Jesse Jackson: Shakedown in London?

After bullying London's mayor into apologizing for his city's role in the transatlantic slave trade more than two centuries ago, Jesse Jackson did what he does best - demand money.

At Thursday's memorial commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of England's slave trade, Mayor Ken Livingstone was literally brought to tears as he apologized "on behalf of London and its institutions" for their role in ferrying human cargo to the New World.

If you've been paying attention to this charlatan's game, you won't be surprised to hear that the Guardian reported that "Jackson walked over and placed his arm around the mayor" as he delivered his wet-eyed contrition for the acts of those long dead before his great-grandfather was ever born.

Afterwards, in his classic mumbo-jumbo non-sequitur rhyme-speak, the man who put Hymie-town on the map praised Livingstone for breaking "important ground." A Kumbaya moment, indeed -- of course he then snatched the opportunity to demand that apologetic Londoners now break into their wallets and pay reparations for the sins of a few of their great-great-grandfathers.

Astounding - having thus far failed to bring his own country to its knees with similar liberal-guilt-exploiting strong-arm tactics (okay -- he's still working on it), the civil rights huckster now charges that modern Britain was also built on the ill-gotten gains of his oppressed people and that,

"We must not speak of the slave trade and slavery in past tense terms."

Of course not - this deplorable injustice, 200 years banned in Britain and 144 so in America, still delivers quite the flesh for leeches feeding on the blood and guts of their own people, doesn't it Jessie? After all, it pays for your cars, your travel and your copious bling, doesn't it?

That's why the ever self-serving Jackson will never let go of this bogus trump card, and now seeks to upgrade it to platinum on the promise of pitifully unmerited reparations on the backs of the innocent.

In truth, the arguments against slavery reparations are so intrinsically overwhelming that they curtail any rational discourse on the subject. As such, rather than reiterate them, I would refer you to David Horowitz's fine article, Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Blacks is a Bad Idea for Blacks - and Racist Too.

From the fact that only a very small minority of white Americans ever owned slaves to the reality of existing reparations in the forms of welfare and racial set-asides, Horowitz deftly covers all the bases.

And, though it's doubtful that Brits will have any more of this rubbish than its allies across the pond, one thing is certain.

While asking repentance is itself absurd, as no living person has ever been or owned an American slave, seeking recompense -- on any continent -- lowers the appeal to the level of Jackson's bread-and-butter MO - racial extortion.