WASHINGTON – Minister Louis Farrakhan is considering organizing another national march next year – the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March – to encourage African Americans to keep a larger share of their $688 billion annual spending in the Black community.

That disclosure was ignored last week after the Nation of Islam leader held a 2-hour speech/news conference at the National Press Club here that dealt primarily with the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the Middle East and foreign affairs.

"I’m not so much interested in a march," Farrakhan said, replying to a question. "I’m not too much interested in gathering a million or 2 million men in one place – unless it is to direct those men to do that which will liberate our people."

Warming to his subject, he said, "There is no reason for Morris Brown [a financially troubled Black college in Atlanta] to close.

“There is no reason that we don’t have hospitals and clinics across this nation to service our needs. It’s the misuse of our dollars. So, I don’t see any reason to call 2 million men again, unless we’re calling them for serious work."

And there are plenty of dollars that quickly work their way out of the Black community. According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, annual Black spending power will grow from $688 billion in 2002 to $921 billion in 2008.

Although Farrakhan said that he would consider whether organizing another march, some of his senior aides say, he appears to be leaning toward calling for a rally in 2005.

Farrakhan, who became a registered voter for the first time in 1984 to help bolster the presidential candidacy of Jesse Jackson, issued a word of caution to Black leaders.

"My dear Black brothers and sisters and Hispanic brothers and sisters, I know that you’re Democrats. And I know that you want Sen. Kerry to win," Farrakhan said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"But I say to Black leadership, don’t you herd our people to the polls before you put before Sen. Kerry an agenda that’s in the best interest of the masses of our people. If you betray our people, as a suffering masses that want to be relieved, then your leadership is finished.

“This is the last time that you will herd our votes into the hands of any political leader without having the necessary strength to put before such a leader, those issues that affect our lives."

The first group to meet with Kerry after he clinched the Democratic nomination was the Congressional Black Caucus, chaired by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).

Cummings has stated that African American lawmakers have a list of issues that they want Kerry to adopt. And for his part, Kerry has pledged to lean heavily on CBC members and other Black national leaders for advice.

Farrakhan chided Sen. Kerry for opposing reparations for African Americans and not supporting a bill introduced each year by Rep. John Conyers (D.-Mich.) calling for a study of the issue.

"Senator Kerry, you come off as a moderate, a White moderate who prefers order – don’t disturb the order by asking for a study of whether Black people deserve reparations," the Nation of Islam leader said.

On the war in Iraq, Farrakhan charged that it was unlikely that ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would have ever conspired with Osama bin Laden, a key leader in the al Qaeda terrorist group.

"They cannot with truth tie al Qaeda to Saddam Hussein," Farrakhan declared. "If you know anything about Osama bin Laden, he is what you would call a religious zealot who saw Saddam Hussein as a hypocrite who went away from Islam to follow a path of socialism. So there’s no way Osama would have been connected to Saddam. But the neo-conservatives [in the U.S.] wanted to make a case for war."

More accurately, Farrakhan contends, they were eager to go to war to protect Israel.

"Iraq never threatened America, could not threat America," Farrakhan said. "But as long as Saddam Hussein was alive, in their minds, he was a threat to Israel. Syria is a threat to Israel.

“Iran is a threat to Israel. Anyone that does not believe in their justification of the state of Israel on Palestinian land is an enemy that must be destroyed."

Farrakhan alleged that war served the dual purpose of attacking Islam and protecting the interests of Israel.

"What America is seeking is actually to change Islam to make Islam suitable and non-threatening to Western hegemony over the entire world. So the war is not just against brutal dictators. The war, at the root, is against Islam. The government will not admit to that."

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