The Martin Anderson Case

For those of us who live in New York, we have been bombarded with the news of   the shooting of the 23 old groom, Sean Bell and his friends by five police officers outside a strip bar in Queens. There are now many questions surrounding the shooting, not the least of is why the officers shot 50 times at the group of young black and unarmed males. In fact, the case has also received some about amount of national attention as well but, what has not made news is the case of Martin Anderson. 

Martin Anderson was a 14 year old teen who had lived in Florida when he was sent to boot camp in Hillsborough County by the Florida juvenile court system which found him guilty of committing some miner crimes . Shortly after he arrived on January 5th, he was surrounded by 7 police instructors and one camp nurse. The eight employees proceeded in beating the young African American male until he passed out. The next day Anderson died from the trauma he received from the beating. The original report from the local coroner’s office listed the death as a blood disorder but, thanks to a video of the beating and nearly one year of police investigations, the 7 ex-instructors have been arrested but the nurse is yet to be found. The case forced governor Jeb Bush to close all of Florida’s state run boot camps.

While Martin’s family has come out as being satisfied that their son has finally gotten justice the question must still remain as how such an attack came to be in the first place. The question itself is rhetorical but, must be asked nonetheless. Like Sean Bell, Anderson was a young black male killed before he could reach the prime of his life. While the lynching of African Americans is certainly nothing new, it is an issue that the media and politicians tend to shy away from. One possible reason might have to do with the large number of cases involving police officers. There seems to be a sense in the United States that any action the authorities take is always justified, look at the Rodney King beating or the Amadou  Diallo case. Not one officer has been charged in either of those cases. With the Amadou Diallo shooting, the police changed their story three times. But, there are a few differences with the Martin Anderson beating. First, he was so young, 14 in fact. Second, he was already in custody at the time of the beating. And third, Anderson was assaulted less than a day after his arrival at the boot camp.

Perhaps the worst part of the lynching was by the media outside Florida. On a national level, there seemed to be a virtual media blackout of the case. Such cover ups tend to be common but, at this point, unlike the before mentioned cases, there are officers who are not going to walk free this time around. And perhaps thats the bigger story. For more on this story check out the links below. Until next time. 

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Iraq Has Slipped Into A Civil War

How Iraq slipped Into A Civil War

While Iraq slips ever further into civil war George Bush is desperately looking for international support from those nations in the Balkans that were part of what was known as the, “Coalition Of The Willing.” After that he will, head to the Middle East to meet with Iraqi president Naouri Al-Maliki. Most Washington insiders believe that George W. Bush will try his best to put pressure on Maliki to reduce the violence in not only Baghdad but also in the greater Iraq. This is not to suggest that Bush is looking to reduce American troops in the area but, he his seeking a way to reduce the casualty of U.S. troops in an effort to depoliticize the war. But, it shouldn’t take long before he realizes it’s a lost cause. Here is a closer look at situation in Iraq.

For the first time since 1959, Iraq is now Sunni. There forces have proven beyond any reasonable doubt that their militas can strike anywhere in the country and have taken control over most of the nation states that were once Iraq. Moktada Al-Sadr has the strongest militia of the Shiites along with reverence of many Iraqis outside his sect but, he is forced to fight both U.S.troops along with Sunnis. He is a very powerful force in central Baghdad but, in the hinterlands, Sunni forces have been slaughtering Shiites and clearly have the upper hand. This a is complete  reversal from the days of Saddam where Shiite forces ruled under the banner of the Baathist party and had enjoyed weapons provided by the Western nations. But, today, their attacks while great in number are unable to change the tide in their favor. The Kurds are still in the last safe zone in the country and there is no reason believe that they have illusions of taking control. 

Despite being known as the U.S’s man in Baghdad, Naouri Al-Maliki knows that he is falling from power faster than Ngo Din Diem did in 1963.  And because of this, he has chosen the road that seemed the most unlikely a few months ago, he is seeking the help of U.S. enemy Iran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran has been at odds with the U.S. since he came to power. The largest area of contention is Iran’s  nuclear program. While Ahmadinejad insists their program is for peace means only, Washington has been pushing the idea that the program is being used as an effort to create nuclear weapons. But the latest intelligence finding states that Iran is still at least ten years away from having the capability to build any nuclear weapons. Washington has been doing their best to pressure NATO to issue sanctions on Iran which has been vetoed by both China and Russia. Even so, Naouri Al Maliki knows he has is running out of both time and options. Iran also fears a destabilized neighbor since it is probable the the Iraq’s situation will spill over the border. It is because of this fear that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has chosen to help Al-Maliki. Iran maybe the only chance to prevent the destabilization of not only Iraq’s immediate neighbors but, also the entire region. So despite Bush’s distaste for Iran’s government, it is odd that even he refuses sit down with  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The U.S. troops in Iraq are like a child hanging onto a horse in a full gallop. They are holding on for dear life at this point. In fact they are little more than a milita in Iraq these days. They have no control over any province, those under are Sunni rule now. The troops have been able to do little while Iraq slipped into civil. One must assume, that much of the abuses being pinned to our soldiers are from frustration and anger. This is not to excuse the abuse, rather, we are seeing the climate of Vietnam all over again.

For more information see links below. Until next time      

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How The Department Of Children And Families Failed The Mentally Sick

  

For those who fall into the category of normal, the prison experience is dehumanizing at best, at worst, it can turn small timers into broken down human wreckage, drug addicts or much worse. For the the mentally ill, it is an experience that is goes beyond ones fear of hell. For one major reason, the often violent environment of prison lacks the contusive atmosphere that a mentally sick individual must have in order to get through each day. The lack of training that police receive in dealing with this population leads to abuse and in some cases unindented shootings of the mentally ill. So it is little wonder why so many families in Florida are up in arms over the situation the Department of Children and Families have put their loved ones into.

At last count there are  222 mentally ill patience in prison waiting for their transfer to a state hospital that can care for them. Florida law states that these inmates must be transferred within 15 days after their arrest but, unfortunately many go months before they are moved to a mental facility. And for patients like Joseph Van Buren, this has his wife extremely worried. Joseph entered the prison system while attempting suicide. When the police arrived, he fought them off but, was found incompetent to stand trial. He also suffers form  schizophrenia with symptoms of  auditorial  delusions. It is believed his desire to silence these voices led to his attempted suicide. He is also known to fall into mental stages where has his wife stated, he didn’t recognize her.

This situation created by The Department of Children And Families could lead to the arrest of the head of the agency, Lucy Hadi. Under her watch the state of mental care in the Tampa area has  deuterated to the point that judge Debra Behnke feels forced to speak out. She questions why they expect anyone would follow the law after witnessing the stages of corruption within the DCF. And she is certainly not the only one who is pushing for meaningful changes to be made in the agency from top to bottom. But one most wonder if the imprisonment of Hadi is going to make any difference. For one thing, the list of those prisoners that are waiting for a transfer is long and has helped to create this log jam. Second, corruption is like cock roaches, if you can see it then the problem is far worse than you think. And getting rid of Hadi still leaves the foundation in place.

For more information, please check out the link below. Until Next time. 

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Art Centers, Last Place For The Unknowns

Art Centers, Last Places For Unknown Artists

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I decided on putting politics on the back burner for the rest of the week. Below is a link for a story that focuses on a subject that gets far less attention than it deserves. Art centers seem to be the last beacons where poor artists can possibly get noticed, sort of community centers for painters if you will. This is important of coarse since very few venus exist that can truly be called the art of the people. Very often we see studios for up and coming artists, which is all fine and good but, unless you know someone in the business, you have very little chance of getting anywhere.

One can only imagine the change of fortune for someone like Vincent Van Gogh had he access to these artists centers. For many this is where the more popular and unknown artists can rub elbows, but as is the case with any other business, its a cutthroat game that only those with connections survive. In fact, art is a grave yard for failed artists. But, gain this is why these centers are so important, they act as tools to level the playing field. The fact that next to anybody can show their work at these places really opens up the possibilities for the unknowns. 

While it is true that anyone who shows their works should have some training and education in the field art, along with some talent, we should keep in mind that many exhibits that we have seen have shown that some of the most educated painters can also be the worst artists. Some shining examples, are minimalist painters, or as I like to call them, lazy artists. Here, there is no form which is essential for anyone. A dot in the middle of canvass represents an old joke in the art community, that is to say, the nothingness, which is represented by the dot, in the minimalists life is the art. As Pollack more or less stated, artists in this medium have the wrong aim. In his view, and mine, the artist should create from that which is outside his or herself. That art should be created for the purpose of the art itself if any of this makes any sense.

So with the Holidays coming up, instead of getting your loved ones more crap that they don’t need, try taking them to an art show at your nearest center.

Until next time   

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More Troubles For Bush

George W. Bush has left Vietnam today and his now headed to Indonesia. His trip to Vietnam was a two fold move. First, it was an attempt by Bush to breath new life into a policy of open free market relations with the South East Asian Country, a policy that was struck down in congress last week. The most surprising aspect of the defeat is that it came at the hands of a Republican lead congress. Second, it was part of Bushes tour leading up to what is primarily an economic summit. George w. Bush is doing what he can at this point to breath new life into an other wise dead policy by visiting Vietnam. He took a tour from everywhere fromHo Chi Minh city’s stock market to hospitals. The good will move seems to be more amessage to the U.S. Congress than it is a PR move for the Vietnamese people. But it seems unlikely that Congress is going to back down from his stance.

 

The other reason for this move is certainly an attempt to create support for the war in Iraq. The issue has been so contentious here at home that in a move that no one expected, one of the most hawkish Washington insiders in American history has now come out against the war. Just today Henry Kissenger has stated that the Iraq warcan not be won. kissenger is hardly one to criticize an American war and so when he so he showsany concern over the conditions involving a potential U.S. defeat, the country generally listens.And it is on this wave that the Democrats are building support for the withdraw of U.S. troops.Their message is that as long as U.S. troops are the security force in Iraq, it’s Government has no need to take on the responsibility themselves. But, GOP 2008 president hopefuls like John Mccain is pushing George Bush’s stay the course message. Other Republicans and generals have even gone so far as to suggest an increase in troop levels. This flies in the face of the American voter who have expressed their discontent with the war and by in large don’t believe the war is worth the lives and money that has been spent over the last several years.

The war has even caused ill feelings toward the U.S. as far as Indonesia. According to reports, protesters are planing to meet Bush the moment he lands in their country. The protesters range from teachers, to house wives to cab drivers. These protests are a sign of how far separated that the United States is from our allies. The uniter seems more and more to be the divider.

Finally, if all this is not enough, the price of gas is on the rise again and as we have seen, U.S. polls concerning Bush’s popularity usually goes up or down according to the price of gas. Nation wide, the price has risen by two dollars a gallon and with his latest numbers at only 31%, one can only imagine how much lower his numbers will fall.

For more on this check out the links below, until next time.

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More Florida Election Problems

With what has become an on going problem since the 2000 elections, we now have yet another situation concerning the Florida voting process. This time the candidates are Republican Vern Buchanan and Democrat Christian Jennings. As of now there are more than 18,000 uncounted votes which could drastically change the outcome of the election. The original results showed a Vern Buchanan victory however, his margin of victory was only 400 electorial points, far less than the uncounted votes. And as was the case in 2000, there are also many questions surrounding the accuracy of the electronic voting machines used in most of the Florida counties including Sarasota county. The machines at the center of this controversy are made made by Diebold, the number one contribute to the Bush campaign in 2000. But, unlike seven years ago, watchdog groups like Voter Action now know what to watch for and this maybe the good news in the whole ordeal. The Tampa Bay watchdog group “Voter Action” was all over the case even before Jennings office demanded a recount. They even went so far as to denounce the voting machines as faulty and open to fraud, a claim that is not unfounded by the way. So when the machine recount showed roughly the same results as the first count, the group joined Jennings office in going to the courts to demand a manual recount. The court has granted both parties the requested recount which is a policy shift from the Bush-Gore campaigns where, thanks to Katharine Harris and John Bolten, that recount was halted. It could be days and even weeks before the final results are reached but, at least some semblance of a fair election will be reached. Some in the Sarasota, including those in Christian Jennings office have even suggested a re-vote which was been firmly rejected by Vern Buchanan’s office. His representatives have stated that they are against a re-vote along with a second recount. One office person stated that the first recount should have been good enough for the county of Sarasota to move on and give Buchanan his 400 point victory. But, there is still so much doubt surrounding the first results that any shift one way or the other will undoubtedly bring a slew of court proceedings. In such a climate, a paper ballot recount at this stage of the game would seem to make a great deal of sense. This is something that the courts may ponder but, it seems unlikely to happen for one reason. The Republican is in the lead and Jeb Bush is still Governor of the state. He is also unknown for scrub lists and derailing legal cases that go against his parties best interest. Whatever the final result, we now at least should be thankful the courts are doing their jobs in assuring a more fair outcome. This is not to say there won’t be any funny business but, it should be lessened. Until next time.

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Castro’s Health And The Future Of Cuba

Castro’s Health And What It Means To The Future Of Cuba

While most of the Western world is focused on the Middle East both in the concerns with the war in Iraq and the blood bath in Gaza strip, very little attention is being paid to what very well could be the end of an era. According to various sources, the health of Cuban president Fidel Castro is in some question. Many inside Washington believe he is in the terminal stages of cancer and probably will not see 2007. Castro gave up his position to his brother Raul shortly before he went in for surgery. Since then there have been very few sightings of him and even fewer over the last three+ months. If we are to assume that his health is in fact failing the obvious question that must arise is, what is the future of Cuba and it’s people.

Fidel Castro has out lived virtually every American president who has put a price on his head, from Kennedy to Reagan. For members of both U.S. political parties he has served as the great specter of the cold war in our own backyard. His very name for years has brought chills up the spine of Washington DC. And while the hysteria has certainly been blown out of proportion, it is not without merit. Most history analysts agree that the Cuban missile crises is the closest that either side came to escalating the war to a full blown active engagement. But, let us not forget why the situation reached such a critical stage that surely would have signal the end all life on the planet. Before the missile crises, there was the Bay Of Pigs and before that, there were no less than 30 attempts by the CIA to remove Castro from power , either by coup or by assassination. So it should come as no surprise that he formed an alliance with the Soviet Union. Any country leader in their right mind might have done the same for the self preservation of his or her country, a fact left out of most of our history books. Since he came to power, the opinion of the Cuban people towards  Castro has been between Castro supporters who feel he is the great savior who removed the western invaders from their country and those pro-Batista right wing land owners who have been looking to resume the selling of Cuba’s land to investors. Either way, the one thing that neither side can deny is the fact that he has been able to keep his country together through almost five decades of being under an embargo. Despite what is reported in North America, he is still well loved in Cuba by the vast majority of the country.

So what is next for Cuba now that it appears Castro’s health is quickly failing? The answer is really quite unclear at this point. Several months ago now George W. Bush stated that the U.S. would hasten the fall of Fidel and prevent any communist successor. The pretext for such an invasion was being sold to the American people by U.S. ambassador to the UN, John Bolton. He stated that Cuba was buying and creating weapons of mass destruction that it was selling to the Iranians. But with the recent events concerning the down fall of the neo-cons such an attack now seems unlikely. If history does in fact repeats itself here, we can assume members of the Cuban right wing who currently reside in Florida could very well be armed, trained and backed by U.S. forces in the same manner that has been the history of the U.S. dealings with South American Governments we did not like. Such a plan would allow Bush to bypass any dealings with congress altogether. 

The moment the news broke that Castro’s health was failing, the AP reported that many of the Fortune 500 have been salivating like Pavlov’s dogs. And if Iraq is any indication, than we know how much George W. Bush will act in the interest of those who line his pockets. But, this is one scenario.

It is important to remember that Raul is not Fidel and might be willing to make concessions that his older brother was unwilling to make. Chances are that he will not be able to hold the country together over the long run like the elder Castro managed to do.

Until next time.     

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Iraq War Rolls On

   Iraq In Focus

John Mccain’s recent remarks on “Meet The Press,” about the war in Iraq shows an all too clear fact about the party. That is to say, you have a universal accepted state of denial permeating throughout the GOP. Mr. McCain is still putting forth the notion that the United States still has a chance of winning the war in Iraq. The reverberations of 1968 and G. Gordon Liddy’s stance on Vietnam are ringing all over again. Like Liddy to Nixon, McCain and the rest of the party continue to play the role of enablers to Bush concerning what has to the greatest crises in the Middle East since the Iran/Iraq war. And as we’ve seen with last election, George W. is paying the price for having so many yes men, and women, around him.

George W. Bush is to meet with the Iraq Study Group today for what we must assume is an attempt to find some way of getting out of Iraq in a fashion that allows this adminstration to can claim victory. But, that is going to be much easier said than done. According to one pentagon insider, there is no “magical bullet,” that can remedy this situation. Which is further bad news for Bush since he is still barely hanging on to any respect he might have had since 9/11. But, times have truly changed.  Repulicans are now bellowing that had Rumsfeld been gone sooner, the Republicans would have kept control of congress, that they would eventually find a solution to the war. This is the same message that they have depended on for the last three years and we now see exactly where it has gotten us. He is a man without a party. Even  Shakespeare couldn’t come up with a better fitting tragedy to a more twisted character. “This is the winter of our discontent…” 

Now the future of our role not only in Iraq but, also in the future of world affairs maybe on the shoulders of Democrats. They must now decide if bipartisanship is more important than than repairing the U.S.s image in the World and there message has been mixed. On one hand, the Dems are calling for the withdraw of U.S. troops in the next four to six months. However, we must see how aggressive they are going to pursue that agenda. Bush has already said that he will not pull troops out until we, “complete the mission,” whatever it is at this point. so look for this to become a possible clash of the : titans for the next two years.

On the other hand, the Democrats have already said any possible impeachment of Bush is off the table. Why, one may ask. Simple, the process is long and financially expensive. But more importantly, it is also an ugly process that would play into the hands of the GOP. Democrats are looking forward to 2008 and don’t want to look as if they are attempting to get revenge for the bad blood of the last 6 years. There are many questions that should be raised in this situation though. First off, are we to have no discussion over the thresh hold of tolerance our government should have towards blatant crimes towards it’s own citizens and the world at large? More importantly, is how many times can our constitution be raped and torn to shreds before the legal means of charging high level criminals must take place? These are but two questions now taken off the table.

One of the recommendations that the Iraq panel has already made is that Iran and Syria must be involved in process of seeking peace in the country. This leaves Bush in an ironic position since the two countries have been labeled as parts of the axis of evil by Bush and his cronies. It is highly unlikely he will take any advice concerning talks with Syria or Iran, as history shows.  Also, as reported by CNN, Bush is calling for the international isolation of Iran, not exactly a diplomatic effort when it comes to talks.

For more on this story see the link below

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Last Thoughts Of The Election 2006

Poor Donald Rumsfeld, always the loyal soldier and perfect barrier for George W. Bush. Rummy has been the fighter on the ropes getting the snot beaten out of him because of the failed policy in Iraq, despite the fact that he wasn’t the architect of the harebrain and illegal agenda to invade in Iraq. In fact, if one were to take an honest look at who should be taken to the chopin block over the current situation in the Middle East, it would truly have to be Dick Cheney who worked on the blue print of this invasion in 1991 along with Paul Wolfowitz. Back in those years it was called the Wolowitz doctrine then later was renamed, “Rebuilding America’s Defenses,” the manifesto of the Project For New American Century. You can read more about this in one of my earlier blogs, “Meet The Project For The Last American Century.” 

So with the rise of the blue flood in Congress, there is no doubt George W. and Cheney needed another useful idiot to take the fall for their misdeeds. And this is where Rumsfeld comes in. He was no longer serving his purpose in keeping the heat off Bush and the rest of the GOP, one only needs to take a look at Bush’s latest approval numbers, 34% and the current congress, 18%. It was clear that he had to go, farmer Bush took him behind the barn and ended his misery. But, the situation in Iraq will continue to take its course under a new Defense Secretary, Robert M. Gates or anyone else that takes the position, as long as U.S. troops are still in Iraq. Like Scott Mcclellan before him, Donald Rumsfeld is a convenient fall guy, he is unpopular and acts as a bulls eye on the back of the GOP. The problem is, just because he is now gone, doesn’t mean a single problem has been solved. Quite to the contrary, the problems will only get worse since the sources of the problem will still be in place, corporate greed,  The Project Of The New American Century, lack of oversight and so on and so forth.

What will be missing is the oversight that the Democrats have been promising, along with the scrutiny from the public. In fact, Rumsfeld has been a lightning rode in the back of Republican party.  So in the end, there is little reason to believe anything positive will come from the change. Sacking Rumsfeld is not unlike the arrest of Al Capone, sure you get ride of someone who deserves it but, you do nothing about the problem itself.  But we’ll see.

Until next time.

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The Killing Floor

As was expected, the Democrats retook the House last night. Needing only 15 new seats, along with keeping their own, the picked up at least 29 as of Wednesday afternoon.  The issues have been mounting up against the Republicans all year, ranging from the Mark Foley scandal to the War in Iraq and let us not forget about George Bush’s 34% approval rating. While the take over wasen’t a tidal wave, it was a slow flood.

By 11:00 oclock it was appreant the Democrats and regained control over the House for the first time in twelve years.  The states fell into place one by one, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey and so on and so on.  There were several nail bitters and a few losses but, all in all things went as predicted. In many ways it was not for the reasons given by the mainstream press. The economy was also a major factor.

While George Bush touts the statics that state of the unemployment rate has lowered. What Bush and most economists on the right forget to mention is that, when one is unemployed for over a year, he or she is no longer counted. They become lost, nolonger even a stat. Most of the time it is more important to look at why numbers work out the way they do than looking at the surface of the issue itself.  Unfortunatly this was an issue that was widely ignored.

So now that the Democrats are kings of the Hill again, and possibly the Senate, the Dems also received another present Rumsfeld is gone.

 Until next time.

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