MORE DOLLARS SPENT ON MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR FELONS IN FEDERAL PRISONS THAN ON NATIVE AMERICANS IN SPITE OF GOVERNMENT'S OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE TREATMENT UNDER A 1789 AGREEMENT
                                               Posted  June 30, 2009---Fred Kelly Grant
 
     My good friend, Ted Howard, Cultural Resources Director of the Shoshone Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley, sent me this heartbreaking story of the cruelly painful death of a five year old girl who suffered needlessly because of misdiagnosis and plain medical neglect.  As I read this story, with thoughts of my five year old grandson in mind, I once again feel personal anguish over the broken treaties, agreements and promises of the Government of the United States in its sovereign relationship to the Native American Tribes.   Our government pays more attention to treaties with foreign nations, even unfriendly and antagonistic nations,  than it does to its commitments to the Tribes and their peoples.
 
    Ted tells me that the story is a familiar one, that similar tragic cases of misdiagnosis and neglect in treatment have occurred on the Duck Valley Reservation.  Shameful it is!!

Promises, promises
Indian health care's forgotten victims
BY Mary Clare Jalonick Associated Press Writer - 06/15/2009

Wrong diagnosis leads to death of child from cancer in Crow Agency, Montana

CROW AGENCY - Ta'Shon Rain Little Light, a happy little girl who loved
to dance and dress up in traditional American Indian clothes, had
stopped eating and walking. She complained constantly to her mother that
her stomach hurt.

When Stephanie Little Light took her daughter to the Indian Health
Service clinic in this wind-swept and remote corner of Montana, they
told her the 5-year-old was depressed.

Ta'Shon's pain rapidly worsened and she visited the clinic about 10 more
times over several months before her lung collapsed and she was
airlifted to a children's hospital in Denver. There she was diagnosed
with terminal cancer, confirming the suspicions of family members.

A few weeks later, a charity sent the whole family to Disney World so
Ta'Shon could see Cinderella's Castle, her biggest dream. She never got
to see the castle, though. She died in her hotel bed soon after the
family arrived in Florida.

"Maybe it would have been treatable," says her great-aunt, Ada White, as
she stoically recounts the last few months of Ta'Shon's short life.
Stephanie Little Light cries as she recalls how she once forced her
daughter to walk when she was in pain because the doctors told her it
was all in the little girl's head.

Ta'Shon's story is not unique in the Indian Health Service system, which
serves almost 2 million American Indians in 35 states.

On some reservations, the oft-quoted refrain is "don't get sick after
June," when the federal dollars run out. It's a sick joke, and a sad
one, because it's sometimes true, especially on the poorest reservations
where residents cannot afford health insurance. Officials say they have
about half of what they need to operate, and patients know they must be
dying or about to lose a limb to get serious care.

Wealthier tribes can supplement the federal health service budget with
their own money. But poorer tribes, often those on the most remote
reservations, far away from city hospitals, are stuck with grossly
substandard care. The agency itself describes a "rationed health care
system." The sad fact is an old fact, too. The U.S. has an obligation,
based on a 1787 agreement between tribes and the government, to provide
American Indians with free health care on reservations. But that promise
has not been kept. About one-third more is spent per capita on health
care for felons in federal prison, according to 2005 data from the
health service.

In Washington, a few lawmakers have tried to bring attention to the
broken system as Congress attempts to improve health care for millions
of other Americans. But tightening budgets and the relatively small size
of the American Indian population have worked against them. "It is
heartbreaking to imagine that our leaders in Washington do not care, so
I must believe that they do not know," Joe Garcia, president of the
National Congress of American Indians, said in his annual state of
Indian nations' address in February.

Statistics staggering
When it comes to health and disease in Indian country, the statistics
are staggering.

American Indians have an infant death rate that is 40 percent higher
than the rate for whites. They are twice as likely to die from diabetes,
60 percent more likely to have a stroke, 30 percent more likely to have
high blood pressure and 20 percent more likely to have heart disease.

American Indians have disproportionately high death rates from
unintentional injuries and suicide, and a high prevalence of risk
factors for obesity, substance abuse, sudden infant death syndrome,
teenage pregnancy, liver disease and hepatitis.

While campaigning on Indian reservations, presidential candidate Barack
Obama cited this statistic: After Haiti, men on the impoverished Pine
Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota have the lowest life
expectancy in the Western Hemisphere.

Those on reservations qualify for Medicare and Medicaid coverage. But a
report by the Government Accountability Office last year found that many
American Indians have not applied for those programs because of lack of
access to the sign-up process; they often live far away or lack
computers. The report said that some do not sign up because they believe
the government already has a duty to provide them with health care.

The office of minority health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, which oversees the Indian Health Service, notes on its Web
site that American Indians "frequently contend with issues that prevent
them from receiving quality medical care. These issues include cultural
barriers, geographic isolation, inadequate sewage disposal and low
income." Indeed, Indian health clinics often are ill-equipped to deal
with such high rates of disease, and poor clinics do not have enough
money to focus on preventive care. The main problem is a lack of federal
money. American Indian programs are not a priority for Congress, which
provided the health service with $3.6 billion this budget year.

Officials at the health service say they can't legally comment on
specific cases such as Ta'Shon's. But they say they are doing the best
they can with the money they have - about 54 cents on the dollar they
need.

Patrick Dorinson, Political communications strategist and commentator:

Margaret Thatcher:  “If you want anything said, ask a man.  If you want something done, ask a woman.”

George Carlin: “… women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid.”

Farrah Fawcett: “God made men stronger but not more intelligent.  He gave women intuition and femininity.  And, used properly,        that combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I have ever met.”

 

ITS TIME FOR A WOMAN TO LEAD CONSERVATIVES OUT OF THE POLITICAL SWAMP

 

 

    Seriously, isn’t it time that we look for our equivalent of Margaret Thatcher or Golda Meir?  A woman committed to conservative and responsible government, a government responsible to the people who are the source of its authority.  A woman with intelligence, finesse yet strength, an aura that automatically brings respect, and the good common sense that has let women keep families together through all of history.

   Please, before going any further, spare me from saying we have the leader in Sarah, the earmark queen of mayors before it became politically necessary to oppose them.  She may have had her place in the past election, even though for the life of me I don’t know what it was.  But, she is not a viable leader for true conservatives.  The political philosophy of Buckley, Goldwater, Reagan, Will and Brooks, requires a deeply intelligent, articulate thinker---who can also strongly lead.

  Such a woman is in existence somewhere in this land.  I fully believe we need to find her.  As each of the male governors who have lined up for being tabbed a “leader” goes down the drain, it should become evident that we need to switch gender.  From Louisiana, we lost a governor when he flopped so miserably in responding to the Obama budget message; from South Carolina we now have lost an adulterer who actually asked permission of his wife to bed down his mistress; from Florida we have a governor who is so remarkably fitted to liberal thought that he might as well be running as a Democrat. 

   And, if you insist on actually considering Palin, consider that she has had two major appointments rejected by her own Republican legislature:  her appointment of a personal buddy for attorney general was badly defeated, and her appointment to a fish commission which was a political pay-off was rejected (the first time that a commission appointment was ever rejected).  A Republican governor who cannot get two executive appointments past a Republican legislature is at best pretty weak.  Her only success since helping bring the party down has been getting an apology from David Letterman.  Not much of a credential for leadership.

   A woman who is a true conservative will have a baggage free path to leadership.  Her call for restricted government spending can be real because she has not failed to accomplish it in a government setting.  Her call for limited government can be real because she will not have failed to accomplish it in a government setting.  Her call for morality in government, for pursuing moral issues, will not be hollow because of her failure to accomplish reaching morality in a government setting.

    A new path she will be following, a path easy for the vast number of independents in this land to follow.  There is no doubt in my mind that the independents now make up a majority of the eligible voters in the nation.   Barack Obama won the election by over 10 million voters---that is a landslide in view of the elections over the past twenty years.  Why did he win? Because that many Americans favor left wing policies and unlimited spending?  Of course not.  He won because he was new and interesting and offered a new course.

   What conservative male politician in this land can offer that newness, that level of interesting attraction?  I suggest that there is not one. 

   How many independents in this country would follow a leader like Margaret Thatcher who was the last effective leader of the English government---like Golda Meier who was a fierce, but thoughtful leader of Israel during one of the most critical times in its history.  Or a liberal leader like Indira Ghandi who created a power base in India to lead her country through a perilous time in its history.  She served as prime minister from 1966 through 1977, lead India to victory over Pakistan and presided over the entrance of India into the nuclear powers of the world, thus attaining international standing that has relegated Pakistan to a secondary status. (You may remember that she so infuriated Richard Nixon that he referred to her as “that woman”, and in one phrase forever damaged the Indian-U.S political relationship). I suggest a huge majority would follow such a leader.

   Stop and review the run that Hilary Clinton made.  But for some stupid mistakes made by Monica’s friend, she probably would have won the nomination.  Bill’s mistakes were so blatant and obvious that many believe they were intentional because he couldn’t face being the First Gent to Hilary’s presidency.

   A conservative woman can win the independent majority that will be needed for victory.  Last night I read a comment on Facebook by a woman who said that she was no longer supporting the big spending, “pollwhorish” Republican party.  She referred to herself as a constitutional Darwinist.  Such thoughts, even though not stated in such original, colorful, and imaginative fashion, are becoming more and more prevalent.

    Women of America, where is the woman who can lead us?  There better be one coming forward soon if the conservative philosophy is going to be represented in our political life for the next generation.

Patrick Dorinson, Political communications strategist and commentator:

ON A DAY WHEN SOUTH CAROLINA CONSERVATIVE GOES DOWN FOR SEXUAL

DALIANCE, THE SINFUL ANTI-SEMITIC STANCE OF A FORMER LIBERAL PRESIDENT AND AN ICON OF EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY EMERGES AGAIN

 

It is probably only fitting that on the same day that Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina faces plenty of free time for dalliance in the “paradise” of Argentina’s beaches adorned with a bikini clad friend, the old anti-semitic views of liberal president Richard M. Nixon and Evangelical icon Billy Graham should emerge again.

At least it shows that stupidity and divisive non-Christian abuse are not a special character flaw of just conservative Republicans.  These character flaws affect the so-called liberal wing of the party too.

On the day after Sanford was caught by an alert Columbia State newspaper reporter getting off an airplane bringing him back from his bed-down, newly released tapes of a conversation between Billy Graham and Richard Nixon point up even more proof of their anti-semitic views.

In a Chicago Tribune column of March 1, 2002, James Warren reported:

               Rev. Billy Graham openly voiced a belief that Jews control the American media, calling it a stranglehold during a 1972 onversation with Richard Nixon, according to a tape of the Oval Office meeting released Thursday by the National Archives.

                 “The stranglehold has got to be broken or the country’s going down the drain,” the nation’s best-known preacher declared as he agreed with a stream of bigoted Nixon comments about Jews and their perceived influence on American life.

                 “You believe that?” Nixon says after the “stranglehold” comment.

                 “Yes sir”, Graham says.

                 “O, boy” replies Nixon, “So do I.  I can’t ever say that I believe it.”

                  “No, but if you get elected a second time, then we might be able to do something” Graham replies.

   H.R.Haldeman was also taking his historic notes of the meeting for his diaries.  He noted that Graham had the strong feeling that the American problems rose from  Satanic Jews.  Haldeman wrote of a discussion as to the “terrible problem arising from the total Jewish domination of the media,and agreement that this was something that would have to be dealt with.

   Haldeman reports that later in the conversation, Graham mentions that he has been invited to lunch with the editors of Time magazine.  Haldeman said to Graham “You meet with their editors, you better take your Jewish beanie.”

    Nixon,now in full anti-semitic performance, talks about Jewish influence in Hollywood and in the central news staffs, saying that the Life, Newsweek,New York Times and Los Angeles Times “are totally dominated by the Jews”. He called Howard K. Smith, David Brinkley, and Walter Cronkite “front men who may not be of that persuasion” but are controlled by their writers are “05% Jewish.”

     Graciously, Nixon acknowledges that not “all the Jews are bad.”  Condescendingly, he says “the best Jews are actually Israeli Jews”  [Not in my backyard?]

      Graham says that Jews swarm around him and want to be friendly with him because he is publicly friendly with Israel.  “They don’t know I really feel about what they’re doing to this country”

     And, Nixon chimes in “You must not let them know.”

All of this diatribe of course was released in 2002.  But, just yesterday the Archives released another batch of the damning tapes, and these reveal a telephone conversation between the great evangelist and the forlorn president.

Graham talks about strong anti-semitism in this country.  Nixon responded “Anti-Semitism is stronger than we think. You know,its unfortunate.  But this has happened to the Jews.  It happened in Spain, it happened in Germany.  It’s happening – and now its going to happen in America if these people don’t start behaving.”

Nixon continued “They better understand it quick because there are elements in this country,not just the Birchers, but a lot of reasonable people that are getting awfully sick of it.”

Then, to top off his day of slurs, Nixon said “It may be that they have a death wish.  You know that’s been the problem with our Jewish friends for centuries.”

Ah yes, the same President who considered Judaism when picking a member of the Supreme Court in 1971.  Nixon was upset with the press for speculating as to who he would appoint to the Court.  Advisors were recommending that he appoint a judicial scholar and mentioned Edward Levi, dean of the University of Chicago School of Law.  (He would later be summoned to DC by President Ford to straighten up the Department of Justice mess left by Nixon and his minions.)  Nixon responded negatively, “not that Jew.”  Instead he appointed Rehnquist,as what he thought would be a joke on the news media.

    Well, the one big surprise to me was that Billy Graham, who truly thumped the importance of the Commandments, who constantly promoted publicly that Jesus “was a Jew” as he praised the ancient religion, was so deceitful, such a lier.  Nixon’s role did not surprise me.  I wouldn’t have bought a used car from him from the time he emerged on the scene in 1950 as a rabid anti-communist.  Don’t get me wrong, I was and am opposed to communism, but I didn’t go around making it the center of my life. I always suspected that the worst of the communist baiters, with a compulsiveness about their attacks, were also “anti-everything else that isn’t classified American”.

   The stories that chronicle the appointment of Rehnquist “as a joke” on he columnists, point out that Rehnquist told two very big lies when he was questioned under oath at the confirmation hearings.  David Greenberg, history professor at Columbia University, writing for Slate.com, points out that Rehnquist lied about writing a memorandum arguing that complete segregation of Blacks was constitutional (while he was clerking for Justice Jackson; Rehnquist said Jackson directed him to write it; Jackson later strongly denied such instructions) and about working for Goldwater to intimidate Blacks and Hispanics from voting.

   These latter day revelations make the confirmation hearings appear really important don’t they.   Why not just put 12 names in a hat and pull one out, and then name him/her to the Supreme Court.

  Hard to believe that as late as 1972 the President of the United States and the chief pastor to presidents would so openly discuss their anti-semitic beliefs.  Would be hard to believe, if it weren’t the case even today.  Anti-semitic charges come to the fore even today in the halls of congress, and in communities all around our so-called “melting pot” nation.  It is always interesting to me that the only people who brag about the nation being a “melting pot” where every body comes together happily are anglo-saxons.

   Frankly, between Graham, Nixon and Sanford, I will take Sanford. I have a feeling that God will forgive his adultery far faster than he will forgive secret hatred of His chosen people.

ANGER!

One of things that every trial lawyer, writer, politician, columnist, world or national leader, town leader, and consultants to all should avoid at all costs is ANGER.

 

It should be labeled as the worst of all evils in the package of evils which tempt us all, at all times.

Yesterday, I let anger slip in and pretty much ruin a day of solid work.   I was angry with myself for letting certain segments of my book Justice My Ass get “lost” through computer snafus.  We are on a crash move to get the book in final form for the publisher, and the stress of my computer woes just finally got to me.   Our rush is because we need cash input to keep our efforts for landowners to continue.

It is terribly expensive to hold together my staff in Idaho without which I could not function.  All the help I give Colorado, Wisconsin and other states, could not be given without Staci, Jon and Mary---as well as part time help when necessary to get out mailings.  The fact that they are family helps in that they sometimes can wait for pay, but I insist that they be paid commensurate with their talents.

So,the stress of getting this book ready finally got to me and I yelled and through a chapter into the air.  That pretty much threw the entire office off course, and we all had to retire to our homes for work.

Anger is wasteful and hurtful.   Last week I grew angry when two very close friends insisted on dealing with an issue close to their interests, when it would have meant quicker implementation of some programs crtical to the ranchers for whom I work in Owyhee County.  That anger has imperiled relationships which I have developed for the better part of a decade.  Wasteful, hurtful, and very non-productive.

Last Saturday night I watched the Boise Burn arena 2 football team play with little enthusiasm.  They are ranked 4^th in the nation, standing just 2 games back of the number 1 ranked Spokane team.  Boise was not inspired, and they were losing to a 4-6 Stockton California team.  With about half a quarter left in the game, Stockton had the ball and was moving, and were 2 points ahead.  A very bad homer call went against Stockton which meant a major penalty.  The Stockton head coach lost his cool, and how.   He got right in the face of the referee, had to be restrained by his home team,and got a major bench penalty.  The result was a turnover through fumble recovery by theBurn, a penalty that moved the Burn to the Stockton five yard line, and ultimately a Burn touchdown that turned the tide of the game.

The coach wouldn’t let go of his anger. He continued to stare at the referee and shake his head every time the ref looked back at him.  As a result, three more quick penalties were called, and the Burn capitalized on each.

Anger cost Stockton a big upset.

I remember a crucial basketball game between Boise State and the dreaded U of Idaho Vandals.  Our seats were right behind the basket, second row.  My son is as loud a fan as I am.  He got on one of the Vandal players----a real non favorite of ours because he played for Meridian high school, an arch rival of our Nampa high school.  My son got on him pretty steady, and finally the kid broke, looked at my son and offered to take him outside.  In his anger he had removed himself from the game.  He did not recover, his head was gone from the game.  Every time down he court he looked menacingly at my son, head completely out of the game.  He missed a couple of vital free throws and was out of position for several rebounds.  Boise State won.  To the surrounding fans, my son was the hero of the game.  Anger had cost the Vandals an important league game.

Anger stands in the way of professional performance every time it raises its ugly head.  Two vice presidents have been far less than useful because of anger: Dick Cheney and Spiro Agnew (the nattering nabobs of negativity).   Anger on the part of the Reverend Al Sharpton prevents him from achieving his dream of being as well respected as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

How many times are relationships endangered throughout the nation on every day?  We will never know, but I have to guess thousands of times a day.

Anger endangers relations between nations.  Donald Rumsfeld was an angry man and it showed.  Robert Gates is not, and it shows.  Gates was an incredibly impressive choice by Obama to continue working the Afghanistan-Iraq morasses through to victory.

In my work as a prosecutor, I saw anger bring down drug dynasties.  When an informant got angry because of a slight or even a perceived slight, the critical information became ours, then the distributor or dealer was ours.

I often tried to invoke anger in my opposing counsel in a trial and then watch his case sink slowly beneath the waves. One such event is detailed in the chapter of Justice My Ass devoted to defense attorneys.

The evidences of anger are seen every day in domestic violence cases, divorce and custody cases, assault cases, arson cases and other personally directed criminal cases making their way into courts in every jurisdiction in America.

Anger will not go away.  But, those of us with a brain that works should not succumb to such a base flaw.  I regret the loss of yesterday,not only the loss of a workday but the loss of a day at work with my whole family helping out;  I regret the “at best” setback of two personal relationships that I treasured, and “at worst” destruction of them.

As I relive my years in Baltimore and  Chicago while putting together Justice My Ass, I remember the scowling Papa Bear George Halas roaring along the sideline of the Chicago Bears in Memorial Stadium in Baltimore---not angry, just looking angry; eh steadfast Vince Lombardi commanding along the Packer sideline in the same stadium, catching a player coming out of the game to teach him what he done wrong and how to do it better, a commanding but not angry figure of a successful leader. 

I remember an obviously upset Johnny Unitas who had just thrown a long pass to a rookie, Willie Richardson, a pass which would have been a sure touchdown.  Willie had his hands on the ball and dropped it.  Unitas walked that hobbled walk out to the end of the line of scrimmage to wait for Willie.  When he got there, Unitas talked right into his eye, shaking his finger at him.  As they went into the huddle, several of us regulars said “the rookie won’t get any more this game.”  On the next play Unitas threw the exact same route to Willie who grabbed it and went in for a touchdown.  In post game interviews, Willie was asked what Unitas said to him.  One writer prefaced his remarks with “Johnny seemed to really mad”.  Willie reported that Unitas said to him, “lets let them think I’m mad at you.  Run the same route and this time look that ball right into your hands. I’m counting on you cause you can do it.”

Iremember when the Orioles went into a dry spell the first year they had the great Frank Robinson in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds.  Some intra-team squabbling started, as a result of self anger at performances.   Frank initiated a court system and made young Paul Blair the judge, arbiter and sentencer.  After each game the biggest boo-boo was selected in the court and fined.  The whole attitude of the team changed through the hilarity that followed some of the nominations for boo-boo, and soon the Orioles were on their way to a pennant and world series victory over the LA Dodgers.

I remember a game between a heavily favored Oregon State basketball team led by the imminent coach Ralph Miller,coming into the Pavilion to “take out” Bobby Dye’s Broncos.  The match up to watch was Gary Payton who later called himself the “glove” in defensive battles with Michael Jordan, for Oregon State against Chris Childs of the Broncos.  Childs got under Payton’s skin early, and stayed there. Payton’s anxiety turned to anger, leading to several turn overs, missed shots, missed defensive opportunities, and an unsportsmanlike penalty which gave childs two critical free throwns.  Childs’ mental work on Payon was every bit as impressive as was his physical effort.  Boise State won a game it really shouldn’t have won just on the merits of the teams.

I apologize for my anger yesterday and will tell my family;  I apologize for my anger last week and will tell my former friends.

I will pray that I don’t let anger interfere with the critical work that lies ahead this week, for the Colorado farmers, for Wisconsin, for Kansas, for Montana, and for the Owyhee Initiative.  It is such a useless, unsatisfying sin.  I can remember a basketball coach who used to yell out to a player when the referee called a ticky tacky fouls: “next time make ‘em feel it, make I worthwhile”.  Some sins make you realize you did wrong through the heavily loaded pleasure and delight you feel.  It makes It easy to repent.   But, repenting for anger is doubly bad because there was no pleasure and no delight.

We are so close to being done I cant resist printing another short from the book Justice My Ass!

 

Prosecutors

 

          The prosecutor’s presentation on trial day begins when he/she leaves the car at the parking lot.  This is true whether the city is big or small, urban or rural.  The person getting out of the next car may well be one of the pool of prospective jurors that have been called in for that day’s trials.  The prosecutor won’t know it, and the other person probably won’t know the prosecutor.

 

        When the jury pool comes into the courtroom for the selection of the trial jury, the prosecutor won’t  recognize that juror from the parking lot, but the juror will recognize the prosecutor.   So, everything that the prosecutor did in getting out of the car, and on the way into the courthouse and to his office  may, and probably will, have been observed----and remembered.   The difficulty for the prosecutor is that the juror is not going to say “I have no trust in you because I saw you do x this morning.”

 

 If the prosecutor has not acted professionally, he/she may end up with a juror who already has no confidence.   And, to be successful,  the prosecutor must have the confidence of the jurors.  Jurors must believe that the prosecutor is not going to steer them into an incorrect verdict, so they must trust the prosecutor.

 

       From the time the jury  pool  arrives for trial jury selection, the prosecutor must continue to act very professionally.  This doesn’t mean that he/she can’t be jovial with the other people in the courtroom,  but it does mean that he/she can’t be seen as being overly friendly with the defense counsel, and certainly not with the defendant.  I always ignored the defendant as though he/she was not in the courtroom----I didn’t want to appear hostile, yet I didn’t want even the slighted hint that I considered the defendant  to be a human being with human feelings.

 

       The jurors became the center of my attention when they arrived.  I watched all of them coming through the door,  smiling when one of them smiled, making sure that they all saw that I made eye contact with them.  During the general voir dire questions by the judge, I turned my  back to the judge and watched  the jurors as they listened to the questions, and then as each person offered any information in answer to the questions.  If one of the jurors stated a reason why it was really critical economically or family wise to avoid jury duty, I made sure I was first to suggest to the Court that he/she allow the juror to be excused.    I wanted it to appear to all the jurors that I cared about them as human beings, and  I didn’t really want someone on the jury who was going to be concentrating on  something other than my case.

 

Fred Grant

On this holiday to honor fathers I am running another blip from my dads book. I only wish I could have seen him in a courtroom, but proof-reading his book has given me all new reasons to be proud of him! Happy Fathers Day Dad!

 

 

    A good trial lawyer must have a personality that can convey intense feeling, the ability to use emotion when called for, and to rely only on reason when called for.  A good trial lawyer must have, or at least understand, common sense.  I have never seen a good trial lawyer who didn’t understand common, plain, everyday people, as well as sophisticated elitists. 

    A jury can be made up of weird combinations of all kinds of people, all races, all nationalities, all income levels, all educational levels, all retention levels, all interest levels. The good lawyer must be able to relate to all of them, without over-emphasizing any one of the groups.  A good trial lawyer understands, even if he doesn’t appreciate, all types of music, literature, movies, sports and entertainment.  He/she is a person who can relate to all people and all activities.

Set aside Iran for a moment. When did the United States start this policy of only talking to people we agree with? Throughout the Cold War we had embassies in Moscow and the eastern European states in the Warsaw Pact. We eventually had an embassy in Peking. Our ambassadors and even presidents had meetings with vicious dictators who murdered millions of their own people and threatened to attack the United States.

(We have “interest sections” in countries we pretend not to talk to---Cuba for instance.)

My theory is that conservatives became “meeting averse” when they saw every summit with a Soviet dictator as an opportunity for the establishment press to demand that we sign some disadvantageous treaty with Moscow. Knowing of this pressure, the Soviets could negotiate aware that if we failed to agree with their treaty our own press would call the president a failure—i.e. Reagan’s refusal to fall for this trick during the Iceland meeting with Gorby.

My modest proposal is to recognize those folks with guns who run territory---Cuba, Iran---even if they are not nice and do not deserve to be in charge. We did this with the mother of all dictators Stalin and Mao. We didn’t lose our souls or confuse our own people. Only when you say we only recognize or meet with good guys does recognition or meetings convey moral authority.

Lots of meetings reduces the “pressure” to have an agreement come from each meeting. Meetings could be a time to learn and listen. And we could practice saying “no” to bad ideas.

Now how do we transition from a world where Americans think that when we agree to chat with someone we like them to one where we chat to inform and learn? Starting ten years ago would have been wise. Starting now is less stupid than starting ten years from now.

Patrick Dorinson, Political communications strategist and commentator:

Another hypocritical politician gets caught in an extramarital affair and we hear another lame excuse followed by an apology to his wife followed by the obligatory “we sought counseling” cover story.

From a former member of Promise Keepers, a group founded to promote marital fidelity it is doubly hypocritical. But I guess he can start a new group called Promise Breakers. I hear John Edwards is available and could be the chairman with Bill Clinton, chairman emeritus and David Vitter serving as executive director.

 

There remain many questions. Did he come forward now because he was ashamed or because he was about ready to get caught? My guess is the latter. Was he actually going to go to New Hampshire and Iowa as a potential 2012 Republican candidate and ask for support knowing this was out there? Did he not follow the John and Elizabeth Edwards kerfuffle? Was he going to ask people give up their lives for two years to join his nascent presidential campaign knowing that this ticking time bomb could go off at any moment?

Why doesn’t he resign?

As POLITICO reported, when Larry “Wide Stance” Craig was caught in the Minneapolis Airport men’s room in a police sex sting operation, Ensign came very close to telling Craig to resign when he told the AP, “I wouldn’t put myself, hopefully, in that kind of position, but if I was in a position like that, that’s what I would do.” In 1998 he called on President Clinton to resign over the sex he did not have with “that woman”.

If a man will cheat on his wife and break his sacred pledges to her, what do you think he would do to the taxpayers? An oath is an oath whether in marriage or elected office.

I’m sorry senator but you need to take your own advice and resign.

TODAY, A BIG DAY IN HISTORY---by Fred Kelly Grant

June 18 has been an active day for big events through the years.

War of 1812    In 1812, James Madison, the fourth president announced the beginning of the War of 1812, the first war declared by the new United States of America.

Susan B. Anthony votes for president.  In 1873, the pioneer of developing women’s rights, Susan B. Anthony dared to vote for president of the United States and was fined a whopping $100.00.

 

Amelia Earhart flies      In 1928, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly, alone, non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean.  (I hope that in person, she had the characteristics and joy shown by the Amelia Earhart who comes to life in Night at the Museum II, a Night at the Smithsonian)

 

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN   In 1940, the days were dark in Europe as Hitler’s assault on world civilization seemed unstoppable.  His Panzer tanks had overrun the Magineaux defense line which had been set up by the allies, running the entire British Expeditionary Force to a beachhead at Dunkirk, across the Channel from home.  The entire British force was at the brink of destruction.  For the last few days of May, 1940 and to June 4, English boats of every size and description ferried troops across the Channel to safety in England.  The transporting of nearly 400,000 troops by fishing and supply boats from row boat size up, was called a “miracle” by Winston Churchill.

On June 18, the French government was about to agree to a surrender to the Nazis, and the German force appeared to be massing to invade the British isles, just across the Channel from France.  Winston Churchill delivered a speech to the House of Commons, broadcast to the public, which many call his greatest speech.  It summoned the courage of the British public, and was said to have inspired leaders in the government of the U.S. who were considering getting assistance to England.

In that speech, Churchill pointed out to the members of Commons, but more importantly to his people, that the fight would be ferocious,and would be basically theirs alone.  The most famous lines in his speech, some say the greatest lines in any speech in history follow:

“What General Weygand called the battle of France is over.  I expect that the Battle of Britain is almost to begin.  Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.  Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire.  The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us.

“Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war.  If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.  But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science.

“Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say ‘This was their finest hour’”

What the British people endured during the coming Battle of Britain, as their air force held off German attacks and the people endured months of missile attacks, certainly earned them the accolade.  As for Churchill, he continued to invigorate the people, and continued to shame the U.S. until finally we began to furnish equipment, supplies and ammunition to the British.

His stand with the British held up the Nazis until the U.S. was finally ready to enter the war full bore after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and did in fact lead the  protection of Christian civilization.

 

JOE LOUS, THE BROWN BOMBER BEATS BILLY CONN IN FIGHT MANY CALL HE GREATEST HEAVY WEIGHT FIGHT EVER.     In 1941, the great American heavyweight champion, Joe Louis, successfully defended his title against Billy Conn on June 18 before an out door crowd of over 50,000 in New York’s Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants baseball team.  In Pittsburgh, where the Giants were playing, the baseball game was delayed so that the fight could be heard by the crowd over the pa system.  After the fight the baseball game continued.

The Brown Bomber had won the title in the late thirties, and had captured the American public as a hero when he knocked out German champion Max Schmelling in the first round.  Hitler had talked with Schmelling on the telephone just before the fight.  The fight had taken on a United States v. Nazi power contest, and Louis’ quick and dynamic win endeared him throughout the nation.

Conn was a skilful fighter, and he gave up his lightheavyweight title to fight Louis.  He fought and dodged for 12 rounds, and was leading on two of the three judges’ score cards.  But, in the 13^th, sensing that the champion was weakened, Conn ignored his corner and waded in to trade punches with the champion.  At one point early in the round, he appeared to stagger Louis, but then the champ came back with a hard right that stood Conn up straight, and then a barrage of blows by Louis put Conn down for the count, a knock out that saved Louis’ championship.

I remember well the Louis fights that we listened to by radio.  Once when we were driving to South Carolina for vacation, dad planned ahead to camp out on the night of a Louis defense of his title.  He was afraid that we wouldn’t get a motel with a radio (yeah, young folks, we had no television in those days), so he planned to camp so that we could hear the fight on the car radio.  So, we did; had supper around a campfire and gas stove that dad used in camping, and then sat and listened to the fight on the car radio turned up to maximum volume.  Once I remember we were a movie on the night of one of his fights.  The only reason dad would go was that he knew they would stop the movie and broadcast the fight.  We sat, listened to Joe batter some guy into submission in the second round, and then after the very brief interview with Joe, the movie resumed.

I remember one night, dad hustled home after work, mom had supper ready, so that we could be in the living room to hear the Louis fight on the radio.  Just as the fight was ready to start, one of dad’s customers at the service station came to the door to have dad “listen” to his engine to see if he had any idea what was wrong.  Dad hustled out to the front, listened and told the guy to bring the car in the next day, came back in and they were interviewing the champion who had knocked out his opponent in less than 1 minute of the first round.  Joe Louis fights were NOT to be missed.  Like the speeches of Franklin Delano Roosevelt---movies would be halted so that the president’s speeches could be heard, then resumed.

 

Great day to celebrate.  Wonder what people will remember from today, 2009?

THIS IS THE DAY----

   #1. On the list for This is the Day------    That millions of Americans, in 1994, sat glued to their tv screens for at least an hour, watching nothing but a driving of cars at speed limits going down a freeway in Los Angeles.

     I have heard hundreds of very smart and discerning folks say that they were just mesmerized and didn’t seem to be able to break away from the normal speed chase by what seemed hundreds of “light blinking” radio cars---all chasing at normal speeds a now famous “White Bronco”.

     Yes, on this day in 1994, the strange odyssey of OJ Simpson began for most Americans.  I admit to sitting there watching the non-event---knowing that one of the greatest athletes ever to wear the Trojan colors was riding in that Bronco just ahead of what seemed to be an entire police department.  A futile ride, apparently designed to just let him get his head straight before giving up for what he must have known would be a terrible experience.

     I remember thinking, “he didn’t do it, couldn’t have done it, the way they’ve laid out the crime.”  And, of course I was right, because the jury later said so.

#2 for This is the Day----in 1972 that five burglars were arrested and charged with a burglary at the Watergate apartment complex in the District of Columbia.  Something “smelled rotten in Denmark” because the burglary was of the Democratic National Committee offices; why would anyone bother to burglarize the headquarters of a party that was running 30 to 40 points behind King Richard Nixon.  Over the next few years we would find out, and in the process we would see a Vice President resign (Spiro Agnew)in order to ready himself for federal prison, and a President resign in order to avoid being convicted on impeachment charges and thrown out of office.  When Nixon stepped down, we proved that this nation is sound enough to survive through even up to 8 years of incompetence, subversion of American principles of privacy, and obstruction of justice by perverting the FBI, the CIA, and other investigative functions of f the government.

#3 for This is the Day---that Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel in 1956.  Probably the last real chance of reaching some peaceful, if not friendly, settlement of Middle East world endangering issues.  What a remarkable lady.  She made it clear to many of us that it was long since past the time that a sound thinking woman rise to the occasion for the conservative element of politics in the United States.  But, when the time comes for the U.S. political parties to put women in the point of the vicepresident on a ticket, who did we get: Christine Ferrarro (from the liberals) and Sara “I can see it from Alaska” wink, wink,Palin.  Meir was one of the great minds, the great leaders of our time, and very nearly pulled off a remarkable settlement.  She wasn’t “hot” like Palin (some think she is, I am left responseless to her appearance, because the brain and mouth has to be important to sex appeal to me).

#4 for This is the Day---in 1967, the year my son Andy was born, on this particular day the Chinese exploded their first Hydrogen bomb test, shocking the world into the realization that they could now match the payload that the United States could deliver.  It was the first real sign that China was prepared to take its position as the prime threat to the U.S. for world leadership.

#5 for This is the Day---in 1963 the United States Supreme Court issued one of most controversial decisions, one of the most ineffectively researched and analyzed decisions in their history as they  banned bible reading and prayer (in any form) in public schools.  The decision is based on a misinterpretation of the religion clauses of the First Amendment.  Saying a prayer in a public school is no more “establishment” of a religion than the cry in the Supreme Court Chamber, the last words heard by the Justices before they begin each case: “God Save This Honorable Court”.  That is a prayer, a call for sustenance and help.  The decision is a terrible application of an historical misunderstanding of the “establishment” clause; and it is a blatant refusal to consider the other element of the establishment clause: Congress shall make no law “prohibiting the free exercise thereof [the freedom of religion], or abridging the freedom of speech”.  Barring prayer in the public schools “prohibits the free exercise of religion” by a majority of the population, and it certainly abridges the freedom of speech of the teachers and students who are within the school system.  So, our Court in 1963 took the biggest step in its long and not always distinguished career toward misinterpreting the Constitution and imposing on the nation “Court made law” which is absolutely inconsistent with the intent and the language of the Constitution.

Quite a day in our history.  In the next day or so, I am going to think and consider some more the comparison of Golda Meir to the absence of a conservative woman who could take a position of persuasive leadership for the conservative cause.  I have begun to think that no man is right to take that leadership position---it is time for a woman like Meir.  An intelligent, hard nose, stubborn, intelligent (oh, did I say that already), diplomatic, hard fighting with the ability to finesse when necessary, hard driving but not in negative fashion, rather in a progressive fashion woman.

On this day, today, 2009---watching the Baltimore, Maryland criminal justice system tear itself apart with feuding and finger pointing is quite fascinating and disappointing.  Fascinating because when one sees the so-called good guys fighting and scrapping to “do right” in the right way, what real hope is there that this “system” is any better than the criminal portion of the system.

It is intriguing to watch.  We’ll try to keep you up on it here because it certainly fits with our title.  But, if you want more in the drama, we will provide several links where you can follow the independent news reports as well as the obviously biased blogs that are hard at work in “Charm City”.  Today, a murder is being sentenced by a federal jury which convicted him in a case which was  botched and dismissed by the State’s Attorney’s office in a continuing finger pointing battle between the States Attorney and the Police Department.  The feds took on a supposedly unwinnable case (per the States Attorney) and won it, and now the defendant who “walked” on the state side of the street faces life or death.

Also today in the “Emerald City” the Mayor’s chief of staff and a member of the Liquor Commission traded assault charges based on an incident between the two on a harbor cruise.  Apparently, at least at one point, they saw each other socially and decided to bring the relationship to a physical one with blows.  Check out the Baltimore Sun on-line to follow the daily antics in a major city.

Another Taste of the book its almost done!

Success often is determined by sheer luck, but the lawyer has to be prepared enough to take advantage of the luck when it breaks.  When I came back from Baltimore to Idaho, during the first year back I practiced with my friend Bill Brauner whose partner was Jim Doolittle.  Jim was appointed to represent a defendant in a murder trial by Judge Edward Lodge.  Jim had never tried a murder case; he was an experienced insurance trial lawyer but was a little nervous about a murder case.  So, he convinced  Judge Lodge to appoint me as co-counsel to assist him.

The case involved a stabbing death in an Hispanic bar in downtown Caldwell, named the Tico Tico. It was infamous for fights, stabbings and shootings.  Hardly a Saturday night went by without a call to the police.  The bar was crowded on the night of the fatal stabbing, but every witness was “in the bathroom” at the time of the fight.  I went down to the bar to look at the crime scene.  I wanted particularly to see this bathroom.  It turned out to  be just big enough for one urinal and one stall and a cramped sink.  Any more than two people in the room at one time and no one could even move.  But, there must have been twenty people who said they were in there when the stabbing happened.

From Justic My Ass!

by Fred Grant

Patrick Dorinson, Political communications strategist and commentator:

Fighting for the Right-to-Know by Rosemary and Walter Brasch>

All we wanted was to look at some public records from Hemlock Twp., Columbia County. By the time it was over, we were accused of criminal activity, had a legal bill of more than $3,000, and became front page headlines. A citizens group, formed to investigate inappropriate expenses by the township, learned that in four years the township went from a surplus of $373,000 to having to borrow $117,000 just to pay for road projects. The group has already spent almost $30,000 in legal and miscellaneous expenses--and is still blocked at having easy access to pubic records, even though Judy Snyder, one of its leaders, is an elected auditor for the township. The township supervisors, defending many of their actions to block public access, have already spent more than $55,000 of taxpayer funds to fight right-to-know requests and the citizens' attempt to remove the supervisors for malfeasance. One township solicitor, from a Bloomsburg law firm, even told the press the Hemlock citizens were "unAmerican" for challenging the township authority. The township's Wilkes-Barre attorney stated during depositions that if the citizen's group didn't cease its efforts, he would drag out legal proceedings indefinitely until the township went bankrupt.     Supervisors chairman Joe Harvey, when confronted by a weak state law on the public's right-to-know, told us and our attorney, "I don't care about the Pennsylvania law. This is Hemlock Township." And, he may be correct. Our case with Hemlock Twp. is typical of citizens dealing with the state's current law.     Although Hemlock Twp. has only 3,000 residents, it has an assessed value of more than $200 million, with a mall, banks, motels, restaurants, and a major I-80 truck stop. Four years ago, soon after a three-man board of supervisors took office, residents began to hear about bills and payroll increasing drastically. The supervisors soon laid off half the police force, claiming financial necessity. Asking to see where their tax dollars were being spent, the citizens were defiantly refused access to all records. With no other recourse, a citizens' group of over 100 members hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit seeking access. They needed documentation to determine if excessive pay to the supervisors (who were also the paid road crew) or misappropriation of funds had created the crisis.     In July 1999, we attended a meeting of that nearby township, and formally asked for such records under the state's Right-to-Know law. The chair demanded to know why we wanted public records, then rebuked us for not living in the township, although the law applies to all citizens of the Commonwealth.     The following day, we contacted the township secretary to review documents and get the necessary copies. She informed us she was going on vacation in a few days, and no one else in the township knew where the records were or could release any information. We would have to pay her overtime and wait indefinitely to get any records.     A week later, after several unsuccessful telephone conversations, we went to the township office once again to request the financial information the citizens needed. After 15 minutes we left, without seeing the public records, or any promise we would ever see those records. We contacted the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) for assistance. Both state and national SPJ leaders sent strong letters to the township. The township response? Joe Harvey was furious at the "outside interference"--and sent us a bill for $344.99 to be paid before any copies would be made. This included the cost of overtime, staples, paper clips, a toner cartridge, and mileage charges to get the toner and paper clips. (The supervisors also told citizens who were in the offices under a court order to look at certain documents in July that they would have to pay for air conditioning they used.) Despite the supervisors and their solicitor now being aware of the law that permitted citizen inspection of documents, the township would not allow us to look at the records until we paid the bill. We had no way to know if the time and expenses were legitimate, padded, or a violation of state law. The supervisors also refused to let us see any original documents. There was no way to determine if all records requested were provided, or if some records were deliberately withheld or tampered with. We were also told we could not bring in an accountant, lawyer, or other assistance.     Soon after our appearance in the township office, Chairman Harvey ordered "his" remaining police force to investigate us for harassment, disorderly conduct, and wiretapping, although our tape recorder was in plain view. A police officer came to our home and questioned us for two hours. The police officer twice listened to our tape of our visit, then told us it appeared the township staff were harassing us, not the other way around. He reported this to the district attorney who also reviewed the tape. In the end, our fifteen minute office visit had triggered a two month investigation, which ended when the district attorney told the police chief there was no evidence to support any of the supervisors charges.     After Hemlock Twp. continued to block our attempts to gain public documents, our attorney began legal proceedings. We asked the township to release documents and to establish a formal procedure so other citizens would not go through the harassment we encountered. Three months and a three-inch thick folder of paperwork produced a form to request documents. Not the documents we sought. Not a guarantee that citizens would get what they requested. Just a form so citizens could ask for what was legally theirs. But the government still could block citizen rights. The office was open on a random basis, and persons couldn't make appointments to get the information from the secretary.     In three months, SPJ paid over $2,500 in legal fees--and this was at a significantly reduced per-hour rate. Telephone, fax, and postage costs, incurred by us personally, amounted to more than $500. The average citizen cannot afford legal expenses, doesn't have the knowledge or time to pursue such cases, and has no organization to support their efforts to challenge the government's abuse of power.     Pennsylvania has one of the nation's weakest and most ambiguous Right-to-Know and Sunshine laws. Current penalties are so light, and prosecution almost inconsequential, that the public is being denied information that is rightfully ours. Equally important, every political subdivision can use taxpayer dollars to obstruct public access with little fear of repercussions. Further, there is no law to limit the amount of taxpayer dollars a government can spend to block access to public records.     Bills have been introduced into the House and Senate to expand the Right-to-Know law and to penalize public officials who deny citizens the right to look at their government's workings.     The General Assembly and Senate, which approved the 1957 law--which exempted themselves from its coverage--is now faced with looking at proposed legislation. But, the opposition is strong. The Legislature apparently still doesn't want the new law to apply to itself. Gov. Tom Ridge is on record as supporting the extension to the Legislature, and to increase penalties, but opposes most of the proposed reforms, citing an increased bureaucracy that could result. But, 37 states, including neighboring New York which has its own oversight agency, have specific programs to help citizens get public records from their governments.     Opposition has also come from law enforcement and rape crisis centers, which are using spurious arguments to argue that the public shouldn't have access to certain records. Most citizens don't want to know all the details of ongoing investigations by the police or the details of a rape case, or who called 911. These areas aren't even in the proposed legislation. Frankly, just about any criminal can--and will--get this information without the Right-to-Know law. The citizens, not the criminals, merely want to see where their tax dollars are going, and how their governments are being run.     The Governor's press secretary has even haughtily told the media that the access to government documents is something of importance primarily to the news media and that most people don't care about it. But, we can't count on the media to vigorously pursue our rights to information; it is a responsibility each of us must undertake in a free society.     The problem in Hemlock Twp. is not an isolated incident. Many public agencies and governments, perhaps from ignorance, exhibit a demeanor which has a chilling effect on the average citizen, most of whom don't understand the amount of information to which they are entitled. Many officials don't want the people to know how government works because they must think the people . . . just . . . wouldn't . . . understand!     We, as citizens, must make sure that our elected officials do the right thing. Pass stronger legislation to return to us the Constitutional right to be a part of our government by making it easier to look at public documents, and to severely penalize those who deny us our rights.

Killing Reason Itself by Walter Brasch

America's two most popular authors of the late nineteenth century could never imagine their most famous works would be among the nation's most banned books.     Throughout the country, school districts and libraries, intimidated by vocal minorities of parents and special interest groups, many of whom haven't even read the books they are protesting, have banned Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus/Brer Rabbit tales as racist. Huckleberry Finn, after decades as the most banned book in America because of the ideas Twain presented, is now the fifth most banned book of the past decade, according to the American Library Association (ALA).     The book-banners have succeeded with Harris. Today, few Americans know about the folktales; even fewer know Harris's name, making him so irrelevant that the ALA's current book-banning list doesn't even include any of his works.     Disregarding that Huckleberry Finn is regarded by most literary critics as the greatest American novel, and that the Uncle Remus/Brer Rabbit tales were the most accurate literary representation of Black folklore and language of the Antebellum and Reconstruction eras, the critics of the past three decades mistakenly cite the use of the word "nigger" and the American Black English dialogue as "proof" the books are racist.     But, these critics overlook the reality that Twain was a vocal abolitionist who forcefully attacked racism and miscegenation laws. Twain, in fact, used the term, "nigger," to show just how racist it was, calling Huck's friend Nigger Jim, a name Twain made clear was given by Whites.     During the latter two decades of the 19th century, Harris was the nation's second most popular writer, just behind Twain. Even two decades after Harris's death in 1908, a survey of high school and college literature teachers ranked the Uncle Remus/Brer Rabbit tales fifth among American literature.     By the second half of the 20th century, the critics attacked Harris for what they believed was racist portrayals in his books that featured Uncle Remus telling African folktales to the plantation owner's son. These critics undoubtedly weren't aware that Harris, associate editor and chief editorial writer of the Atlanta Constitution for almost 25 years, was one of the nation's most important voices to speak out for human rights and reconciliation during the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction eras. They also don't understand that Remus, a teacher, is actually one of literature's strongest portrayals of a complex character, a slave only by a law which couldn't imprison his mind. More importantly, they don't understand that the trickster Brer Rabbit, the apparently weaker character who uses cunning and mental agility to overcome stupidity and undaunted strength positioned against him, is really an allegorical depiction of the American Black.     Some well-meaning critics also believe the Black English in both Twain's and Harris's works is blatantly racist, an "inferior" language spoken by "darkies," minstrels, and the ignorant. But, linguists have long recognized that the literary depiction of Black English in both Twain's and Harris's works are accurate representations of the syntax, phonology, and lexicon of the Niger-Congo West African language family brought to America during the two centuries that slavery was legal.     In Nights With Uncle Remus (1883), Harris correctly noted that the tales and language were so intertwined that to present them any other way would "rob them of everything that gives them vitality."     The arguments against the works of Twain and Harris are nothing short of "political correctness" gone wrong and stomping upon historical accuracy.     Much of the attack upon Harris probably originated with Walt Disney's Song of the South (1946), a syrupy animation and live-action portrayal of the plantation era. Within a decade, at the beginning of the Civil Rights era, Harris and his works would be attacked, usually by persons who hadn't read his tales and knew almost nothing about their author but had seen the Disney film.     In one of the greatest slaps to Harris's memory, the board of trustees of the Atlantic Public Library in 1982 ordered the name of the Uncle Remus Branch to be changed to the West End Branch. Four years later, the Savannah-Chatham County School District banned a theatrical production of Brer Rabbit's Big Secret. The acclaimed Savannah Theatre Company had scheduled the play, with Black actors in lead roles, for second graders; district administrators, objecting to the "inappropriate dialect," banned it after the first of its scheduled 10 performances. The director said school officials told him the tar-baby scene "might be seen as a racial slur."     Alice Walker--winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1983 for The Color Purple--is one of Harris's most vocal critics. Walker, born in Harris's birthplace of Eatonton, Ga., grew up hearing the Brer Rabbit stories. Harris, said Walker, "stole a good part of my heritage [by making me] feel ashamed" of it. Ironically, The Color Purple is on the American Library Association's list as the 17th most challenged book of the past decade.     Sept. 23-30 is national Banned Books Week, an annual attempt sponsored by librarians, booksellers, and journalists to stop the wanna-be book burners. There have been more than 25,000 challenges during the past decade, according to the ALA.     On the ALA list of the 100 most challenged books of the decade are several popular children's books, including, R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series (no. 15), Robert Newton Peck's A Day No Pigs Would Die (no. 16), J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series (no. 48), Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic, (no. 51), several books by Judy Blum, and even Martin Hanford's "Where's Waldo?" (no. 87).     Among literary classics that have been challenged and banned are Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (no. 3), Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War (no. 4), John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (no. 6), J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye (no. 10), Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (no. 40), Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon, which became the hit movie, "Charley," (no. 43), Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (no. 54), Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five (no. 67), William Golding's Lord of the Flies (no. 68), Richard Wright's {italic} Native Son (no. 69), and Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. On the ALA list of the 100 most challenged books of the past decade are J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, works by Judy Blume, Stephen King, and even Martin Hanford's rather innocuous "Where's Waldo?". Also on the "top 100" list are literary classics written by Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck, J.D. Salinger, Harper Lee, Aldous Huxley, Kurt Vonnegut, William Golding, Richard Wright, and Toni Morrison. Although there are dozens of excuses to ban a book, the one reason that threads its way through all of them is that the book challenges authority, or features a character who is perceived as "different," who may even give readers ideas that many see as "dangerous." Both Huck Finn and Uncle Remus, in their own way, challenged authority.     In 1644, John Milton, speaking before Parliament to eliminate the licensing of books, declared, "As good almost kill a man as kill a good book; who kills a man kills a reasonable creature [in] God's image; but he who destroys a good book kills reason itself."     Milton's words became a vital part of the base for the libertarian revolution that led to the formation of the United States and the First Amendment to its Constitution.

Due to only running half this article yesterday we are rerunning it today in entire form apologies to the readers and writers!

 

TV NEWSCASTER IN EGYPT COMMENTS ON OBAMA’S APPEARANCE

Nermin Nazim, a newscaster for Nile TV near Cairo, Egypt, is a remarkably talented young lady---poet, short story writer, photographer and newscaster.  I have been corresponding with her for sometime now, and she has agreed to share with us her talented work.

But, today, as her first introduction to the blog, we start with some of her coverage of the hope, even though anxious and tentative, that exists in Egypt as President Obama visits.

    Too often we see things only from our vantage point in this country, influenced by local news sources whether they be the popular media that puts spin on everything, or cable and internet writers who also put spin on everything.  The “spin” is either republican or democrat----rarely is it analysis from a conservative or liberal point of view.  Democrats can see no wrong in the President’s administration; republicans can see no right. 

    The number of people who spend valuable time in lives shortening by a day every 24 hours relentlessly targeting the president at every possible moment, instead of moving ahead to  progress, is amazing.  I remember when Bill Clinton was elected and I thought it was the biggest disgrace in our history of electing presidents.  But, I went on with my work, trying to find ways around and through the regulatory nightmare he brought for farmers and ranchers and landowners.  Stopping to bemoan every thing he did was no hope to anyone I was trying to help.

 

        The critics of Obama think that the middle east is just a slam dunk.  Don’t worry about them.  The middle east will always be at war, there’s nothing we can do about it.  Well, something better be done about it, and soon.  Iraq is sitting there as an unsteady nation state based shakily on a coalition that is uneasy with itself and with history; Iran all but has the atomic bomb; and mysterious Syria lurks, watching carefully and waiting.

        Egypt is the forgotten piece in the puzzle.  This dispatch shows that there are some in Egypt who have hope that things can improve, but it is a tenuous hope.

As shown by Nazim’s first comment, the city of Cairo, the nation of Egypt, prepared for the visit in special ways:

“Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia and tomorrow he is to arrive in Egypt and leave in the evening.  I just wonder does Obama have to visit Cairo every day so that they clean it.  Now it is shining and beautiful and they repaired its (holy) streets, and as my friend Elena said, for the centenary of Cairo University they left it unclean.  But look at it now since Obama is giving speech there.  Very Egyptian behavior.”

[Not a lot different than here.   Put on a good show for the visitor and hide the problems faced by the city’s peoples problems in the day to day make-a-living world.]

She reports an open letter to the President:

   “Your choice of Egypt, Mr. President, to address the Muslim world, has pleased millions of Egyptians who view this decision as a sign of respect to the role their country played in the history and civilization of the region.  Most Muslims—and Egyptians as well—are looking upon your presidential term with hope and optimism, awaiting a different era of U.S. foreign policy towards their region.

     We, the millions of people across the world, deamt of the ‘change’ you choose as your campaign slogan.  You experience is inspirational for many people who dared to dream of a new world governed by justice, equality and freedom for all.

     We greatly appreciate your intention to place the reconciliation between the US and the Muslim world among your foremost priorities, attempting to improve the image of the U.S. in the eyes of Muslims and Arabs, and fighting the stereotypes about Muslims in he U.S. since the disastrous 9-11 attacks.

     All your speeches wee replete with promises and compliments, which, though essential, will not be enough to bring about the desired change.  Words must be accompanied by actions, otherwise credibility will be at stake.

     We fully understand that you have enormous challenges ahead, we also believe that the obstacles to change are complex and cannot be overcome except by those who possess the maximum audacity that enables them to achieve breakthroughs in the way of change.

     The entire world is looking forward to a better future where there will be no place for wars, hatred, or extremism.  We aim at reaching (a fair a globalization), that makes the world one family and puts an end to hegemony and unilateralism, preserve

cultural differences, and does no manipulate the identities of nations.

      The globalized world must allow civilizations to coexist rather than clash, cooperate rather than compete, and we live side by side in a unique human existence that carries good tidings to all humanity.

      The road to this world requires several keys to open closed doors and improve our bitter present.

      A fair solution to the Palestinian cause is the first key to win over the trust of Arabs and Muslims who consider this cause the major reason for the negative image in the region for America because of a its unabated bias with Israel in its conflict with the Palestinian people.  If this stance remains the same, there is no reason to think that the situation will improve with regards to the psychological barriers increasing between Muslims and the United States Adminisration.

       The second key is the US Adminisration’s support to nonn-democratic regimes in the region.  These regimes suppress freedoms, violate laws, crackdown on opponents, and increase the suffering of their peoples day by day.  The natural outcome of such policies is the sort of dissatisfaction that breeds violence and terrorism,…. . .

       You need to realize that America’s strategic interests will never be preserved as along as these regimes still exist.  Everyone will bear the fruits of the spread of democracy and end of dictatorship.  A democracy that embraces diverse ideologies or backgrounds is a democracy that will make the world a secure and healthy place.

. . .

      The third key is fighting religious intolerance among people from different regions to preserve the blood of thousands of innocent people around the world.  We all have to admit humans’ freedom to choose their religion, and this religion should not be a reason for any grievance against other humans.  This will never be achieved without sincere  efforts to spread religious tolerance and acceptance of the other, endorsement of dialogue, and emphasizing that our brotherhood in humanity is the essence of our existence.  The political discourse of the previous administration undoubtedly contributed to the rising hostility against Muslims, particularly statements like “new crusades’ and other statements that widened the gap between people from different religions,

        Mr, Obama, everyone is awaiting your speech, but more importantly your actions.”

    After relating this open letter from a young Egyptian, Nazim said “[Obama] is very popular in Egypt, but it is his predecessor especially that is loathed and president Obama is somehow bearing the brunt as he is now expected to do a lot which is of course unrealistic to a certain extent. [But he is seen as]a breath of fresh air.  I would like to share the hope . . .that we will wake up on time before it is too late. You know, one falls really in despair as one witnesses all the evil, injustices, corruption, pollution, but there is always the good and the good side and our great friend HOPE.  The Japanese Ambassador to Cairo stressed that in his interview with me on Nile TV as an agent of building and progress.  I started believing that too and I share it with [all of you].”

        Somehow, this president must have the audacity to make some decisions that keep the Egyptian hope alive in a quickly shrinking world.

         We are glad to have added Nermin Nazim to our contributors.

HISTORIC FIRST MEETING OF OWYHEE INITIATIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Today, June 3, 2009, the Board of Directors of the Owyhee Initiative, signed into law by President Obama on March 30,2009, will hold its historic first meeting.  The Board will open under the chairmanship of Fred Kelly Grant who has served as chair of the Working Group from the time the Owyhee Initiative effort commenced over 8 years ago.

 

The members of the Work Group, representing organizations appointed by the Owyhee County Board of Commissioners to serve as a broad base coalition to resolve land use conflicts and issues became the Board of Directors upon signing into law of the Owyhee Public Lands Management Act of 2009.

 

Today, the Board will organize into non-profit corporate status, adopt its by-laws, then elect officers and begin the work of implementing an historic piece of legislation which was put together by conservation groups, recreation groups and ranchers and landowners. 

 

The first major step of success was completion of six months of work with all members of the Work Group still at the table talking.   This changed decades of strife with little real communication between the groups with seemingly competing interests in the lands in the Owyhees.

 

In May, 2006, the members signed the Owyhee Initiative Agreement which set out the principles and goals to guide development and implementation of the legislation which was sponsored by Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).  Senator Crapo made the legislation a top priority, and has praised the bill and the law as proof that collaboration can and will work if the coalition is broad based and willing to work together to negotiate tough issues.

 

The member organizations whose representatives make up the Board of Directors are Owyhee County, The Shoshone Paiute Tribes, the Wilderness Society of Idaho, The Sierra Club, the Owyhee Cattleman’s Association, the Owyhee Borderlands Trust, the Nature Conservancy, the Idaho Conservation League, the South Idaho Dirtbike Racing Association, the Idaho Outfitters and Guides, Idaho Rivers United, the Owyhee Farm Bureau, the Soil Conservation Groups of Owyhee County, the Back Country Horsemen of Idaho, and the Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep Association.

 

There are many precedents in the law which the Board will implement including a Science Review process by which grazing decisions will be monitored,  an Owyhee  Conservation Research Center which will conduct original research and serve to coordinate research in existence as to all issues relating to species, range management and habit and landscape protection, a Cultural Protection Plan to protect cultural and religious sites of the Tribes, new wilderness and wild and scenic river areas, and land sales and exchanges designed to make grazing allotments more viable.

 

Fred Grant

 

WE DID IT!

HB 300 IS DEAD!

Thank you for all the phone calls and emails to your legislators, and for your support and sacrifices to come to Austin to give testimony to these committees and hung in there when it felt like they weren't listening and would NEVER do right by the PEOPLE of this great State.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with us through these 5 months of hard-fought battles during the session and for many of us, years of uphill struggles to bring accountability and fix transportation policies that are outright rip-offs. Without this grassroots army, the train wreck would have continued unabated with untold damage.

Play by play...
The final version of the bill from conference committee wasn't even posted until 11:40 PM Saturday night. We had 24 hours to read a 1,000 page bill....IMPOSSIBLE! I was able to get a side by side report of the actual, final changes in text (that report was 178 pages!) and managed to inform lawmakers of the horrible provisions still left in HB 300 to give us ammo to KILL HB 300. Read them here.

We put out a call for supporters to meet us at the Capitol yesterday for a last push to prevent lawmakers from selling off Texas highways to foreign corporations and KILL HB 300. When we arrived, word got out that Senator John Carona announced he was going to filibuster HB 300 because his "local option" 10 cent gas tax hike was taken out of the bill.

Support in the House started to waiver as it appeared HB 300 was going down in the Senate. The House bill wasn't eligible for a vote until 11:40 PM, just 20 minutes before the clock ran out. If they couldn't pass it, they still had to pass the safety net bill before the stroke of midnight. It was going to be tricky!

An added wrinkle...
We found out about some chicanery with the safety net bill (after hearing we were trying to kill the sunset bill and push TxDOT's sunset to next session). HB 300 author Carl Isett magically changed TxDOT's sunset date in the safety net bill to 4 years instead of the 2 years as it was originally written. Apparently this was a move to force lawmakers to choke down his anti-taxpayer, anti-reform HB 300 under the guise that it was better than nothing. But rather it smacked of dirty politics to try and say, "you take our bill or get no change at TxDOT for 4 years."

After we made the rounds and staffers were tight-lipped about their reps position for or against the bill, Rep. Vicki Truitt threatened to filibuster HB 300 in the House (following Carona's footsteps, she wanted the 10 cent gas tax hike and was willing to KILL the bill over it).

Then, House Transportation Chairman Joe Pickett at one point threatened to "release the conferees" and call up the senate bill for a vote instead of the House bill hoping to vote it down handily to send a message to the Senate that the House didn't want their bill. School children behave better than these people. The Senate version was chalk full of the WORST provisions imaginable (worst case scenario), including the 10 cent gas tax hike. So I didn't find the move particularly funny. It was an awful scare until I figured out what Pickett was doing.

By the time the dust settled, it was 11:40 PM and they never called up HB 300 (already declaring it DEAD, for all the wrong reasons, but dead nonetheless) and went straight to the safety bill. Now the safety net bill, having been hijacked and no way to change it since all the final version of bills had to have been filed by midnight Saturday, needed to DIE. We couldn't let TxDOT off the hook for another 4 years. But if the safety net bill didn't pass, TxDOT would be dissolved (many would cheer such a scenario, but not lawmakers who live and die by getting road projects built for their districts).

So Rep., David Leibowitz led the charge and stalled passage of the bill and midnight came and went and NO HB 300 and NO safety bill passed.

TxDOT ABOLISHED (for a few hours)
For about 16 hours, TxDOT was officially ABOLISHED! Oh, I slept well last night...

Today, the House was only to do technical changes (like remove conflicts within bills, mismarked section numbers and the like), but they AGAIN broke their own rules and managed to extend TxDOT for another 2 years (which was the original plan, just a lot more messy!) through a resolution. Lawmakers would do anything to avoid a special session, so they snuck the continuation of TxDOT into a resolution on stimulus funds (and where to deposit them).

The House officially adjourned, sine die only moments ago. While we didn't reform the agency and get the GOOD provisions passed, we averted diaster and CDAs, that sell our highways to foreign companies, sunset August 31. If CDAs die, TTC-35 dies with it. The TTC-69 was excepted OUT of the moratorium bill last session (which we vehemently opposed), so CDA contracts for that corridor can continue until 2011.

The local government 391 commissions we've been forming all over the state will now be the only thing (aside from litigation) standing between East Texas and a possible 1,200 foot wide Trans Texas Corridor!

CDAs may have been snuck into another bill somewhere...
With the "chubbing" over Voter ID, many bills died in the House. So the Senate started attaching their bills to House bills and there were a flurry of conference committee reports filed at midnight Saturday with no way to read them all to see if CDAs got snuck into a bill. Considering the House arrived at sine die before the senate today, and since both chambers routinely suspend their own rules, the Senate may have slipped CDAs into a bill today AFTER knwoing for certain that CDAs will sunset this summer absent the passage of HB 300.

What's also uncertain is what happens to the bills that gave RMAs the authority to enter into CDAs if CDAs are going to sunset? Which law will take precedence over the other? So there are many open questions and disaster may be lurking around the corner. But for today, we can enjoy a BIG VICTORY #2!