* The War Against Ourselves *
* [col. writ. 12/1/07] (c) '07 Mumia Abu-Jamal *
We often think, when we dare to do so, of the Iraq War as a war over there, against 'those' people - folks other than Us.
Depending on our political perspective, it is either a good war, or an evil war. But, no matter our political, ideological perspective, time will determine whether it isn't a war against us all, as well.
That's because for those tens of thousands who survive, who are neither killed nor maimed, they will return to the U.S., with their minds twisted by an orgy of violence that will not easily be left 'over there.'
It is worthless to listen to any major political figures who speak of this war, for they are speaking with flowery words about unreality, with buzz phrases like, 'support our troops', 'they're fighting for our freedoms', and other such nonsense.
Several recent books, written not by brass but by low level non commissioned officers, tells a story that will never make it to CNN, to the networks, or to the daily press.
That's because these reports, written by line soldiers, are striking in their absence of political jargon, and the illusions usually presented as war reporting.
Do you remember reports about the notorious Iraqi house raids, ostensibly as searches for weapons? Paul Rieckhoff, a platoon leader of National Guardsmen describes how he and his men broke down doors, tied up all the men, and ransacked people's homes. Of these raids, Rieckhoff wrote, in his book, Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective (NAL Caliber: 2007) these "were nasty business. Anybody who enjoyed them was sick. /*Sometimes I felt like I was a member of the Brown shirts in Nazi Germany."*/
Rieckhoff writes about men in his platoon stealing money from these Iraqi families, something he describes as not uncommon.
In the corporate media's reflexive war promotion, and its overt message of 'support the troops', who knows what they are supporting?
These books, written from the soldier's viewpoint, tell of the gratuitous killing of unarmed civilians, both by high level bombings, artillery, and ground level shootings. Men, women, and children are shot with an abandon that would make a terrorist blush. One Texan, Marine lance corporal Jeffrey Carazales said, */"Do you think people at home are going to see this -- all these women and children we're killing? F - -k no./ Back home they're glorifying this mo ----f----r,*
I guarantee you."*
No politician, right or left, will describe them as modern day Nazis, riding roughshod over the Iraqi people, and indeed, creating a resistance that didn't exist at the time of the US invasion.
That's how far politics is from the truth, a truth dripping out from soldiers, who are unafraid of self-description.
In the years to come, when people trickle home, they will carry these nightmares into their work lives, and also into their personal lives.
They will be cops, prison guards, politicians, merchants, teachers, and journalists.
Within them will be these silent demons who will not rest in Iraq.
American society was deeply impacted by the return of Vietnam veterans, and not for the better.
We have yet to see the ripples from the war wash against the shores of this land.
We will find that the blood of war, and the perversities of occupation will splash against us all.
--(c) '07 maj
{Sources: *Massing, Michael, "Iraq: The Hidden Human Costs, " The New York Review of Books . (12/20/07), pp.82 -7; Fick, Nathaniel, One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer , (Mariner: 2007); Wright, Evan, Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War (Berkley Caliber:2007.}
Monday, December 17, 2007
Omaha Night By Mumia Abu-Jamal
** Omaha Night **
{col. writ. 12/6/07}
(c) '07 Mumia Abu-Jamal
A young man strolled into a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska, the navel of the United States, and opens up at stunned passersby.
He has a rifle, but what arms him is a deep, abiding sense of worthlessness, depression and despair. He lost his job at a local McDonald's; and he was recently dumped by his girlfriend.
Before the night was over, eight people, 9 including this young man, would be dead.
Robert Hawkins reportedly shot himself to death to end his killing sprees. He was 19.
In a suicide note left at the place he was staying, he reportedly wrote that he wanted to be famous.
What does that say about this American life that one feels so hopeless, and so empty, at 19?
What does it say about the American fascination with fame? And how do you get fired, /from McDonald's?/ What do you think this young man had to look forward to? Unemployed, with few serious prospects. Feeling unloved -- worthless.
The U.S. economy (for working people) has been in virtual free fall since the ravages of globalization have left a smattering of service jobs in the place of missing manufacturing jobs.
The U.S. Army, in a time when they are, quite frankly, desperate for recruits, wouldn't accept this.
Imagine, if you will, what it must be like to be a 19 year old Black youth in present day America? The product of an educational system that can barely qualify for the name.
What do you think /that/ young man has to look forward to?
Both of these young men, the mall-sprayer and the imaginary one, had their educational experiences under something cynically called /No Child Left Behind/.
One wonders -- how could they be /more/ left behind?
One youth walks into a sprawling mall, its floors and shops chock full of shoppers trying to snag a post Black Friday bargain, knowing full well that he'll never leave it alive.
Another gambles his life in a mindless gang banging, or the urban drug trade, willing to kill or die for a brief glimpse of a life long denied him.
It has often been observed that youth think themselves invulnerable and immortal.
In generations past, perhaps this may've been the case.
But as these events show, some youth are so alienated, so lost, that they look to death with longing, as an escape from a life they find intolerable.
What does that say about us?
--(c) '07 maj
{col. writ. 12/6/07}
(c) '07 Mumia Abu-Jamal
A young man strolled into a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska, the navel of the United States, and opens up at stunned passersby.
He has a rifle, but what arms him is a deep, abiding sense of worthlessness, depression and despair. He lost his job at a local McDonald's; and he was recently dumped by his girlfriend.
Before the night was over, eight people, 9 including this young man, would be dead.
Robert Hawkins reportedly shot himself to death to end his killing sprees. He was 19.
In a suicide note left at the place he was staying, he reportedly wrote that he wanted to be famous.
What does that say about this American life that one feels so hopeless, and so empty, at 19?
What does it say about the American fascination with fame? And how do you get fired, /from McDonald's?/ What do you think this young man had to look forward to? Unemployed, with few serious prospects. Feeling unloved -- worthless.
The U.S. economy (for working people) has been in virtual free fall since the ravages of globalization have left a smattering of service jobs in the place of missing manufacturing jobs.
The U.S. Army, in a time when they are, quite frankly, desperate for recruits, wouldn't accept this.
Imagine, if you will, what it must be like to be a 19 year old Black youth in present day America? The product of an educational system that can barely qualify for the name.
What do you think /that/ young man has to look forward to?
Both of these young men, the mall-sprayer and the imaginary one, had their educational experiences under something cynically called /No Child Left Behind/.
One wonders -- how could they be /more/ left behind?
One youth walks into a sprawling mall, its floors and shops chock full of shoppers trying to snag a post Black Friday bargain, knowing full well that he'll never leave it alive.
Another gambles his life in a mindless gang banging, or the urban drug trade, willing to kill or die for a brief glimpse of a life long denied him.
It has often been observed that youth think themselves invulnerable and immortal.
In generations past, perhaps this may've been the case.
But as these events show, some youth are so alienated, so lost, that they look to death with longing, as an escape from a life they find intolerable.
What does that say about us?
--(c) '07 maj
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Government Redefining Privacy?
Government seeks to redefine privacy
By PAMELA HESS,
Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago
A top intelligence official says it is time people in the United States changed their definition of privacy.
Privacy no longer can mean anonymity, says Donald Kerr, a deputy director of national intelligence. Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguards people's private communications and financial information.
Kerr's comments come as Congress is taking a second look at the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act.
Lawmakers hastily changed the 1978 law last summer to allow the government to eavesdrop inside the United States without court permission, so long as one end of the conversation was reasonably believed to be located outside the U.S.
The original law required a court order for any surveillance conducted on U.S. soil, to protect Americans' privacy. The White House argued that the law was obstructing intelligence gathering.
The most contentious issue in the new legislation is whether to shield telecommunications companies from civil lawsuits for allegedly giving the government access to people's private e-mails and phone calls without a court order between 2001 and 2007.
Some lawmakers, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appear reluctant to grant immunity. Suits might be the only way to determine how far the government has burrowed into people's privacy without court permission.
The committee is expected to decide this week whether its version of the bill will protect telecommunications companies.
The central witness in a California lawsuit against AT&T says the government is vacuuming up billions of e-mails and phone calls as they pass through an AT&T switching station in San Francisco.
Mark Klein, a retired AT&T technician, helped connect a device in 2003 that he says diverted and copied onto a government supercomputer every call, e-mail, and Internet site access on AT&T lines.
By PAMELA HESS,
Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago
A top intelligence official says it is time people in the United States changed their definition of privacy.
Privacy no longer can mean anonymity, says Donald Kerr, a deputy director of national intelligence. Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguards people's private communications and financial information.
Kerr's comments come as Congress is taking a second look at the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act.
Lawmakers hastily changed the 1978 law last summer to allow the government to eavesdrop inside the United States without court permission, so long as one end of the conversation was reasonably believed to be located outside the U.S.
The original law required a court order for any surveillance conducted on U.S. soil, to protect Americans' privacy. The White House argued that the law was obstructing intelligence gathering.
The most contentious issue in the new legislation is whether to shield telecommunications companies from civil lawsuits for allegedly giving the government access to people's private e-mails and phone calls without a court order between 2001 and 2007.
Some lawmakers, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appear reluctant to grant immunity. Suits might be the only way to determine how far the government has burrowed into people's privacy without court permission.
The committee is expected to decide this week whether its version of the bill will protect telecommunications companies.
The central witness in a California lawsuit against AT&T says the government is vacuuming up billions of e-mails and phone calls as they pass through an AT&T switching station in San Francisco.
Mark Klein, a retired AT&T technician, helped connect a device in 2003 that he says diverted and copied onto a government supercomputer every call, e-mail, and Internet site access on AT&T lines.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Not Another "Stop Snitching" Report!
The whole so-called "Stop Snitching Campaign" has been so over blown and over reported in the main stream media that people who had never heard of it before a few years ago when Rayco Saunders had a case dismissed as he wore a Stop Snitching T-Shirt into court, are wearing it like a badge of honor. I myself have reservations about cooperation with the authorities but it is related to the use of Snitches to set up Jesus, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luthor King Jr., Chairman Fred Hampton, Mumia Abu-Jamal and the like, my reservations are not related to protecting petty street criminals and drug dealers who are loyal to no one.
Minister Jasiri X and I were both interviewed for a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently: 'Stop Snitching' code has become a guide for everyone http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07238/812225-391.stm (by Mustafa Ayad) but neither of our quotes made the final story. I guess that either they couldn't handle the truth, or we did not say what they wanted to hear so that they could spin the story the way they wanted.
Where does the lie that the black community does not cooperate wth the police really come from? Criminals and drug dealers snitch and cooperate with the police everyday! (1*) "Informers are a necessary evil, says Cmdr. Maurita Bryant, a 29-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Police Department. "We have to deal with who we have to deal with. ... If a dealer needs to make a deal, he'll tell on his mother. It may not be right, but it's all we have."
(2*) "Omerta" the Italian blood code that has been in effect since long before the "Mafia" has been broken time after time, including infamous "made men" such as Underboss Salvatore "Sammy The Bull" Gravano who testified for the state against John Gotti.
Absent in most stories about "Stop Snitiching are references to (3*) "The Blue Code Of Silence" aka "Blue Wall Of Silence". In fact eveyone seems to get quiet or change the subject whenever we bring it up. Which is probably why Minister Jasiri's nor my words showed up in the previously mentioned article on Snitching in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It is very difficult to cooperate with the authorities when they do not have the trust of the community and they are extremely reluctant to cooperate themselves when an officer makes a mistake or consciously commits a crime against someone in our community.
(4*) "In many communities the police are involved in the drug trade. They either turn a blind eye or actually get a payoff from the drug dealers themselves. If you decide to turn somebody in because of his illegal activity that cop is likely to turn you in to the folks who are committing terror" - Davey D
Does Dick Cheney Snitch? Carl Rove, Alberto Gonzalez? Does George Bush? The biggest proponent of Stop snitching is the U.S. government. This is the most secretive White House in the history of this country, which is mind boggling being that George Bush Sr. was the director of the CIA. stop snitching is not Hip-hop culture it's American Culture. Even deeper, was Judas a Snitch when he cooperated with the authorities against Jesus? Who was later executed on the charges. - Minister Jasiri X
A few weeks ago a young man in the community showed me a piece of paper that his younger brother had brought home. It featured a drawing of a cartoon rat nibbling on a piece of cheese and a "Snitch List" containing the names of 126 people. Because I did not know the origin of the list, my "Media Literacy" training kicked in and I dismissed it as a hoax. I couldn't help but think as I noticed the names of a few people that I knew on the list, how dangerous this list could be on the streets even though no one has a clue to where this information originated from nor who the author of the list was.
In today's dangerous, post 911 paranoid climate, both on the streets and in the government. Rumors and Urban Legends can be enough to place innocent persons in harm's way especially in communities of color (where many people share the same names and nick-names).Gabrille Banks just wrote a story about the "Snitch List" in the PittsburghPost-Gazette: Flyer naming snitches alarms police - http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07238/812256-391.stm
If you ask me it sounds like a "COINTELPRO" styled "disruptive-disinformation operation". First they send around a list of so-called informants of unknown origin, the people in the streets react and respond to it because it has a rumors of validity. What's next once a network of disinformation has been created? Do they target community leaders, black politicians or clergy? everyone is vulnerable to these well plotted attacks, once you get the streets to trust in the validity of miscellaneous propaganda, you can easily spread rumors and distrust in our community.
This is an example of how it works (from "FBI" documents):
(5*) Counterintelligence and Special Operations (1970)
TECHNICAL SERVICES, Forged Documents
Xerox copies of true documents, documents subtly incorporating false information, and entirely fabricated documents would be periodically anonymously mailed to the residence of a key Panther leader. These documents would be on the stationery and in the form used by the police department or by the FBI in disseminating information to the police. FBI documents, when used, would contain police routing or date received notations, clearly indicating they had been pilfered from police files. An attempt would be made to give the Panther recipient the impression the documents were stolen from police files by a disgruntled police employee sympathetic to the Panthers. Director to SAC, San Francisco, May 11, 1970.
ReBulet 5/11/70, concerning a possible disruptive-disinformation operation to be targeted against the National Office of the Black Panther Party (BPP). At this time, San Francisco would hesitate to recommend the furnishing of any fabricated documents originating with the Oakland Police Department or any supposed LHMs from this office. During the last year the BPP was able to obtain what were alleged to have been detailed plans of the Berkeley Police Department for a possible raid on National Headquarters. These plans were published in "The Black Panther" to some embarrassment of the police department.
Attached is a partially completed FD-306. RAY "MASAI" HEWITT, Minister of Education, is based in Los Angeles but often visits National Headquarters. San Francisco proposed the preparation of a "dog eared" and crumpled FD-306 as attached and the placing of the FD-306 in a BPP car that has recently been used by HEWITT or was utilized to transport him. Through [ ] agents would know in advance of HEWITT's arrival at the San Francisco Airport for departure and they will attempt to obtain access to the car and leave the FD-306 in the interior where it might logically be decided that it had been dropped by HEWITT. SAC, San Francisco to Director, June 17, 1970
The Bureau concurs with your view that the BPP would rush to publicize any alleged police or FBI document it received, if such action served its propaganda purposes. However, if the "leaked" material were in itself embarrassing or discrediting to the BPP leadership, such as true exposures of immorality, egotistical or self-serving conduct, or misappropriation of funds, it is unlikely it would be publicized. As envisioned by the Bureau, material initially "leaked" would be of a low-key character consisting of brief items relating to the BPP organization. It would be in the form of crudely typed anonymous letters not identified with a law enforcement agency, but worded in a manner to lead the recipient to believe it was prepared by a sympathetic individual in a police agency. After low-key letters had been mailed over an extended period, portions of carefully selected alleged police documents or reports might be included. Hopefully, the BPP at this point would believe the material was authentic or at least of interest and that it originated with a sympathetic police source. Thus, as outlined in Bulet 5/11/70, a productive disinformation channel would be established whereby we could cause continuing disruption within the Panther national leadership. The Bureau believes the alternate proposal outlined in reSFlet has merit and could very likely be successful. However, as indicated in your letter, this technique cannot be approved because it could result in a Panther murder of one of their leaders. Director to SAC, San Francisco, June 26, 1970 - SAC, Los Angeles to Director, July 29, 1970
Even the use of the crudely drawn Cartoon Rat reminds me of COINTELPRO tactics: (6*) (The FBI created and circulated a coloring book and said it was created by The Black Panthers).
Media Literacy 101:
We really have to be carefull to question the sources of all information that we consume. From TV, Print, Music, Videos, Movies, Video Games, the Internet and word of mouth on the streets.
Learn to critically analyze all messages to detect propaganda, censorship and bias.
When you receive information you have to ask yourself:
What/who is the source of this information?
Is the source credible?
Who is funding the source?
Is the information correct?
Is the information being manipulated or misrepresented?
What am I being asked to do?
Garbage in = Garbage out. It's our lives and the lives of our children that are at stake.Yes, It's that serious!
(1*) Anti-snitch campaign riles police, prosecutors By Rick Hampson, USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-28-stop-snitching_x.htm
(2*) Omerta' is based partly on fear and partly on idealism
(3*) "The Blue Code Of Silence" aka "Blue Wall Of Silence"
(4*) Snitching is big business by Davey D
(5*) Counterintelligence and Special Operationshttp://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/specialops.htm
(6*) The Sabotage Of Legitimate Dissent (The FBI fakes Black Panther Coloring Book) http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/COINTELPRO/coloring.html
Paradise GrayOne HOOD
http://www.myspace.com/paradisegray
http://www.myspace.com/onehoodorg
Minister Jasiri X and I were both interviewed for a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently: 'Stop Snitching' code has become a guide for everyone http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07238/812225-391.stm (by Mustafa Ayad) but neither of our quotes made the final story. I guess that either they couldn't handle the truth, or we did not say what they wanted to hear so that they could spin the story the way they wanted.
Where does the lie that the black community does not cooperate wth the police really come from? Criminals and drug dealers snitch and cooperate with the police everyday! (1*) "Informers are a necessary evil, says Cmdr. Maurita Bryant, a 29-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Police Department. "We have to deal with who we have to deal with. ... If a dealer needs to make a deal, he'll tell on his mother. It may not be right, but it's all we have."
(2*) "Omerta" the Italian blood code that has been in effect since long before the "Mafia" has been broken time after time, including infamous "made men" such as Underboss Salvatore "Sammy The Bull" Gravano who testified for the state against John Gotti.
Absent in most stories about "Stop Snitiching are references to (3*) "The Blue Code Of Silence" aka "Blue Wall Of Silence". In fact eveyone seems to get quiet or change the subject whenever we bring it up. Which is probably why Minister Jasiri's nor my words showed up in the previously mentioned article on Snitching in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It is very difficult to cooperate with the authorities when they do not have the trust of the community and they are extremely reluctant to cooperate themselves when an officer makes a mistake or consciously commits a crime against someone in our community.
(4*) "In many communities the police are involved in the drug trade. They either turn a blind eye or actually get a payoff from the drug dealers themselves. If you decide to turn somebody in because of his illegal activity that cop is likely to turn you in to the folks who are committing terror" - Davey D
Does Dick Cheney Snitch? Carl Rove, Alberto Gonzalez? Does George Bush? The biggest proponent of Stop snitching is the U.S. government. This is the most secretive White House in the history of this country, which is mind boggling being that George Bush Sr. was the director of the CIA. stop snitching is not Hip-hop culture it's American Culture. Even deeper, was Judas a Snitch when he cooperated with the authorities against Jesus? Who was later executed on the charges. - Minister Jasiri X
A few weeks ago a young man in the community showed me a piece of paper that his younger brother had brought home. It featured a drawing of a cartoon rat nibbling on a piece of cheese and a "Snitch List" containing the names of 126 people. Because I did not know the origin of the list, my "Media Literacy" training kicked in and I dismissed it as a hoax. I couldn't help but think as I noticed the names of a few people that I knew on the list, how dangerous this list could be on the streets even though no one has a clue to where this information originated from nor who the author of the list was.
In today's dangerous, post 911 paranoid climate, both on the streets and in the government. Rumors and Urban Legends can be enough to place innocent persons in harm's way especially in communities of color (where many people share the same names and nick-names).Gabrille Banks just wrote a story about the "Snitch List" in the PittsburghPost-Gazette: Flyer naming snitches alarms police - http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07238/812256-391.stm
If you ask me it sounds like a "COINTELPRO" styled "disruptive-disinformation operation". First they send around a list of so-called informants of unknown origin, the people in the streets react and respond to it because it has a rumors of validity. What's next once a network of disinformation has been created? Do they target community leaders, black politicians or clergy? everyone is vulnerable to these well plotted attacks, once you get the streets to trust in the validity of miscellaneous propaganda, you can easily spread rumors and distrust in our community.
This is an example of how it works (from "FBI" documents):
(5*) Counterintelligence and Special Operations (1970)
TECHNICAL SERVICES, Forged Documents
Xerox copies of true documents, documents subtly incorporating false information, and entirely fabricated documents would be periodically anonymously mailed to the residence of a key Panther leader. These documents would be on the stationery and in the form used by the police department or by the FBI in disseminating information to the police. FBI documents, when used, would contain police routing or date received notations, clearly indicating they had been pilfered from police files. An attempt would be made to give the Panther recipient the impression the documents were stolen from police files by a disgruntled police employee sympathetic to the Panthers. Director to SAC, San Francisco, May 11, 1970.
ReBulet 5/11/70, concerning a possible disruptive-disinformation operation to be targeted against the National Office of the Black Panther Party (BPP). At this time, San Francisco would hesitate to recommend the furnishing of any fabricated documents originating with the Oakland Police Department or any supposed LHMs from this office. During the last year the BPP was able to obtain what were alleged to have been detailed plans of the Berkeley Police Department for a possible raid on National Headquarters. These plans were published in "The Black Panther" to some embarrassment of the police department.
Attached is a partially completed FD-306. RAY "MASAI" HEWITT, Minister of Education, is based in Los Angeles but often visits National Headquarters. San Francisco proposed the preparation of a "dog eared" and crumpled FD-306 as attached and the placing of the FD-306 in a BPP car that has recently been used by HEWITT or was utilized to transport him. Through [ ] agents would know in advance of HEWITT's arrival at the San Francisco Airport for departure and they will attempt to obtain access to the car and leave the FD-306 in the interior where it might logically be decided that it had been dropped by HEWITT. SAC, San Francisco to Director, June 17, 1970
The Bureau concurs with your view that the BPP would rush to publicize any alleged police or FBI document it received, if such action served its propaganda purposes. However, if the "leaked" material were in itself embarrassing or discrediting to the BPP leadership, such as true exposures of immorality, egotistical or self-serving conduct, or misappropriation of funds, it is unlikely it would be publicized. As envisioned by the Bureau, material initially "leaked" would be of a low-key character consisting of brief items relating to the BPP organization. It would be in the form of crudely typed anonymous letters not identified with a law enforcement agency, but worded in a manner to lead the recipient to believe it was prepared by a sympathetic individual in a police agency. After low-key letters had been mailed over an extended period, portions of carefully selected alleged police documents or reports might be included. Hopefully, the BPP at this point would believe the material was authentic or at least of interest and that it originated with a sympathetic police source. Thus, as outlined in Bulet 5/11/70, a productive disinformation channel would be established whereby we could cause continuing disruption within the Panther national leadership. The Bureau believes the alternate proposal outlined in reSFlet has merit and could very likely be successful. However, as indicated in your letter, this technique cannot be approved because it could result in a Panther murder of one of their leaders. Director to SAC, San Francisco, June 26, 1970 - SAC, Los Angeles to Director, July 29, 1970
Even the use of the crudely drawn Cartoon Rat reminds me of COINTELPRO tactics: (6*) (The FBI created and circulated a coloring book and said it was created by The Black Panthers).
Media Literacy 101:
We really have to be carefull to question the sources of all information that we consume. From TV, Print, Music, Videos, Movies, Video Games, the Internet and word of mouth on the streets.
Learn to critically analyze all messages to detect propaganda, censorship and bias.
When you receive information you have to ask yourself:
What/who is the source of this information?
Is the source credible?
Who is funding the source?
Is the information correct?
Is the information being manipulated or misrepresented?
What am I being asked to do?
Garbage in = Garbage out. It's our lives and the lives of our children that are at stake.Yes, It's that serious!
(1*) Anti-snitch campaign riles police, prosecutors By Rick Hampson, USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-28-stop-snitching_x.htm
(2*) Omerta' is based partly on fear and partly on idealism
(3*) "The Blue Code Of Silence" aka "Blue Wall Of Silence"
(4*) Snitching is big business by Davey D
(5*) Counterintelligence and Special Operationshttp://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/specialops.htm
(6*) The Sabotage Of Legitimate Dissent (The FBI fakes Black Panther Coloring Book) http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/COINTELPRO/coloring.html
Paradise GrayOne HOOD
http://www.myspace.com/paradisegray
http://www.myspace.com/onehoodorg
FDA Allows Irradiation for Meat
Labels Required
In December, the US Department of Agriculture gave the go ahead to allow the food industry to irradiate meat, including such products as ground beef, steaks, and pork chops. All irradiated packaged meat and meat products will have to be labeled with the radura international symbol for irradiation, and a statement that the product was "treated by irradiation." Irradiated meat used in other products such as sausages and bologna also must be labeled.
For unpackaged meat products that do not have labels, the statement and logo must be displayed at the point of sale to consumers.
The labeling requirements do not apply to meat bought through foodservice operations, such as restaurants, school cafeterias or hospitals. This is a major loophole, because fast-food restaurants are expected to be major purchasers of irradiated meat. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of irradiation technology for red meat in December 1997, but the USDA took nearly two years to develop the new regulations.
The new irradiation rules for meat will go into effect on February 22. Last year, the USDA received thousands of comments from consumers, including many OCA members, demanding that labeling be required and prominently displayed for irradiated foods.
Irradiation has been approved for poultry products since 1992, but the industry has been slow to adopt the technology because of the cost, and consistent polls indicating that consumers don't want irradiated food. Meat packers such as IBP Inc. are expected to start test marketing irradiated ground beef to probe consumer response.
Immediately after the USDA announcement the Grocery Manufacturers of America announced that they would jumpstart a public education campaign on the benefits of irradiation. There have been no long-term studies on the effects of eating irradiated food.
However, a number of studies have found that eating irradiated food can have detrimental effects. Mice and rats have been found to have a greater incidence of kidney disease after eating irradiated food. Another study found testicular damage in rats fed irradiated food. Yet another study in India found that malnourished children eating irradiated wheat may develop an increase in abnormal white blood cells, a condition known as polyploidy.
Unfortunately, irradiation is seen as shortcut by the meat industry to avoid addressing dirty slaughterhouses, rampant bacterial contamination, and other impacts of industrial agriculture. Certified organic meat cannot be irradiated.
For more on the potential hazards of irradiated foods, go to: http://www.purefood.org/irradlink.html
Organic View - An e-mail publication of the Organic Consumers Association v.2 n.1 January 23, 2000
In December, the US Department of Agriculture gave the go ahead to allow the food industry to irradiate meat, including such products as ground beef, steaks, and pork chops. All irradiated packaged meat and meat products will have to be labeled with the radura international symbol for irradiation, and a statement that the product was "treated by irradiation." Irradiated meat used in other products such as sausages and bologna also must be labeled.
For unpackaged meat products that do not have labels, the statement and logo must be displayed at the point of sale to consumers.
The labeling requirements do not apply to meat bought through foodservice operations, such as restaurants, school cafeterias or hospitals. This is a major loophole, because fast-food restaurants are expected to be major purchasers of irradiated meat. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of irradiation technology for red meat in December 1997, but the USDA took nearly two years to develop the new regulations.
The new irradiation rules for meat will go into effect on February 22. Last year, the USDA received thousands of comments from consumers, including many OCA members, demanding that labeling be required and prominently displayed for irradiated foods.
Irradiation has been approved for poultry products since 1992, but the industry has been slow to adopt the technology because of the cost, and consistent polls indicating that consumers don't want irradiated food. Meat packers such as IBP Inc. are expected to start test marketing irradiated ground beef to probe consumer response.
Immediately after the USDA announcement the Grocery Manufacturers of America announced that they would jumpstart a public education campaign on the benefits of irradiation. There have been no long-term studies on the effects of eating irradiated food.
However, a number of studies have found that eating irradiated food can have detrimental effects. Mice and rats have been found to have a greater incidence of kidney disease after eating irradiated food. Another study found testicular damage in rats fed irradiated food. Yet another study in India found that malnourished children eating irradiated wheat may develop an increase in abnormal white blood cells, a condition known as polyploidy.
Unfortunately, irradiation is seen as shortcut by the meat industry to avoid addressing dirty slaughterhouses, rampant bacterial contamination, and other impacts of industrial agriculture. Certified organic meat cannot be irradiated.
For more on the potential hazards of irradiated foods, go to: http://www.purefood.org/irradlink.html
Organic View - An e-mail publication of the Organic Consumers Association v.2 n.1 January 23, 2000
Food Irradiation Q&As
Question: Is irradiated food safe to eat?
Answer: No.
Irradiated food has caused a myriad of health problems in laboratory animals (and people in a few studies), including chromosomal damage, immune and reproductive problems, kidney damage, tumors, internal bleeding, low birth weight, and nutritional muscular dystrophy.
Irradiation leads to the formation of Unique Radiolytic Products, mysterious chemical compounds that have not been identified or studied for their potential harm to humans. These products are free radicals, which set off chain reactions in the body that destroy antioxidants, tear apart cell membranes, and make the body more susceptible to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, liver damage, muscular breakdown, and other serious health problems.
Irradiation does nothing to remove the feces, urine, pus, vomit and tumors often left on beef, chicken, and lamb as the result of filthy and inhumane slaughterhouse conditions. These conditions have worsened as conveyer belts have speeded up (400 cow carcasses are processed per hour nowadays) and public oversight of slaughterhouses has been reduced.
Irradiation can spawn mutant forms of E. coli, Salmonella and other harmful bacteria, making them more difficult to kill.
Irradiation destroys vitamins, nutrients and essential fatty acids, including up to 95 percent of vitamin A in chicken and 86 percent of vitamin B in oats. In some foods, irradiation can actually intensify the vitamin and nutrient loss caused by cooking.
Irradiation can lead to the formation of carcinogens and other toxic chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, octane, butane and methyl propane in certain foods.
Irradiation can corrupt the flavor, texture and other physical properties of certain foods, leading to meat that smells like a wet dog and onions that turn brown.
Irradiation kills beneficial microorganisms, such as the yeasts and molds that help keep botulism at bay, as well as the microorganisms that create the aromas that tell us when food has gone bad.
Question: Are irradiation facilities safe?
Answer: Not always.
According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 45 accidents at U.S. (food and medical-supply) irradiation plants were recorded from 1974-89, at least two of which were covered up by irradiation company executives, some of whom were criminally charged in federal court and given prison time.
Irradiation plant workers are exposed to dangerous radiation hazards. Several have died or been exposed to near-fatal doses of radiation at facilities throughout the world.
Irradiation plants emit smog-forming, ground-level ozone into the environment.
Neighbors and the environment are endangered by plants that use radioactive cobalt-60 or cesium-137, which must be replenished after several years of use. Most of the cobalt-60 comes from a facility in Canada, creating transportation hazards when "fresh" material is driven to and waste driven from the plants.
Irradiation encourages the proliferation of nuclear technology at a point in history when a vast majority of Americans and people throughout the world are demanding that we back away from the use of nuclear material. A facility in Florida is owned by a company associated with a Canadian outfit that has sold nuclear technology to China, India and Pakistan.
Question: Did U.S. officials thoroughly study irradiation before legalizing it?
Answer: No.
The FDA relied on only 5 of more than 400 scientific studies to determine that irradiated food is safe to eat. Of those five, only three have been published in peer-reviewed journals. In two of the studies, researchers used doses of radiation at or far below those approved by the FDA, rendering the studies virtually if not completely useless.
The agency has rejected every study that has drawn into question the safety of irradiation.
The FDA used 38 studies that agency scientists once declared "deficient" to support the safety of irradiated food.
The FDA has not followed its own rules that require elaborate toxicological experiments be conducted before legalizing irradiation, including a requirement that the Unique Radiolytic Products generated by the process be subjected to in-depth testing.
The FDA has begun to conduct and approve expedited reviews of food irradiation applications from industry, admitting-in at least one-that certain packaging materials may not be safe when exposed to radiation.
No long-term studies have been done on the consumption of irradiated food, a problem the FDA admits but has done nothing to correct.
Question: Can the research into food irradiation be trusted?
Answer: Not all of it.
Research conducted at public universities is increasingly industry-funded. A prominent Iowa State University professor who's been researching food irradiation for many years was just hired by Titan Corporation, a leading irradiation company (and erstwhile defense contractor). And, Titan recently entered a research contract with Texas A&M University.
Much of the early research into food irradiation, done during the 1960s and 1970s, was conducted by an Army-hired firm that was eventually convicted of fraud for fabricating the results of its work.
Very little toxicological testing has been done on irradiated food during the past 20 years. New, updated tests should be performed with the benefit of improved scientific methods.
Question: Is food irradiation good for the economy?
Answer: No.
Food irradiation encourages the further consolidation of the food production, processing, distribution, marketing and retailing industries by giving the advantage to giant companies that can afford this prohibitively expensive technology. In the process, the food product marketplace is further homogenized and family farmers are put at a greater disadvantage.
If the U.S. government allows imported food to be irradiated-as it may do in the near future-more of our fruit, vegetables and meat will come from other countries, resulting in the closure of farms and the loss of agricultural jobs here at home. Plus, this imported food will be older, more bland and less nutritious than food grown in the U.S.
Food irradiation adds unnecessarily to the cost of food when less expensive alternatives are available. A recent survey by Consumers for Science in the Public Interest showed that irradiated ground beef being sold in the Midwest cost up to 75 cents more per pound-more than 40 percent higher than non-irradiated beef-and that the irradiated beef contained 25 percent fat.
Question: Are consumers receiving credible information about food irradiation?
Answer: No.
Many "unbiased" supporters of food irradiation in reality work on behalf of the food industry. The corporate-funded American Council on Science and Health, for instance, is chaired by A. Alan Moghissi, whose anti-environment and anti-consumer positions include fighting the removal of asbestos from schools and proclaiming that higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a good thing for the agriculture industry.
Food irradiation companies have been increasingly successful in getting the media to call irradiation "pasteurization," which is an entirely different process by which microorganisms are killed by quickly heating and cooling food.
Companies that irradiate with "e-beam" technology such as the Titan Corporation are seeking to distinguish themselves from companies that irradiate with gamma rays from radioactive sources. This is highly misleading, as both e-beam (electrons fired from a linear accelerator at nearly the speed of light) and gamma rays (high-frequency electromagnetic waves) are forms of ionizing radiation-meaning that they obliterate the bonds that hold atoms and molecules together and create new chemical compounds.
Furthermore, Titan and other irradiation companies are comparing irradiating food with cooking food in a microwave oven. This comparison is bogus. The radiation used to irradiate food is ionizing, meaning that it drastically changes the chemical composition of food (see above).
Microwave radiation is non-ionizing, meaning that the chemical structure of food is largely left intact.
Question: Should vegetarians care about irradiation?
Answer: Yes.
Food processing companies aren't irradiating just meat. Fruit and vegetables are being irradiated, too-all of which suffer nutrient destruction as bad or worse than in meat. Spices such as garlic powder and paprika are being irradiated as well, and can be added to processed foods without being labeled.
Everybody should be concerned about E. coli contamination. Irradiation does nothing to prevent this and other harmful bacteria from winding up in drinking water supplies. Just last may, E. coli-tainted drinking water killed at least seven people and sickened more than 2,000 others in Ontario, Canada.
Public Citizen's Critical Mass and Energy Project
Answer: No.
Irradiated food has caused a myriad of health problems in laboratory animals (and people in a few studies), including chromosomal damage, immune and reproductive problems, kidney damage, tumors, internal bleeding, low birth weight, and nutritional muscular dystrophy.
Irradiation leads to the formation of Unique Radiolytic Products, mysterious chemical compounds that have not been identified or studied for their potential harm to humans. These products are free radicals, which set off chain reactions in the body that destroy antioxidants, tear apart cell membranes, and make the body more susceptible to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, liver damage, muscular breakdown, and other serious health problems.
Irradiation does nothing to remove the feces, urine, pus, vomit and tumors often left on beef, chicken, and lamb as the result of filthy and inhumane slaughterhouse conditions. These conditions have worsened as conveyer belts have speeded up (400 cow carcasses are processed per hour nowadays) and public oversight of slaughterhouses has been reduced.
Irradiation can spawn mutant forms of E. coli, Salmonella and other harmful bacteria, making them more difficult to kill.
Irradiation destroys vitamins, nutrients and essential fatty acids, including up to 95 percent of vitamin A in chicken and 86 percent of vitamin B in oats. In some foods, irradiation can actually intensify the vitamin and nutrient loss caused by cooking.
Irradiation can lead to the formation of carcinogens and other toxic chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, octane, butane and methyl propane in certain foods.
Irradiation can corrupt the flavor, texture and other physical properties of certain foods, leading to meat that smells like a wet dog and onions that turn brown.
Irradiation kills beneficial microorganisms, such as the yeasts and molds that help keep botulism at bay, as well as the microorganisms that create the aromas that tell us when food has gone bad.
Question: Are irradiation facilities safe?
Answer: Not always.
According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 45 accidents at U.S. (food and medical-supply) irradiation plants were recorded from 1974-89, at least two of which were covered up by irradiation company executives, some of whom were criminally charged in federal court and given prison time.
Irradiation plant workers are exposed to dangerous radiation hazards. Several have died or been exposed to near-fatal doses of radiation at facilities throughout the world.
Irradiation plants emit smog-forming, ground-level ozone into the environment.
Neighbors and the environment are endangered by plants that use radioactive cobalt-60 or cesium-137, which must be replenished after several years of use. Most of the cobalt-60 comes from a facility in Canada, creating transportation hazards when "fresh" material is driven to and waste driven from the plants.
Irradiation encourages the proliferation of nuclear technology at a point in history when a vast majority of Americans and people throughout the world are demanding that we back away from the use of nuclear material. A facility in Florida is owned by a company associated with a Canadian outfit that has sold nuclear technology to China, India and Pakistan.
Question: Did U.S. officials thoroughly study irradiation before legalizing it?
Answer: No.
The FDA relied on only 5 of more than 400 scientific studies to determine that irradiated food is safe to eat. Of those five, only three have been published in peer-reviewed journals. In two of the studies, researchers used doses of radiation at or far below those approved by the FDA, rendering the studies virtually if not completely useless.
The agency has rejected every study that has drawn into question the safety of irradiation.
The FDA used 38 studies that agency scientists once declared "deficient" to support the safety of irradiated food.
The FDA has not followed its own rules that require elaborate toxicological experiments be conducted before legalizing irradiation, including a requirement that the Unique Radiolytic Products generated by the process be subjected to in-depth testing.
The FDA has begun to conduct and approve expedited reviews of food irradiation applications from industry, admitting-in at least one-that certain packaging materials may not be safe when exposed to radiation.
No long-term studies have been done on the consumption of irradiated food, a problem the FDA admits but has done nothing to correct.
Question: Can the research into food irradiation be trusted?
Answer: Not all of it.
Research conducted at public universities is increasingly industry-funded. A prominent Iowa State University professor who's been researching food irradiation for many years was just hired by Titan Corporation, a leading irradiation company (and erstwhile defense contractor). And, Titan recently entered a research contract with Texas A&M University.
Much of the early research into food irradiation, done during the 1960s and 1970s, was conducted by an Army-hired firm that was eventually convicted of fraud for fabricating the results of its work.
Very little toxicological testing has been done on irradiated food during the past 20 years. New, updated tests should be performed with the benefit of improved scientific methods.
Question: Is food irradiation good for the economy?
Answer: No.
Food irradiation encourages the further consolidation of the food production, processing, distribution, marketing and retailing industries by giving the advantage to giant companies that can afford this prohibitively expensive technology. In the process, the food product marketplace is further homogenized and family farmers are put at a greater disadvantage.
If the U.S. government allows imported food to be irradiated-as it may do in the near future-more of our fruit, vegetables and meat will come from other countries, resulting in the closure of farms and the loss of agricultural jobs here at home. Plus, this imported food will be older, more bland and less nutritious than food grown in the U.S.
Food irradiation adds unnecessarily to the cost of food when less expensive alternatives are available. A recent survey by Consumers for Science in the Public Interest showed that irradiated ground beef being sold in the Midwest cost up to 75 cents more per pound-more than 40 percent higher than non-irradiated beef-and that the irradiated beef contained 25 percent fat.
Question: Are consumers receiving credible information about food irradiation?
Answer: No.
Many "unbiased" supporters of food irradiation in reality work on behalf of the food industry. The corporate-funded American Council on Science and Health, for instance, is chaired by A. Alan Moghissi, whose anti-environment and anti-consumer positions include fighting the removal of asbestos from schools and proclaiming that higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a good thing for the agriculture industry.
Food irradiation companies have been increasingly successful in getting the media to call irradiation "pasteurization," which is an entirely different process by which microorganisms are killed by quickly heating and cooling food.
Companies that irradiate with "e-beam" technology such as the Titan Corporation are seeking to distinguish themselves from companies that irradiate with gamma rays from radioactive sources. This is highly misleading, as both e-beam (electrons fired from a linear accelerator at nearly the speed of light) and gamma rays (high-frequency electromagnetic waves) are forms of ionizing radiation-meaning that they obliterate the bonds that hold atoms and molecules together and create new chemical compounds.
Furthermore, Titan and other irradiation companies are comparing irradiating food with cooking food in a microwave oven. This comparison is bogus. The radiation used to irradiate food is ionizing, meaning that it drastically changes the chemical composition of food (see above).
Microwave radiation is non-ionizing, meaning that the chemical structure of food is largely left intact.
Question: Should vegetarians care about irradiation?
Answer: Yes.
Food processing companies aren't irradiating just meat. Fruit and vegetables are being irradiated, too-all of which suffer nutrient destruction as bad or worse than in meat. Spices such as garlic powder and paprika are being irradiated as well, and can be added to processed foods without being labeled.
Everybody should be concerned about E. coli contamination. Irradiation does nothing to prevent this and other harmful bacteria from winding up in drinking water supplies. Just last may, E. coli-tainted drinking water killed at least seven people and sickened more than 2,000 others in Ontario, Canada.
Public Citizen's Critical Mass and Energy Project
The Dangers of Irradiation Facilities
A Legacy of Deaths, Injuries, Accidents and Cover-ups
Supporters of food irradiation often say that irradiation facilities are safe. They say accidents rarely happen. They say injuries and deaths are infrequent. They say the public is in no danger.
The historical record says otherwise.
Since the 1960s, dozens of accidents -- as well as numerous acts of wrongdoing -- have been reported at irradiation facilities throughout the United States and the world.
Radioactive water has been flushed down toilets into the public sewer system. Radioactive waste has been thrown into the garbage. Radiation has leaked. Facilities have caught fire. Equipment has malfunctioned.
Workers have lost fingers, hands, legs and, in several cases, their lives. Company executives have been charged with cover-ups and, in one case, sentenced to federal prison.
The debate over food irradiation would not be complete without an understanding of the risks associated with the technology itself.
Here are some examples of what can go wrong.
Accidents at Gamma-Ray Facilities:
Decatur, Georgia
In June 1988, a capsule of radioactive cesium-137 -- a waste product from nuclear weapons production -- sprung a leak at a Radiation Sterilizers plant near Atlanta. Though the leak was contained to the site, two of the three exposed workers spread radioactivity to their cars and homes.
And an estimated 70,000 milk cartons, contact lens solution boxes and other containers were shipped out after they were splashed with radioactive water. Only about 900 of the contaminated containers were recalled. The ensuing taxpayer-funded cleanup cost more than $30 million, after which a government report concluded that "the public health and safety could have been compromised."
Dover, New Jersey
In June 1986, two senior executives of Palo Alto, CA-based International Neutronics were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud in connection with an October 1982 spill of 600 gallons of water contaminated by radioactive cobalt-60.
After a pump malfunctioned, workers were instructed to pour the radioactive water down a shower drain that emptied into the public sewer system.
Workers were also ordered to wear their radiation-detection "badges" in such a way to falsify radiation levels. In the words of a federal prosecutor, company executives "bamboozled" Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspectors by delaying an inspection of the facility, where food, gems, chemicals and medical supplies were irradiated.
A $2 million cleanup included the cost to dispose of radioactive material at a nuclear waste dump in South Carolina. Company vice president Eugene O'Sullivan, a former member of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, was convicted of conspiracy and fraud in October 1986.
Honolulu, Hawaii
In 1979, decontamination began at the state-run Hawaiian Developmental Irradiator at Fort Armstrong where, years earlier, radioactive water leaked onto the roof and the front lawn. Nearly 100,000 pounds of steel, 250 cubic feet of concrete and 1,100 cubic feet of soil were removed and taken to the nuclear waste dump in Hanford, Wash. The plant was shut down in 1980 and the remaining cobalt-60 was shipped to the University of Hawaii. Hawaii taxpayers paid most of the $500,000 cleanup.
Parsippany, New Jersey
In June 1974, William McKimm, the radiation director at an Isomedix cobalt-60 facility, was exposed to a near-fatal dose of 400 rems while irradiating medical supplies. McKimm was critically injured and hospitalized for a month. Two years later, a fire near the cobalt storage pool released chemicals into the pool that caused the cobalt rods to corrode and leak. Radioactive water was then flushed down the toilet into the public sewer system.
Eventually, concrete around the cobalt-60 pool, as well as the toilet and bathroom plumbing, was found to be radioactive and taken to a nuclear waste dump. The amount of radiation released into the public sewer system was never determined.
Rockaway, New Jersey
In 1977, Michael Pierson was exposed to a near-fatal dose of 150-300 rems at a Radiation Technology facility when a system designed to protect workers from radioactive cobalt-60 failed. In 1986, the NRC cited company executives for intentionally disabling the system.
In 1988 -- after more than 30 NRC violations, including one for throwing out radioactive garbage with the trash -- company president Martin Welt and nuclear engineer William Jouris were charged in federal court with 11 counts of conspiracy to defraud the NRC, making false statements and violating the Atomic Energy Act. Welt, who threatened to fire workers who didn't lie to NRC investigators, was also charged with obstruction of justice. Both men were convicted. Jouris was sentenced to probation; Welt was sentenced to two years in prison, placed on three years probation and fined $50,000.
Accidents at Electron-Beam Facilities
In 1991, a Maryland worker ignored safety warnings and received a 5,000-rad dose from a 3 million electron-volt linear accelerator. He lost four fingers.
In 1992, a mishap at a 15 million electron-volt linear accelerator in Hanoi cost the facility's research director a hand and several fingers.
Fatal Accidents in Other Countries
In February 1989, three El Salvadoran workers suffered serious burns and radiation sickness when they were exposed to cobalt-60. None had received formal training to operate the equipment, which was made by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Eventually, one worker died and the others had their legs amputated.
In 1975, an Italian worker was exposed to cobalt-60 when he bypassed all safety controls, climbed onto a conveyor belt and entered the irradiation chamber. He died 12 days later.
In 1982, a Norwegian worker received a 1,000-rem cobalt-60 dose while trying fix a jammed conveyor belt. He died 13 days later.
In 1990, an Israeli worker was exposed to cobalt-60 after an alarm failed. He died 36 days later.
In 1991, a worker in Belarus was exposed to cobalt-60 after several safety features were circumvented. He died 113 days later.
Public Citizen
Supporters of food irradiation often say that irradiation facilities are safe. They say accidents rarely happen. They say injuries and deaths are infrequent. They say the public is in no danger.
The historical record says otherwise.
Since the 1960s, dozens of accidents -- as well as numerous acts of wrongdoing -- have been reported at irradiation facilities throughout the United States and the world.
Radioactive water has been flushed down toilets into the public sewer system. Radioactive waste has been thrown into the garbage. Radiation has leaked. Facilities have caught fire. Equipment has malfunctioned.
Workers have lost fingers, hands, legs and, in several cases, their lives. Company executives have been charged with cover-ups and, in one case, sentenced to federal prison.
The debate over food irradiation would not be complete without an understanding of the risks associated with the technology itself.
Here are some examples of what can go wrong.
Accidents at Gamma-Ray Facilities:
Decatur, Georgia
In June 1988, a capsule of radioactive cesium-137 -- a waste product from nuclear weapons production -- sprung a leak at a Radiation Sterilizers plant near Atlanta. Though the leak was contained to the site, two of the three exposed workers spread radioactivity to their cars and homes.
And an estimated 70,000 milk cartons, contact lens solution boxes and other containers were shipped out after they were splashed with radioactive water. Only about 900 of the contaminated containers were recalled. The ensuing taxpayer-funded cleanup cost more than $30 million, after which a government report concluded that "the public health and safety could have been compromised."
Dover, New Jersey
In June 1986, two senior executives of Palo Alto, CA-based International Neutronics were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud in connection with an October 1982 spill of 600 gallons of water contaminated by radioactive cobalt-60.
After a pump malfunctioned, workers were instructed to pour the radioactive water down a shower drain that emptied into the public sewer system.
Workers were also ordered to wear their radiation-detection "badges" in such a way to falsify radiation levels. In the words of a federal prosecutor, company executives "bamboozled" Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspectors by delaying an inspection of the facility, where food, gems, chemicals and medical supplies were irradiated.
A $2 million cleanup included the cost to dispose of radioactive material at a nuclear waste dump in South Carolina. Company vice president Eugene O'Sullivan, a former member of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, was convicted of conspiracy and fraud in October 1986.
Honolulu, Hawaii
In 1979, decontamination began at the state-run Hawaiian Developmental Irradiator at Fort Armstrong where, years earlier, radioactive water leaked onto the roof and the front lawn. Nearly 100,000 pounds of steel, 250 cubic feet of concrete and 1,100 cubic feet of soil were removed and taken to the nuclear waste dump in Hanford, Wash. The plant was shut down in 1980 and the remaining cobalt-60 was shipped to the University of Hawaii. Hawaii taxpayers paid most of the $500,000 cleanup.
Parsippany, New Jersey
In June 1974, William McKimm, the radiation director at an Isomedix cobalt-60 facility, was exposed to a near-fatal dose of 400 rems while irradiating medical supplies. McKimm was critically injured and hospitalized for a month. Two years later, a fire near the cobalt storage pool released chemicals into the pool that caused the cobalt rods to corrode and leak. Radioactive water was then flushed down the toilet into the public sewer system.
Eventually, concrete around the cobalt-60 pool, as well as the toilet and bathroom plumbing, was found to be radioactive and taken to a nuclear waste dump. The amount of radiation released into the public sewer system was never determined.
Rockaway, New Jersey
In 1977, Michael Pierson was exposed to a near-fatal dose of 150-300 rems at a Radiation Technology facility when a system designed to protect workers from radioactive cobalt-60 failed. In 1986, the NRC cited company executives for intentionally disabling the system.
In 1988 -- after more than 30 NRC violations, including one for throwing out radioactive garbage with the trash -- company president Martin Welt and nuclear engineer William Jouris were charged in federal court with 11 counts of conspiracy to defraud the NRC, making false statements and violating the Atomic Energy Act. Welt, who threatened to fire workers who didn't lie to NRC investigators, was also charged with obstruction of justice. Both men were convicted. Jouris was sentenced to probation; Welt was sentenced to two years in prison, placed on three years probation and fined $50,000.
Accidents at Electron-Beam Facilities
In 1991, a Maryland worker ignored safety warnings and received a 5,000-rad dose from a 3 million electron-volt linear accelerator. He lost four fingers.
In 1992, a mishap at a 15 million electron-volt linear accelerator in Hanoi cost the facility's research director a hand and several fingers.
Fatal Accidents in Other Countries
In February 1989, three El Salvadoran workers suffered serious burns and radiation sickness when they were exposed to cobalt-60. None had received formal training to operate the equipment, which was made by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Eventually, one worker died and the others had their legs amputated.
In 1975, an Italian worker was exposed to cobalt-60 when he bypassed all safety controls, climbed onto a conveyor belt and entered the irradiation chamber. He died 12 days later.
In 1982, a Norwegian worker received a 1,000-rem cobalt-60 dose while trying fix a jammed conveyor belt. He died 13 days later.
In 1990, an Israeli worker was exposed to cobalt-60 after an alarm failed. He died 36 days later.
In 1991, a worker in Belarus was exposed to cobalt-60 after several safety features were circumvented. He died 113 days later.
Public Citizen
The Dangers of Irradiation Facilities
The Dangers of Irradiation Facilities
A Legacy of Deaths, Injuries, Accidents and Cover-ups
Supporters of food irradiation often say that irradiation facilities are safe. They say accidents rarely happen. They say injuries and deaths are infrequent. They say the public is in no danger.
The historical record says otherwise.
Since the 1960s, dozens of accidents -- as well as numerous acts of wrongdoing -- have been reported at irradiation facilities throughout the United States and the world.
Radioactive water has been flushed down toilets into the public sewer system. Radioactive waste has been thrown into the garbage. Radiation has leaked. Facilities have caught fire. Equipment has malfunctioned. Workers have lost fingers, hands, legs and, in several cases, their lives.
Company executives have been charged with cover-ups and, in one case, sentenced to federal prison.
The debate over food irradiation would not be complete without an understanding of the risks associated with the technology itself.
Here are some examples of what can go wrong.
Accidents at Gamma-Ray Facilities:
Decatur, Georgia
In June 1988, a capsule of radioactive cesium-137 -- a waste product from nuclear weapons production -- sprung a leak at a Radiation Sterilizers plant near Atlanta. Though the leak was contained to the site, two of the three exposed workers spread radioactivity to their cars and homes.
And an estimated 70,000 milk cartons, contact lens solution boxes and other containers were shipped out after they were splashed with radioactive water. Only about 900 of the contaminated containers were recalled. The ensuing taxpayer-funded cleanup cost more than $30 million, after which a government report concluded that "the public health and safety could have been compromised."
Dover, New Jersey
In June 1986, two senior executives of Palo Alto, CA-based International Neutronics were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud in connection with an October 1982 spill of 600 gallons of water contaminated by radioactive cobalt-60.
After a pump malfunctioned, workers were instructed to pour the radioactive water down a shower drain that emptied into the public sewer system.
Workers were also ordered to wear their radiation-detection "badges" in such a way to falsify radiation levels. In the words of a federal prosecutor, company executives "bamboozled" Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspectors by delaying an inspection of the facility, where food, gems, chemicals and medical supplies were irradiated.
A $2 million cleanup included the cost to dispose of radioactive material at a nuclear waste dump in South Carolina. Company vice president Eugene O'Sullivan, a former member of the U.S.
Atomic Energy Commission, was convicted of conspiracy and fraud in October 1986.
Honolulu, Hawaii
In 1979, decontamination began at the state-run Hawaiian Developmental Irradiator at Fort Armstrong where, years earlier, radioactive water leaked onto the roof and the front lawn. Nearly 100,000 pounds of steel, 250 cubic feet of concrete and 1,100 cubic feet of soil were removed and taken to the nuclear waste dump in Hanford, Wash. The plant was shut down in 1980 and the remaining cobalt-60 was shipped to the University of Hawaii. Hawaii taxpayers paid most of the $500,000 cleanup.
Parsippany, New Jersey
In June 1974, William McKimm, the radiation director at an Isomedix cobalt-60 facility, was exposed to a near-fatal dose of 400 rems while irradiating medical supplies. McKimm was critically injured and hospitalized for a month. Two years later, a fire near the cobalt storage pool released chemicals into the pool that caused the cobalt rods to corrode and leak.
Radioactive water was then flushed down the toilet into the public sewer system.
Eventually, concrete around the cobalt-60 pool, as well as the toilet and bathroom plumbing, was found to be radioactive and taken to a nuclear waste dump. The amount of radiation released into the public sewer system was never determined.
Rockaway, New Jersey
In 1977, Michael Pierson was exposed to a near-fatal dose of 150-300 rems at a Radiation Technology facility when a system designed to protect workers from radioactive cobalt-60 failed. In 1986, the NRC cited company executives for intentionally disabling the system.
In 1988 -- after more than 30 NRC violations, including one for throwing out radioactive garbage with the trash -- company president Martin Welt and nuclear engineer William Jouris were charged in federal court with 11 counts of conspiracy to defraud the NRC, making false statements and violating the Atomic Energy Act. Welt, who threatened to fire workers who didn't lie to NRC investigators, was also charged with obstruction of justice. Both men were convicted. Jouris was sentenced to probation; Welt was sentenced to two years in prison, placed on three years probation and fined $50,000.
Accidents at Electron-Beam Facilities
In 1991, a Maryland worker ignored safety warnings and received a 5,000-rad dose from a 3 million electron-volt linear accelerator. He lost four fingers.
In 1992, a mishap at a 15 million electron-volt linear accelerator in Hanoi cost the facility's research director a hand and several fingers.
Fatal Accidents in Other Countries
In February 1989, three El Salvadoran workers suffered serious burns and radiation sickness when they were exposed to cobalt-60.
None had received formal training to operate the equipment, which was made by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Eventually, one worker died and the others had their legs amputated.
In 1975, an Italian worker was exposed to cobalt-60 when he bypassed all safety controls, climbed onto a conveyor belt and entered the irradiation chamber. He died 12 days later.
In 1982, a Norwegian worker received a 1,000-rem cobalt-60 dose while trying fix a jammed conveyor belt. He died 13 days later.
In 1990, an Israeli worker was exposed to cobalt-60 after an alarm failed. He died 36 days later.
In 1991, a worker in Belarus was exposed to cobalt-60 after several safety features were circumvented. He died 113 days later.
Public Citizen
A Legacy of Deaths, Injuries, Accidents and Cover-ups
Supporters of food irradiation often say that irradiation facilities are safe. They say accidents rarely happen. They say injuries and deaths are infrequent. They say the public is in no danger.
The historical record says otherwise.
Since the 1960s, dozens of accidents -- as well as numerous acts of wrongdoing -- have been reported at irradiation facilities throughout the United States and the world.
Radioactive water has been flushed down toilets into the public sewer system. Radioactive waste has been thrown into the garbage. Radiation has leaked. Facilities have caught fire. Equipment has malfunctioned. Workers have lost fingers, hands, legs and, in several cases, their lives.
Company executives have been charged with cover-ups and, in one case, sentenced to federal prison.
The debate over food irradiation would not be complete without an understanding of the risks associated with the technology itself.
Here are some examples of what can go wrong.
Accidents at Gamma-Ray Facilities:
Decatur, Georgia
In June 1988, a capsule of radioactive cesium-137 -- a waste product from nuclear weapons production -- sprung a leak at a Radiation Sterilizers plant near Atlanta. Though the leak was contained to the site, two of the three exposed workers spread radioactivity to their cars and homes.
And an estimated 70,000 milk cartons, contact lens solution boxes and other containers were shipped out after they were splashed with radioactive water. Only about 900 of the contaminated containers were recalled. The ensuing taxpayer-funded cleanup cost more than $30 million, after which a government report concluded that "the public health and safety could have been compromised."
Dover, New Jersey
In June 1986, two senior executives of Palo Alto, CA-based International Neutronics were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud in connection with an October 1982 spill of 600 gallons of water contaminated by radioactive cobalt-60.
After a pump malfunctioned, workers were instructed to pour the radioactive water down a shower drain that emptied into the public sewer system.
Workers were also ordered to wear their radiation-detection "badges" in such a way to falsify radiation levels. In the words of a federal prosecutor, company executives "bamboozled" Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspectors by delaying an inspection of the facility, where food, gems, chemicals and medical supplies were irradiated.
A $2 million cleanup included the cost to dispose of radioactive material at a nuclear waste dump in South Carolina. Company vice president Eugene O'Sullivan, a former member of the U.S.
Atomic Energy Commission, was convicted of conspiracy and fraud in October 1986.
Honolulu, Hawaii
In 1979, decontamination began at the state-run Hawaiian Developmental Irradiator at Fort Armstrong where, years earlier, radioactive water leaked onto the roof and the front lawn. Nearly 100,000 pounds of steel, 250 cubic feet of concrete and 1,100 cubic feet of soil were removed and taken to the nuclear waste dump in Hanford, Wash. The plant was shut down in 1980 and the remaining cobalt-60 was shipped to the University of Hawaii. Hawaii taxpayers paid most of the $500,000 cleanup.
Parsippany, New Jersey
In June 1974, William McKimm, the radiation director at an Isomedix cobalt-60 facility, was exposed to a near-fatal dose of 400 rems while irradiating medical supplies. McKimm was critically injured and hospitalized for a month. Two years later, a fire near the cobalt storage pool released chemicals into the pool that caused the cobalt rods to corrode and leak.
Radioactive water was then flushed down the toilet into the public sewer system.
Eventually, concrete around the cobalt-60 pool, as well as the toilet and bathroom plumbing, was found to be radioactive and taken to a nuclear waste dump. The amount of radiation released into the public sewer system was never determined.
Rockaway, New Jersey
In 1977, Michael Pierson was exposed to a near-fatal dose of 150-300 rems at a Radiation Technology facility when a system designed to protect workers from radioactive cobalt-60 failed. In 1986, the NRC cited company executives for intentionally disabling the system.
In 1988 -- after more than 30 NRC violations, including one for throwing out radioactive garbage with the trash -- company president Martin Welt and nuclear engineer William Jouris were charged in federal court with 11 counts of conspiracy to defraud the NRC, making false statements and violating the Atomic Energy Act. Welt, who threatened to fire workers who didn't lie to NRC investigators, was also charged with obstruction of justice. Both men were convicted. Jouris was sentenced to probation; Welt was sentenced to two years in prison, placed on three years probation and fined $50,000.
Accidents at Electron-Beam Facilities
In 1991, a Maryland worker ignored safety warnings and received a 5,000-rad dose from a 3 million electron-volt linear accelerator. He lost four fingers.
In 1992, a mishap at a 15 million electron-volt linear accelerator in Hanoi cost the facility's research director a hand and several fingers.
Fatal Accidents in Other Countries
In February 1989, three El Salvadoran workers suffered serious burns and radiation sickness when they were exposed to cobalt-60.
None had received formal training to operate the equipment, which was made by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Eventually, one worker died and the others had their legs amputated.
In 1975, an Italian worker was exposed to cobalt-60 when he bypassed all safety controls, climbed onto a conveyor belt and entered the irradiation chamber. He died 12 days later.
In 1982, a Norwegian worker received a 1,000-rem cobalt-60 dose while trying fix a jammed conveyor belt. He died 13 days later.
In 1990, an Israeli worker was exposed to cobalt-60 after an alarm failed. He died 36 days later.
In 1991, a worker in Belarus was exposed to cobalt-60 after several safety features were circumvented. He died 113 days later.
Public Citizen
Food Irradiation Will Be Used To Mask Filthy Slaughtering and Food Processing Practices
Food irradiation dose limit would be removed, health and safety regulations discarded under new plan, substandard food could be "treated" with high-dose radiation in unlicensed and dirty facilities.
A proposed international food irradiation standard winding its way through legal channels in Europe could jeopardize the quality and safety of food sold to United States consumers.
Under an international plan endorsed March 16, virtually every assurance that irradiated food will be of good quality, be handled by trained workers, and be processed under safe and clean conditions in government-inspected facilities would disappear. The proposal also would remove the international dose limit for food irradiation.
The proposal was endorsed in The Hague, Netherlands, by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), which advises the Codex Alimentarius ("Food Code") Commission. Operating under the auspices of the United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO), the Codex sets global food safety standards for more than 160 nations, representing about 97 percent of the world's population. The United States is one of the 160 nations. "This proposal confirms that irradiation will be used to mask filthy slaughtering and food processing practices," said Wenonah Hauter, director of the Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "These antiquated ideas set back food safety more than 100 years, to a time when people routinely died from eating contaminated food. It is an outrage to the highest order. People throughout the world have cause for great worry."
Under international trade rules, countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) can challenge the standards of other countries by claiming the standards are trade barriers. If the WTO agrees, countries whose standards are challenged must amend the standard or face trade sanctions.
U.S. standards governing irradiated food are much stricter than what Codex is proposing. That means that if the Codex measure is approved, other countries could challenge US standards through the WTO.
A successful challenge could pressure the US to weaken its standards.
The proposal would amend the Codex's 22-year-old food irradiation standard by stating that food companies "should" rather than "shall" comply with the standards. Many of the changes were proposed without any advance notice and approved at meetings that were closed to the public.
Under the looser standards, irradiated food would no longer have to be "of suitable quality," in "acceptable hygienic condition," or "handled ... according to good manufacturing practices."
Additionally, food irradiation facilities would no longer have to comply with "safety" and "good hygiene practices," or be staffed by "adequate, trained and competent personnel." Nor would they have to be licensed or inspected by government officials, or maintain certain records on radioactive activities.
Also, food irradiation would no longer have to be carried out "commensurate with ... technological and public health purposes" or conducted "in accordance with good radiation processing practice."
The changes could place numerous US food and nuclear safety regulations at risk.
Among them are Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules requiring all irradiation facilities using radioactive material to be licensed and regularly inspected; Department of Agriculture rules requiring beef, pork and poultry products to meet certain quality standards; and USDA and Food and Drug Administration rules requiring food to be processed under hygienic conditions.
CCFAC also endorsed removing the current irradiation Codex dose limit of 10 kiloGray, which is the equivalent of about 330 million chest X-rays. When food is exposed to such doses of ionizing radiation, the flavor, texture, odor, nutritional integrity and chemical composition of food can change significantly. Very few of the new chemicals that are formed in irradiated food have been studied for toxicity. Most US foods are dosed with between 1 and 7.5 kiloGray.
One chemical that is a byproduct of the irradiation process, called 2-DCB, was found in 1998 to cause cellular and genetic damage in human and rat cells.
The WHO is continuing to research the potential toxicity and mutagenicity of the chemical, which is a radiation byproduct of a certain fatty acid found in beef, chicken, pork, lamb, duck, eggs, mangoes, papayas, peanuts, seafood and many other foods.
The 2-DCB studies were conducted in Germany, one of several European Union countries that is skeptical of the purported benefits of irradiation. At the recent meeting in The Hague, the German delegation objected to the CCFAC proposal.
The proposal is about halfway through the approval process. It next will be debated by the full Codex Commission, which meets July 2-7 in Geneva.
Public Citizen has been vigorously opposing efforts to weaken international food irradiation standards by organizing nongovernmental organizations and writing letters to Codex delegates. In February, Public Citizen sent letters of concern to all US delegates to CCFAC, all international delegates to the full Codex Commission, and to CCFAC Chair S.P.J. Hagenstein.
Public Citizen also has challenged the WHO's assertion that irradiated food is safe to eat by sending letters to top officials within the organization.
For more information on this issue from Public Citizen, visit www.citizen.org/cmep
A proposed international food irradiation standard winding its way through legal channels in Europe could jeopardize the quality and safety of food sold to United States consumers.
Under an international plan endorsed March 16, virtually every assurance that irradiated food will be of good quality, be handled by trained workers, and be processed under safe and clean conditions in government-inspected facilities would disappear. The proposal also would remove the international dose limit for food irradiation.
The proposal was endorsed in The Hague, Netherlands, by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), which advises the Codex Alimentarius ("Food Code") Commission. Operating under the auspices of the United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO), the Codex sets global food safety standards for more than 160 nations, representing about 97 percent of the world's population. The United States is one of the 160 nations. "This proposal confirms that irradiation will be used to mask filthy slaughtering and food processing practices," said Wenonah Hauter, director of the Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "These antiquated ideas set back food safety more than 100 years, to a time when people routinely died from eating contaminated food. It is an outrage to the highest order. People throughout the world have cause for great worry."
Under international trade rules, countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) can challenge the standards of other countries by claiming the standards are trade barriers. If the WTO agrees, countries whose standards are challenged must amend the standard or face trade sanctions.
U.S. standards governing irradiated food are much stricter than what Codex is proposing. That means that if the Codex measure is approved, other countries could challenge US standards through the WTO.
A successful challenge could pressure the US to weaken its standards.
The proposal would amend the Codex's 22-year-old food irradiation standard by stating that food companies "should" rather than "shall" comply with the standards. Many of the changes were proposed without any advance notice and approved at meetings that were closed to the public.
Under the looser standards, irradiated food would no longer have to be "of suitable quality," in "acceptable hygienic condition," or "handled ... according to good manufacturing practices."
Additionally, food irradiation facilities would no longer have to comply with "safety" and "good hygiene practices," or be staffed by "adequate, trained and competent personnel." Nor would they have to be licensed or inspected by government officials, or maintain certain records on radioactive activities.
Also, food irradiation would no longer have to be carried out "commensurate with ... technological and public health purposes" or conducted "in accordance with good radiation processing practice."
The changes could place numerous US food and nuclear safety regulations at risk.
Among them are Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules requiring all irradiation facilities using radioactive material to be licensed and regularly inspected; Department of Agriculture rules requiring beef, pork and poultry products to meet certain quality standards; and USDA and Food and Drug Administration rules requiring food to be processed under hygienic conditions.
CCFAC also endorsed removing the current irradiation Codex dose limit of 10 kiloGray, which is the equivalent of about 330 million chest X-rays. When food is exposed to such doses of ionizing radiation, the flavor, texture, odor, nutritional integrity and chemical composition of food can change significantly. Very few of the new chemicals that are formed in irradiated food have been studied for toxicity. Most US foods are dosed with between 1 and 7.5 kiloGray.
One chemical that is a byproduct of the irradiation process, called 2-DCB, was found in 1998 to cause cellular and genetic damage in human and rat cells.
The WHO is continuing to research the potential toxicity and mutagenicity of the chemical, which is a radiation byproduct of a certain fatty acid found in beef, chicken, pork, lamb, duck, eggs, mangoes, papayas, peanuts, seafood and many other foods.
The 2-DCB studies were conducted in Germany, one of several European Union countries that is skeptical of the purported benefits of irradiation. At the recent meeting in The Hague, the German delegation objected to the CCFAC proposal.
The proposal is about halfway through the approval process. It next will be debated by the full Codex Commission, which meets July 2-7 in Geneva.
Public Citizen has been vigorously opposing efforts to weaken international food irradiation standards by organizing nongovernmental organizations and writing letters to Codex delegates. In February, Public Citizen sent letters of concern to all US delegates to CCFAC, all international delegates to the full Codex Commission, and to CCFAC Chair S.P.J. Hagenstein.
Public Citizen also has challenged the WHO's assertion that irradiated food is safe to eat by sending letters to top officials within the organization.
For more information on this issue from Public Citizen, visit www.citizen.org/cmep
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Beating of Black Lawyers by Mumia Abu-Jamal
The Beating of Black Lawyers by Mumia Abu Jamal
1) 2:24 Short Radio Essay Mp3prisonradio.org/audio/mum...rrensA.mp3
2) 2:46 Long Radio Essay Mp3prisonradio.org/audio/mum...rrensB.mp3
The Beating of Black Lawyers
[col. writ. 7/5/07] (c) '07 Mumia Abu-Jamal
No matter who we are, or where we live, folks in Black America have grown up with the lesson of the importance of education as a tool of social mobility.
That's why lawyers are generally so highly regarded in many Black communities, as people who have undergone years of legal education.
But that respect doesn't go far beyond the community. Cops in Brooklyn, New York recently showed what they thought of lawyers by beating them up! Well-known human rights attorney Michael Tarif Warren, and his wife, Evelyn (also a lawyer), were driving down Brooklyn's Vanderbilt Avenue, when they spotted a Black youth being chased by cops across a McDonald's parking lot.
The youngster was tackled to the ground and handcuffed, when the Warrens saw a Sgt. Talvy begin kicking him in the head, the ribs, and stomping on his neck.
The 2 attorneys stopped their car, walked within 10 feet of the beating, identified themselves (as lawyers), and told the cops to stop beating the youth, and simply take him to the nearest precinct.
The Sergeant's response was to shout, "I don't give a f**k who you are, get the f**k back in your car!" The Warrens returned to the car, where Michael began to write down notes of what he saw, and the license plate numbers of the cop cars present.
Before he could finish his notes Sgt, Talvy walks up to the car, and began to repeatedly punch him through the window, shouting "Get out of the car!"
Warren was then dragged out of his car, his clothes ripped in the process. His wife, obviously upset at these events, demanded to know why he was attacked, and was promptly punched in the face by this same cop! Both Warrens were arrested and driven to the 77th precinct and charged with obstruction, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Within hours hundreds of Brooklynites converged on the precinct, demanding the release of the Warrens. People came from all walks of life, for Tarif has a long history, almost 30 years, of representing people who have been victims of police or prosecutorial misconduct in the city. Groups like the December 12th Movement, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, the International Action Center, and many others quickly mobilized support for the Warrens.
In an interview in the New York Daily Challenge, Evelyn Warren spoke for many people when she said, "We are professionals, if they do this to us in broad daylight on a crowded street, what do they do in the dark when no one is around? That's what I'm concerned about." She and others called not only for the removal of Talvy, but of Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly as well. When Black lawyers are beaten in the streets, what about average folks? What about you?
(c) '07 maj
[Sourcce: Ajamu, Amadi, "Civil Rights Attorney Assaulted", Daily Challenge (N.Y.), Mon., June 25, 2007, p.3.}
1) 2:24 Short Radio Essay Mp3prisonradio.org/audio/mum...rrensA.mp3
2) 2:46 Long Radio Essay Mp3prisonradio.org/audio/mum...rrensB.mp3
The Beating of Black Lawyers
[col. writ. 7/5/07] (c) '07 Mumia Abu-Jamal
No matter who we are, or where we live, folks in Black America have grown up with the lesson of the importance of education as a tool of social mobility.
That's why lawyers are generally so highly regarded in many Black communities, as people who have undergone years of legal education.
But that respect doesn't go far beyond the community. Cops in Brooklyn, New York recently showed what they thought of lawyers by beating them up! Well-known human rights attorney Michael Tarif Warren, and his wife, Evelyn (also a lawyer), were driving down Brooklyn's Vanderbilt Avenue, when they spotted a Black youth being chased by cops across a McDonald's parking lot.
The youngster was tackled to the ground and handcuffed, when the Warrens saw a Sgt. Talvy begin kicking him in the head, the ribs, and stomping on his neck.
The 2 attorneys stopped their car, walked within 10 feet of the beating, identified themselves (as lawyers), and told the cops to stop beating the youth, and simply take him to the nearest precinct.
The Sergeant's response was to shout, "I don't give a f**k who you are, get the f**k back in your car!" The Warrens returned to the car, where Michael began to write down notes of what he saw, and the license plate numbers of the cop cars present.
Before he could finish his notes Sgt, Talvy walks up to the car, and began to repeatedly punch him through the window, shouting "Get out of the car!"
Warren was then dragged out of his car, his clothes ripped in the process. His wife, obviously upset at these events, demanded to know why he was attacked, and was promptly punched in the face by this same cop! Both Warrens were arrested and driven to the 77th precinct and charged with obstruction, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Within hours hundreds of Brooklynites converged on the precinct, demanding the release of the Warrens. People came from all walks of life, for Tarif has a long history, almost 30 years, of representing people who have been victims of police or prosecutorial misconduct in the city. Groups like the December 12th Movement, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, the International Action Center, and many others quickly mobilized support for the Warrens.
In an interview in the New York Daily Challenge, Evelyn Warren spoke for many people when she said, "We are professionals, if they do this to us in broad daylight on a crowded street, what do they do in the dark when no one is around? That's what I'm concerned about." She and others called not only for the removal of Talvy, but of Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly as well. When Black lawyers are beaten in the streets, what about average folks? What about you?
(c) '07 maj
[Sourcce: Ajamu, Amadi, "Civil Rights Attorney Assaulted", Daily Challenge (N.Y.), Mon., June 25, 2007, p.3.}
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