GBK - Based on the climate that we are in today ....

[Warrior-D]

... what are African American recruits thinking, saying and/or doing as it relates to how they look at college programs and what they perceive (real or unreal) when it relates to considering a school?

The reason I ask is the recent offer to the 3-star DB prospect Raleigh Collins. Because when you look at his Twitter page, his profile photo is BLM. I am not asking about him specifically, but just in general, is this started to impact recruiting?

 

[Armyranger26]

A very valid question and in a country where sports is one of the main fabrics and for the 3 major sports (basketball, football, and baseball) where the majority of athletes are men of color, at both the professional and college level, this is a real concern just from that perspective.

 

[RabbleNumberOneFan]

Should you got to Twitter and see posts made by current Army players I think your question will be answered. It's really out there now. I surmise that sadly most do not really understand BLM Inc, let alone ANTIFA , and the very clear ideology that they espouse and I have to assume that is the case even more so with high school recruits .

 

[Boomerang87]

Should you got to Twitter and see posts made by current Army players I think your question will be answered. It's really out there now. I surmise that sadly most do not really understand BLM Inc, let alone ANTIFA , and the very clear ideology that they espouse and I have to assume that is the case even more so with high school recruits .

Your assumption is that those who are Black in this country that say that BLM are about the organization versus their own lives as a Black person in this country. If that is what you assume, you could be no further from the truth.

 

[LastofftheArea78]

Should you got to Twitter and see posts made by current Army players I think your question will be answered. It's really out there now. I surmise that sadly most do not really understand BLM Inc, let alone ANTIFA , and the very clear ideology that they espouse and I have to assume that is the case even more so with high school recruits .

There is no factual information connecting BLM with ANTIFA. Separate issues and we should refrain from political issues on a sports website, especially an Army Sports Site.

 

[Boomerang87]

There is no factual information connecting BLM with ANTIFA. Separate issues and we should refrain from political issues on a sports website, especially an Army Sports Site.

The initial question on this thread is not political, but social and the question is valid on any sports, especially when talking about Army football. Let's be frank here, many of the recruits (especially African American players) that are considering West Point are also looking at the climate of the football program, the coaches, the diversity of the staff, the climate of the institution itself, the surrounding community, etc. By the way, this is not an Army site, this is a Rivals site that covers Army football.

 

[LastofftheArea78]

The initial question on this thread is not political, but social and the question is valid on any sports . . .

True, but I was commenting on your comment

You sir brought in politics with a possible dog whistle, which seems inappropriate on a website about Army sports

 

[ArmyMadDog]

True, but I was commenting on your comment

You sir brought in politics with a possible dog whistle, which seems inappropriate on a website about Army sports

I am somewhat confused. What political statement was made, because the only subject that was brought up or asked was about recruiting of African American players against the backdrop of what is occurring in the nation today. Help me respectfully understand what you feel is wrong with asking that question, especially on a current events message board?

 

[RabbleNumberOneFan]

Your assumption is that those who are Black in this country that say that BLM are about the organization versus their own lives as a Black person in this country. If that is what you assume, you could be no further from the truth.

Your assumption is that those who are Black in this country that say that BLM are about the organization versus their own lives as a Black person in this country. If that is what you assume, you could be no further from the truth.

Boomer -- Did not mean to demean any young men or their desire for a level playing field. I support that 100% and always have. I was suggesting that many who show the BLM decal on their profiles seem to have little knowledge of the BLM, Inc organization itself. Black Lives Matter, Inc might be viewed by some as a grassroots movement of concerned people gathering together. It' s much more. Black Lives Matter is a corporation whose name is " Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLM -BNF) .…it’s one of those " capitalist " corporations marxists luv to hate. Drips with irony. From their web site: It’s a nationwide corporation! BLM-GNF has chapters in: Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Memphis, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, South Bend and in Canada in Toronto, Vancouver and Waterloo from what I can find. Have no idea if you were impressed or not by how all those riots erupted simultaneously from a grassroots movement…well…if you did stop and think again. BLM- GNF is a not-for-profit corporation, but not tax exempt, so donations to it are not tax deductible. Except...if you go to its website and wish to donate, you are transferred to ActBlue Charities ( check it out ) which will take your donation, give you a tax deduction, and then distribute your donation to BLM - GNF. This is not directly -- read on . So in effect it is tax exempt. Here's a quote from ActBlue’s web page, “Our (ActBlue) platform is available to Democratic candidates and committees, progressive organizations, and nonprofits that share our values for no cost besides a 3.95% processing fee on donations. And we operate as a conduit, which means donations made through ActBlue to a campaign or organization are considered individual donations”. Like Gaul ActBlue consists of three parts: ActBlue Charities facilitates donations to left-of-center 501(c)(3) nonprofits; Act Blue Civics is its 501(c)(4) affiliate; ActBlue is a 527 Political Action Committee. These three have apparently raised over $5 billion dollars in the sixteen years since it started. If its 3.95% transaction fee pertains to all donations, that equates to over $197 million in processing fees.. Nice work if you can get it. So, ActBlue is a Democratic Party front affiliated with BLM-GNF. If only it was that simple. It isn't. ActBlue…distributes the money raised to Thousand Currents and then it is granted to Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation . What is Thousand Currents (formerly known as International Development Exchange)? Well Thousand Currents is a 501(3)(c) non-profit that provides grants to organizations that are...developing alternative economic models. ( such as marxism ) Thousand Currents essentially acts as a quasi-manager for Black Lives Matter: provides administrative and back office support, including finance, accounting, grants management, insurance, human resources, legal and compliance. Susan Rosenberg, a convicted terrorist who was pardoned by Willy Clinton after 16 years in prison, serves as a Vice Chair on the Thousand Currents Board ..... some say she runs BLM day to day ...I can not affirm that she does. So Black Lives Matter is not some fly-by-night fad that is going to loot and destroy and then disappear . It’s a multi corporation, big business which is heavily associated with and supports the Democratic Party and it' s here to stay. Arguing whether Black Lives or All Lives Matter is meaningless and distracts us from what BLMGNF trying to achieve. It's an extreme left-wing political movement that will have a significant impact on the Democratic Party programs for the foreseeable future. Socialism and Communism are intrinsic to these efforts. The US Constitution and Bill of Rights have no place in their plans. Patrisse Cullors, one of Black Lives Matter’s co-founders is widely reported as saying, “We are trained Marxists”. The president of Greater New York Black Lives Matter GNF said during TV interview that if the movement fails to achieve meaningful change during nationwide protests, it will “burn down this system.” Not the peaceful change we celebrate under our Constitution, but violent change. For those of us who believe in our Constitution, this is a challenge thrown in our faces. Violence by extremists on either end of the spectrum should have been and should now be punished with lenghty prison sentences. Should you read the Antifa goals and objectives you will see a certain coalescence. So why do certain politicians dance around the subject of " What is Black Lives Matter" ? Well now you might have some idea why. Others dance around the subject of ANTIFA as well -- as if it does not exist. It does and its tentacles cover the country these days. BTW I know much more about ANTIFA than BLM, Inc as I was located at its locus in WA State as it emerged and germinated across the country . Will spare you info on it.

 

[ArmyMadDog]

Boomer -- Did not mean to demean any young men or their desire for a level playing field. I support that 100% and always have. I was suggesting that many who show the BLM decal on their profiles seem to have little knowledge of the BLM, Inc organization itself. Black Lives Matter, Inc might be viewed by some as a grassroots movement of concerned people gathering together. It' s much more. Black Lives Matter is a corporation whose name is " Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLM -BNF) .…it’s one of those " capitalist " corporations marxists luv to hate. Drips with irony. From their web site: It’s a nationwide corporation! BLM-GNF has chapters in: Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Memphis, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, South Bend and in Canada in Toronto, Vancouver and Waterloo from what I can find. Have no idea if you were impressed or not by how all those riots erupted simultaneously from a grassroots movement…well…if you did stop and think again. BLM- GNF is a not-for-profit corporation, but not tax exempt, so donations to it are not tax deductible. Except...if you go to its website and wish to donate, you are transferred to ActBlue Charities ( check it out ) which will take your donation, give you a tax deduction, and then distribute your donation to BLM - GNF. This is not directly -- read on . So in effect it is tax exempt. Here's a quote from ActBlue’s web page, “Our (ActBlue) platform is available to Democratic candidates and committees, progressive organizations, and nonprofits that share our values for no cost besides a 3.95% processing fee on donations. And we operate as a conduit, which means donations made through ActBlue to a campaign or organization are considered individual donations”. Like Gaul ActBlue consists of three parts: ActBlue Charities facilitates donations to left-of-center 501(c)(3) nonprofits; Act Blue Civics is its 501(c)(4) affiliate; ActBlue is a 527 Political Action Committee. These three have apparently raised over $5 billion dollars in the sixteen years since it started. If its 3.95% transaction fee pertains to all donations, that equates to over $197 million in processing fees.. Nice work if you can get it. So, ActBlue is a Democratic Party front affiliated with BLM-GNF. If only it was that simple. It isn't. ActBlue…distributes the money raised to Thousand Currents and then it is granted to Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation . What is Thousand Currents (formerly known as International Development Exchange)? Well Thousand Currents is a 501(3)(c) non-profit that provides grants to organizations that are...developing alternative economic models. ( such as marxism ) Thousand Currents essentially acts as a quasi-manager for Black Lives Matter: provides administrative and back office support, including finance, accounting, grants management, insurance, human resources, legal and compliance. Susan Rosenberg, a convicted terrorist who was pardoned by Willy Clinton after 16 years in prison, serves as a Vice Chair on the Thousand Currents Board ..... some say she runs BLM day to day ...I can not affirm that she does. So Black Lives Matter is not some fly-by-night fad that is going to loot and destroy and then disappear . It’s a multi corporation, big business which is heavily associated with and supports the Democratic Party and it' s here to stay. Arguing whether Black Lives or All Lives Matter is meaningless and distracts us from what BLMGNF trying to achieve. It's an extreme left-wing political movement that will have a significant impact on the Democratic Party programs for the foreseeable future. Socialism and Communism are intrinsic to these efforts. The US Constitution and Bill of Rights have no place in their plans. Patrisse Cullors, one of Black Lives Matter’s co-founders is widely reported as saying, “We are trained Marxists”. The president of Greater New York Black Lives Matter GNF said during TV interview that if the movement fails to achieve meaningful change during nationwide protests, it will “burn down this system.” Not the peaceful change we celebrate under our Constitution, but violent change. For those of us who believe in our Constitution, this is a challenge thrown in our faces. Violence by extremists on either end of the spectrum should have been and should now be punished with lenghty prison sentences. Should you read the Antifa goals and objectives you will see a certain coalescence. So why do certain politicians dance around the subject of " What is Black Lives Matter" ? Well now you might have some idea why. Others dance around the subject of ANTIFA as well -- as if it does not exist. It does and its tentacles cover the country these days. BTW I know much more about ANTIFA than BLM, Inc as I was located at its locus in WA State as it emerged and germinated across the country . Will spare you info on it.

#SMH, and you just don't get it and won't. Just because a young man or woman who is Black post a graphic that says BLM, doesn't mean they embrace the mission and vision of the organization. What it does suggest is that they want those like you especially, to know that their lives matter - IT'S THAT SIMPLE. And for you to sit here and type a 5 paragraph narrative tells me that you don't and probably never will. I hope that I am wrong, and if so, accept my apologies.

 

[RabbleNumberOneFan]

#SMH, and you just don't get it and won't. Just because a young man or woman who is Black post a graphic that says BLM, doesn't mean they embrace the mission and vision of the organization. What it does suggest is that they want those like you especially, to know that their lives matter - IT'S THAT SIMPLE. And for you to sit here and type a 5 paragraph narrative tells me that you don't and probably never will. I hope that I am wrong, and if so, accept my apologies.

Mad Dog , Well you are dead wrong and if you read what I wrote you will see it. How do you come off presuming that I would think any young man's life does not matter? I led young men in direct combat for two years, one as rifle platoon leader and a second as company commander and worked with them for decades. I have deep regard for every life and have worked to ensure young people get opportunities. I wrote the short essay to educate you with the facts so that you can cite the difference between saying "black lives matter" ( of course they do) and supporting BLM, Inc. My SIMPLE point , when the question was asked initially, was that many young folks regardless of skin tone support the organization w/o knowing what it is, and that is a shame. As I said - if you read what they post on Twitter , you will see that first hand. I don't give a damn about their logos , but I do care about what they learn and say . If they support BLM, Inc after knowing what it is , that is their choice. May I kindly suggest you look after your anger issue.

 

[akaTheRifleman]

Mad Dog , Well you are dead wrong and if you read what I wrote you will see it. How do you come off presuming that I would think any young man's life does not matter? I led young men in direct combat for two years, one as rifle platoon leader and a second as company commander and worked with them for decades. I have deep regard for every life and have worked to ensure young people get opportunities. I wrote the short essay to educate you with the facts so that you can cite the difference between saying "black lives matter" ( of course they do) and supporting BLM, Inc. My SIMPLE point , when the question was asked initially, was that many young folks regardless of skin tone support the organization w/o knowing what it is, and that is a shame. As I said - if you read what they post on Twitter , you will see that first hand. I don't give a damn about their logos , but I do care about what they learn and say . If they support BLM, Inc after knowing what it is , that is their choice. May I kindly suggest you look after your anger issue.

I hear what you are saying and I partially agree with you. But what you failed to accept was ArmyMadDog's apology where he said that if he were wrong in assessing your comments, he apologized.