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Saturday, February 22, 2003 Personal Commentary When I created this web site, it was to post the news about the variety of atrocities that are caused by living in a capitalist society and world. I decided at the time to keep my own personal views out of it, as the subject is far to big and all I can provide are uneducated biases and opinions. However, since I am the creator of this site, I can also bend or break the rules if I want, and I feel like talking about these things today. The Internet In the eight years that I have been on the internet, I have visited a variety of forums and newsgroups, in which it has become evident that there are some times of people who enjoy insulting, degrading, being vulgar, and anything else to those who disagree with their stance. They can be liberal, they can be conservative. All they really are are pests. I frequent the blog of a celebrity who is very popular on the net. He also happens to strongly oppose the War in Iraq and the actions of George W. Bush. Because of these views, people who will not even attach an EMail address to their posts frequent his site, constantly attacking and insulting him. It has frustrated him so much that he has at times contemplated quitting his site and no longer posting. This is something that I run the risk of dealing with as well, assuming that this site ever receives any notice. It is one thing, I think, to post relevant articles, but it is another thing to post controversial opinions. I am sure already that were many people to read "atrocities caused by capitalism" I would get flamed repeatedly. Regardless of this, let's be realistic here. Capitalism has been horrible to this world. Because of the money driven capitalist companies and corporations, third world nations face sweatshops, slavery, dictatorships, and much worse. The face of capitalism is inhumane, even if the people within it are very human, very driven to improve their lives and become successful and comfortable. These companies encourage racism, slavery, inhumane treatment, the use of dangerous chemicals, the use of improper work conditions, and much more. That doesn't mean that capitalism should be destroyed, I think it should be changed. How? I don't know. It's too big for me to grasp. The Government The first problem to face is that the government is capitalist driven, not democracy driven. Democracy is an afterthought in our society, if even that. Both President Bush and Vice President Cheney were at one point the heads of Oil Companies. And believe me, the war in Iraq would definitely benefit Big Oil. This war will put lots of money in the pockets of some already very rich people, at our expense, and at the expense of millions of innocents who had the misfortune of being born in Iraq. The government we live in is not for the people. Well, it is for people, but only for a select few, most of whom we can familiarize ourselves with by reading Forbes Magazine. People like myself, and yourself, who work as wage slaves are abused and used. We have almost zero chance of ever progressing in life, and we are more likely to be struck by lightning repeatedly than we are to become a part of the billionaire elite. The People Our society is comprised of people who have been fed a lie their entire lives. Many of them believe this lie so wholly that to be confronted with anything that contradicts it, they become violent and angry. We want to accept the lie, to live in denial, because to believe that we are treated worse than slaves is something no one really wants to comprehend. The people who live in this society and world are exploited. That is simple, that is true. Those with power hold it over those without, and the idea of changing that is incomprehensible. However, we are people, human beings, and we deserve to know. That is the point of this blog. posted by Unknown at 1:45 PM From the Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) Millions Worldwide Protest Iraq War Coordinated Effort Yields Huge Turnout in Europe By Glenn Frankel Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, February 16, 2003; Page A01 LONDON, Feb.15 -- Several million demonstrators took to the streets of Europe and the rest of the world today in a vast wave of protest against the prospect of a U.S.-led war against Iraq. The largest rallies were in London, Rome, Berlin and Paris -- the heart of Western Europe -- where the generally peaceful demonstrations illustrated the breadth of popular opposition to U.S. policies among traditional allies. But there were also protests in dozens of other cities on five continents, from Canberra to Oslo and from Cape Town to Damascus, in an extraordinary display of global coordination. In London, a sea of protesters estimated by police at more than 750,000 flooded into Hyde Park and clogged streets for several miles on a crisp, clear day in what observers and organizers said was probably the largest political demonstration in British history. It was aimed not just at President Bush but also at Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, who has been Bush's staunchest ally in the campaign against Iraq but who is besieged by opposition at home from virtually every part of the political spectrum. Blair, in a speech earlier in the day, insisted he would stand his ground. But he also said Britain would wait for the next interim report from U.N. inspectors on Feb. 28 before seeking a Security Council resolution authorizing military action. Nearly 1 million people turned out in Rome, where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has also supported the U.S. position. Between 300,000 and 500,000 people demonstrated in Berlin, at the largest rally since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. About 100,000 demonstrators poured through the streets of Paris. Germany and France have emerged as the most vocal opponents of military action against Iraq. Demonstrators in London sang, chanted and shouted slogans while carrying flags, banners and posters with slogans ranging from "Bush and Blair Wanted for Murder" to "Make Tea, Not War." "Tony, Listen to the People," pleaded one poster, while another read, "I'm American and I Care -- Please Don't Think That We Are All Like Bush." Posters calling for "Free Palestine" were also widespread. The demonstrators seemed to represent a cross-section of modern British society. There were entire families -- fathers and mothers with small children in tow -- and elderly people moving slowly but deliberately. Some wore costumes and some were in jeans. There were veteran activists and people who said they had never been on a march before. "We explained to them what this was about and they wanted to come," said Julie Isherwood, whose 4-year-old twins, Jack and Robert, walked beside her with hand-lettered signs reading, "Boys Against War." Lisa Rosen, a lawyer from New York who has lived here for five years, said she felt a strong sense of anti-Americanism from many in the crowd. "Some of my American friends decided not to come, but I thought it was important to show that you can be pro-American and antiwar at the same time," she said. Radicals and moderates shared the speaker's platform. Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London and a longtime left-wing activist, called Bush "a stooge for oil interests" and said he was presiding over "the most corrupt and racist American administration in over 80 years." "This is a man who has sent his own soldiers to die [but] who got his daddy to get him out of national service," said Livingstone. "Where I come from we call that cowardice." Charles Kennedy, leader of the minority Liberal Democrats, the only mainstream British party to oppose the prospective war, said he was not anti-American but was "deeply worried" by the administration. "Given the evidence from Dr. Blix yesterday, there can be no just or moral case for war against Iraq," Kennedy added, referring to U.N chief weapons inspector Hans Blix. Jesse L. Jackson, who arrived here Friday from the United States, said it was not too late to prevent military action. "Turn up the heat," he told the crowd. "I say to Tony Blair, please take a step back from war: Hear the voices of Britain. This war may be your legacy, Mr. Blair. Surely this is not what you want." A beleaguered Blair, speaking earlier at a Labor Party conference in Glasgow, Scotland, warned that the international community still needed to be prepared to confront Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "If we show weakness now, if we allow the plea for more time to become just an excuse for prevarication until the moment for action passes, then . . . the menace, and not just from Saddam, will grow," he said. "The authority of the U.N. will be lost, and the conflict when it comes will be more bloody." Blair said demonstrators were expressing an "entirely understandable hatred of war," but he added, "If there are 500,000 on that march, that is still less than the number of people whose deaths Saddam has been responsible for." In Rome, the protesters massed in the city center in an atmosphere that was half-demonstration, half-carnival, the Reuters news agency reported. Young and old marched arm in arm, some wrapped in rainbow peace flags, while marching bands played and whistles blew. In Brussels, tens of thousands of protesters braved freezing temperatures and fierce winds. Many residents placed white handkerchiefs in the windows of homes, stores and pubs as an expression of support. Patricia Tarabelsi, 23, an American student, said she couldn't help but feel uneasy as anti-American sentiment has intensified in Europe. "It makes you feel like your country's a target," she said, "and I don't really think Americans back home realize just how angry the world is at us right now." There were also demonstrations in Ukraine, Bosnia, Cyprus, Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Japan, India, Bangladesh, Hungary, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand. Many of the rallies were organized by peace groups around the world, with the Internet playing a key role in the coordination. In Baghdad, according to the Associated Press, tens of thousands of Iraqis, some carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles, demonstrated in support of Hussein. "Our swords are out of their sheaths, ready for battle," read one of hundreds of banners carried by marchers along Palestine Street, a broad avenue in Baghdad. In Damascus, Syria, protesters chanted anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans as they marched to the People's Assembly building. About 2,000 antiwar protestors, both Jews and Palestinians, marched peacefully in central Tel Aviv for about 90 minutes early tonight. Many waved Israeli and Palestinian flags and carried pictures of gas masks and placards reading, "Drop Bush Not Bombs." "This is part of the war on Islam," said Ibrahim Housseni, 26, an unemployed Palestinian from East Jerusalem. "Why attack Saddam and not Khamenei, Assad or Sharon?" he said, referring to the leaders of Iran, Syria and Israel. "They all suppress their people. Bush should not hide his reasons -- this war is against Islam and for oil." "The U.N. report shows they [the Iraqis] are not hiding anything," said Yaron Levy, a Tel Aviv restaurant owner. "Bombing a country to get one man is not exactly conventional. This is nonconventional warfare." A small counter-demonstration of about 20 people from the ruling Likud Party's youth wing heckled the antiwar protesters, shouting, "Saddam is the next Hitler!" and handing out "No War" signs with the "No" ripped off. An antiwar protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow drew an estimated 1,000 people, mostly middle-aged or elderly supporters of the Communist Party. Ludmilla Likhikh, 52, a factory worker, accused the United States of hypocrisy, saying it should focus on disarming itself. "America is looking for arms in Iraq while it has so many of its own," she said. "America is the number one terrorist nation." Correspondents John Ward Anderson in Jerusalem, Sharon LaFraniere in Moscow and Philip P. Pan in Beijing and special correspondent Steven Gray in Brussels contributed to this report. © 2003 The Washington Post Company posted by Unknown at 1:13 PM From The Detroit News Student gets sent home over his anti-Bush T-shirt Free speech debate in Dearborn By Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News DEARBORN -- A Dearborn High School junior was sent home from school this week for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with an anti-war message. Bretton Barber, 16, said he wanted to express his opinion Monday when he wore a T-shirt he bought over the Internet that shows a picture of President Bush and reads, "International Terrorist." Concerned the shirt could spark tensions in a district where more than 50 percent of students are Arab-American, school officials told Barber to turn the shirt inside out, take it off or go home. Barber said he decided to go home rather than surrender his freedom of expression. He returned to school Tuesday without the shirt. "Bush has already killed over 1,000 people in Afghanistan -- that's terrorism in itself," said Barber, noting he wore the shirt for a presentation he made that morning in English class. The assignment was to write a "compare and contrast" essay -- and he chose to compare Bush with Saddam Hussein. Dearborn Public Schools spokesman Dave Mustonen said students have the right to freedom of speech and expression, but educators are sensitive to tensions caused by the conflict with Iraq. "It was felt that emotions are running very high," said Mustonen. "The shirt posed a potential disruption to the learning environment at the school. Our No. 1 obligation is to make sure we have a safe learning environment for all of the students." Mustonen said the incident had nothing to do with the many Arab-Americans in the 17,600-student district. Officials said they don't know how many Arab-American students are enrolled in the district, but in 2000, they estimated the figure at about 55 percent. Imad Hamad of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee thinks school officials took the right approach. He hopes they'll take it one step further and use the experience to educate students on how to exercise freedoms in positive ways. "I see no winner here," Hamad said. "The school did the right thing to diffuse any potential conflict among the student population. I assume they would do the same thing if another message was displayed that was offensive to a different culture. "Sometimes our very precious freedom of speech is used to justify spreading hatred or to display our bigotry. I see this as a good opportunity for the school to guide students through this issue or to help our youngsters to understand our tough circumstances and to encourage them in positive and constructive debate." Junior Lindsey Hoganson, 16, thinks students can handle discussions about today's political climate without passions rising. She disagrees with the school's decision not to allow the shirt. "I didn't hear anybody say anything about the shirt until we heard the administration was making him change it," she said. "A lot of people are worried about the war. We talk about it at school a lot. Talking about it isn't going to disturb the learning environment, because the topic's already been brought up in school. (Barber) was just giving people a different way of looking at it." Barber's parents support their son's decision to express his views at school. "It didn't cause any problems at the school, and I think he has a right to wear his T-shirt," said his mom, Tricia Barber. Barber said he isn't giving up on expressing his views. "I'm putting a group together at the high school, and working on putting a march together," he said. "It's hard to do it through the school because you need a teacher to support it, but I'm going to try." posted by Unknown at 1:10 PM More from the New York Times (www.nytimes.com) Protesters Say City Police Used Rough Tactics at Rally By SHAILA K. DEWAN fter every protest in New York City, it seems, there are protests. Yesterday was no exception. At a news conference, the organizers of Saturday's demonstration against war with Iraq showed a videotape of the police using pepper spray on penned-in people, backing horses into crowds, going after demonstrators with their nightsticks and forcing people back with metal barricades. "That makes you feel good, doesn't it?" one officer could be heard saying about the pepper spray. The police were quick to point out that the seven-minute video was edited. It was impossible to tell whether the officers had been provoked, although the tape did show people surging against barricades and in some cases trying to lift them out of the way. The tape, which was produced by the Independent Media Center, a loose international collective that says it provides "noncorporate coverage" and "passionate tellings of truth," was edited down from 40 hours of mostly amateur video that was turned over to the center. In one scene an officer catches up to a man who is walking, appears to hit him with a nightstick, and the man falls. When others move toward the fallen man, they are met with pepper spray in the face. "This is some of the most brutal stuff that we have," said Justin Lipson, who edited the tape. Leslie Cagan, the co-chairwoman of United for Peace and Justice, the umbrella group that coordinated the New York protest and dozens of others around the globe, called for the resignation of Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. City Councilman Bill Perkins, the chairman of the Council's government operations committee, speaking at the news conference at the Midtown headquarters of United for Peace and Justice, said he would hold hearings on the handling of the rally. Ms. Cagan said she believed an order had come from "higher up" to make things difficult for the protesters, beginning with city's denial of a permit to march. The Police Department and the mayor cited the low number of injuries and arrests for an event this size. The police estimated the attendance at 100,000, but organizers said the rally drew half a million, including those who they said were prevented from reaching the rally site near the United Nations. The police, who spent $5 million on overtime that day, revised the number of arrests and summons downward to 274, from 292, counting 49 people arrested hours after the rally near 39th Street and Fifth Avenue. A member of the Police Department's Civilian Complaint Review Board said that roughly 30 complaints of police misconduct had been filed by yesterday afternoon, including allegations of protesters being "corralled," punched, pushed to the ground and trampled by police horses. "Not everybody was happy about the way the police controlled the crowds," Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said at a news conference in Brooklyn, before the protesters showed the video at their news conference. "But they kept this city safe, and people that wanted to protest certainly had the ability to do so. Maybe not as much as they'd like, but given that this is a dangerous world, I thought the Police Department did an excellent job at balancing the rights of people to say what they want to say with the needs of all of us, and of them, to provide security for everybody." Advertisements for the event said it would be at 49th Street and First Avenue, but the stage was actually at 51st Street, and the crowd extended for more than 20 blocks northward. As the blocks near the stage filled, the police barricaded side streets and told people on Second and Third Avenues to move north. Some reported that they were ultimately sent back south or directed to take routes that were blocked off or led away from the rally. Such confusion increased tensions on both sides and contributed to the notion that the police were purposefully keeping people from the rally, a charge the police denied. Michael P. O'Looney, the chief spokesman for the Police Department, issued a written statement. "Force was used by the police as a last resort," it read. "Some of the frustration over access to the protest area may have been avoided had the organizers done a better job of communicating that they moved the stage," he said. The video showed some clashes in Second and Third Avenues. "There were horses that were turned around and backed into crowds, there were horses that were taken onto the sidewalk," said Rebekah Wolf, with the People's Law Collective, who was one of the legal observers monitoring arrests. "There was not a single arrest that I saw that was not violent." posted by Unknown at 1:01 PM From the New York Times (www.nytimes.com) Deal Struck in Suits Over Rogue Police By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AKLAND, Calif., Feb. 19 (AP) — City officials have agreed to pay $10.9 million and make changes to settle a series of civil rights lawsuits involving a band of police officers accused of beating suspects and planting drugs on innocent people. The 119 plaintiffs said the Police Department either encouraged or ignored the abuse by the officers during the summer of 2000. Some of the proposed changes include establishing a hot line to report police abuse and improving citizen access to internal affairs investigators. An outside monitor will be named in the next two months to a five-year term to ensure that the changes are put into effect. Three former officers — Clarence Mabanag, 37, Jude Siapno, 34, and Matthew Hornung, 31 — are on trial on charges of beating suspects and falsifying police reports. Another officer, the reputed ringleader, Frank Vazquez, fled to escape prosecution. posted by Unknown at 12:59 PM From the associated press Group: Anti-Gay Violence Rises By DONNA DE LA CRUZ Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- As the media focused more attention on homosexuals last year, anti-gay violence and harassment also increased, a gay advocacy group said. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs said Tuesday that the number of such incidents it counted around the country increased by 2 percent in 1997 over the previous year. The coalition attributed the rise to publicity surrounding events such as gay pride celebrations in June, the bombing of a gay nightclub in Atlanta and the episode of ``Ellen'' in which the TV character came out as a lesbian. ``Tragically, there appears to be a direct correlation between the community's heightened visibility and an upsurge in violence,'' said Christine Quinn, executive director of the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. The coalition's figures are obtained from local gay groups that track crimes against homosexuals, bisexuals and people who cross gender lines in their dress or physical characteristics. The report is not based on police statistics and only includes 14 metropolitan areas. The coalition says it offers important information because, spokesman Michael Rosano said, ``People who are victims of bias-related violence will call us before they call the police.'' ``Yes, someone should use some caution when looking at this report and not feel it's a complete map of the violence that's happening to us -- but you can still draw some conclusions about the trends in violence,'' said Jennifer Rakowski of Community United Against Violence in San Francisco. According to the report, there were 2,445 documented cases of anti-gay violence and harassment last year in the 14 areas, which include New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The number of murders related to anti-gay violence dropped to 18 in 1997 from 27 in 1996, the report said. New York City had the most reports of anti-homosexual violence (658), followed by the San Francisco Bay area (402) and Los Angeles (350). More than a third of the cases involved harassment -- verbal or by mail or phone. About one-fifth involved assault, and close to a third intimidation. New York Police Department figures show the number of gay bias incidents in the city dropping to 59 in 1997 from 61 in 1996. Police Commissioner Howard Safir said the coalition's figures lacked any uniform system of reporting. Among the more brutal examples of harassment is that of a gay Chicago man who reported a year's worth of violent assaults by an elderly neighbor. One night, he said, she attacked him with garden shears, cut him 22 times and yelled ``die of AIDS...''. Police response was indifferent to hostile, the report said, with officers once threatening to arrest the victim if he kept complaining. Eventually the neighbor was charged with misdemeanor assault. posted by Unknown at 12:56 PM From http://www.amnestyusa.org 'A black teenager pedalling rapidly is fleeing crime. A white teenager pedalling at the same speed is feeling the freedom of youth' - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People commenting on the case of a black teenager shot by police after falling off his bicycle in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 1993 William J. Whitfield 3rd, an unarmed African American man, was shot dead in a New York supermarket on 25 December 1997 by police who said they mistook the keys he was carrying for a gun. Although the officer who shot him was cleared of wrongdoing, it was revealed that he had been involved in eight prior shootings. The New York Police Department (NYPD) Police Commissioner subsequently set up a monitoring system for officers involved in three or more shootings. Throughout the USA people are being injured and even killed by police using excessive force or deliberately brutal treatment. Police officers are punching, kicking, beating and shooting people who pose no threat, or are causing serious injuries, and sometimes death, by misusing restraints, chemical sprays or electro-shock weapons. Most reported incidents take place during arrest, searches, traffic stops or in street incidents. Every year there are thousands of reports of assault and ill-treatment by police officers. Inquiries into some of the largest urban police departments have uncovered systematic brutality. It is difficult to assess the true extent of police brutality because there is no reliable national data. Since 1994 the federal government has been legally required to collect national data on police excessive use of force, but Congress has failed to provide the necessary funding. More than 17,000 police agencies operate in the USA, each with its own code of practice and methods of recording and investigating abuses. Most US police departments have strict guidelines on the use of deadly force, and international standards state that force should be used only as a last resort, proportionate to the threat and designed to minimise injury. However, it is clear that these standards are frequently breached and that too often the authorities have turned a blind eye to abuses. Investigations into complaints of police brutality are often subject to delays and there are concerns about the quality and impartiality of internal investigations. Disciplinary action is rare. Sanctions, when they are imposed, are often lenient. Many police shootings raise serious doubts as to whether the victims posed an immediate threat. Amnesty International detailed more than 30 cases where NYPD officers had shot or injured suspects, including children, in disputed circumstances in its 1996 report. Nearly all the victims were black, Latino or from other minorities - a pattern seen across the country. Members of racial and ethnic minorities bear the brunt of police brutality in many areas. Black officers themselves have complained of the stereotyping of black men as criminal suspects. Caroline Sue Botticher, an unarmed African American woman, died after police from West Charlotte, North Carolina, fired 22 rounds at the car in which she was a passenger when it failed to stop at a police check-point in April 1997. There was no evidence to suggest that anyone in the car was armed. Some police departments have introduced guidelines to bar police from firing at moving vehicles unless they are directly threatened with deadly force, but many have not. There have been numerous deaths in custody after police used restraint procedures known to be dangerous. Hogtying - tying suspects' ankles to their wrists behind their backs - has been recognized as highly dangerous for at least the past decade. However, while many departments, including the NYPD, have banned the procedure, others continue to use it. Deaths in custody resulting from hogtying have been reported from various parts of the country, including Athens (Georgia), Jackson (Mississippi) and Memphis (Tennessee). posted by Unknown at 12:47 PM Racism On the entrance to the official web site of the Ku Klux Klan, it reads "Black may be beautiful, tan may be grand, but white is still the color of the big boss man." The following is from the site: What is Our Goal The time in which we live is very exciting and any like minded individual would be proud to be an associate or supporter of this grass-roots movement to take back America. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan will in the years to come, become recognized by the American people as THE WHITE RIGHTS MOVEMENT! Where ever they live, whatever their personal religious denomination may be, no matter what present political or fraternal organization they may be with, everyone should support the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan as the political PARTY of the future and the the Last Hope for America. The Knights Party, realizing that to achieve true security for our people we must achieve political power in the United States, will: A. Become the leader of the White racialist movement Through a strong organized show of leadership Through the training and use of qualified media representatives Through a concerted effort of all Klansmen and Klanswomen to carefully follow instructions, suggestions, and guidelines as set by headquarters and to continually strive to be THE BEST B. Strive to become the representative and driving force behind the White Community Through large organized public rallies Through an aggressive use of television, radio, and print advertising Through huge nationwide literature drives in which millions of people are reached with our literature. To legally break through the liberal wall that surrounds America's colleges and universities - to reach and instruct students in the reclaiming of their schools. Through the effective use of project committees to assist in the re-education of law enforcement agencies and the educational establishment. These two very important groups must be given another side of the story instead of only receiving information from organizations such as the ADL, NAACP, and Klanwatch. C. Organize and direct white people to a level of activism necessary to bring about a political victory. Through the organizing and maintenance of strong local units. Through bold public relations campaigns focusing on two main ideas: The White Christian people have been betrayed by our nations political, economic, educational, and religious leaders The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Party is the last hope for America. Through the aggressive and combined effort of Knights' units (The core of the grassroots movement) to work within their community in all aspects of a political campaign, including but not limited to: Getting literature into the hands of everyone in the community. Keeping the name "Knights of the Ku Klux Klan " in continual high profile. Sponsoring ads in local newspapers and on local radio and television networks. Working on petition drives to achieve ballot access for Klansmen or Klanswomen who run for either local, state, or federal offices; such as school board, mayor, state representative, congress, senate, etc. Conducting community goodwill projects. Organizing and working on "get to the polls" campaigns, to insure that everyone who will vote in our favor can have the opportunity to do so. Recruiting new associates and volunteers for The Knights Party ( Knights of the Ku Klux Klan) who will work toward the election of Klansmen and Klanswomen to public office. We must take back control of OUR U.S. government. We intend to put Klansmen and Klanswomen in office all the way from the local school board to the White House! WHAT IS OUR GOAL ? POLITICAL POWER posted by Unknown at 12:45 PM The Original Story The first report of the previous story, from Tolerence.org Jim Crow 'Bizarre' at OK State September 25, 2002 -- Alpha Gamma Rho, a national agricultural fraternity, says it's "not just for farm boys." And its chapter at Oklahoma State University Stillwater has pictures to prove it. Photographs from the fraternity's recent party, themed "Come as You are Bizarre," show some members sporting Ku Klux Klan robes and blackface. In one picture, a member in blackface wears a prisoner's costume. Smiling, he stands sandwiched between two frat brothers -- one dressed in a Klan costume and the other clad in overalls and a Confederate flag bandana -- as a mock noose dangles above his head. An anonymous e-mail from an OSU student Monday alerted the Southern Poverty Law Center to the pictures posted on the Web site of a local photography company. Ival Gregory, manager of the university's Greek Life office, says a student also directed him to the site containing the photos Monday. "I saw right away that the photos were clearly offensive and there was absolutely no question in my mind that this was inappropriate," said Gregory, who immediately made a call to the fraternity's chapter president and requested the offensive pictures be removed. Lee Bird, OSU's vice president of student affairs, says she was shocked when she learned of the photos early yesterday. "My tolerance for this is incredibly low and I have no sympathy for any excuse about why this happened," she said. "We are taking care of it immediately." Bird said the university had contacted the fraternity's adviser and called its national headquarters. University administration also planned to meet with fraternity leaders last night and present a letter condemning the photos. But Bird said the university would stop short of any further disciplinary action. "We don't want to make free speech martyrs out of stupid perpetrators," she said. "As offensive and insensitive as their actions were, they did not meet the muster of any university code of conduct violations." The university does plan to "bring the members up to speed" on bias and sensitivity issues through diversity education, she said. The fraternity could, however, face tough penalties from its national headquarters according to Phil Josephson, executive director of Alpha Gamma Rho. "I find it repulsive that any of our members would engage in this behavior," said Josephson. "It's a violation of our ritual and it's a violation of good common sense and decency, and we will take action and sanction those involved." Josephson said his office will conduct an investigation into whether the OSU incident was isolated or representative of widespread behavior within the chapter. "I believe at minimum, it's apparent that others present tolerated these actions. That represents an attitude. We need to include clear language in our behavior standards about this kind of activity so there will be no question in the future about its appropriateness." A Painful Reminder of the Past While university administration and Alpha Gamma Rho headquarters expressed shock about the offensive photographs, some students and faculty at OSU say they are not so surprised. "To be honest, I'm not surprised at all," said Bryant Clark, president of OSU's African American Student Association. "I know racism and stupidity still exist, but it's not like back in history when it was out in the streets. It's just behind closed doors now." Earl Mitchell, a 35-year member of the OSU faculty and associate vice president for multicultural affairs, remembers too well the "back in history" Clark speaks of. He served as the adviser for the African American student organization in 1970 when members of a white fraternity shot four black female students with pellet guns as they walked past a row of fraternity houses. "Black students were literally afraid and left the campus because they feared for their safety," Mitchell recalls. "So, I find this recent incident involving [Alpha Gamma Rho] very disturbing. We thought we were beyond this, but evidently we're not." Mitchell, who conducts diversity training on campus, said he plans to offer his assistance in the university's efforts to educate the fraternity members about bias and sensitivity issues. "There are still some groups on campus that just don't understand the gravity of this kind of activity and they need to be trained and realize why people get so upset about things like this," said Mitchell. Clark agrees. But he says he'd like to see stiffer penalties imposed. "Their chapter needs to be kicked off campus. They represent a national organization and their chapter represents this university. They should be held accountable." Clark plans to address his concerns at a meeting Thursday with members of the African American Student Association. "We had this meeting planned already -- it was supposed to be about plans for black awareness week in November. But, I guess we'll have a lot more to talk about," said Clark. According to Mitchell, the entire university has more to talk about. "Racism is as alive and well here as it is anywhere else -- it's a continued vigil that we all have to fight. And well, we've got more work to do." posted by Unknown at 12:33 PM From Tolerence.org THE PARTY'S OVER: OSU Frat's Racist Hangover By Dana Williams | Staff Writer, Tolerance.org Feb. 21, 2003 -- Members of Oklahoma State University's Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity say last September's Come As You Are Bizarre party has opened up a "world of learning." Since pictures of several AGR members dressed in Ku Klux Klan robes and blackface at last fall's theme party surfaced on the Internet, the chapter has embarked on a series of programs aimed at increasing acceptance and awareness of diversity. "We have really grown up in a hurry," said Brady Sidwell, newly elected president of AGR at OSU in Stillwater, Okla. "We've learned a lot from what happened last semester, and we are going to run in a new direction as a fraternity." Nearly six months after the controversial incident, Sidwell admits it has been — and still is — a difficult journey to move past what he calls a "stupid" mistake. "There has been a generalization put on all of us," he said. "People now associate us as a racist fraternity, and we aren't. But that's just one of the unfortunate things that happens when you make a mistake like that." Sidwell said he and other AGR members take winning back the respect of peers and university leaders seriously, and they believe some good has come out of the events of the last six months. Through Program Unite, a diversity project agreed upon by the university and fraternity, AGR members say they have attempted to turn a negative situation into a learning experience for themselves and the entire campus community. In addition to university-mandated sanctions already met by the fraternity, several Program Unite initiatives were conceived by AGR members themselves. Among them: AGR will require all new initiates to participate in a 72-hour diversity program at the beginning of their affiliation with the fraternity. The requirement is the first of its kind to be instituted by a fraternity at OSU. The AGR chapter at OSU will help organize a diversity seminar in Fall 2003 for all new members of the Greek system. The seminar will focus on the Greek community, but will also be open to the larger university and Stillwater community. OSU's AGR chapter will take the lead in diversity education training for the national fraternity by presenting seminars at national leadership conferences in addition to continuing its own training. The AGR chapter at OSU's diversity program, Program Unite, will serve as a model for use within all other chapters in the national fraternity. The group has also added a clause in its code of conduct condemning the use of racially offensive or discriminatory costumes at social functions. Sidwell says the group recently submitted a proposal to the Interfraternity Council requesting a similar "costume clause" for all Greek organization on campus. A core value for all of OSU Earl Mitchell, a 35-year member of the OSU faculty and associate vice president for multicultural affairs, says members of the AGR fraternity have been very open and receptive to learning from last fall's incident. "I have been involved in much of the diversity training for the group and it has been quite an eye-opener for some of these students who didn't know the history behind Jim Crow and some of this country's other racial issues," said Mitchell. "Some of the students have taken it upon themselves to do more reading on the issues than what has been assigned to them. That's the whole idea of education — to get students wanting to learn things and open their minds on their own." Mitchell knows from experience how badly racial rifts can damage a university. He served as the adviser for the African American student organization at OSU in 1970 when members of a white fraternity shot four black female students with pellet guns as they walked past a row of fraternity houses. Many black students at the time left the university because they feared for their safety. "People who remain silent perpetuate the problem," said Mitchell. "One of the main points we are trying to get across to these students is that it is all of our responsibility to speak out against racist and unacceptable behavior." According to Mitchell, the entire university is now recommitting itself to diversity and tolerance as core values. The university is close to finalizing a new official policy to address racial and ethnic harassment. Recently signed off on by the student government association, the new policy is intended to define racial and ethnic harassment and also put adjudication procedures in place to address such offenses. Additionally, Mitchell says the university's Interfraternity Council plans to set up diversity training for all incoming members of the Greek system. AGR members, he says, will help lead the training. Real change? Not all members of the OSU community are as optimistic as Sidwell and Mitchell about the progress made since last fall's incident. Some question how a series of seminars can change people's core values. "Just because you take a class doesn't mean your mind-set has changed," Charceana Williams, president of the African American student association told the O'Collegian campus newspaper. Mitchell agreed that there are still some who don't understand why the fraternity wasn't kicked off campus. "If we had done that, I really believe we wouldn't be doing all that we are now to address issues of tolerance and diversity on campus," said Mitchell. "We have to continue to raise the questions, raise the issues. And we have to be intentional in making sure that all the aspects of what we have started because of what happened last fall continue. That is what will make change happen." Sidwell says even though some continue to stereotype the chapter as racist, he is proud of how the group has handled the aftermath of last fall's incident. "We know that we are, in a way, still having to prove ourselves. But we aren't doing that because we have to, we are doing it because we want to," said Sidwell. "We have learned from what we did and now we have to be responsible in conducting ourselves in a way that reflects what we've learned." posted by Unknown at 12:31 PM Prison Rape From hrw.org I had no choice but to submit to being Inmate B's prison wife. Out of fear for my life, I submitted to sucking his dick, being fucked in my ass, and performing other duties as a woman, such as making his bed. In all reality, I was his slave, as the Officials of the Arkansas Department of Corrections under the ‘color of law' did absolutely nothing. — M.P, Arkansas, pro se federal civil rights complaint filed 8/2/96 Most of the prisoners who rape are spending from 5 to life. And are part of a gang. They pick a loner smaller weaker individual. And make that person into a homosexual then sell him to other inmates or gangs. Anywhere from a pack of cigarettes to 2 cartons . . . . No one cares about you or anyone else. If they show kindness or are trying to be helpful, it is only because they want something. And if there offering you protection you can guarantee that there going to seek sexual favors. . . . When an inmate comes in for the first time and doesnt know anyone. The clicks and gangs. Watch him like Wolves readying there attacks. They see if he spends time alone, who he eats with. Its like the Wild Kingdom. Then they start playing with him, checking the new guy out. (They call him fresh meat.) — J.G., Minnesota, 8/8/96 I've been sentenced for a D.U.I. offense. My 3rd one. When I first came to prison, I had no idea what to expect. Certainly none of this. I'm a tall white male, who unfortunately has a small amount of feminine characteristics. And very shy. These characteristics have got me raped so many times I have no more feelings physically. I have been raped by up to 5 black men and two white men at a time. I've had knifes at my head and throat. I had fought and been beat so hard that I didn't ever think I'd see straight again. One time when I refused to enter a cell, I was brutally attacked by staff and taken to segragation though I had only wanted to prevent the same and worse by not locking up with my cell mate. There is no supervision after lockdown. I was given a conduct report. I explained to the hearing officer what the issue was. He told me that off the record, He suggests I find a man I would/could willingly have sex with to prevent these things from happening. I've requested protective custody only to be denied. It is not available here. He also said there was no where to run to, and it would be best for me to accept things . . . . I probably have AIDS now. I have great difficulty raising food to my mouth from shaking after nightmares or thinking to hard on all this. . . . I've laid down without physical fight to be sodomized. To prevent so much damage in struggles, ripping and tearing. Though in not fighting, it caused my heart and spirit to be raped as well. Something I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself for. — A.H., Indiana, 8/30/96 If a person is timid or shy or as prison inmates term him "Weak," either mentally or physically, he stands to be a victim of physical and/or sexual assault. — R.B., Colorado, 9/1/96 posted by Unknown at 12:30 PM Personal note In looking for rape statistics on Yahoo, I went to two sites that had "rape statistics" in the description. They turned out to be porn sites. In a previous post I mentioned how many hits you get for typing "rape" into a search engine. It would now appear that even those that claim to be informational might in fact be pornographical. posted by Unknown at 12:26 PM From RAINN (http://www.rainn.org/statistics.html) In 2001, there were 249,000 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [2000 National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics.] Of these 249,000, 102,000 were victims of sexual assault, 63,000 were victims of attempted rape, and 84,000 were victims of completed rape. [2000 NCVS.] Because of the methodology of the National Crime Victimization Survey, these figures do not include victims 12 or younger. While there are no reliable annual surveys of sexual assaults on children, the Justice Department has estimated that one of six victims are under age 12. [Child Rape Victims, 1992] About 44% of rape victims are under age 18. Three out of every twenty victims (15%) are under age 12. [Sex Offenses and Offenders. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.] Seven percent of girls in grades five to eight and twelve percent of girls in grades nine through twelve and said they had been sexually abused. [Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, 1998.] Three percent of boys in grades five through eight and five percent of boys in grades nine through twelve said they had been sexually abused. [Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Boys, 1998.] 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims knew their attacker; 34.2% were family members and 58.7% acquaintances. Only seven percent of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim. [Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 2000] In 1995, local child protective service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse; of these, 75% were girls. Nearly 30% of child victims were between the ages of 4 and 7. [US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Maltreatment, 1995.] posted by Unknown at 12:24 PM