mighty Snow" where we documented how the tracts of the five hurricanes that hit
America made a very distinct pattern. So this year, I refrained from trying to find
"patterns". However, when I looked at the track of Katrina, I could not help but see that
she formed the shape of a "sickle". Now a sickle is used by farmers to separate the wheat
from the tare at harvest time.

Katrina is separating people based on their racial predispositions. In her wake will flow a new
alignment. On one side are the majority of Blacks and a minority of whites who know that Blacks
still suffer because of discrimination and white supremacy. On the other side are the majority of
whites and a minority of Negroes who do not want to accept that whites hate Blacks in America.

Minister Louis Farrakhan went to Texas and Louisiana on Sunday, September 11th, to see
if what he had heard about the devastation was all together true. On Monday, September 12th
he gave his report in Charlotte, NC at Little Rock AME Church. He said that not only was the
devastation, pain and suffering from Katrina bad, it was worse than what we were told or shown.
Furthermore he said that Mayor Ray Nagin told him that there was a 25 foot crater beneath the broken
17th Street levee which suggests that it was deliberately blown open.

The next day, Tuesday, the media described the Minister’s statements as crazy and
irresponsible. The media tried to make it seem that Minister Farrakhan was presenting
"conspiracy theories" to stir up racial animosities, as though what the people had been
viewing for the last two weeks was not enough. Since Minister Farrakhan spoke a number of articles
have popped up on the internet talking about eye witness accounts of the residents who say they saw
a barge ram the 17th Street levee. Many others say they heard numerous explosions which
officials shrugged off as transformers exploding and not dynamite.

However, on Sunday, September 11th I viewed on C-Span an interview with John M. Barry
talking about his book "Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and how it changed
America" written in 1997. In this interview he said that levees along the Mississippi River and
in particular in the New Orleans area had been intentionally blown open in the past. He described
how the levees were blown open in 1922 and 1927.

The 1927 destruction of sections of the levee was done on the orders of Governor O. H. Simpson.
The governor was pressured to sign the order by the banking interests in New Orleans who wanted to
insure the banking industry and investors that New Orleans was safe. To do this they picked an area
where the people were poor and politically weak. The residents were informed but first protested the
dynamiting of the levee. However, over time they backed down and accepted the promise of reparations
for their properties that would be flooded. They were orderly evacuated which meant that no one died
when the levee was dynamited and their homes flooded.

One bomb was not enough. So, for 10 straight days in the spring of 1927 they used multiple
explosions and thousands of pounds of dynamite to make a hole sufficient to divert the flood waters
from the rich white neighborhoods. And that was not the last time that the levees were intentionally
destroyed. It was done again in 1965 to protect New Orleans from the effects of Hurricane Betsy.

So history presents a precedent for this type of shifting the effects of natural disasters to the
poor. A good opinion poll question would be: "Would they do it again?"

(more on Katrina–>Hurricane Katrina)