The new age of Camelot?

This is a powerful speech, and could be what helps to create history. Do you think it will usher in a new age of Camelot, a different better path for America? Ted Kennedy does.

All are equal under the law. Really?

**This can also be seen at All American Blog, where I am a contributing author.**

I just have to wonder. The legal system in America is skewed. If you are rich, you are set. You can get away with almost any crime. From Ted Kennedy to Robert Blake, it’s happened time after time. But that is not the only problem.

If you happen to not be a White American you can expect even more problems. As I noted in a recent post

“But young White males are dangerous. High school shootings? White males. Most petty crimes, the same. Nooses hung from trees and various other places? White males. ‘Redneck row’ and other whites’ only places enforced by White males. Bensonhurst, and so on and so on.”

But that danger is only a start. Because if you are non-White and on trial for a crime, the chances are you will be convicted (most assuredly if the victim was White) and the penalty will be more severe than a White person under the same circumstances.

Take Mr. Genarlow Wilson, a teen that had sex with another, though younger, teen on a consensual basis. In fact the female was the aggressor. Yet due to her age Mr. Wilson was convicted of rape, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. After 2 years, the courts finally overturned the sentence as extreme cruelty versus the crime, and the underlying law has been changed.

In the Jena 6 case, the boys involved were charged with attempted murder. The White male involved had previously provoked the altercation in a fight the day prior (allegedly hitting one of the Black males with a bottle), was knocked unconscious in the case in question, and went to a dance the day of the incident. That does not sound like attempted murder. That’s a lopsided fight and the White teen lost. Bails in this case were set so high as to guarantee the incarcerations of the Black teens. There are more issues with the case but I think the point is made.

And of course there is the case of Ms. Megan Williams. She is the woman from West Virginia that was raped, tortured, stabbed, hair pulled out, boiling water poured on, choked with a noose and more by 6 Whites (3 men, 3 women of various ages). That entire story, and the subsequent arrest, the denial of Hate crime status, and a recent march to draw attention to the injustice have received 2 minutes of attention and have been buried by the major media.

My point is that there is a fascination, and a need for the legal system to prove, that non-Whites are dangerous. It’s a troubling fact that most of the roughly 200 million White Americans never have to question as it never applies to them. But the media feeds this fear daily.

The Jena case was ignored for months. The Wilson case was unheard of by major media for years. But the OJ Simpson case has never stopped being discussed since the trial started. For 2 days now, the leading story (at least at Fox News) virtually every hour has been some aspect of the OJ Simpson case. Virtually every reporter I’ve heard has referred to the prior trial and has tactfully alleged (though not crossing the legal line of making a direct statement) that OJ was guilty of the original murder trial. They forget to state that he was found innocent, and thus IS innocent. Under the same nature of coverage, Senator Ted Kennedy should be referred to as the ‘the alleged murderer Senator Kennedy.’ That of course does not happen. Every time there is a murder of a married woman, references to Robert Blake are not drawn.

Right now OJ is in pre-trial. There is no question he will go to trial. There is a small chance he will win the trial. Small because though he has a very high priced defense (which is uncommon for an African American to start with) which should allow him to win under the skewed nature of the legal system, the media has been trying him for over a decade.

If this were a White man, and he was arguably set up by a less than credible Black male (who illegally taped entrapping conversations prior to the event) in an event organized by the Black male – most would say he would walk. If every other person involved was given immunity from prosecution or deals on their crimes, most would say this was prosecutorial bias, and an attempt to railroad the White male. If it were stated that the intended crime was told to the FBI with plenty of time before hand, and they did nothing, many would demand the White male be released from this set-up.

But OJ is Black, and he got his lucky win against the legal system already.

I want criminals prosecuted for their crimes, regardless of skin color or income level. I want justice for victims without thought of race or where they live. But more than that, I want a legal system that is balanced. If that means that the rich have an advantage, then all rich people have that advantage without race being a factor. I’m no idealist. If the system is flawed, as all systems are, I at least want it flawed equally. If violent crimes get overly-harsh penalties all convicted should get that.

But we cannot trumpet how wonderful our system is, and I do think it is the greatest in the world, when we enact inequality on a daily basis. We are the greatest, but we can be greater. Don’t you think so?

Response to 'Average American' comment on comparing news coverage Part 4 - 9.28.2007.4

Concluding from Response to 'Average American' comment on comparing news coverage Part 3...

You go on to say that OJ was freed, actually he was found innocent by a jury of his peers which included Whites. He did nothing more than what other rich men have done. Afforded a great legal team. How much time did Senator Ted Kennedy spend for Chappaquiddick?

The D.C. Mayor was elected. Drug use or not. And how many politicians are duplicitous in their actions? Perhaps you might also find fault that Senator Hillary Clinton took $850,000 from a man (Norman Hsu) that had a warrant for his arrest, evaded prosecution, and scammed people for that money. Even after the fact of his past was revealed, the Clinton campaign spent weeks before mentioning how much money he had given. They even initially tried to give away only $32,000 AFTER they knew of his record. You want to speak about questionable political figures; a Presidential candidate may be where you want to start.

And the Duke Lacrosse team. Those innocent boys, that hired strippers for a drunken party with minors. Whose actions prior to this event gave pause to their credibility and claim of innocence. That had every media outlet defending them from day one. That received justice, fame, and monetary gain for their troubles. Do I feel bad for them? No, they are richer today, several having graduated, and have no long term problem.

“How is it that so many black people care so little for truth? With the turnout at the Jena march it suggests there is a huge disparity in understanding that exists between the black population and the rest of America.”

Truth? I think I have clearly stated the events involved. What part of the events in Jena do you see as a lie? You disagree that there were nooses hung? You already said they were. You dispute the honesty that the White boy was attacked? No one has said he wasn’t. That all of this was started because of remnants of the segregation that was rampant in the South in your youth? While no one has said it exactly as I just have, everyone agrees that the source of all this was Blacks sitting under a tree that was considered Whites only. So what lie have African Americans assumed as truth?

I agree there is a disparity, but not in the manner you suggest. If you are the ‘Average American’, which I severely doubt having read your words several times, then there is a large disparity between Americans living in the 21st Century and yourself. The rest of us are willing to say a law or action is wrong. White, Black, Hispanic/Latino or any other minority. The average person I know in America wants a rule of law that is fair and equal, in execution and meaning. Those I know would not only write in protest, but march for what they believe. An even smaller portion, and no less or more loyal, have taken an oath, as I have, to defend this nation and ALL her people.

I have given an oath, as did my father, both grandfathers, and a sister. I believe in the Constitution and the Amendments. I have and those before me, and many today, have sweat and bled for this nation. That means I believe in your right to have your opinion and voice it. I further invite and encourage commentary on the posts that I make. But that does not mean that either of us has to agree.

I feel that you have a mind that is closed to some aspects of life. I believe you cannot accept that things happen in this nation that you would never allow to happen to a White American. I believe you think that life in America is fine as is, and because I believe you are White and have never faced any of the events and problems I, my family and friends have encountered they don’t exist in your mind.

If rose colored glasses could work in reality, the world would be far better. But they don’t. Slavery was real, as was Jim Crow laws. Segregation lasted longer than the 60’s, and racism persists today. That doesn’t mean I will blithely accept these things. I am successful and strive for better.

At the same time, I am constantly reminded that I am an African American Puerto Rican, and that everything I have made can be lost quickly. I am reminded that for every obstacle I surmount there is another waiting. And I am reminded that people that share your views will make my life difficult, sometime without their own conscious intent, to live.

I leave you with this thought. Life is fluid and in constant motion. The moment you stop trying to improve you start to decay. This is true of Justice, Equality, and personal actions.

This is what I think, what do you think?

An American kangaroo trial in the making Part 2 - 9.18.2007.2

Continued from An American kangaroo trial in the making Part 1...

Another item that might make you think this is all just the means by which many in America will be able to enact revenge against OJ for his INNOCENT verdict over a decade ago is the bail. Normally bail is set at $150,000 for similar charges. That’s a total amount of bail. I doubt that the bail announced tomorrow will be so low.

Mark my words. I doubt that OJ will be given a plea. This will go to trial, and the nation will watch as never before waiting to hear the words guilty. Regardless of what happens in the trial, the outcome will be guilt for enough time to see OJ die in jail. Aliens could come down and state they commited the initial murders, or that they took control of OJ last week and he will still be found guilty. Thomas Riccio can be found to have organized this whole thing as a means to trap OJ, knowing he would react as he has, and proof of his consiracy to do this can be found and OJ will be convicted. America wants this more than picking the next President or getting out of Iraq with a win.

Major news media will not mention any question of the motives of Riccio. Interviews with him to date have yet to ask the obvious question why he taped this. There has been no question of potential entrapment, or the oddity of the circumstances of how this all came together. Major news commentator have been literally giddy with this news and bubbling far too much to bother. The idea that ANY case involving OJ going to jail cannot be tried failly has been avoided actively. I saw one person mention that OJ can never get a fair trial, and was cut off immediately.

After more than a decade, during which references to OJ being guilty of murder and anger of this has been mentioned no less than once a month at least by all the major news media, America now has a chance to get blood. Nothing seems possible to prevent that.

If that’s not a kangaroo court, I’m not sure what could be. At the least, some should be honest and say ‘I don’t care, I just want to put OJ in jail. He’s a Black man that killed a White woman and man. He needs to die. Lynch him.’ At least then they would be honest.


**As a side note, I don’t care about OJ. I don’t care if he did or did not kill Goldman and Brown. The original case was suspect, with contamination of evidence by police, and bad prosecution. 12 peers, some White, said OJ was innocent. It should have ended there, as it has for many rich Whites, like Ted Kennedy.

I don’t know if this current situation was set up. It has elements of such. I do agree that OJ can’t get a fair trial. I agree that part of America shares the feelings expressed by Sheppard Smith. I do believe that a Black man in America can’t walk away from a murder of Whites, like a White can and has walked away from murders of Blacks.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Surprise, OJ is arrested - 9.17.2007.1

So, as many expected OJ Simpson has been arrested. The shock that this was going to happen is underwhelming. The excitement among the various news commentators and news media (if not much of the American populace) is hard to miss. Of course this is again a leading news story.

8 charges are being placed on him. 7 felonies and a misdemeanor. That works out to 100 or so years. And if anyone thinks he won’t go to jail is either very drugged or in need of psychiatric help. The nation, or segments of it, has been waiting for this opportunity for a decade.

I have talked to several friends over the weekend and the fact is that every single person I spoke with expects OJ to get convicted and receive the full penalty of the law. This has nothing to do with his actual guilt or innocence of this alleged crime, but the continued desire to punish him for his prior trial. This is the retribution for his innocent verdict. As one friend mentioned

No matter what the article is about him, they say the same thing, "A jury found Simpson not guilty of the crimes" not that "he was innocent".

It’s that pervading anger, as expressed best by Sheppard Smith on Friday (which I wrote about), that will convict OJ. He could have been J-walking and the result would be the same. Yet is this justice?

What about the Kennedy cousin that fled prosecution of a rape? What about Ted Kennedy getting away with murder? There are many cases of rich Whites getting away with murder, and multiple murders, without persecution after their trials simply because they could afford the defense or could buy their way out of it. The anger of the nation has not followed them for years afterward, waiting to pounce on them. It just doesn’t happen.

There is no analog I can think of that matches this. There is no jury I can imagine that won’t convict him. And it has nothing to do with any charge against him. America, most of it, just wants to see him die in jail. This is just a means to get this to happen. So much for a fair legal system.

Yes OJ has not been very helpful with his own actions. The book and several minor incidents, all well documented and followed by the media, have kept him in the eye of the news. Still that has nothing to do with the constant reference to OJ Simpson in virtually every murder cases since he was proven innocent in a court of law. It is not the reason why such glee fills the major news media and cable television networks. It is not why people are shouting to OJ,

“There’s no Johnny this time! You are going to jail, there’s no Johnny this time!”

Already there are questions being brought up on this case as well. A co-conspirator has come forward with an audio tape of the incident. Its legal validity is questionable, not unlike the Monica Lewinsky tapes, as their was no permission given or knowledge of the taping known. I must ask, why would anyone tape such an event? Who walks around with an audio recording device in their pocket? Have you ever seen someone go to a wedding, and just tape the audio? Seems odd to me.

But the real issue behind all this is the anger that an African American was not punished by the law in regard to an alleged crime against Whites. The fact that he was found innocent does not matter. A Black man can’t be accused of a crime against Whites and not be punished, that is the persistent and obvious facts of this. But Whites don’t get this same treatment.

I’ve written about the whisper of news given to Jonathan Riches. This White man killed 2 Black men, over 40 years ago; people including the local police knew it and he just was convicted at the end of his life. The major news media couldn’t honor the slain men with coverage of this news of delayed justice.

I wrote about Megan Williams, atrociously abused mentally, sexually, and physically for days by 6 Whites in West Virginia. If you have heard about the case, which most any person I have spoken to has not, you are in the minority. Thankfully I am aware of several blogs that have covered this. Yet the major news media, with far more resources than any individual blogger, and the ability to discuss this on a national level, seem incapable of following the story. And the federal government seems unwilling to use the hate crime laws instituted just for cases like this.

But OJ is the story. Not that a man who can’t eat in a restaurant a decade after his innocence was found by a jury, that included Whites, probably can’t get a fair trial anywhere in the nation. Not that this has become a matter of money for most involved. The major news media and the families of Goldman and Brown. That “despicable” book that both families initially claimed should ‘never be published’ is now the #1 on Amazon (as I understand). Not that an inadmissible audio tape, that has not been confirmed as OJ’s voice, is being played to the nation and prejudicing any potential jury pool. Not that this is again the most covered news story, beyond ANYTHING else happening in the world today.

Imagine for a moment that you are an African American (if you are not). Imagine what this says to you. If you are accused of a crime against a White you are screwed. Especially if it is as serious as murder. You will be considered guilty, regardless of the circumstances from day one. The media will delve into every aspect of your life and publicize every negative you’ve ever done or been accused of. If you lose your trial, you will face the harshest of penalties. If you win, you are still guilty and will be pursued until something else can be found to convict you on. Any time you spend free will be filled with suspicion and anger. You will be a greater target than ever before.

Does that feeling fill you with a love of the legal system? Do you feel that Justice is equal in this nation? Do you get the impression that you can be tried fairly?

Add to that feeling that some Whites in this nation have gotten away with murder. Not just the famous ones, but just regular people. As long as they killed African Americans. Free without question or attention for 4 decades or more. And those that are caught doing the most heinous of crimes, against Blacks, are barely mentioned. Whether they are cops in shootings that make no sense (Sean Bell and Amidou Diallo), or inflicting violent attacks (Rodney King among many others), or a group of Whites in West Virginia and other places (Abner Louima).

As you, the person of color in America, go through a mall and followed by security, or are shunned in an elevator, or questioned at the pharmacy, or have state troopers pull you over – guns drawn – for speeding 5 miles over the limit in the middle of the day as cars were passing you 10 miles an hour or more faster, you have to wonder how safe you really are.

American has an issue with color. Justice is hardly colorblind. The truth of this is disturbing. Maybe not to Average Joe, in the Middle of America where there are 2% population of Blacks, and spending 3% of your income trying to get a darker (temporary) color to your skin. Average Joe doesn’t worry about being shot by police while going home or in your car. Officers don’t pull their guns as a normal course of their duties, to White Average Joe. But have some color that doesn’t fade in a couple of days. Then you realize you can never be Average Joe, and that you aren’t safe, the legal system is broken, and the media is definitely not fair or your friend.

Imagine having to live with all that on your back. And this is the good life. This is after decades of struggles for equality. This is after centuries of persecution. And this is as good as it gets. How do you feel, hearing that OJ is arrested, and knowing that his trial will inevitably lead to a life imprisonment. Would you be happy?

This is what I think, what do you think?