A Good Stat

We Black folks have known it for generations: Statistics are not our friends. Test scores, prison records, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, figures on all of these are used to reflect the often sorry state of affairs in the Black community. Just a couple of weeks ago, a statistic was released stating that 46% (FORTY-SIX PERCENT!) of African American males in my home state, Maryland, dropped out of high school. I've got three sons, how do you think that made me feel?

I comfort myself by repeating that stats can be used to prove anything, but hearing so much bad news brings a cynical fatigue.George W. Bush's approval ratings are in the low 30's, you tell me? Why the hell are they still THAT high, I'll say.

Anyway, last night I heard a stat that put a smile on my face.Black enlistment in the military has fallen 38% since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have begun. Other job prospects and the influence of friends and family members already in the military are attributed to this drop in enlistment. But the major factor in this drop is the unpopularity of these wars, especially the war in Iraq.

And my reply to these figures is: ABOUT FREAKIN' TIME. Recruitment for Bush's Sham War of Aggression (Iraq) should be through the floor, across the board. Recruitment is up among Latinos and other races, and I'm not celebrating that. But given the fact that the Pentagon has lowered standards so much that even a 42-year-old, 290-pound functional illiterate is still getting a look from recruiters, it's good to see that there's one segment of the population the spiel isn't working on.

Years ago, when I went to see the movie, Glory, about the efforts of Black Union soldiers to be accepted during the Civil War, I had two thoughts. The first was, what was Matthew Broderick doing starring in a movie about Black Union soldiers. The second was, Denzel, Morgan, if you only knew what the result of your fight would be. After years of fighting the US military's reluctance to put weapons into the hands of downtrodden Blacks, Vietnam saw African American soldiers welcomed. To the front lines. As America waged an increasingly unpopular war, whose "goodness" was questioned, and the scions of the wealthy and powerful were hiding out in the National Guard ranks, this country went to war with the army it had, increasingly Black and poor. I am encouraged to no end to see that enough opportunities are opening up that stepping into a Middle East meat grinder isn't such an option anymore.

But the news can't be all positive.As recruitment drops and tours are extended and the military gets over-extended, there will be misguided cries to reinstate the draft (Charlie Rangel: Shut the hell up!). One would think Bush wouldn't call for the return of the draft, but don't be surprised, kids. He doesn't have shit to lose at this point. For the time being though, you're safe, young people. So if you see a recruiting officer when you're walking down the street... Walk on by.