July 27, 2014

Treat Central American Children at Our Borders With Humanity
By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. 

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Politicians seeking political advantage blame the Central American children crisis on President Barack Obama. They demand that the border be secured. But these children aren’t undocumented immigrants trying to sneak into America. They are refugees fleeing threats on their lives, and hoping to reach our border security guards, not avoid them. They aren’t running to America; they are running from homes where their lives are under threat. Protestors aren’t trying to help border security round them up; they are blocking buses from reaching border security.

We have a broken immigration system. Comprehensive reform has been blocked, largely by the same politicians now condemning President Obama. But the challenge posed by 50,000 children from Central America isn’t about a broken immigration system or a porous border. It is about children fleeing a violent land seeking refuge in a storm. America, famously, is a land of immigrants. Waves of immigrants — some coming voluntarily, some brought against their will — built this country.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” reads the Statute of Liberty, a monument to that reality. But these children are not immigrants. They are not seeking jobs. They are refugees seeking safety. When Jesus fled to Egypt, he was a political refugee.

Herod, the Roman King of Judea, feared the new born King. He ordered the murder of every child in Bethlehem under the age of two. Warned by the angel, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the Jesus, and stayed there until Herod died. Had Egypt sent him back, Herod surely would have killed him. We should remember that teaching when we look at these children. In 1938, in the wake of Kristallnacht, German Jews were desperate to escape Nazi death camps. Over 900 bought passage on the SS St. Louis, leaving Germany for Cuba. In Cuba, they planned to wait until they could qualify under the very restrictive quotas the U.S. had imposed. When the boat got to Cuba, the Cubans had reversed their policy and refused to allow the passengers to disembark without a massive bribe. The German captain then sailed the ship toward Florida hoping to get shelter there.

The SS St. Louis was not allowed to land in the U.S., with the Coast Guard dispatching cutters to keep it away. The Jews returned to Europe. It is estimated that one-fourth of them died in concentration camps. Guatemala and Honduras are two of the most murderous countries in the world. The drug trade that is fueled by American demand for it has produced deadly gangs and gang wars that savage the countries. These children are put in the hands of smugglers on a perilous journey because their lives would be snuffed out if they stayed.

No parent would allow their child to face those risk if they weren’t truly desperate. There are terrible refugee crises across the world. Hundreds of thousands displaced by violence in the Middle East, by the growing civil strife in the Ukraine, by civil and ethnic and religious wars. We work with other countries that take the threatened in, seeking to provide some refuge in the storm. The children on our border are not so numerous. We should treat these children with humanity, with care. We should see if the risks back home are real.

We should unite those at risk with family members where possible or find them foster homes if necessary. We should be working hard with authorities in Central American countries to bring the violence under control. This will take time. But we do not want to be an Egyptian pharaoh who would send Jesus back to Herod, nor a callous government that sent Jews back to Europe and eventually to death camps. We are better people than that. Our economy doesn’t work for most Americans. Our immigration system is broken, abused by low-wage employers, and needs to be fixed. It is understandable that people are angry and scared. But surely we still have the generosity of spirit to provide refuge for children in terror of their lives. 

July 27, 2014
Our Absurd Injustice System
By Julianne Malveaux

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - What if we didn’t incarcerate people who commit non-violent crimes?  Or, if we sentenced them, what if their sentences were reasonable, instead of intolerable.  What if a man who steals a $159 jacket while high gets drug treatment and a sentence of, say, two years, instead of a sentence of life imprisonment without parole?  How much would we save if legally mandated minimum sentences were modified and nonviolent drug offenses were more reasonably imposed.

Marc Mauer of The Sentencing Project says that eliminating more than 79,000 bed years, or the amount of time a prisoner uses a bed in prison, could save at least $2.4 billion.  That’s enough to send nearly a million students to college if the $25,000 covers the cost of attendance (which it does for most state schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities). It could put nearly half a million teachers in underserved K-12 schools. It could restore availability to libraries and parks.  Instead, we spend it incarcerating people, particularly those who are locked up for relatively minor crimes.

The $2.4 billion that The Sentencing Project has calculated may be a low estimate.  According to the Justice Department more than $80 billion is spent on incarceration annually.  How much of this spending is unnecessary and could be easily converted to drug treatment and recovery?  Why do we find it so easy to incarcerate people but so difficult to rehabilitate them, when we know that the recidivism rates are high.

Within five years of incarceration, more than three-quarters are rearrested.  Most were arrested for property crimes, not for drug offenses, or violent offenses.  Much of the property crime could be alleviated if it was easier for ex-offenders to find employment, but after incarceration, many find the doors of employment slammed in their faces.  Incarceration combined with education and societal embrace might reduce recidivism and the level of property crime.

President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are moving in the right direction.  First, the President moved to reform drug sentencing laws, reducing the discrepancy between crack and powdered cocaine.  This resulted in the Smarter Sentencing Act, which has yet to be scheduled for a vote in Congress and the Senate, despite bipartisan support for this legislation.  Advocates of the bill, including the ACLU, The Sentencing Project, the NAACP and many others support the legislation and have encouraged people to reach out to their Congressional representatives to push for a vote on this legislation.

The Smarter Sentencing Act, when approved, will make modifications in sentencing requirements.  Now, the US Sentencing Commission has ruled that those with drug sentences and be applied retroactively.  This will affect as many as 46,000 prisoners.  It’s not enough, but it’s a reasonable first step.  If release were combined with education and access to employment, recidivism rates would certainly decrease.

The United States represents just 5 percent of the world population, but incarcerates more than a quarter of the worlds incarcerated.  Nearly half of those incarcerated in federal prisons are African American.  Is there a bias here?  African Americans are as likely as whites to commit nonviolent drug related crimes, but African Americans are far more likely to be incarcerated.  The difference – the money that provides access to great legal services; maybe the attraction of a plea bargain, guilty or not, because of the prospect of an unfair sentence; maybe bias on the part of arresting officers.  Whatever the cause, it seems unfathomable that African Americans and whites commit the same crimes, but African Americans are arrested six times as frequently as whites.

If you read a November 2013 report from the ACLU, you won’t know whether to scream or cry.  A Living Death:  Life without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses https://www.aclu.org/criminal-law-reform/living-death-life-without-parole-nonviolent-offenses-0.  More than 3200 people have life sentences without parole for such minor offences like shoplifting, trying to cash a stolen check, and threatening a police officer while handcuffed.  Some are sentenced because of sentencing guidelines, which mean judges have no choice in their sentencing.  What makes sense about giving a shoplifter more time than a murderer?

As many as 65 percent of those who have been sentenced to life without parole are African American.  According to the ACLU, “many were struggling with mental illness, drug dependency, or financial desperation.”  Only in an injustice system can this be considered “just”.

Julianne Malveaux is a DC based economist and author.

July 27, 2014

The War on Black Women
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – As I have stated before, my friend Dick Gregory likes to say, "When White America gets a cold, Black folks get pneumonia."  Evaluating America's "War on Women" through the lens of this statement, the negative outcomes that the "evil forces" of this nation visit upon Black women is unjustifiable and disheartening.  If we take the time to observe and remember, the evidence is clear.

Because she has been the subject of my past writings and discussions, most of you are aware of the struggles of Marissa Alexander in Florida and her fight from unjust prosecution, but do you remember Renisha McBride?  She was the nineteen year-old woman shot in Dearborn Heights, Michigan on November 2, 2013.  She was shot seeking assistance after her involvement in an automobile accident.  Tragically, the home from which she sought assistance was the residence of a man who could not see beyond her race.  Instead of by the Good Samaritan, Renisha was "greeted" with the response of a Charles Bronson "Death Wish" vigilante.

Theodore Paul Wafer, 54, opened the front door of his home and fired his 12-gauge shotgun through his screen door into the face of Renisha, killing her.  First media reports state Wafer's alleged belief was that his home was being invaded.  This argument begs the question, "Why would you open your front door to an intruder instead of calling the police?"  His argument would hold greater logic had he waited for her to actually break into his home.

Wafer has been charged with second degree murder and his "legal" guilt or innocence will be decided in a court of law, but observers suggest that Wafer's defense will use the intoxication indicated in Renisha's autopsy to drag Renisha's personal character through the mud holes of every negative characterization and stereotype attributable to Black people.

More recently, two Black American jurists have fallen victim to the "open season" that apparently exists on Black women.

79-year old Judge Arnette Hubbard was taking a smoke break outside the Daley Center in Chicago and was attacked by 55-year old David Nicosia.  He took issue with Judge Hubbard smoking too closely to him and yelled at her to "move Rosa Parks!!!"  He then slapped and spit on her.  Judge Hubbard followed her assailant while calling for assistance and was slapped and spit upon a second time.  Fortunately, sheriff's deputies arrived and took Nicosia into custody where he was charged with four counts of aggravated battery and a hate crime.  Bail was set at $90,000.

Less overt than the attack on Judge Hubbard, the attack on Judge Tracie Hunter demonstrates comparable racial animus and maintenance of a juvenile justice system used as a tool of racial oppression. Judge Hunter is the first African American woman elected as a juvenile court judge in Cincinnati.  Her election results were not clear, but, after lengthy legal wrangling, she was seated.

Judge Hunter's primary reason for running for election was to reverse the trend of injustices suffered by children in the Hamilton County juvenile justice system - 80% of whom are Black children.  Refusing to support practices that enhance the "school-to-prison pipeline" and violations of the civil, constitutional and human rights of juveniles, Judge Hunter is embroiled in a legal battle with Hamilton County Republicans and their efforts to strip her of authority in favor of the judge she defeated in her election.

Whether an attack on Renisha McBride's character, personal or institutional attacks on jurists or the increasing political and personal attacks upon our First Lady, we must not ignore or forget them.  We must fight the opponents of our sister's security because what they comfortably do to one of us can easily be done to any of us.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President/CEO of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.  www.nationalcongressbw.org and www.efayewillilams.com.  202/678-6788

July 27, 2014

US Foreign Policy –Wrong Side of History, Wrong Side of World Opinion
By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon, III

 (TriceEdneyWire.com) - “Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop. Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society. And just as it devastates Palestinian families, the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel's security; neither does the continuing lack of opportunity in the West Bank. Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress.”  - President Obama – Cairo 2009

A very interesting and powerful vote took place at the UN on Wednesday July 23. The UN Human Rights Council voted 29 to 1 to launch a commission of inquiry into alleged Israeli war crimes in Israel’s Gaza offensive against the Palestinians. The lone dissenter in the vote was the United States. Nineteen countries, mostly European abstained.  According to East Idaho News, US State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf said, “ the country (US) had no issue being the sole vote against the commission, adding that the U.S. will continue to stand up for Israel, "even if it means standing alone."

Very few if any mainstream American news outlets or sources reported on this damning vote.  In the country where freedom of the press and an independent news media are supposed to carry the day, a biased misrepresentation of this ongoing conflict continues by omission and commission to distort American’s perspectives on the Palestinian’s ongoing struggle for autonomy and human rights.

An investigation into alleged war crimes is a very serious investigation.  “War Crime” is defined as “a crime (as genocide or maltreatment of prisoners) committed during or in connection with war”. The US government’s blind and blanket support of Israel’s acts of genocide against the Palestinian people will prove to be on the wrong side of history and judging by the latest UN vote, in conflict with the rest of the world.

Genocide is defined as “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group”.  According to Press TV,  Ayelet Shaked an Israeli politician and parliament member of the ultra-nationalist Jewish Home party recently called for the slaughter of Palestinian mothers who give birth to "little snakes." They have to die and their houses should be demolished so that they cannot bear any more terrorists… are all our enemies and their blood should be on our hands. This also applies to the mothers of the dead terrorists.” Shaked’s comments accurately describe the actions being taken by the Israeli government.  Reacting to Shaked's remarks, the Turkish premier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel's policy in Gaza is no different than Hitler's mentality.

Americans need to understand that the basis of Israel’s attacks on and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians is not security, its bigotry and racism. It is the bigotry, racism and oppression that make Israel less secure. Palestinians are forcibly resisting the oppression and genocide that the Israeli government is imposing upon them.   In February 2014 the Israeli Knesset passed a bill that explicitly distinguishing between Muslim and Christian Palestinian citizens of Israel.  Reports show that vast amounts of Israel’s territory are restricted for the use of Jews only, often on lands expropriated from Palestinians. There, two separate legal systems; one for Jews and one for Arabs and a two-tier transportation system. There are separate roads in the West Bank that only Jews are allowed to drive on. These realities are not being reported on in mainstream American media.

President Obama was correct in 2009 when he stated that the US cannot accept the continued construction of “settlements” and Israel must ensure that Palestinians can develop their own society.  However, for some reason the US continues to accept and encourage these atrocities. Contrary to the president’s statements in 2009, the ongoing actions of his administration continue to allow Israel to violate international and US law, two of which are the U.S. Foreign Assistance and Arms Export Control Acts.  Both of these make it illegal to export defense articles and/or services to any country unless they are used “solely for internal security” or “legitimate self-defense”.

No one can reasonably argue that the asymmetrical nature of the Israeli incursion into Gaza is legitimate. Regardless of how many times Israeli PM Netanyahu says it is and no matter how many times President Obama says that “Israel has the right to defend itself”, Israel’s actions are illegal and immoral.  According to 22 U.S. Code § 2304 - Human rights and security assistance – “no security assistance may be provided to any country the government of which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. Security assistance may not be provided to the police, domestic intelligence, or similar law enforcement forces of a country, and licenses may not be issued under the Export Administration Act of 1979 [50 App. U.S.C. 2401 et seq.]”

There is another issue surrounding these atrocities that must be addressed.  The deafening silence of leadership within the African American community is unacceptable. The NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus, and other organizations should be front-and-center in condemning the Israeli government’s actions and the Obama administration’s support and encouragement of them. Their arguments should be based upon the immoral basis Israel’s actions, violations of US and international law, and that American taxpayer dollars should not go to a country that is engaging in ethnic cleansing.  The African American community was vocal, active and on the right side of history regarding South Africa, but silent in Rwanda and Somalia. Our voices should be heard on this issue.

It is important to remember that while leadership within the African American community remains conspicuously silent regarding the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Israel supported the apartheid regime in South Africa.  According to Professor  Juan Cole,  “The Israeli government had extremely warm relations with Apartheid South Africa, to the point where Tel Aviv offered the Afrikaners a nuclear weapon.”

In his book Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice Dr. Clarence Lusane writes, “…in the aftermath of WWII, one of the most significant developments in terms of race and U.S. Foreign policy was the emergence of a much stronger and vocal African American voice in U.S. foreign relations.” Today, that voice is conspicuously absent from the narrative and innocent men, women and children continue to die because of it.  Lusane wrote the following in the context of the rise of Powell and Rice and their promotion of US imperialism and hegemony but I believe that it also applies to the deafening silence referenced above, “For many around the world, it appears that a progressive black American foreign policy agenda and consensus, which has existed for centuries, has eroded if not disappeared altogether.”

President Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace on the shoulders of Dr. Ralph Bunch (1950), ironically for his mediation of a conflict in Palestine in the late 1940’s and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964).  In his acceptance speech, President Obama said, “I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations - that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter and can bend history in the direction of justice.”

Mr. President, take action that reflects “our highest aspirations”.  Don’t become a mere prisoner of fate or of Netyanyahu.  Yes, our actions do matter and our inaction is resulting in great cruelty and hardship for the Palestinian people. We cannot stand for the slaughter of innocent men, women and children. Your administration’s policy towards the Palestinians is on the wrong side of history and on the wrong side of world opinion.

Dr. Wilmer Leon is the Producer/ Host of the Sirius/XM Satellite radio channel 110 call-in talk radio program “Inside the Issues with Wilmer Leon” Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. www.twitter.com/drwleon and Dr. Leon’s Prescription at Facebook.com  © 2014 InfoWave Communications, LLC