http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/ PoliticalGroove.com General political discussion en Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:44:15 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.politicalgroove.com/images/pgroove/misc/rss.jpg http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/ http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/126-disposable-people-justice-department-fbi.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:13:16 GMT Last couple of months I have sent e-mails to the Justice Department and the FBI Northern Virginia Public Corruption/Government Fraud Task Force... Last couple of months I have sent e-mails to the Justice Department and the FBI Northern Virginia Public Corruption/Government Fraud Task Force where I presented our experiences with the Virginia State Bar's diligence today, gone tomorrow policies along with supporting references. Of course there has been no response, typical authorities, ignore or deny.

But after sending this information to the Justice Department I read about Justice Department blackballed liberal lawyers, report says another reason why I sent it also to the FBI. After all if the Virginia State Bar is infected, they represent a threat to National Security in their implementation of policies that undermine the effectiveness of "rule of law", according to the dictionary this would be considered constructive fraud against its citizens, not to mention discrimination in their handling of a probono clients injury case .

Yes, I have been told that the Virginia State Bar cannot be sued or any action taken against the institution.

I suspect that they all want us to just die off or something, we have been effectively marginalized and made impotent, if we had money we could hire some star lawyer and take action - but then if we had money we would have been represented competently in the first place. I really do not see any point in my little rants here and there except providing cheap amusement, something to do that does not entail consuming resources.

Have a great Fourth of July :wtf: ]]> jowey http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/126-disposable-people-justice-department-fbi.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/kanadesaga/125-how-i-spent-three-hours-my-tuesday-night.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:41:35 GMT Life is strange sometimes. I finished work and headed home. I had to stop and get cigarettes for the wife and since it was early enough I bought a... Life is strange sometimes. I finished work and headed home. I had to stop and get cigarettes for the wife and since it was early enough I bought a lottery ticket. Hey, you never know! Anyway, home I go and that’s when I notice that I didn’t have my ticket. I call the convenience store and they’ll hold it for me.

So I eat dinner and watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. After that I head to the store. It’s only a couple of blocks away so I walk. To make it more pleasant I take my Discman. Sorry I haven’t moved up to iPods yet. Listening to the Marshall Tucker Band, (yea, I’m old), it’s a pleasant night and I have an uneventful walk to the store. I get my ticket and am on the way home.

Now the walk is simple. Cross and down Fourth Street, a four lane state route, past the supermarket and fast-food place. Then a pizza place and converted house that is a very nice bar/restaurant. That’s on the corner of first St and fourth St. I’m going to turn left and head to second St. to third St. where I live. At this time of night I cross a fairly deserted highway. As I pass fast-food place a black kid is walking towards me. He has earbuds in and we nod as we pass. Is it racist, I don’t know, but I’m watching for any quick shadows approaching from behind out of the corner of my eye. I don’t turn down the music, but better safe than sorry. I like to think I would have checked if the kid was white.

Nothing happens and I’m being foolish. So I continue walking it’s blacktop to the corner. About fifty yards from the corner I see a dark mid-size SUV pull up to the stop sign, sit there for a second and then back up.

“Dangerous Road” is playing and I’m approaching the corner. On this corner is the bar. Being it’s after hours the place is closed. The SUV is sitting there with just its parking lights on. As I walk past I look at the passenger and see a another black kid in a hoodie. Remember what song was playing? I walk past the SUV and hear a noise. (door slamming shut), I turn around and this kid is coming towards me fast. I pull the headphones off and this is punk is saying “Give me everything you got”

I start backing up and he’s just coming at me. That’s when I see the gun in his left hand. I’m a little worried. He racks the slide and points it at me. I keep backing up saying “I haven’t got anything”. I didn’t either. I had one dollar in my pocket, the lottery ticket, my Mets hat and the Discman. He’s holding the gun sideways. It’s not a large caliber. Probably a .22 but shit! My heart is beating just a bit faster. I’m talking just a bit faster saying, “I ain’t got nothing”. I can be forgiven the double negative.

Ever since I heard that door slam I knew I was trouble. My mind was racing a mile a minute with options. Most included not pissing my pants. I got nothing but my Discman in my hands, and I’ll be damned I’ll throw it at him! Sometimes that Scot blood shows through. By now I’d probably backed up about 15 feet but he was hanging close. I couldn’t charge him, he’d get a shot off and besides there was a second guy driving the SUV. I was fucked.

It was then that the driver did get out.

Shit! I might outrun one bullet. {Meaning a jack rabbit run and hoping he sucks at actually shooting it.} Then I start thinking how much it’s going to hurt. How far I can get with a bullet in me. I don’t like this one bit. Or….I start shouting at them, at the top of my lungs. “Police!” “You can’t have anything” “Help!” Now it’s 12:30 am. Houses are dark. Street is empty, other than me and two black kids. One of which has a gun pointed at me. I’m still backing up. Chuck Norris I ain’t!

I keep yelling at them and anybody else that happened to be listening, I hoped!

I see lights come on in the two closest houses. I’m still shouting. The two of them turn and run back to the SUV. That’s my signal and I head in the opposite direction as fast as my short legs will go. Think any Looney Tunes cartoon you’ve ever seen. Dust, blurred feet, those little curly cue lines. I turn my head just to make sure they are going. I see the SUV turn right onto the highway and that’s good enough for me.

I run down to the cross street and see a house with the downstairs lights on. I’m winded. The front porch is enclosed but the inside door in open. Some one is up. I knock on the door. Okay, I pound on the door. I guess my adrenaline was a little jacked. An elderly lady appears. I ask her to call the police. I might have still been shouting. Did I mention the adrenaline? She turns and heads into the house.

I don’t see a phone. I do see her husband appear at the back of the house. I ask him to call the cops. I still don’t see a phone. Around the corner comes a car. It’s my son. He was out on a date and was going to steal a flower out of a yard on our street. He sees me and thinks I’m arguing with the people in the house. Did I mention the adrenaline? I see him and tell him to call the cops. His date is a sheriff’s daughter.

She dials 911. I tell the cop what happened. Three times. Did I mention the adrenaline? Why do they need your name? You can have my name when you get here! Then I see a friend, a state trooper actually in his shorts at the other end of the street. He’s got his gun belt on. I walk up and tell him what happened. His house is about five down from where these kids tried to rob me.

Now black and whites start appearing. I give them a description of the vehicle and kids. You can’t outrun the radio. And they don’t. Two miles up the road at a Mobil station. They actually stopped at the pumps. One was inside buying almonds. And maybe dumping the guns and hoodies.

Back at cross street they ask if I want to go for a ride. Now usually, when I’m getting in a black & white, it’s in the back seat. Maybe bracelets. This time I get to ride up front. Lots of room up here. Back seats in cop cars, for those of you not familiar, are kinda cramped. Up to the station we go.

When we get there, there’s a lot of cop cars there. Sheriffs, city cops, K9 unit. Lots of goings on. I ID the kids. I ID the vehicle. The vehicle 95%. I didn’t get a good look at the plate, I wasn’t wearing my glasses. The kids I’m 75% sure. They matched the builds I remembered. Although I was watching the gun the most.

So I gotta work in the morning.

Finally I say so, loud enough so that they take me down to the station to fill out as deposition. Did I mention the adrenaline? So down to the police station and give my story. I’ve told it about eight times by now. So three more won’t hurt. Long story short. I’m there another hour plus. Meanwhile my son has arrived at the station to pick me up. I think this story isn’t finished. ]]> Kanadesaga http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/kanadesaga/125-how-i-spent-three-hours-my-tuesday-night.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/124-disposable-people-all-strategy.html Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:35:47 GMT The following recount of our experiences provides me with great amusement. On my girlfriends third attorney... The following recount of our experiences provides me with great amusement. On my girlfriends third attorney, the one that stuck with her case, she would relay experiences of stalking, assaults and being accosted at work. This attorney would make mention of these attacks to the court without foundation, such as contacting those that witnessed the assaults. When confronted with the expected excuses he would say "okay" and drop the matter. Throughout this courtroom experience we expected that this attorney had an underlying "strategy" to defend their client. In the end their client went to jail because she could not maintain a job as a result of her spouses stalking her at work, with no job she could not pay child support. The client was never visited in jail by their attorney, the client had been disposed of. The attorney allowed the resolution of the property, which was half community property, their payment, to be delayed, extended, culminating in the incarceration of their client for non-payment, the ironic part of this was that the house was more than half paid off so the equity could have settled the matter. What was this attorneys strategy, their motivation ? They were a partner in a reputable law firm, so they should have had the necessary skills to bring the case to conclusion. So why did this attorney dispose of their client ? If they were motivated by greed like other attorneys they would have fought for their paycheck, obtained the ruled upon settlement in a timely manner. During this case we had obtained a real estate agent who was slandered by the husbands attorney in court, when this third attorney failed to support them they looked into why the attorney was not representing their clients interests. The real estate agent relayed in a conversation that the third attorney was running for political office, at the time we thought that this attorney was "distracted" by his endeavor. Further research found out that the husbands attorney was a member of the Christian Brotherhood, connected with right wing political movements and in a conversation had relayed that they were going to destroy us - how far did this persecution go ?


The fourth attorney tried valiantly to resolve the failings of the third attorney, they managed to force the house to auction. During their tenure they complained about the failures of their predecessors. In the end my girlfriend filed bankruptcy to remove her from the suit her husbands attorney had filed against her and this fourth attorney advised an "abuse of process" action against the husbands attorney after a six month wait and visiting a specified psychiatrist. What did this attorney know ? We don't know, after six months this attorney had forgotten about the extra money we had paid, the psychiatrist and the action, the psychiatrist even called them up asking about the case and received no definitive response. What happened here ? Was it just work load ? or were they induced to drop the action, I ask this because of the vehemence with which this attorney disposed of us when I asked why, after we had complied with their instructions ?


This example represents a "strategy" failure that the Virginia State Bar, an Agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia, dismisses post 1999. Granted that this incident occurred in the period of 1989 and 1995 so the Bar should have addressed them if I had made a complaint specifying the failures then, I suspect that the Bar would rubber stamp any grievance we made at that time. The reason that we did not address it then is another story with another attorney. This describes a scenario where "strategy" failure is relevant an issue that the Virginia State Bar no longer addresses, their response is that one can hire another member to address "strategy" in court, then when one talks to another attorney, they respond that such an action is unlikely to result in a favorable outcome. Malicious, Failed or negligent strategy is reinforced through the policy of avoidance and results in an environment of profiteering whether by intent or negligence. Clients become disposable people when their assets have been consumed, they have no value and they cannot retain another member to defend them. Just what function does the Virginia State Bar, an Agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia provide the citizens of the State. From our experiences it appears that the institution shelters profiteering predators that prey on the citizens misfortune, when my girlfriends assets were consumed, she was bankrupted, the attorney paid and she was dismissed. The Bar dismisses correspondence addressing such issues, "strategy" is no longer relevant, not their problem, even when I claim that it is a trend, a reflection of its population and that they cannot claim diligence without the metric to identify their assertion that their members are diligent in their representation.


The Virginia State Bar's implementation of the dismissive policy of 2000 disenfranchises the low income citizens of Virginia who cannot afford a cascading series of attorneys in order to achieve a fair or impartial ruling, discrimination by proxy and allows "rule of law" to be undermined by profiteering, negligence and incompetence.

• What effect does the removal of "strategy" oversight have when applied to the legal theater ?
• What was the intent of this policy change ?
  • It does not ensure the integrity of the profession.
  • It does not protect the citizens rights.
  • It does not promote "rule of law", "due process" or "presumption of innocence".
• Is this just another example of an infected government institution changing policy to avoid its responsibility and nullify the alleged protections afforded by "rule of law" ? After all if there is no incentive to ensure that counsel will represent their clients competently, the only rule is profits, why go the extra mile if one can use the same time to scam another victim.
• Is this an example of what happens when members of a group execute self oversight ?

Is this "sour grapes" or a corrupt institution that chooses not to fulfill its obligations to the community by altering its policy and then claiming that the implementation has been accepted. With each threshold crossed, each protection removed our rights are eroded. I know of one foster child, high school education, mother, abused housewife who was persecuted with impunity by members of this institution. If "rule of law" was a concern then her rights would have been protected, the institution would be diligent in ensuring that its members maintained the integrity of the profession in their representation of its citizens.

I also find it noteworthy how ineffective "word of mouth" is at maintaining the integrity of the profession, this is another claim by those to whom I have discussed this subject. "Word of Mouth" is dismissed with the "sour grapes" response, that client had a hard case and was upset at the results, so another desperate client takes a chance and pays the money. Maybe they will be diligently represented, maybe not, either way the "customer satisfaction" metric is not maintained. There is greater diligence in the business community than in the State of Virginia's legal institutions. Again the question is asked what is gained from 2000 replacement ? ]]> jowey http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/124-disposable-people-all-strategy.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/123-disposable-people-pelosi-syndrome.html Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:40:07 GMT I have a name for it, the "Pelosi Syndrome".....

This is classic modern American government, consider the following:

• One group of people chose to dismiss the rules that this society is supposed to abide by, the silly document called the Constitution. It is represented by the Bush / Cheney crowd.
  
• Then when someone stands up, Dennis Kucinich, and sheds light on the corruption, the "oversight institution", represented by the House and Speaker Pelosi, claims that "impeachment is off the table", dismissing the crimes.
  
• The Bush / Cheney crowd was the same group who demanded that President Clinton be impeached for lying about his affairs. They represent a radical group who "interpret" their position on whim, it is NOT okay for "them" to lie, but it is okay for us to commit crimes that profit our collective.

This "Pelosi Syndrome" paradigm has infected all levels of our government, whether it is collusion of similar interests or conspiracy the results are the same. If any average citizen was to do what these individuals have done, the group represented by the Bush / Cheney crowd would crucify them, starting with "fraud". Speaker Pelosi, the "oversight institution" will ignore us, Dennis Kucinich's of the world. Speaker Pelosi probably enabled the "Pelosi Syndrome" paradigm by enacting or supporting policy changes that favored the Bushies. The Speaker Pelosi's dismiss the damage as being past history, claiming that now we have a corpse, the deed is done and there is no point to following through with any further action. Of course the Speaker Pelosi's are not paying the price of the damage caused by those they are protecting. The "Pelosi Syndrome" allows the instigators to walk away with their winnings, profits from arms trade, oil and chaos.

The "Pelosi Syndrome" does not remain in Washington D.C., the infection is at the local level, it appears whenever the authorities dismiss and cover up complaints about their activities or those that they are associated with. Changing policies and laws to facilitate activities that profit themselves at the expense of the community. They believe that they have gotten away with the crime but the symptoms of the infection spread. The symptoms are as follows:

• Mistakes are persecuted.
• Illegal activities increase as legal opportunities are removed.
• Loss of property.
• Classes are marginalized, too stupid, too poor, "they" deserve it, "they" made a mistake - it could be said that the Africans made the mistake when the got caught and sold into slavery.
• Separation of the classes, an indicator of imbalance, one group taking from another.
• Loss of credibility and respect by the subjugated populations and those outside.
• Increase in both internal and external enemies.
• Stress.
• Depression, lost hope.

So when they say it is too late, it is not, because the assets went somewhere. ]]> jowey http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/123-disposable-people-pelosi-syndrome.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/120-when-good-apples-go-bad.html Thu, 29 May 2008 23:26:51 GMT I cant help but wonder whether White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan would be considered a "good apple" before his book or after ?

Scott McClellan's silence through his tenure which demonstrated loyalty to the group of which he was a member, did this make him a "good apple" ? Could it be that he went bad when he "told" on those outside the group ? Good Press Secretaries, Good cops, Good attorneys, Good anyone part of a collective do not tell tales on the collective. The Good ones will cover up indiscretions of their brothers, adhere to the code of silence. This avoidance and cover up by the collective makes it nigh to impossible for someone on the outside to catch and make one accountable for their indiscretions. Observe the indiscretions of the Bush administration, consider that this is the highest office in the land. Here we have a situation where the press and other branches of government gave an authority free reign. As everyone worked to make a living these "good apples" were dismantling a society.

Consider the individuals fighting these "authorities" who dismiss the individual as insignificant. Getting a cop to go against another is nigh impossible, when I was assaulted I tried to ask another cop to find out what was going on, they ignored me. An attorney had a chat with the cops and then convinced me to accept a guilty plea and take a deal, based upon video as irrelevant, cops lie all the time and I would not be believed. In 1999 the Virginia State Bar changed its policy from addressing grievances to avoiding them, officially covering up indiscretions through policy. Our experiences were a microcosm of the current national experience.

Does Scott McClellan speaking out make him a "Good Apple" or a "Bad Apple" ? His speaking out would make him a "Good Apple" to society by exposing indiscretions to society, but a "Bad Apple" to the collective of which he was part. So when I talk to a member of a collective, an attorney or a cop about my experiences and they say that there are some "Bad Apples" out there, who are they talking about ? From what perspective ? From personal experience I know that approaching the "authorities" of these groups results in avoidance and derision. If the "Good Apple" was defined as a collective that enacted policies that ensured the service that was provided by its members benefited society, then the "authority" should diligently research issues and attempt to resolve them. Since the "authority" chooses to avoid and dismiss "incidents" then the "Good Apple" is the member that is loyal to the collective and stays silent - Scott McClellan is a "Bad Apple".

It seems that the collective is not capable of regulating its membership. Consider that Bush is supposedly a part of the Republican collective. If this group had any intention of maintaining the American ideal, the integrity of the office they would have ensured that this country would not be in crisis. The Republican collective's only goal was to rape this country for profit and what we are experiencing are the results of this rape. Whether the collective is the Republican Party, the Virginia State Bar or the Manassas Police, they lack the capability to regulate themselves. This is a pattern, a trend, it works for those that wish to get over.

These are thoughts that pass through my mind when I get the response that "there are some 'Bad Apples' out there". Also noted that after making that statement there is no action taken to address the "Bad Apples".

Code of Professional Responsibility
Replacement of the 'Code of Professional Responsibility' by 'Rules of Professional Conduct'
Prolog to the Diligent Virginia Attorneys ]]> jowey http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/120-when-good-apples-go-bad.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/julia/119-men-convenient-sugar-daddies-condescending-oppressors.html Wed, 28 May 2008 18:02:49 GMT Make up your mind, Hrc supporters. None one wants to follow her doublespeak anymore. (thanks to C. Paglia) Make up your mind, Hrc supporters.

None one wants to follow her doublespeak anymore.

(thanks to C. Paglia) ]]> julia http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/julia/119-men-convenient-sugar-daddies-condescending-oppressors.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/julia/118-only-hrc-older-female-supporters-bitter.html Mon, 26 May 2008 20:41:02 GMT Because they embraced the win ugly technique that is not working.

-bittergate

-"Shame on you Barack Obama"

-very forgetful about sniper fire

-was for Iraq fiasco before against it

Voters no longer want to hear these constant quibbles Hrc has with language so they are tuning her out. ]]> julia http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/julia/118-only-hrc-older-female-supporters-bitter.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/babylondon/115-my-word-my-word-alone-losers.html Sun, 25 May 2008 14:43:41 GMT I read a blog post this morning, containing the usual criticisms to Obama supporters, with one new wrinkle (Obama supporters are bad people for... I read a blog post this morning, containing the usual criticisms to Obama supporters, with one new wrinkle (Obama supporters are bad people for trying to 'spin' Hillary's assassination comment into something negative:roll:...Will we stop at nothing??!?!??!?!?

I thought it was a little self-serving, and I went to say so, but the comment option had been removed.

One way conduit. Shut up and take it.

I thought, How cool is that? Why should the rest of you MORONS get to comment on MY words? You'll just fuck it up.

So, in conclusion, I'd like to say, you're all stupid, and ugly, and you can all go suck it:lol:


I invite your responses.:) ]]> babylonDon http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/babylondon/115-my-word-my-word-alone-losers.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/babylondon/114-p.html Sun, 25 May 2008 14:42:51 GMT Edit: I screwed this up, and reposted without removing this one so here's Neil Young playing 'All Along the Watchtower'.:lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_tJnj2j5kI ]]> babylonDon http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/babylondon/114-p.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/112-nuclear-fusion-bussards-polywell.html Sat, 24 May 2008 22:53:15 GMT Bussard's design of a Nuclear Fusion reactor may be functional and could replace this countries energy needs. If it worked it could merge with the current infrastructure.

The World’s Simplest Fusion Reactor Revisited Or The Not-Quite-So-Simple Fusion Reactor, and How They Made It Work
Polywell forums
Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) Fusion
Details On Dr. Robert W. Bussard Passing Away ]]> jowey http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/112-nuclear-fusion-bussards-polywell.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/111-not-all-bad-excuse-given-out.html Sat, 24 May 2008 21:32:59 GMT I like the "not all are bad" response that I get from some in a demographic that attracts certain personality types. Populations that have authority over others, priests, cops, attorneys, judges and the military.

Of course not all are bad, I am sure that there were some under Hitler's command that were "not bad". The question is how does "society" address these "bad apples" ? Is the institution proactive and reprimand these "bad apples", press charges, address the damage and become more diligent ? Or does the institution cover up the "indiscretion", through denial, redirection of blame and lies ?

What I/we have experienced and what is becoming a public trend is the policy of denial, avoidance of responsibility and failure to address by those representing authority. This makes it a problem with the collective, whether it be priests, cops, corrupt attorneys or warriors. The avoidance means that when the claim of a "few bad apples" is used, the claim is without foundation, those making the claim do not know whether it is just a few or a whole barrel of "bad apples". What I do know is that I / we personally have experienced "indiscretions" that we can point to that will support our claims of avoidance and corruption. We all can support a claim that there is an initiative by those that govern to rule by force, to dismiss the foundations of America's principles through avoidance, lies and deceit.

It used to be that integrity of the profession had some meaning, today this term means nothing. To take the Virginia State Bar's discarded words of policy "avoid even the appearance of professional impropriety", this was discarded in 2000, when Bush was elected. Observe the actions of this current administration which is bringing trends that we have experienced personally to the national theater. It is about avoidance of responsibility and impropriety.

You can also note the amount of "whining/ranting" I have been doing that has no effect, even when I brought it to the community. There is this claim that "word of mouth", the market will cull the "bad apples" from the barrel, regulating the profession, this is not effective regulation, desperate people fuel the market. Rants are a polite way of stating that a process is messed up, that tomorrow these "rants" will not be so polite. As events and circumstances cascade actions are taken from which there is no recovery, note what is being observed in our society.

So of course not all of a population is "bad", the problem is that the "good" ones avoid addressing the problem because of the consequences of standing up against their peers. They avoid addressing the issue because abuses may be supported, unofficially by those higher in their "chain of command", the avoidance reinforces the behavior, one becomes many, if they can do it so can I. This is a professional failure

American society has this image problem, of course not all of us are bad, if one is trapped in a low income area and the only experiences one has is when the "good apples" show up to make demands, profit or assault them, the negative experience reinforces the image of corruption.

The question becomes, what process is in effect that ensures that questionable activities do not occur ? Given the avoidance by the institutions to acknowledge and address how can anyone make a qualified statement as to the amount of "bad apples" that a profession or society has in its population ?

So of course not all are "bad apples" but there is this thing called "guilt by association", if one runs with a gang, they are a gang member and part of the problem that it represents. Whether it is a gang of street toughs making ends meet, a gang of cops, attorneys or soldiers. If abuses and denial are acceptable and dismissed then they become a reflection of the organization. Regardless of who it is, respect is not given to those that cannot keep their word and honor their creed.

:wtf: ]]> jowey http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/111-not-all-bad-excuse-given-out.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/al-asaad/108-family-etiquettes-husbands-responsibilities.html Sun, 18 May 2008 19:40:29 GMT Thought some of you needed enlightenment as to how and why a Muslim husband conducts himself and how Muslim households operate.

We were so young we both had our parent's signature on the marriage license.
I love her undo death; she was my love my heart's passion.
I spoke of her and speak of her to my family as if she were still in our presence.

She will "die" the day I let her houseplants die.
She will "die" the day when, upon entering our bedroom, I don't see her or smell her scent on her pillow.
She will "die" on the day when I have fulfilled every promise I made to her.
She will "die" the day I can no longer feel her breath in my ear, blowing on my soul, her spirit beating in me as my own pulse;
when merciful Allah stills my earthly heart and lifts me up to my Bride; "Alhamdulillah".
_______________________________
After nearly fifty years of sacred marriage to my Mwotangowizi, I still think of her in the present tense:
I should not have expected Christians to understand how others live, how they love or think or act. ]]> al Asaad http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/al-asaad/108-family-etiquettes-husbands-responsibilities.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/107-cops-have-best-drugs.html Sun, 18 May 2008 17:09:56 GMT Regardless of whether the 10% or 90% claim not to be on the take, the foundation of any successful illegal enterprise requires the purchase of... Regardless of whether the 10% or 90% claim not to be on the take, the foundation of any successful illegal enterprise requires the purchase of "protection", a cop. Actually any successful enterprise, legal or illegal needs the cover of the "authorities". If there is an obstacle it must be removed or altered in order for the enterprise to be profitable. "Prostitution" can be covered as being an "Escort Service", pharmaceutical companies protect their interests by making alternate medicines "illegal", illegal aliens would not find jobs if there was not an "authority" protecting the interests of the businesses that profit from their labor. We have an administration that is changing the laws by making wire tapping, torture and dismantling Habeas Corpus to market their "security" and "arms" enterprises.

If these activities are not illegal for a demographic then there is not a crime, lists are a good way to ensure this whimsy. There are several ways that this can be implemented and twisted into profit:

• Put the competitor onto a list.
• Have the enforcement, look the other way for "clients of choice".
• Remove the "balances" to the social processes.
• Interpret the laws in favor of the "client of choice".

The devil is in the details, how these laws are interpreted. The best example of a list implementation are the "grass" laws, targeting of a product that is a direct competitor to the profits of the "clients of choice". What better way to silence a population than to put them on a list, just look at the last seven years of American administration.

How many examples of looking the other way is there, for example some of the most disturbing individuals are cops, loud parties, free flowing drugs and who are you going to call, the cops ? What happens if you do, tickets, made up police reports, assaults, harassment and being accosted by the brothers in blue. Who are you going to call ? Go ahead write to the Police Chief, Mayor, try your representative, the Governor or try the press. Consider how many cops were on Al Capone's payroll, this did not stop with that period, it continues.

This is my favorite, the one level that might have a chance to "protect" the disposable people and this is through "representation". This is a check or balance and represents "competition" for questionable "initiatives". How does one neutralize this channel, make it impotent and ineffectual ? First one implements an initiative that floods the market with demand for the service, those "lists" work great. The profession is swamped with demand and by the nature of the services, they get to choose their "clients of choice" the rest get "processed". Even this is not satisfactory when one is trying to justify expanding a market. What they did in Virginia is to remove the Code of Professional Responsibility, which if you read one would discover that has words in it like "appearance of professional propriety", "competent" and "zealous" representation, these are words of strategy. With this policy in place a client could question the representation that was provided and possibly obtain support from the oversight institution whose goal was to ensure the integrity of the profession and avoid the appearance of impropriety. These policies have been removed, Virginia no longer addresses "strategy" complaints. With the demand of the market and the lack of oversight, representation becomes a numbers game, slanted in the favor of the crusader, one who has an outside agenda, motivation, such as defending a bad government policy, corporate malfeasance or protecting a persecuted sinner from a religious crusader. The client has no leverage over their retained professional, why should they represent a "disposable person" when there are other clients who can pay more and represent a customer base of choice or process a volume of many "disposables". There is no incentive to diligently go beyond the minimal, a religious crusader persecutes a "sinner" without opposition, a prosecutor goes on a rant to persecute a user of a prescription drug (social problem) without opposition, evidence never used is dismissed as a strategy call - next.

Interpretation of the law in favor of the "client of choice", our administration highlighted this implementation when it dismissed the seven U.S. Attorneys. Putting judges with questionable competence, bias and lacking the ability to be impartial gives advantage to the preferred customer on the bench. We have heard where preferential treatment was given to those of a certain demographic. For example I was told by my attorney that the store video was irrelevant, that I would not be believed (presumption of guilt) and that it is accepted that the police lie on their reports all the time.

There are problems with every process, we have observed our society regress decades in the past twenty years, with each line crossed. From dismissing false advertising, politicians being allowed to live in the pockets of special interest groups, corporate indiscretions overlooked, individual indiscretions prosecuted/persecuted to the fullest extent of the law - whatever that means. Now torture, police brutality, wire tapping, lists and failed performance is reduced to a few "bad apples", just how many "bad apples" are there ? Do the "bad apples" represent the 10% or the 90% ? I just remember the significant other of an individual who worked for a local Northern Virginia police department distributing drugs, the parties that came from that house. This couple has long since moved and been promoted to be in charge of a department in another State or so we have been told. In fact they were the ones that introduced us to the locals who when we told them to go away started vandalizing our home and harassing us, we were told they owned the community and when we called the cops, the cops we called wandered around looking official, stood there as these locals drove by yelling obscenities at us and then informed us that they could/would do nothing about it, the locals had a good crop growing in their house. It was so funny one time we got death threat and I tried telling a magistrate that looked like a hooker that I would like to take action, to this I was told that I could "take my best shot", they gave the wrong phone number to their supervisor and when I finally contacted the supervisor they said that their hooker magistrate was right. Prince William County Virginia is a great place to live, it provides so many colorful experiences for its population. Funnier still is that my ancestor was sheriff of this county and another signed the Declaration of Independence. ]]> jowey http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/jowey/107-cops-have-best-drugs.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/julia/106-clintons-sooo-20th-century.html Sat, 10 May 2008 06:43:51 GMT Stop the drama vote Obama. :kick: Stop the drama vote Obama.

:kick: ]]> julia http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/julia/106-clintons-sooo-20th-century.html http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/ppatt/105-jeremiah-wright-part-ii.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:52:20 GMT Did you hear those questions they asked him at the end of the address? I was flabbergasted. They were so ignorant as to be insulting and that is sad... Did you hear those questions they asked him at the end of the address? I was flabbergasted. They were so ignorant as to be insulting and that is sad because the ones doing the asking had generated the questions out of a sense of their own goodness. After all, if they were good and felt swept up in broad brush-strokes of condemnation aimed at their country (i.e. who they are..as far as one primary identification goes) their questions are code for “Am I not good?” The entire dialog between Wright and questioners takes the form of “I am not what you refer to but what about you?” But belief in one’s own goodness IS the issue, isn’t it? And the larger issue is about whether America can do no wrong. We will not get to the discussion about what America could do better or what it might be doing wrong with people who believe that it can do no wrong. Don’t delude yourself about that by adopting a demeanor of appeasement. America has a big elephant in the living room and it is race. It hurts everyone involved to ignore it.

One question posed whether people of other races would feel welcomed at Wrights church. Now I can’t say for sure, but I suspect the questioner had their doubts and through ignorance did not realize the denomination was not exclusively black and that the congregation was mixed, to whatever extent. I bet the denominations membership goes up after so many have heard Wright. There are many minds that could not be moved and which could not get past a few things to hear a primarily hopeful message of liberation and reconciliation but I suspect some were. Now the spread would not look good to a politician but for those of us living life any improvement is welcomed.

On the optimistic side, those decidedly not in the Jeremiah Wright fan club we can discuss why we feel the way we do. Sometimes that is all we have, our feelings. As much as we’d like to consider ourselves logical, rational beings we most often are not. We like to believe that there are rules and laws recognized by all, universal truths. We band together in groups of the like-minded to reinforce and justify feelings and to vault them into a level of regard that we deem truth. But still, they are nothing but feelings and a resulting belief. What a foible it is to try and make more of it than that.

His remarks in which he said “God damn America” had a context. That context was built around something to the effect that God would judge America no different than any other country and that if America violated God’s law then God would damn America. Isn’t that what we are saying about Islamic countries sometimes. I think what bothers some people the most about that is that he is saying we can be, have been, and are currently in some cases wrong in America. Why should that be so hard to stomach? We have examples enough though, don’t we? Slavery etc. Wright cited syphilis experimentation on blacks in Tuskeegee Alabama. People don’t want to see that and they don’t want to examine how badly wrong America has been and how contrary to the message of Christianity America has behaved and juxtapose it with some of our actions and policies today. That is unbearable to many.

People don’t want that anymore than they want to look in the mirror. Inasmuch as “America” (or their concepts thereof) is a self-righteous identification and one source of derived self-worth (remember it is just human to seeks ways to define oneself…often through identifications) it is like a slap in the face or supreme insult to suggest that America is not perfect. In fact, people often take effrontery towards a sacred cow much more seriously than they do personal insult because the sacred cow is sacred because it has been confirmed as sacred by a crowd, those in their class or demographic group…their “gang.” Since it is not just them being insulted many or more bold in their retaliation against such insult.

So maybe I am just different. I love America but it is not my sacred cow. It can do wrong and it can be very wrong. I am not destroyed by that admission. In fact it is the only path to improvement. Collective righteousness can be just as obnoxious as any individual at his/her worse who refuses to engage in self-examination or look in the mirror. The emboldening effects of groupthink can, in fact, lead to acts, far more egregious acts than individuals can manage on their own.

I am encouraged that youth who have listened to Wrights address by and large indicate that he is right (without the W  ). If only the rest of us could have such an uncontaminated, simple, innocent and forthright ethical sense. Right and wrong are only hard to sort out when with a so-called maturity we begin equivocating.

White people should not take insult or feel threatened by the outlooks, suspicions, fears and cynicism that is a natural outgrowth of the black experience in America, especially when those espousing it highly value the virtues of reconciliation, equality, and forgiveness. These, after all are the meat and potatoes of what Jesus spoke.

There are some things Wright and the rest of us as well should ever make nice over. We should stand our ground while loving those who hate us. Maybe some call that egotistical but I call it mentally healthy and even liberating. We all need to be liberated of something. Inasmuch as I expect to hear the “tssk,tssk” of disapproval directed at Wright I also believe it is wrong-minded and misdirected. Those who disapprove of him need to look within themselves for answers not at Wright for raising questions that might make them feel uncomfortable.

I kind of see Wrights address as that of a patient teacher who at times administers the lesson in a strict manner when supreme ignorance and thick-headedness exhibited by the pupil. The pupil might not like it but they do have the conscious choice to either learn or steel their defenses. They can hide the embarrassment at their own ignorance by pointing at the teachers tone or what they perceive as ego or they can try to understand, and learn.

At this point too many have not gotten over the shock of having their sacred cows knocked off their pedestal to even engage in a rational examination of the substance of Wrights address. For those feeling emotional stress overpowering their responses, maybe they would be better served and more receptive to a kinder, gentler message that lets them retain a sense of dignity and righteousness. On the other hand, when the fragile ego seeks safe harbor and protection from what might be the truth, resulting in ascribing egocentricity to the source of their discomfort, then the school of hard knocks might be the only avenue offering any hope. ]]> ppatt http://www.politicalgroove.com/blogs/ppatt/105-jeremiah-wright-part-ii.html