An Excerpt

How to Stay Out of Jail After 25
Chapter 1

The heavy clank of the cell door awoke me. I almost jumped up, aware that today was the day. After five months I was going free.

I survived.

One of my cellmates, a three inch mouse, sitting up on his haunches, looked at me with indifference while dutifully eating a chocolate chip. It was the third day in a row the mouse had the nerve to stare me down. He had obviously seen worse characters.

Shorty Mouthshot, my human cellmate, reminded me, practically yelling “today is the day, Dread”. He paused, smiling, watching me, then repeated louder ‘TODAY IS THE DAY’
The drab cell came to life with his booming voice. The sound of his proclamation ricocheted off the pockmarked walls. The mouse? He had heard enough and decided to dart, leaving a small remnant of his sweet snack.

The whole jail experience was new to me, when I first got there I was scared. I heard so many horror stories, watched so many prison flicks, my imagination ran wild. I envisioned the unsavory wrath of ‘booty bandits’ looking at life terms forcing their way into my life, stealing my highly coveted virginity. Images of the classic macho- rural rape flick, Deliverance, played through my mind like a grainy VHS tape. Except these guys were not apt to say squeal.

There was also very real possibility of someone testing their latest shank on me. A deranged sociopath; one of those guys they build jails for, attacking me in a bloodthirsty frenzy for some petty indiscretion.

I also feared the ever present gangs extorting what meager possessions I could call my own while the guards, barely earning their pay, stood idly by.All these fears lived and breathed inside my head. They had conversations, my fears told me I was going to die. As it turned out, Cook County Jail was a mans world and so far, I proved I was a man.


The First Day

I was scared, tired, angry and embarrassed. No one got caught jumping a turnstile, at least no one with a felony warrant and two hundred dollars in their pocket.

‘You coulda’ paid…… all that money you got’ the Chicago transit cop reminded me. I spied a healthy green booger starting to ,make its way down his left nostril. With each breath he took it retreated back in. The stubble on his chin was slightly speckled with the dry, greenish remnants of a previous ‘snotfall’. I always found it difficult to respect people like this.

He was not aware -nor did he care- that I was late to work and the best sections in the club I worked at where awarded to those who showed up on time. I was used to taking shortcuts and this was no different. Besides who wanted to get ready for work in a ‘smiling’ business with a boss bitching about late comers.

“Can’t you guys just let me pay”? I asked while tracking the progress of his booger.
The clear slime was blended with a sickening emerald goo that surely carried some deadly affliction, at least that’s what it looked like.
‘Nope, but we’ll get you out as soon as possible’ he cheerfully replied. He sounded like he looked; a polite customer service rep with questionable hygiene and a nose full of snot..

“But I’ll be late for work man…just cut me a break” I pleaded.

His tone changed back to the role he played best, arresting officer “Buddy…… it’ll only be a couple of hours” he looked back at me from the front seat of the squad car. I had been tracking his booger’s progress through the rearview mirror. I could see it clearly dangling, it was not going to make it back this time. “Besides, you can call your boss when we get to the station”

The laborious thought that I may possibly go free was stillborn, dead on arrival. I had a bench warrant and I knew beyond any doubt that I was going to sit for a minute……..months.

I was fucked.

I listened to the guttural slurp of breath that was impeded by his upper respiratory infection and liberal amount of snot as he stifled a cough.

As I descended into a state of depressed shock, I watched one last time as the transit cop thankfully wiped his sleeve across his nose.

Chapter 2

I was already on home confinement, a sweet deal awarded to a few, mostly connected, people. I had a class X felony, armed violence, which was basically possession of a firearm and narcotics.

According to the law, there was no probation. You either won the case or you owed the state a six year minimum. It was definitely designed to squeeze a plea bargain from the legions of drug dealers and criminals that kick back in court everyday. Home confinement, in special cases, counted as incarceration.
The overcrowded jails made home confinement a fitting alternative for a working man who may have stumbled onto the wrong side of the law. In Cook County 1992 there were a lot of working men stumbling around.

The judge assigned to my case was an observant man he took note of how defendants dressed. He watched how one behaved in his courtroom well before they ever got in front of him.

Lucky for me I paid attention. I watched him grimace and shift in his seat as he detected a lie. I watched him look at the bailiff in silent communication as he lifted his glass of clear liquid. He would take a healthy sip, smack his lips and exhale with gusto. His mood would worsen with each case. As the tension mounted so did the harshness of his final judgment.

I recalled his disgust in anyone approaching his bench from lock-up. He literally and figuratively, looked down on everyone that came before him.

Was it pity? Disgust?


There was something about the Department of Corrections uniforms that he loathed. His visible sneer and generally cold disposition would typically lead to numerous continuations and judgments against the already incarcerated defendant. He mixed in an occasional “I told you so” or “I would cut you a break but…” In his numerous speeches and lamentations. Sometimes, not very often, he would manage to laugh.

He kicked you while you were down, he piled it on and rarely issued a continuance less than a month. If you were trying to prove your innocence from behind bars and could not make bail, you were shit out of luck, it might take a while.

Amongst inmates he was legendary. “You got judge Dune”? The look they gave said it all, even the ‘jailhouse lawyers’, guys who thought they understood the legal process would shrug. “I can’t help you with him”.

His continuances were referred to as “A Buck Rogers”- the fictional hero who woke up five hundred years in the future- the phrase was almost always accompanied with “ther’ll be hovercrafts when you finally get back to court” the complimentary laughter from the captive peanut gallery would follow soon after.

Many guys, mostly in for petty theft or possession cases, simply fought their smalltime cases from behind bars. When the outcome was finally resolved they ended up getting time served and released immediately. That had to be the worst; a county year or more for stealing deodorant or possession of a ten dollar rock.

Many of the newly released would brag, ‘jailhouse lawyer style’, about how they played the judge. The blissfully ignorant world they lived in suited them just fine. Upon release they would be issued a jail card. The card carrying members of the stumbling bumbling crowd. They would be back soon enough.

There were many who approached the bench with two, three, even four open cases pending. When it came to crime these types were ‘all in’, go for broke enemies of decency and order. Every waking hour was spent committing or covering up a crime.

Most of the time it was drugs. Even when it was robbery or some other violent offense , drugs where behind it.

The defendant or, in some instances, defendants would come in off the street posse in tow. Sometimes they would laugh it up, savoring their temporary freedom while guys, already in jail, got incredibly long continuances or pleaded out on shaky cases. They knew how it worked . I overheard the perceived victories all the time.

“They didn’t find my shit” one guy bragged.
“All they got was a gun" said another.
“He stupid to take that deal” another future convict added.

The case would be called and Judge Dune, impatient with the whole process, would roll his eyes waiting for the continuance request. He wore his disgust like a badge. His surly disposition could easily be confused with indigestion or some other type of physical discomfort. He basically looked pissed off.

The Judge knew it would be a moral ‘stare down’; if the defendants were able to remain free while fighting their case and avoid racking up any additional charges, Dune would do all he could to get them out of his courtroom. He would entice them with a great deal and plead them out.

Dune did not waste his time trying to pressure these guys, some of them liked jail, or pretended to, these institutionalized victims of Stockholm Syndrome found a fitting survival tactic to make life bearable.

The lobby outside the court bustled with defendants, their friends, family and a dazzling assortment of Public Defenders.

Fat, short, tall, male, female, they came in all shapes and sizes. A bizarre reflection of the assorted people they represented. Some were experienced others were rookies. Some were stylishly dressed; obviously trust fund kids slumming in the public sector, waiting for something better to come along. Some really wanted to help, putting their time in for legal aid. Idealistic recent grads from law school. They were uncorrupted, not yet jaded by the bitter reality of a biased justice system- a biased system. Most , it seemed, could care less. It was anything but a law career it was thankless job for any guy or gal who simply passed the bar.

After being broken in most public defenders were simply trying to clear cases. The romantic ideals they came into the job with were replaced by cynicism and frustration. With straining arms and aching backs they were less interested in guilt or innocence than the judge or prosecutor. They were like mailmen- their work was never done- there would always be a backlog.

On the moral and ethical scale many could easily be compared to a car salesman trying to close a deal. When actually they were just trying to lighten their already heavy load.

I would listen intently- earhustle- as they dispensed advice. “Delshaun they’ll drop the gun charge in exchange for a guilty plea on the drugs” The brave façade of the defendant was temporarily replaced with wide eyed anticipation as they ignorantly weighed their limited options.
”Should I take it”

“Of course” was the usual response.

Sometimes they would lay out a doom and gloom scenario “You know if you don’t take it and the charges stick it is going to be additional time during sentencing” The P.D.’s could sense the naiveté of their client and would manipulate a plea to get the case off their roles. I could almost hear them thinking : take the fucking deal you stupid bastard.

Laying it on thick, they would sometimes add “ I’ll get a continuance and go into a 4-12 conference with the judge and district attorney. When you come back we’ll plead out to whatever deal they give us…….O.K.?”

I had overheard that canned suggestion dozens of times. I had also observed their relief when their client accepted.

“Deal”

The on going theme of customer service was apparent in their tone. Cook County Jail “Over a Million served”.

Many people on bail would, at some point, get in trouble doing something else; once again it was a case of making bail. If you came in front of the Judge from lock-up he lost all respect and you were done. Buck Rogers in the twenty fifth century. Most of the braggarts who talked a good game early on, eventually pleaded out after catching additional; charges. They would be led into court defeated, shuffling their feet, head down in front of Judge Dune in ‘county browns’.

The Judge locked up people based on their lifestyle if you were unlucky enough to get in front of him you were doing something wrong. Everyone got a chance; if you continued your ways and caught on another charge you would end up in front of him again.

He remembered names, faces. The A.D.A. always dutifully reminded him of the charges.

“Your honor Nyrelle Carter”

There was one particular assistant district attorney, portly with a white boy afro and Lennon glasses- spectacles. The specs gave him the misleading appearance of a liberal humanitarian. Someone who would be in Greenpeace, Sierra Club or Earthfirst. Someone who would understand, cut you a break.

He would always hold the paper up at arms length looking over the rims of his glasses, pause and clear his throat. He reminded me of The Sherriff of Nottingham orating the King’s proclamation in a Robin Hood movie. All that was missing was the herald horns.
He always had a never ending gargantuan caseload. The list of current charges, including criminal history, was stapled together in chronological order for each defendant he was prosecuting.

The Judge could make a quick assessment of what he was dealing with by the size of the file. Many guys that came in front of him were career criminals. They had charges going back decades, some had open cases in different courtrooms.

Sorting out the mess was sometimes difficult and if the defendant was out on bail any type of incarceration could be postponed by the confusion that can result from separate cases.

“Mr. Carter is currently in front of Judge Parnell on an unrelated gun charge”

Judge Dune would request a conference to discuss consolidating the cases. “ Mr, Carter do you have any charges we don’t know about”?

“No your Honor” Without investing one iota of belief in them he still extended the benefit of the doubt. If they were lying the paper would catch up to them soon enough and the judge would surely give them a special treat. He would look down over the rim of his reading glasses, his smirk firmly in place, to make eye contact; one last chance to tell the truth.

“Do you object to us requesting a transfer and taking care of this in this courtroom.”

“No, but I got to go before Judge Parnell next week”

There is no way to know what he will tell Judge Parnell. No matter what, he just bought three more months. The guilty as sin, defendant would then saunter out of court shedding the humble disposition he temporarily wore so well in front of The Judge


In The Cook County Courthouse and Jail at 26th and California you could get to know people. Despite the large size of the complex, people became familiar. I fought my case for two years and I have a photographic memory. I knew everyone there.

No Slappz = Feeble

This is part two of the epic battle with teenage wunderkind-No Slappz


No Slappz says-Yep. But, more accurately, an assault on its misleading nature and the unfortunate goal it aims for.

Sorry No Slappz the goal was to garner a response and give an uncensored account of the atrocities committed by everyday people, like you. But I am also glad you admit you are on the attack which debunks my sociopath hypotheses.

No Slappz says-Why the lengthy explanation? It’s okay to say “I’m busy. I’ll respond in a day or two.” As to my post versus your post, well, your post was an indictment of the white community of today based on crimes that occurred in the distant past that were committed by people long dead. Thus, your intention is to encourage blacks to increase their animosity towards whites today based on events that have no connection or relevance to life in the present.

The explanation I offered was approximately twenty words. The question should be :Why the lengthy replies on my posts? Why harass complete strangers? I am sure your therapist has already touched on those subjects. In fact I am positive this serves as some sort of preventive therapy for you.

You also consider my post to be an indictment on the white community. You fail to make the mental leap required to keep this all in perspective. I admit , it is an indictment. An indictment on the people that did it and anyone who may condone it. As far as encouraging blacks; you give me way to much credit (THANKS, BY THE WAY).

The people that converged on Jena Louisiana were encouraged. Not all of them were black.

Your naivete is shocking. I cannot believe you think one post on lynching is going to sway the black populace into hurting you or anyone else. I guess in your paranoid world it could be considered the straw that broke the camels back.

No Slappz says-A couple of points. Blogs are for publicly expressing thoughts any way the blogger desires. As for my background, it goes like this. I have an undergraduate degree in engineering and I worked my way through college as an engineer. After college I studied finance and went to Wall Street.

Who cares. You are in cyber space (dial-up no less). Besides, it goes like this, anyone can sweep floors.

TMI.

I am a thirteen yr old girl and you are a congressman.

No Slappz says-You show that even your ad hominem attacks are lacking. So far you have shown that you cannot respond to the real issues I’ve raised, but to mask your inability, you take the standard route of attacking the person. That says a lot about your journalistic skills.

Your response is the stuff editors eat up. That shows how much you know about Journalism; but I am sure while you were working your way through junior college you took a class.
You demonstrate exactly what you criticize- consistently.

You are the one that admittedly attacked me , thus, I am defending. Not attacking.

No Slappz says- You wrote:Pastime? You mean like fans in the stands, box scores in the newspapers, celebrations when the home-team won? There was no Roman Coliseum in which blacks were lynched. The practice was illegal. Lynching was a crime. If it weren’t, there would have been a public forum for spontaneous hangings and other abuses. But obviously few lynchers were prosecuted.

Absolutely, you should check out a great book called No Sanctuary. It is a historical account of Lynching through photographs, press clippings, post cards and first hand accounts. There is a picture of a little girl with a pixie cut, in her Sunday best, standing, posing in front of a charred corpse, face twisted into a final grimace with a huge crowd of smiling folks, all in their Sunday best. I wonder where she is now. The photo, I think, was from 1929.

There are also hundreds of newspaper articles many giving colorful, enthusiastic, descriptions of the festive environment and horrific activities.

Despite lynching being a horrific act there was never legislation passed specifically to stop it. You can also read old clippings from Newspapers announcing an upcoming Negro Bar-B-Que. These events were well promoted and well attended. All this information is available online. Yale and Harvard have excellent sites. BTW there is no such word as lynchers. By coining the term you almost give away the frequency of lynchings- "there are actually lynchers hard at work as we speak".

No Slappz says-Lynching happened. No one denies it. It is part of the past and there is no desire among whites to repeat it.

The smartest most insightful thing you have written during our entire discourse. I am glad you speak for all white people.

No Slappz-No defense was presented. But by offering this statement you hope you can fool readers by giving the appearance of responding to statements purportedly made in defense of lynching. Nice try.

I tried to fool people when I was selling business opportunities. Once again, you give me way to much credit. But lets really break this down. Do you think people are that easily fooled? That they are swayed by emotion and shocking descriptions. We Americans are desensitized. You should try limiting your responses to only include how you felt and no one else. You cannot speak for anyone else. That strange feeling in your gut is a conscience not me trying to fool you.

No Slappz says“It always fascinates me when people are driven to dredge up the past for the purpose of maintaining divisions in the present.”The meaning of my statement is miles away from the false impression you created with your deceptive omission.

You never expounded on that meaning but like I said the whole study of history requires, what you call, dredging up the past. I guess if the subject of study makes your stomach turn you call it dredging. I am starting to realize you simply do not like to feel things. My post made you feel something. And now – you are driven 'to correct' the feeling.

It has been proven that conversations around the difficult subject of race and racism are beneficial for all involved. That conversation has to be honest and will sometimes be difficult. Why are you so afraid?

No one is going to attack you.

No Slappz says"Furthermore, it's utterly irresponsible to include unverifiable claims published in newspapers a century ago. Perhaps the excerpt from the Vicksburg newspaper article is true. Perhaps it is an extraordinary exaggeration. Fabrications do happen. Bizarre and unreal beliefs overcome reality every day. OJ Simpson was acquitted of a double homicide, even though he slashed the throats of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman. That was only 13 years ago. Not a century ago." To clarify. Newspaper accounts of spontaneous events are frequently erroneous. Moreover, even when the truth is on display, people will believe, or at least pretend to believe, pure nonsense. As I mentioned, OJ Simpson murdered his ex-wife and Ron Goldman, but many blacks refuse to acknowledge this obvious fact, even though the events occurred only 13 years ago and his guilt was confirmed by the facts at the time.

In that case Washington crossing the Potomac is an unverifiable claim .It is utterly laughable that you introduce O.J. Simpson as an example for your stance. You probably believe everything you see on T.V. No one, including you, knows what happened but Ron Goldman, Nicole, and O.J.

The T.V. trial of the century.

From what you write it seems you should have worked your way through law school. You are a bonafide expert on trial law and murder.

No Slappz says- “But what value or advantage is there in attempts to produce contemporary guilt over actions no living person committed?”At least in this attempt at deception you punctuated my sentence in a manner that informs readers you left off the second half. When you want to use someone’s statements against him, use the entire sentence if you can. But you should at least use the entire thought. Clearly it is easy to falsify or mislead with some quick and deceptive editing.You responded to the modified question I did not ask with:"There is no value; if you are guilty, do some soul searching."Notwithstanding the fact that you answered your own question rather than mine, you answered your own question with a non-sequitur. However, as for white guilt about lynchings, there is no documentation of it anywhere. But, if you believe successive generations of people should bear guilt for crimes they did not commit, what is your view of guilt among contemporaries and crime committed in the present? Is there any sense of guilt among blacks for OJ Simpson’s double homicide?

I agree there hasn’t even been an acknowledgement on the issue of slavery . Black folks are still waiting for the same treatment the Japanese got after internment.

An acknowledgement.

I do not care about white guilt about lynching. Most white people are good. Most people are good. You are the best example of the worst elements in the(human) white community. Smarmy, arrogant, cowardly, standoffish, misleading and deceptive.

No Slappz says First, I am well aware of the difficulties of convicting some racist murderers in the South as late as the mid-1960s. However, the Constitution guarantees many rights to defendants.
Despite the safeguards, federal prosecutors found ways to subject de la Beckwith to double and triple jeopardy, in violation of his rights. The federal prosecutors nailed him, finally. This episode was used to make a point. That point is this: the government was not willing to let him get away. Even though decades had passed, the government was not going to let him escape punishment. As I noted, “In other words, the pendulum has swung the other way.” That’s how the government went overboard.

You sound a bit disappointed they got de la Beckwith. I do not care about Constitutional guarantees, historically, they do not always apply to me.
BTW citizens putting pressure on the Government was the driving force behind de la Beckwiths conviction, besides the corruption was so profound during the first trials they had to step in.

No Slappz saysYou went well beyond documentation and the establishment of a “proper perspective”. You created an emotional climate that is aimed at stimulating anger today over crimes from the past. Meanwhile, a “notion” is an “idea or belief.” Thus, I think you agree with the idea or belief that all of today’s black issues are linked to slavery and lynchings.

I put the info out there. You were stimulated, you got angry, above all you have gotten emotional. Outraged that some uppity black man could dare bring this up- on his own blog! Which you stated earlier is a forum to post anything you choose.

As far as the long term affect of lynching; could be compared to the practice of decapitation and posting which was a practice used to keep slaves from running away or revolting. They would cut their heads off and put them on a post; for miles lifeless heads would line the road. If you were thinking of running away the posting was a good deterrent.

I honestly believe there is no such thing as Black issues- white guys made that up.

No Slappz saysAgain, your insight is nonexistent. What threat exists from crimes committed a century ago? They are no more threatening than nazi atrocities or the atrocities committed during the Spanish Inquisition. As for hate-crime statistics, well, I’ve seen them as long as they’ve been available. I gather it will surprise you to learn that blacks commit hate crimes at a higher rate than other racial groups. Moreover, white hate crimes are less violent and rarely involve murder.

Insight exist no matter what . Some people are simply limited. On the one hand you say bringing this up is dangerous on the other hand you say these events in the past are no more threatening than some of the worst atrocities in human history. Wow.

As for hate crime stats you need to look at the FBI statistics the overwhelming majority of hate crimes for 2007 involved white on black. You probably already knew that- so you were careful with your language: Blacks commit hate crimes at a higher rate. O.K. we are roughly twelve percent of the population and we have 20% of hate crimes. Whites over 50%. Like I said stats can be manipulated. I am a little disappointed you would put yourself out there like that. A waste of words.

For the whole world to see.

No Slappz saysBy your response you have demonstrated a poor grasp of grammar, usage and composition. There are lots of other examples, but you raised this one.The subject of my sentence is “contemporary problems.” It is followed by the restrictive phrase, “in the black community.” My sentence states that the contemporary problems are self-inflicted problems. Adding the restrictive phrase identifying the black community merely clarifies where the wounded reside. The sentence passes the grammar test.

Feeble defense. That still does not clarify your inappropriate choice of words. Perhaps you should consult The Elements of Style. You are certainly right; it does pass the grammar test- elementary grammar.

The whole thought is ridiculous.

You try to assign individual behaviors with a group of people. Drugs, murder are problems all communities face. There are plenty of white people here, in upstate New York killing people. In fact, the upstate cult hero Bucky Phillips, just killed two troopers last year. Do you think his race is important? Slappy I honestly wonder how you can make those mental leaps. You should know that regardless of race, people are the same; these divisions that you are so worried about are a fantasy. A fantasy the white and black people in the south used to believe in. Lynching was a real manifestation of that fantasy- one you clearly embrace.

No Slappz says-Once again, you hope to mislead. I mentioned the Holocaust and the subsequent rebound of Jews to provide an example of a much more recent human tragedy that its survivors have already overcome.

I wrote the post ; you introduced the Holocaust in response to what I wrote; it was the only historical event that could be compared. Unfortunately there are totally different variables involved in The Holocaust and the whole institution of slavery. The Holocaust was a six year killing spree. The victims of the Holocaust were mostly educated and in many cases rich, they were also able to pass as white if they needed to. Assimilation in a color conscious society is easier if you resemble the majority group.

No Slappz says-Hence, you have stated my point in clear terms. You believe the past controls the present, which means it also controls the future. Since we cannot change the past, we are, according to you, traveling into the future on a fixed path, to a destination we cannot change. You are predicting and expecting more disaster. Meanwhile, you are claiming that contemporary blacks suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder without having first suffered the Trauma. In other words, you believe in the mythology of victimization. As though trauma is passed along in one’s DNA.

What is your point? I wondered that the moment you first responded. Hence,(chuckle) you must explain.

No Slappz saysI I have a passing familiarity with his work and I do own a copy of The Souls of Black Folk which I read years and years ago. However, it is his theories on black criminality that are most interesting these days.

You own a copy but you only have a passing familiarity? Hmmmm.

No Slappz says Since you like the idea of using the past as the basis for contemporary action, you will find Du Bois’ summary statement on black crime of interest
.
You have created a fantasy world where I am using the past for contemporary action but while you are on the subject that is exactly why we each have a prefrontal cortex. You learned to walk by using the past. I am simply responding to you.

He says that black crime surged as blacks adjusted to freedom after the end of slavery. He concluded that blacks engaged in crime because they did not know how to act in a free society. He offered this conclusion decades after slavery had ended. If a prominent white sociologist issued a similar opinion about the causes of black social problems today, what would be the response?

The prominent white sociologist would be dragged out of his house in the middle of the night, his wide eyed children watching, his wife screaming as strangers on horses lasso him, set him on fire and threw him on the trash heap.

Isn't that right Slappy?

A Letter to No Slappz

I have finished my freelance assignments early. Now I have a little time to address my new friend

No Slappz.

No Slappz with his crack research crew took it upon themselves to launch an internet salvo.
It was an attack on my post- As American As Apple Pie.

I was under deadline early because of Thanksgiving; I also had to keep Barry Max. I simply could not dedicate the proper time to respond accordingly. They took liberty with very assumptive language, belittling my post and turning it into an indictment on the black community.

Statistics are great. I use them when I see fit. The whole world of statistics is a science within itself. I do not want to get into the minutae of their attack.

Read As American As Apple Pie after you are done read the comments and see why the NAZI's did so well with propaganda.

It is o.k I have time today and I love a good fight. That trait is indicative of my violent black pathology.

I have absolutely no contempt for these aggressive wordsmiths. In fact, I am a little impressed at the level of dedication and preperation that goes into each post.

I meant, comment to my post.

I read their blog. One of them writes a paragraph and posts articles written by someone else. He claims he is an engineer but his profile says finance. He writes posts debunking the concept of 'Peak Oil'.

They are bored or obviously insane.

They are beyond reproach.

They are anonymous blowhards or soft.

They blow.

My post As American As Apple Pie really got under their skin.
I will stand by what I wrote sans the geopolitical references that they attempted to introduce into the conversation; they tried the same with dire statistics on (human)Black pathologies.
I will stick to the point that unnerved him/her.
Lynching was a White American pastime.

There is no defense.

In the interest of a good argument I will address some of his absurd statements.

No Slappz said: "It always fascinates me when people are driven to dredge up the past".

I do not see what is so fascinating? History is taught in school and Universities all over America. Is that called dredging up the past? Maybe that is why you use the plural -people- instead of referring to me specifically you are referring to the practice of studying history why does that fascinate you? I guess writing about one the overlooked subjects of American history could be considered dredging- I honestly limited the act of dredging to canals.

No Slappz says "Fabrications do happen. Bizarre and unreal beliefs overcome reality each day"?

I do not know what that means. I guess I could consult a witch doctor on the bizarre beliefs overcoming reality or take another toke. Or maybe just ask no slappz what the hell he meant.

No Slappz says -"But there is no doubt Blacks were lynched"

" I guess he read the post"

No Slappz says- " What value is there in in attempts to produce contemporary guilt...."

There is no value; if you are guilty, do some soul searching.

Attempt - successful

No Slappz says- "Meanwhile Federal prosecutors went overboard a few years ago to convict Martin de la Beckwith for some racist murders in like 1960"

de la Beckwith killed children- you may not know but it was little difficult to convict a white man for killing a black person in the 1960's unless it was Martin Luther King that is why he was tried several times. But while you are on the subject of overboard I think you should know Federal prosecutors do not work on boats.


No Slappz says: I think the subtext of your post is to give agreement to the notion that whatever problems beset the black community today, these problems can all be traced back to slavery or lynchings. Thus you support of Victimization Mythology.

I cannot' give agreement to a notion' whatever that is. But I can document a barbaric practice and put it in the proper perspective. I am convinced your childlike sensibilities were threatened by the sheer brutality of the acts I am also sure you have done a little research since I wrote the post. You also seem to be unaware of hate crime statistics .

Good for you.
Attempt-successful

No slappz says: But contemporary problems in the black community are self-generated, self inflicted.

Community-group of people
Self- individual
Do you see where I am going? Communities cannot act as individuals. I am sure there are people within, what you call the black community, who can perform a self-generated or self-inflicted act.
That was such a lame sentence - for the whole world to see.

I have time today; I just hope you respond.....beeeeoooch!!!

No Slappz says- "It might be worth noting that six million jews were exterminated"

I agree, it might be. If the post was on genocide or The Holocaust I would revisit the tragic events But I am more interested in your language.

Exterminated?

Roaches are exterminated, termites are exterminated . The NAZI's used that term. Your emotional detachment is apparent in your choice of words.

I suggest you read a little WEB Du Bois

As American As Apple Pie

Black History is American History. The lack of historical acknowledgement or an accurate account of the Black American experience is a regular complaint of those dedicated to racial justice in America.

The continued subtle omission of Black/American accomplishments in history books help shape a contemporary mindset- an indoctrination.

O.K. back to omissions

A particularly grievous omission( historical disregard) hovers around the issue of lynching; this brutal bizarre form of mob 'justice' would occur continually from the end of the Civil War to the last celebrated lynching in 1951. The statistics are fuzzy- The Tuskeegee institute claims about 3,500 during that period- most of the lynching recorded were documented through press clipping and postcards , there were obviously a lot more.

My grandmother has shared first hand accounts of an American world gone mad.

Before we continue ask yourself.

If I was alive then would I do something?

(To stop it)?

The Klu Klux Klan started in 1865.....thats interesting.

Isn't that the same year the slaves were freed?

Mr. Pike( 1st Grandmaster) did not wait one Mystikal second to set the record straight.

No..... I repeat...no.... uppity niggers!


The white supremacist mindset included a belief that Black people were less than human therefore inhumane acts could be committed.

The Klan would help define those methods.

The level of brutality was incomprehensible.

A lot of people will have difficulty reading this post.

Many won't even finish

Racism hits a nerve.

I always wonder why white people are so quick to say.

"This isn't about race"
"He played the race card"

We did not invent the race card.

Back to lynching.

Contrary to popular belief there was a lot of skilled slave labor. Slaves were used to build and maintain the infrastructure of the Southern United States.

But who cares.

They are not doing it now.

We all know the Civil War devestated the southern economy. All the, newly freed, skilled artisans who were once sources of income for their masters immediately became bonafide competitors.

There main competition was poor whites.

The frugal lifestyle of the former slave served as a catalyst for creativity and efficiency. It was easy for these survivors to create a comfortable modest lifestyle from very little.

Prosperity was right around the corner all the newly freed men needed was opportunity. The ingredients for success were there.

Guaranteed in The Constitution.

Many ex-slaves began to thrive as a result of hard work and of course, humility but the rapid success brought about jealousy from the Southern Gentleman- the once dominant Southern Planter did not enjoy the same profits he did before. It was an abomination for him to be stripped of his skilled cheap labor, but for the brutes to succesfully compete with him was unthinkable- like war with Iran

Still here?

Good.

I actually got hate mail for this article.

As we climbed the social totem pole under the watchful and protective eye of Federal Troops we began to develop a little self esteem. Started to walk upright, no longer bowing our heads as we walked by a white person. Some even made direct eye contact with a white person-before abolition that could get you killed.

Some former slaves even competed in international markets for tobacco and other crops during harvest charging top dollar for a superior crop.

This is surely where the notion of being uppity was invented.

The former Master snickering away as The French Merchant buys his ex-slave's bumper crop of Tobacco.

His face turning red.

Knuckles bone white.

Gripping the Lions Head on his cane... A gentleman

Many white southerners felt the The Federal Government had declared outright war on their sensibilities. There was a simmering effect.

It was not just the Klan.

There was determination to prevent the newly freed black men from ever being on equal ground with was the white man.

William J Northern Governor of Georgia from 1890-1894 conducted qa fact finding mission on the backroads of his state
He observed: I was amazed to find scores and hundred of men who believed the negro to be a brute, without reponsibility to God, and his slaughter nothing more than the killing of a dog.

Remember Black folks were no longer a private commodity the value of Black life cheapened considerably.

Lynching became the most popular means of controlling and intimidating Black people. To deter ant type of progress but it was mainly about white supremacy. It was terrorism American style.
It was a cultural phenomenon that persisted for generations undeterred by local, regional and even Federal law enforcement.

Lynching were not restricted to the south, they occured all over the United States.

Wherever they were it was an occasion.

There was a self righteous pride in these mobs. Photographs were taken, post cards made to commemorate what came to be known as The Negro Bar- B- Que.

Most of us conjur images of a man hanging from a tree.

Sorry- its worse.

The first recorded lynchings involved tying the victim to a tree, whipping them and then setting them on fire.

Pretty effective way to send a message to the uppity......

They would usually grab an innocent upstanding citizen to send a message

"We'll take their best nigger an burn im on the trash heap if they get to actin biggity"(quote in Without Sanctuary 00')

The power of the lynch mob was directly related to the excitement that could be generated. Many victims were dragged out of court after acquittal by a Judge and lynched. You could be lynched for just about anything.

Talk about race card.

There are documented lycnchings with absurd reasons like reckless eyeballing, unpopularity...unpopularity? and not selling land

Regardless the atmosphere was always carnival like . A man dressed as a clown in blackface
might be running around like a gleeful imp encouraging people on the sidelines to get involved.

People would sometimes rampage through streets severing digits, limbs or genitals off the victim as they made their way kicking, screaming and pleading for mercy

The burning coal oil would await them and the mob would erupt in a frenzy as the near dead but concious man/woman was lowered into the oil. Participants would come and clip a finger, toe somethiong as a souvenir before he was finally set afire and mercifully allowed to die.

An account of a lynching a by a reporter for the Vicksburg Evening Post decribes the 1904 execution of a husband and wife. When the two negroes were captured, they were tied to trees and while their funeral pyres were being prepared the were forced to suffer the most fiendish tortures. The blacks were forced to hold out thier hands while one finger at a time was chopped off . The fingers were distributed as souvenirs. The ears of the murderers were cut off. Holbert was beaten severely his skull was fractured and one of his eyes, knocked out with a stick, hung by a shred from the socket...The most excruciating form of punishment consisted in the use of a large corkscrew in the hands of some of the mob. The instrument was bored into the woman in the arms, legs ,and body and then pulled out, the spirals tearing out big pieces of raw, quivering flesh every time it was withdrawn.

A frenzied atmosphere...in America there are a lot of frenzied atmospheres.

Suffice it to say the thin fabric of order was routinely torn in many otherwise law abiding communities. Entire towns would trade in their civility and replace it with demonic, unthinkable demonstrations of hatred.

Words like savage , brutal, sadistic, evil and abberant can be used to describe every report of a lynching. remember these were supposedly sane people. The postman, The Dentist.

They were all indoctrinated to believe it was o.k.

This is The America we fail to recall in The History Books.

This is the America that gave a race of people PTSD

An old black man shared some thoughts "Kill a mule, buy another, Kill a nigger hire another...They had to have a license to kill anything but a nigger".

At least now you have to have a badge.

Bridge the gap...if you can.

any funny looking heirlooms in your family?

Whistleblower Blues

How would you feel if you if you found out you were unwittingly involved in a treasonous plot?

You come to work everyday, do your assignments and stumble upon some unsavory information, files detailing the subversive actions you have been an integral part of.

You have found proof that your company, for whom you have faithfully worked, is engaged in clearly illegal acts on a grand scale against citizens of the United States with the full knowledge of Government officials.

What would you do?

Would you stand there frozen in shock and fear?

Would you tell anyone?

What if no one believed you?

The recent lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation against AT&T is the result of someone who acted. Someone brave enough to step out of the herd and do the right thing. You may or may not have heard of this man but he is a true American hero.

Mark Klein

Klein was a peon in the vast corporate network of AT&T Network systems. A hired gun dispatched to a different central office every few months.

Central offices are essentially the same. There is a lot of cable. People, in and out, different equipment- highly classified. There is not a need for a fleet of people to man the operations . The systems are automated.

Mark Klein witnessed the installation of some very powerful surveillance equipment for The NSA and he also noted that a significant portion of the communications traffic was filtered through this equipment.

There were also plans to build similiar systems in other large urban areas throughout the United States.

There is a significant portion of techno jargon being ommitted from this post for simplicity I want it to be understood, in no uncertain terms, we are being listened to, lied to and when necessary- watched.

In a nutshell, they put in equipment that literally allows the government to access or monitor any digital correspondence from anyone, anywhere within the network, in real time.

I guess we can all rest easy that this technology is in the hands of our Federal Government, after all, when has the fatherland ever betrayed us?

What makes this so stinky is our own congress lacks the balls to protect it's constituents. Klein himself has testified and expressed frustration on behalf of our lethargic Congress.

They really don't give a fuck.

They feel it is o.k. to get snooped on; the overwhelming sentiment is : "If you are not doing anything than you have nothing to worry about".

The news media will not touch it. I wonder what multi-billion dollar lobby is employing spin demons to squash this story on every level possible? What bellitling piece of reporting did our national spin doc er' national news show on the subject.

I admit I gave half a shit when I first heard about the eavesdropping I did not understand the technology they were using . I have the benefit of experience when it come to communications. The whistleblower did it all for me.

He brought it home.

He put a bow on it.

He wrapped it all up for me.

Congress is doing the rest.

By doing nothing.

There has been very little coverage of this situation.

Big Surprise

Strange, surreal- this front page news.
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/04/70621