Clarity in a world of chaos

I can't say this years has been especially heinous, truth is- it may be mild compared to years past. But we have heard of some brutal crimes this year. Gang rapes, torturing, etc..  But, because the world is interconnected now, news travel across the country and around the world in milliseconds- Consequently, we are hearing more than we normally would.

I guess what's bad about this crime, beyond an ordinary rape & beating, is that this one lasted for days, and was commited against one woman, by men and women. Not only was she raped and beaten, she was forced to perform sex-acts on the women as well (Read the Police report on "The Smoking Gun" website (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/09110
71logansix1.html

Read on.

**If this is a re-post, my apologies in advance**

More info, and video at: http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/9712762.html>

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6 Arrested in Weeklong Attack on Woman 6 in W.Va. Charged With Beating, Sexually Assaulting Woman Held Captive in House for a Week The Associated Press LOGAN, W.Va. A woman was sexually abused, beaten and humiliated while being held captive in a home for at least a week, sheriff's officials said Monday after making six arrests. Those arrested, including a mother and son and a mother and daughter, are white. The victim, a Charleston woman who was being treated at a hospital Monday, is black. The FBI plans to investigate it as a possible hate crime.
"The things that were done to this woman are just indescribable," Logan County sheriff's Sgt. Sonya Porter said.
Deputies found the 23-year-old victim Saturday after going to the home in Big Creek, about 35 miles southwest of Charleston, to investigate an anonymous tip. One of the suspects, Frankie Brewster, was sitting on the front porch and told deputies she was alone, but moments later the victim limped toward the door, her arms outstretched, saying, "Help me," the sheriff's department said in a news release.
Besides being sexually assaulted, the victim had been stabbed four times in the left leg and beaten, Porter said. Both of her eyes were black and blue. The woman's wounds were inflicted at least a week ago, deputies said.
During her capture, the victim was forced to eat rat and dog feces and drink from the toilet, according to the criminal complaint filed in magistrate court. The woman also had been choked with a cable cord and her hair cut, it alleges.
One of those arrested, Karen Burton, is accused of cutting the woman's ankle with a knife. She used the N-word in telling the woman she was victimized because she is black, according to the criminal complaint.
Deputies say the woman was also doused with hot water while being sexually assaulted. The Associated Press generally does not identify suspected victims of sexual assault.
The sheriff's department requested the FBI's participation, said agent Jay Bartholomew. The six suspects were arrested Saturday and Sunday. Deputies were still trying to determine whether the victim knew her assailants and how she came to be at Brewster's home, Porter said.
Frankie Brewster, 49, is charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, malicious wounding and giving false information during a felony investigation.
Her son, Bobby R. Brewster, 24, is charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, malicious wounding and assault during the commission of a felony.
Burton, 46, of Chapmanville, is charged with malicious wounding, battery and assault during the commission of a felony.
Her daughter Alisha Burton, 23, of Chapmanville, and George A. Messer, 27, of Chapmanville, are charged with assault during the commission of a felony and battery. Danny J. Combs, 20, of Harts, is charged with sexual assault and malicious wounding. All six were held Monday in lieu of $100,000 bond each, and all have asked for court-appointed public defenders. 

It seems every so often, something happens in a small Louisiana town, or parish (county) that gets a name and a number attached.  The LaSalle-3, The Bunkie-3, and now- the Jena-6.

I'm from Waterproof, LA-  a small town, not far from Jena (45-minutes northeast). While my town was also mostly segregated (blacks on one side, whites on the other)- and 40 some years after integration, the white kids still mainly go to private school (Huntington & Tensas Academy) rather than attend the mostly black public schools. With that kind of seperation- we never had anything reach this level of stupidity.

As we all know, racism is stil alive and well in America. It's not as blatant (At least I thought it wasn't) as it used to be. But the undercurrent of hatred and intolerance still exists.  No where is it more evident than in the story below. 

I meant to post this last week, but got side tracked. A new E-mail popped in my Inbox about this today, so- I thought I'd share.  While I don't believe violence is always the answer, clearly- this "prank" went too far, and crossed the line. 

Read on, and tell me what you think:

The “Jena 6” are six Black students who face the possibility of going to prison for many, many years because of a schoolyard fight. This story began on September 1, 2006 in the small town of Jena, Louisiana. A group of Black students sat under a “whites-only” tree in the schoolyard. Racist students responded immediately and the next day nooses were hanging from the tree for all to see. The “Jena 6” are six Black students who face the possibility of going to prison for many, many years because of a schoolyard fight. This story began on September 1, 2006 in the small town of Jena, Louisiana. A group of Black students sat under a “whites-only” tree in the schoolyard. Racist students responded immediately and the next day nooses were hanging from the tree for all to see.
Tina Jones, the mother of Bryant Purvis who is one of the Jena 6, told Revolution what it was like hearing about the nooses hanging on the tree:

“I was like, what? [My son], myself and a lot of family members were really upset about that because to Black people that is offensive because you know over the years Black people were hung in trees. So I mean we felt like the white people were saying, ‘Well if you sit under this tree, we’re going to hang you.’ That’s how us as Black people felt, even though the white people said it was a prank. How could it be a prank when something like that was done to Black people over the years? And then they walk under this tree and then you hang nooses. And you know what that represents and that means to us -- if you go under this [tree] we’re going to hang you. I mean there’s no other way to look at that, and there’s nothing funny about that.”

Soon after the nooses were hung, most of the 93 Black students (out of a total student enrollment of 546) at Jena High School stood together under the tree, in a courageous act of protest. After this, a school assembly was called where a white district attorney told the Black students to keep their mouths shut about the nooses. He told them if he heard anything else about it, he “can make their lives go away with the stroke of his pen.”

When racist white students jumped a Black student, one white student got probation. But when a fight broke out that sent a white student to the hospital for an hour, the law came down on Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey, Theo Shaw, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, and an unnamed minor--arresting these youth, who are now known as the Jena 6, and initially charging them with attempted murder. (see “Free the Jena Six! Jim Crow Injustice in Jena Louisiana,” Revolution #96).

Mychal Bell has already been convicted of second degree battery and conspiracy to commit second degree battery and could be sentenced to up to 22 years in prison. And the system is trying to make good on the threat to ruin the lives of the other five youth who still face serious charges. Many people still do not know about this tremendous outrage. But a nationwide struggle to free the Jena 6 is beginning to grow--and MUST get much bigger. The next court hearings for Mychal Bell and the rest of the Jena Six are scheduled to begin on September 4. Bell’s sentencing is scheduled for September 20.

“We Want the Entire World to Hear”

On July 31, some 300 people rallied in support of the Jena 6 at the courthouse where Mychal Bell was scheduled to be sentenced. People came from all over the country, including people from New Orleans fighting for justice in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And a massive stack of petitions, which organizers said contained 43,000 signatures, was delivered to the Assistant District Attorney of Jena. On August 5, Al Sharpton spoke at a church in Jena. And while the story of the Jena 6 has been way downplayed in the mainstream media, these events helped get more national and international coverage.

Mychal Bell has now been sitting in jail since December 4 and was not able to graduate. His trial was a complete outrage, with the court-appointed lawyer not even calling any witnesses! Now, a group of lawyers from Monroe, Louisiana have come forward to take up Bell’s case. Bell’s new legal team says their goal is to overturn Bell’s conviction. Bob Noel, one of the lawyers now on the case, said they got involved not only because Bell came to them, but because it was the right thing to do. "The interest of justice cried out [for us] to get involved," Noel said.

The weekend before the July 31 scheduled sentencing of Mychal Bell, the “whites-only” tree in front of the high school was cut down. NPR reported that “Jena High School had the big shade tree in the courtyard chopped into firewood.” But the tree disappearing hasn’t in any way lessened people’s anger and their determination to spread the word about this case and build the struggle to free the Jena 6.

Talking about the significance of the July 31 rally, Caseptla Bailey, mother of one of the defendants, Robert Bailey, Jr., said, "This is a beautiful thing that I’m seeing here today— all types of browns, seeing all types of blacks, all types of whites. We love that, people coming together." And Khadijah Rashad, representing Lafayette’s Community Defender television show, said, "We must remember that the entire world is watching… When there is going to be sentencing again, we need to flood this area with as much people as we possibly can. We want the entire world to know” (thetowntalk.com).

Bell’s father, Marcus Jones, agreed: “Justice, that’s the main thing we want. He’s still in jail, and we want justice for him and the other boys. And now the whole world sees the wrong done to these boys.”

Bell’s mother, Melissa Bell, told The Town Talk (a paper in Alexandria, Louisiana) that the actions on July 31 should send a message to the community: “We are serious, and everyone is serious about freeing these kids.”

Confronting Reality in Jena and Beyond

School starts on August 17 and the school board is already setting a repressive tone and atmosphere. A “Resource Officer” from the La Salle Parish Sheriff's Department will be at Jena High School this year.

Meanwhile, an editorial in the local Jena Times, attacked the “outside” and “liberal” media for supposedly distorting the situation in Jena, saying, “The ‘racial unrest’ that has continually been reported simply does not exist here.” (“Outside Media has transformed Jena” 8-8-07) Things in Jena are very polarized—right now, there are very few, if any, white people who are even speaking out against the nooses on the trees or the unjust way the Jena 6 are being treated--let alone, taking a clear stand against white supremacy. And this reactionary editorial gave voice to those backward whites in Jena who continue to claim, “We’re good people. This is a good town”--which really amounts to defending the racist status quo.

In contrast to what anyone might declare about how nice a place Jena is, we’ve heard stories which show how the hanging of nooses on the tree at Jena High School and the violent enforcement of white supremacy afterwards is not an exception but is consistent with day-to-day reality in Jena. Black people say they cannot get their hair cut at the barber shop in Jena. Someone showed us photos of nooses that had been put on an offshore oil rig, laying about, and hung up in a bathroom--meant to intimidate Black workers. One parent told us that she overheard white people talking about how the “BLEEPs“ who were relocated to Jena from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina “are worse than the BLEEPs here in Jena.” This is the ugly history--and present reality--of not just Jena, Louisiana, but the USA.

At the same the whole struggle around the Jena 6 is shaking things up, forcing a lot of white people to think about the reality of relations between Black and White people in not only Jena, but this whole country. We walked in on a discussion going on among four Jena residents who were taking a break at the office where they work. One Black person was openly talking about how what was happening to the Jena 6 was outrageous—and bringing out the history of resistance and rebellion against racism and injustice, like the 1992 L.A. Rebellion. The white people were listening—one somewhat reluctantly, another with some interest nodded his head in agreement. A third said, “I don't think Jena's racist, it's not racist is it, do you think it is?” This shows how people fighting back and sharply polarizing things creates the basis for a realignment in society.

The significance and stakes of this struggle go far beyond Jena. Alan Bean, an attorney who works with the group Friends of Justice, recently wrote: “You probably won’t find 'white trees' and nooses in New York and Los Angeles—that’s a Southern thing. But you will find the same kind of racial profiling regime that insures that young black males are disproportionately watched, hassled and arrested by the police; and you will discover that the over-prosecution of young black males is just as rife in our coastal paradise as it is in our southern purgatory. That’s what Friends of Justice calls ‘the New Jim Crow’; and it ain’t just a Southern thing. Jena is America.”

Spreading Resistance

People need to seriously ask: Why are the school and local authorities, courts, and federal officials all working together to ruin the lives of these six Black youth? Is it because they got into a schoolyard brawl where another kid was (not very seriously) injured? Or is it because these youth and nearly every other Black student at the school went and stood under the “white only” tree in defiance of the openly racist threat of the nooses on the tree? In the eyes of the system of white supremacy, these students crossed the line, they “forgot their place,” and must be punished.

Black students at Jena High have been talking about what to do on August 17, when school begins. One idea they have been thinking about is all wearing “Free the Jena 6” t-shirts on that day. And as people across the country learn about what’s happening in Jena, many are outraged and feel compelled to act, to stand with the Jena 6. In Cambridge, Massachusetts the City Council passed a resolution, going “on record in support of the young men and their families in Jena in their pursuit of justice” and stating that “This frightening example of racism calls to mind an earlier time in the United States in which segregation and the ‘lynching’ of African-Americans was common practice.” Some people in New York City who have heard about the case have put a call out to others to help organize support for the Jena 6. On August 14, Al Sharpton is scheduled to return to Jena, along with Martin Luther King Jr. III, to voice support for the Jena 6 with a service at Antioch Baptist Church and a town hall meeting.

Picture of the tree: and more...
http://www.whileseated.org/photo/003244.shtmlp>

Another update:
http://www.pursuingholiness.com/2007/06/26/jena-6-up
date/

 

 

 

While I'm not the one to celebrate the demise of anyone- I would like to shake the hand of that Marine.

People are tired of being victimized.

It's one thing when an innocent person is gunned down by criminals. I hate that. 
But, when criminals are gunned down by the innocent, I have no problem with that.

You know, in most cases, that man would have been beaten or killed. It didn't happen that way this time...  While it's sad to see a young man not get to live his life- as far as I'm concerned, his death was self-inflicted.

What do you think Dallas? 

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Ex-Marine takes down two robbers in Fla.
PLANTATION, Fla., June 28 (UPI) -- A 71-year-old ex-Marine took down two would-be thieves at a sandwich shop in Plantation, Fla., after they attempted to rob him in the bathroom.
Fearing for his life the man opened fired on the two suspects Wednesday night, killing one and critically wounding the other, The Miami Herald reported.

Plantation police reported that two masked gunmen entered the shop while the Marine, the only patron in the store, was finishing his meal.

They then allegedly robbed the cashier before attempting to shove the ex-Marine into a bathroom and rob him as well.

He gave them his money before pulling out his handgun and shooting one of them in the head and chest and the other in the head, the Herald said.

Both of the suspects were taken to the hospital, where one of them died and the other remains in critical condition.

Detective Robert Rettig of the Plantation Police Department said the ex-Marine is not expected to be charged.

"He was in fear for his life," Rettig said.

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The Plot Thickens

Some are calling a former U.S. Marine a hero for shooting two men — killing one — during the botched robbery of a sandwich shop in Plantation. But the men's friends and family want to know how he could gun them down and not be charged.

John Lovell had just finished dinner at about 11: 15 p.m. Wednesday when, Plantation police say, two men armed with guns rushed inside a Subway shop and demanded cash. After robbing the store, the men turned to Lovell. They wanted his money, police said.

But like his attackers, Lovell was armed.

Florida law gives people the right of "self-defense without the duty to retreat." That means individuals can use deadly force virtually anywhere to prevent death or serious injury.

Lovell could not be reached for comment despite calls and visits to his home.

His attorney, Wesley White, of Yulee, near Jacksonville, said he has known Lovell for 19 years and described him as a "quiet Clint Eastwood-type you don't want to mess with." He is a former Marine who was a member of the helicopter detail that transported Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, White said.

Lovell, a retired Pan-Am and Delta Airline pilot, has held a concealed weapons permit since September 1990. Three months earlier, Plantation police had arrested him for having a loaded .9 mm and three extra clips behind the driver's seat of a Corvette without proper permits for the gun. The Broward State's Attorney's Office declined to file charges in that case.

According to a police statement, :Arrindell ordered Lovell to hand over his wallet. He intentionally dropped it on the floor and refused to pick it up, saying he was afraid. That's when Arrindell ordered him into the women's restroom.

"The victim believed he would be executed and when he noticed [Arrindell] distracted ... reached behind his back, removed his loaded .45 caliber handgun from his holster and fired seven rounds," the statement said.

Arrindell was struck twice — once in the head and once in the stomach — and collapsed. Officers found him face down, wearing sunglasses and a bandanna, with a gun near his left hand. Gadson was hit in the chest and ran from the store. Police dogs found him in the hedges of a nearby office building and bank.

Both men were taken to Broward General Medical Center, where Arrindell died and Gadson was in critical condition Thursday.

Sebastian Shakespeare, 23, of Lauderhill, was going to buy a sandwich at the Subway at 1949 N. Pine Island Road when he saw Lovell, gun in hand, standing over Arrindell. A former employee, Shakespeare worked the night shift and often worried about getting robbed.

He said Lovell did a good deed. "A civilian was a hero."

Lovell's neighbor agreed.

"If I was in the same situation ... I hope I could've done the same thing," said Bryan Sklar, 45.

But Gadson's grandmother, Rosa Jones, said: "He ain't no hero. He is a murderer and God will serve justice."

She and her husband, Ivory Jones, pastor of a Fort Lauderdale church, sat on their front porch in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday wondering how a man could shoot two people and not go to jail.
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Easy, it's called self-defense.

Bush says "No" to congressional investigation...

Something to hide, perhaps? I know there's a shredder working overtime right now.

And people give Clinton greif for wanting to protect his personal life.  This is at a professional-level, no national security at stake here- and yet there are more fancy moves on display than one would see on a re-run of Dance Fever.  

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070628/ap_on_go_pr_wh
/bush_subpoenas

I'm sure this will comedown to "protecting the privacy of those individuals".  Bush went to law school... I don't know if he finished, but- everyone knows you can get up to 20-years in prison for impeding an investigation...  He'd (Or whomever urged this utilization of executive privledge) better get with the program. Even loopholes have loopholes.

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By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent 10 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush, moving toward a constitutional showdown with Congress, asserted executive privilege Thursday and rejected lawmakers' demands for documents that could shed light on the firings of federal prosecutors.

Bush's attorney told Congress the White House would not turn over subpoenaed documents for former presidential counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor. Congressional panels want the documents for their investigations of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' stewardship of the Justice Department.

"With respect, it is with much regret that we are forced down this unfortunate path which we sought to avoid by finding grounds for mutual accommodation," White House counsel Fred Fielding said in a letter to the chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. "We had hoped this matter could conclude with your committees receiving information in lieu of having to invoke executive privilege. Instead, we are at this conclusion..."

"Increasingly, the president and vice president feel they are above the law," said Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. He portrayed the president's actions as "Nixonian stonewalling."

I saw Becky’s report last night, an while I have loved her reports over the years, I was offended by this one.  In the other post about this, I saw bloggers critique the grammar and spelling in a teacher’s reply (OK, he or she should have known better then to come into that discussion half-cocked, especially after saying they teach in the Dallas ISD), so I’ll chime in here. And, since we’re critiquing grammar and punctuation, I’ll do my best to ensure I pay attention to my grammar in this blog.   

 

First and foremost, I am NOT a teacher, I don't think I would have the patience required to teach in order to deal with....  THE PARENTS! Nevertheless, I do have a soft spot for teachers.

My mother is a retired educator with over 35 years in service as a teacher, Vice Principal, and Principal in the Louisiana school system. (She passed her certification exams on the first try by the way). With that said, I felt bad for teachers everywhere last night when this report aired, especially for those whose dirty laundry rose to public awareness, along with their names and faces, brought to the light by Becky Oliver last night.  

 

What purpose did that serve, other than to humiliate the already under-appreciated, under-paid, people trying to do a service for our children and our society?  It didn't serve a purpose, other than what is taking place here.  It shocked the community. For what? Will anyone be fired?  No. They may be embarrassed, but not fired, so- what’s the point? Trying to make them quit?  

 

Uncertified teachers receive pay, but they have not hit the lottery by any stretch of the imagination.  They are not paid as well as certified teachers (who are not paid that well either), and are essentially teacher's aides- not really teachers. However, you have to love children, and love teaching in order to put up with undisciplined children, rude and uncivilized parents,  low pay, and great (state) expectations. I think they deserve our respect, rather than our ridicule.  

 

Personally, I’d be embarrassed to fail any exam- even if the exam was a pop quiz on quantum mechanics; let alone to fail the same exam more than once. This is why I have zero pity on the 40,000 seniors kids who have failed TAKS five (count’em, five) times.  How can you fail the same test five times?!?!?!  Put the Playstation controller and the cell phone down, and STUDY.

But, back to the teachers: Some people are not good at taking tests- especially when you put them on the clock.  I try to put myself in the shoes of others. I could not do what Becky did to those teachers. You have to be heartless to climb up on your high horse, and do something like that. I would not want my records aired like that, I’m sure Becky wouldn’t either. I’m sure no one would not want their inadequacies broadcast to the world. 

- Would you want your credit rating aired?
- Would you want the world to know how many car or personal loans you had been turned down for? Would you want the world to know your credit score?
- Would you want your last performance evaluation posted on the internet?
- Would you want us to see you’ve had foreclosures, bankruptcies, or social diseases?
- Would you want the world to know how many times you’ve been married and divorced; and would you want that aired publicly?  

I’m guessing, “no”.  Yet, this is what happened last night, and what’s more shocking, some people think there was nothing wrong with it.  Shame on you! Protect my privacy, but let’s look into the lives of these people? Smells like hypocrisy to me.  

 

Go get ‘em Becky, expose sexual molesters by all means.  Expose governmental fraud, expose elected officials lining their pockets with kickbacks for favors. Expose corporate greed and dirty dealings- sure. But, let’s not single out people and publicly humiliate them, simply because they aren’t the sharpest pencils in the box. What’s next?  Can we expect an in-depth investigation of local doctors and lawyers to see how many times they failed the bar or their board exams?  I think not, because those people have the money and resources to hit back.     Of course, we want great teachers teaching our children. But, let’s not humiliate the ones trying to do the job. Just because Shemica can’t pass the certification exam, doesn’t mean she can’t teach little Johnnie his ABC’s, 123’s, how to write his name, spell, do math, read and comprehend, and more.  We must look at the whole picture.  

 

Instead of attacking the individuals, let’s go after a system, which allows people to fail the teaching exam 10, 15, 20 times and still keep their jobs. Let’s change the system.  Let’s not publicly humiliate the ones who have tried, and failed. People deserve to have their failures remain private.

As citizens, we deserve the best teachers, teaching our children- so let’s change the system so only the best make it in. That might backfire on us, since there has been a teacher shortage for a decade now.  But, we do need quality people teaching, so lets ensure we’re getting quality people.  Make a law, and enforce it.  If you fail the exam five times in 3 years, perhaps teaching isn’t the career for you. However, if you are serious about teaching, then you will hunker down and study, and ensure you pass the test within allowable limits.  

 

While I applaud Becky for going after misuse of public funds, corruption, and other forms of socially irresponsible behavior, what I saw last night was nothing short of Dallas-area, tabloid journalism.  I expect better, from Becky- and Fox.  

 

I won’t call it racism, but I saw an eerily similar report on the faculty and staff of Paul Quinn College a few years back. That was different in the sense that they had people on staff with fraudulent backgrounds, and degrees showing, which they had not earned…  

 

Different, but similar. Coincidence?  Maybe...

It was mentioned that 20% of Plano ISD teachers had failed the exam more than once. Why were those teachers names and faces not brought to the light?  

 

It makes you go, hmmmmmm….

 

 

OK, I fully expect the Uncle Tom label when I write this, but I think it needs saying.

I had never heard of Imus before I heard/watched Newy Scrugg's play an excerpt from Imus' broadcast on the air.  I have never watched/listened to Imus; I don't know anything about him, (aside from what he said and the heat he's catching for it).

 

Now, do I believe Imus was right for what he said?  No, absolutely not.  Do I believe what he said warrants a formal apology, an appearance on the Al Sharpton show, Jesse Jackson protests, and now a visit/apology to the Rutgers basketball team?  I think that's pouring it on a little thick. Apologize, yes- anything else should not be required, and only serves to inflame an already flammable situation.

 

Those in the media, in my opinion, have a responsibility to be professional- and hopefully unbiased in their comments, (I haven't seen the women up close Imus was talking about either), I realize people have a tendency to call things like they see them. If you don't want to be called a thug, don't look like a thug.  People need to realize the tattoos up their arm, and down the legs, the piercing, the Goth look, the cornrows, the baggy clothes, the 30 earrings, etc... All of that portrays an image.  Moreover, while we all know one should not judge a book by its cover; you're lying to yourself if you say you don't make judgments based on appearance.  It is our judgment that keeps us safe.  Would you go get money from an ATM, if a teenager in big baggy clothes and bandanas was standing next to it, seemingly waiting for something?  If you would, you are either a thrill seeker, or again, you’re lying to yourself.  That person's appearance would tell you they were up to something.

If you don't want to be labeled, don't wear labels.

In the forum in which it was done, Imus was wrong for what he said. (Rough-looking, nappy headed you know what's).  He apologized nationally; that should be the end of it. I don't believe the man should lose his job over this. 

 

Ludacris made a song about having "h_'s in different area codes" America (Even me) was dancing to it.  I have it in my car right now...  Nevertheless, when Imus said it, people want to faint.   People are calling for his job, why?

Did those guys who said the only magazine covers Venus & Serena would be on, would be "National Geographic" lose their jobs?  I know they got in trouble, they were suspended, but if memory serves, they got their jobs back.  Now, I'll admit that National Geographic comment was highly inappropriate, and I'm sure if Venus & Serena heard it, they were very offended... I doubt anyone with a sense of humor can tell me they didn't chuckle just a little bit when they heard that, maybe even laughed out loud.  Some of you may have chuckled when you read that just now.  It was a joke folks, a little distasteful- yes, but it should be no more offensive than hearing Chris Rock call white people by the "C" word.  If they can't use slang towards us, we shouldn't do it either.

 

In closing, you can't judge a book by its cover, and those who take the time to get to know us, will realize we're more than what we look like.  However, most people are not going to take the time to get to know us, they are going to judge us by how we look.  If you don't want to be considered to be something or someone you aren't, think about what you do to your body, and what kind of message the clothes you are wearing, sends to the public.  Even if you were an E-MBA, with a 4.0 GPA, you wouldn't show up to a job interview in baggy sweat-pants and a T-Shirt, right? Why?  It's because appearance counts.

I know it's wrong to judge by appearance, but that's the world we live in. 

Imus was wrong, but he was calling it like he saw it. 

 

 

 

I know this is old news, but I was snowed in under a ton of homework this weekend, so I didn't get to view MyFOXDFW, so If I missed it, or if this is a repost, I apologize in advance.

I knew this sparked a debate on this website, and perhaps other local news channels (If they carried the story), but- I knew it was news in Chicago, but I didn't know it was National News... Apparently there is a lot of corruption in TYC.  Read on...

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070331
0265mar31,0,926371.story?coll=chi-news-hed

TRIBUNE UPDATE Girl in prison for shove gets released early Teen is first of possible hundreds to be freed from a scandal-ridden juvenile justice system Advertisement   By Howard Witt
Tribune senior correspondent

March 31, 2007

HOUSTON -- Shaquanda Cotton, the black teenager in the small east Texas town of Paris whose prison sentence of up to 7 years for shoving a teacher's aide sparked nationwide controversy, was released Saturday.

Her release, ordered by a special conservator appointed to overhaul the state's scandal-ridden juvenile prison system, was the first of what could be hundreds as a panel of civil rights leaders begins reviewing the sentences of every youth incarcerated by the Texas Youth Commission to weed out those being held arbitrarily.

"We have no confidence in the system that was in place," said Jim Hurley, spokesman for the conservator, Jay Kimbrough. "And this case is an example of what we expect to happen if something wrong has been done to youths being held inside that system."

Cotton, who is 15, had no prior criminal record when she was incarcerated a year ago under an indeterminate sentence that could have lasted until her 21st birthday. Her case rose to national prominence and became the focus of ongoing civil rights protests after a March 12 Tribune story detailed how a 14-year-old white girl convicted of the more serious crime of arson was sentenced to probation by the same judge.

Cotton's case occurred against a backdrop of persistent allegations of racial discrimination inside the Paris public schools -- allegations that are the subject of a continuing probe by the U.S. Department of Education to determine whether black students in the district are disciplined more harshly than whites.

"When I learned about this case, I thought, this just looks so bad and smells so bad it made me hurt," said state Rep. Harold Dutton, the influential chairman of the Texas Legislature's juvenile justice committee. "I told [prison officials] I wanted her out of there immediately."

The superintendent of the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex in Brownwood, Texas, where Shaquanda Cotton is being held, called the girl's mother, Creola Cotton, Friday afternoon and told her she could come pick up the youth, Creola Cotton said.

But because it is a five-hour drive from Paris to Brownwood, and the weather in the area on Friday was severe, Creola Cotton said she couldn't reach the prison until Saturday morning.

Later Friday, prison officials, who had not told Shaquanda of her impending release, allowed her to call her mother.


'She nearly fell on the floor'

"She thought they were bringing her to the office to tell her I was not going to be able to visit this weekend like I was planning because of the bad weather, so she was already crying," Creola Cotton said. "I said, 'Oh, I'm still gonna come see you tomorrow. But you're going to be coming home with me.' She nearly fell on the floor."

Officials said Shaquanda Cotton was being released on 60 days' probation to allow her to access state health and counseling services. But after that, she would be completely free, they said. Creola Cotton said her daughter would not return to the Paris public schools but would pursue her GED at home.

What effect her release might have on the pending legal appeal of the youth's case was unclear.

Since she has been in prison, Shaquanda Cotton said that she had grown despondent surrounded by other youths who were hardened criminals, and that she had tried to commit suicide. Her sentence, which ultimately was up to the discretion of prison officials, had twice been extended, first because she would not admit her guilt as required by prison regulations and then because she was found with "contraband" in her cell -- an extra pair of socks.

Those sentence extensions drew the attention of Kimbrough, who was confirmed by the state Senate on Thursday as conservator of the youth prison system, which has been rocked by a sex scandal over allegations that guards and administrators coerced inmates for sex.

Kimbrough, a former deputy attorney general, said last week that he was convening a special committee to examine the sentences of all 4,700 youths in Texas juvenile prisons to determine how many might have had their sentences unfairly extended by prison authorities -- and that Shaquanda Cotton's was the first case he intended to review.

Prison officials said it was Kimbrough who personally ordered the girl's release on Friday.

Since the Tribune's first account of Shaquanda Cotton's case, her story has been circulated on more than 400 Internet blogs and featured in newspapers and radio and TV reports across the country. Two protests demanding her release were held in Paris and a third, to be led by Rev. Al Sharpton, was scheduled for Tuesday.

Even before news of her impending release broke Friday, the Lamar County District Attorney's office, which prosecuted her and pressed for her to be sent to prison for up to 7 years, made an abrupt turnaround and said the youth had served enough time and ought to be freed.


Court discrepancy revealed

"Let her out of TYC," said Allan Hubbard, spokesman for Lamar County District Atty. Gary Young. "Hell, she's done a year for pushing a teacher. That's too long."

Hubbard also backed away from claims he and Young made this week in numerous media interviews that the judge in the case, Lamar County Judge Chuck Superville, had had no choice but to send the youth to prison because her mother had testified that she would not cooperate with probation officials had the judge sentenced the teen to probation.

On Thursday, Young's official Web site contained this assertion: "This juvenile's mother (Creola Cotton) told the judge she would not comply with conditions of probation."

But a review of the full court transcript shows no such testimony. In fact, Creola Cotton repeatedly answered "yes" when asked in court whether she would comply with any conditions of probation that the judge might impose.

On Friday morning, after an inquiry about this discrepancy by the Tribune, the district attorney's Web site was altered to read: "Through her actions of non-cooperation, Ms. Cotton told the judge she would not comply with conditions of probation."

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hwitt@tribune.com ******************************************* Like I said, we'll never know all the details, but- this is precisely why people should learn to listen to both sides, rather than assuming everyone the law says is guilty, is guilty. And, everyone who thinks their punishment might be too hars, may be right... Being open-minded never hurts. At least be open-minded enough to hear both sides.

 

Well, as beautiful as the Bay Area of California is, the gas prices are arguably the ugliest thing there...

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/223/popup/index.php
?cl=2251580

Texas seems to follow-suit with everything California does...
I hope we don't follow them to $4.00.

I was ticked last night filling my ride up at $2.64/gallon last night, but, I still remember the $3.05/gallon right after Katrina & Rita in 2005.

I for one, an SO sick of all these BS excuses from the gas companies.  They have been gouging us since 2005, whenever they feel like it... Did gas futures recently start getting exchanged at the NYSE?  In 22 years as a licensed Driver, and for $20 years of paying for my own gas, I never saw gas prices change with the news, blends, seasons, middle east tensions, and expectations of a particular type of hurricane season...  As if 2005 was the first year severe hurricanes foudn their way into the Gulf of Mexico.

Teens Kill Service Member for $5,000 tax return money.

Teens Kill Iraq Vet for $5K

Associated Press | January 24, 2007
DETROIT - Three teenage relatives have been charged in the death of an Iraq War veteran who was gunned down and robbed shortly after cashing a tax refund check for more than $5,000.

Steven Johnson, 15, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, while his brother, William, and cousin, Duane Johnson, both 17, were charged with conspiring to rob and kill Bush. All three were arraigned Monday.

Authorities said Duane Johnson's mother had prepared the tax return for Terron Bush, 24, who was confronted by a gunman as he left a check-cashing store.

Bush was shot once in the abdomen as he handed over his money, but the gunman shot him three more times, his cousin, Dwight Bush said.

Another cousin, Gerald Bush, was shot once in the back as he tried to flee the gunman. He was released from a hospital Saturday but still has a bullet lodged near his spine.

Terron Bush had a fiancee and a 4-month-old daughter. He served aboard a Navy aircraft carrier during the war in Iraq.

**********************************

I know vengance is the Lord's, but these guys are in need of some earthly vengance BEFORE they go to meet the Lord... This is ridiculous.

This boy (Duane Johnson) knew Terron Bush, and knew (either by advise or witness) this guy was going to get that money... I wouldn't be surprised if this conspiracy web doesn't get big enough to snag the mother too. After all, she knew exactly what he was getting back because she prepared the return. That might be hard to prove, but I'm sure the Detroit PD is still digging. Unless he (Duane) was sitting there watching his Mom prepare this kid's return, how else would Duane know where to be and when to be there to get it from him? In fact, knowing that Terron knew him, he HAD to have planned to kill him, otherwise, he knew he'd be identified...

I've never robbed anyone before, but I think you have to be pretty doggone STUPID to rob someone who knows you; unless you don't plan to leave winesses... But over $5,000?! I wouldn't do that for $50,000,000,000.00

This remeinds me of 1991 when that woman (IN DETROIT TOO) had her brother kill her husband because she thought he'd return from the war in a casket- therefore giving her $100,000 - $200,000. When he came home unscratched, she sent her brother out there to "scratch" him, permanently, which he did.

Last I heard, they are both in prison.

I don't know if I'm just late to the party, or if this is news to everyone, but I was stunned at the latest rung being placed on the ladder of lunacy.

This lady accused a 4-year old child of sexually harrassing her. Sexual... Harrassment... A 4-year old. This is the most idiotic thing I've heard of since the woman accused a kindergarden student of sexually harrassing her daughter a few years ago. Admitedly, sexual harrassment is a very serious, and unacceptable thing. But, Jeez- you've got to draw the line somewhere...

If you are a parent, it goes without saying- babies are fascinated with breasts if they were breast fed. Mommies, the neighbors, or whomever hold them. If my son notices you have an ample amount, embarrassing as it may be (for us, who are trying to stop him) he is going to investigate. Most women simply laugh it off, because he is still an infant. But, to formulate the thought to accuse a 4-year old of sexual harrassment, lets you know how truly warped some people's minds are.

Apparently he hugged her, then put his face in her breasts, and rubbed his face side to side... So?! If you are a teacher, why are your breasts on display? Who's the REAL pervert here? If the child was 10, 12, 35 :-) I'd say that was harrassment. But a 4 year old?

I don't know what made her press forward with the accusation, but apparently it has backfired big time. It seems people from Kansas to Hong Kong fired back at the news station and the school district.

Read more by cutting and pasting this link into your browser.

URL: http://www.kxxv.com/Global/story.asp?s=5801056

This may offend some, but that is not my intent. My intent is to only vent a little bit, and go on about my day. Courtesy of Uncle Sam, I have traveled to several countries, to include Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Japan and South Korea. Never once did I get offended by how these countries celebrate their holidays. I even saw what looked like swastikas in South Korea- and wondered how those were allowed to fly. But, I was informed that that symbol represents something quite different in South Korea. I’m sure I’m not the first to wonder what was up with that; but, I see South Korea didn’t change to accommodate anyone. I didn’t get offended when I heard Muslim prayer blasted across loud speakers in Dharhan eight times a day. I was in their presence- who was I to be offended by their culture?

Yet, every Tom, Dick, Harry & Jane that comes to the United States, or anyone with a mentality that looks for something to be offended by, voices their displeasure, and we all have to change to accommodate them. These people need to watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, and listen when Spock says, “The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few? (Or the one…)”.

The latest (Seattle’s removal of their Christmas tree so they would not offend anyone, on the threat of a Rabbi, for Chrissakes) is just something that boggles the mind. What is even more stunning, is the airport’s decision to do so… What’s next? What subtle pressure will we bend for next?

We continue to sway with the winds, any time any one is offended. We do whatever we can not to offend, depriving ourselves of our own enjoyment. So I ask you, what’s next? The streets are public- will we be forced not to decorate our homes so we don’t offend the non-Christians and atheists driving in our community? Do we tear down the churches so the sight of them don’t offend the non-Christians and atheists living in our community?

Since the news of OJ’s latest attention-grabbing fiasco hit the news, TV reporters and water-coolers have been abuzz with dialogue about it. Are you gonna watch it? Will you buy it? Will you read it? My answers: Maybe, no and no.

As we all know, OJ was acquitted in the murder trial, and found “liable” in the wrongful death trial, and forced to surrender many of his possessions. I'm not taking up for OJ- after all, he might be guilty. Nevertheless, he was tried by our system of law, the same system that allowed a Plano woman who killed three of her kids two years ago, to be set free from a mental institution, back on the streets this week. It's a flawed system, but it's ours.

For better or for worse, our criminal justice system found OJ not guilty. Whether we feel he's guilty or innocent, is irrelevant. That should’ve been the end of it. But, it wasn’t- the trial moved to “Civil” court. In my opinion, this should never have gone to "Civil" trial. That was the result of an upset public and a lawyer capitalizing on it. I doubt if Ron Goldman or Nicole Brown’s folks got a nickel of what they took from OJ, it was probably all owed to the lawyers.

Some are upset because OJ allegedly still owes money for the wrongful Death suit? Sorry, but I wouldn't have paid that either! Not willingly, that's for sure. I am "acquitted" of the murders in my criminal trial, you're going to sue me, and WIN in a civil trial, because some lawyer convinced you that I "could've" done it? THAT I COULD HAVE DONE IT? What kind of rule was that? I'm "guilty" or "liable" because someone thinks I "could've done it"? Heck, I could have been the DC sniper, but I wasn’t, but it could probably be “proved” that I could have been… Would I be liable?

I know this is probably gonna draw fire, but I don't care- perhaps it will also draw a sensible conversation as well.

I was born American. As you read my profile on the right, you can see that I've done what was asked of me, in defense of this great nation. Many days I wish I had not chose to end my career after 10 years. If I had stayed, I'd be an E-8 (First Sergeant) or perhaps a Warrant Officer 2 or 3 by now, with 10 months left until my retirement... But, it's water under the bridge now.

What puzzles me, is the borderline hostility that seems to exist between the Democratic and Republican bands. I know our system is inherently controversial- a system of checks and balances, but my goodness. Have you all read some of the crap people write about each other- not only here, but in other debate forums? Demo-Rats this, Stupid Republicans that... Have we become so polarized in our ideals as a society? That if you're not with me, you're against me, is so juvenile.

Every time I read some of this stuff, I can't help but think about Star Wars. Jedi -vs- Sith. The only problem is, it's hard to tell who has the red light-saber and who has a blue one. I’ve heard equally stupid remarks from both sides. If you are always left, or always right- then you’re almost always wrong. No sane person is always this way or that way, most thinking people find themselves on the fence until a decision is made. I certainly hope we base our votes on what we think is the best choice, and not on carrying a party-line agenda.

Rape is not a practice human beings should undertake, but to try to "get with" your own mother reaches a level of sickness surpassing even Jeffrey Dauhmner (sp).

I guarantee you, this is the sickest thing you have ever read.

URL: http://www.kltv.com/global/story.asp?s=5599487 (Cut & paste this into your browser) Excerpt from KLTV-7, Tyler, Jacksonville.

What I'm trying to figure out is, how could he figure he'd get back at his BROTHER by raping their MOTHER?!?! (What the ....?!)

19 year old: You stole my girlfreind? Well, I'll show you! Mom's on the couch, passed-out, drunk... Watch this.

Sick-sick-sick...
Prison is too good, chemical castration is too good.
Way too good.

Have we become a nation of irresponsible people? I wonder...

I don't know about you, but I get so sick of hearing...

She's depressed.
She killed those kids because she had post partum depression.
My son has ADD.
My daughter has ADHD.
If I give him a Mountain Dew, he acts a fool.
Red Bull should be outlawed.
He gets silly if he doesn't take his medicine, you know he's bi-polar..

We're quick to try to "diagnose" and "medicate" a problem, rather than give these folks what they really need. It's too late with the adults, but with the kids there's still a chance, if we give them what they need... (And you KNOW, what they really need) It rhymes with "Pass Ripping"...

I tell you what, the FIRST day the school calls my house, and tells me my son has been acting a fool in the classroom.. I'm gonna tighten him up in a manner he will not soon forget. Then, watch how he can take the proper mental steps to prevent the school from calling the house. Since the teachers are powerless, the parents have to parent. I haven't been a parent long, but I was a kid for 18 years, and let me tell you... Momma didn't play...

If a person is truly crazy, they need to be in an asylum, not out here with the rest of us, being a medicated ticking time bomb.

I'm not an expert, but, in my non-expert opinion, I believe all of these excuses (ADD, ADHD, Bi-polar, etc..) result from parents being a friend to their kid, rather than the parent to their child...

What do you think?