NOt Mayor Dick but Clifford Clarke

Clifford Clarke is the chief technology officer from Fort Wayne, Indiana, according to Technology Evangelist

May 31, 2007-1088

I stated in an earlier post that the month of May was my one year anniversary month. May 31 is the official day when I posted my 1st post. So today one year later, this post is my 1088 post. But more importantly, I have found some interesting blogs to read in the process. And that is probably one of the main reason, I continue to blog.

I may not comment on your site, but I'm reading..and to those who read my posts, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to come over.

To the Afrosphere... I think we should start a blog radio? What do you think?

2007 Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis Graduate

Congrats to Lis..Indylaw scholar.Hey Lis the bluebook, black law dictionary, yellow outliners, and constitutional stuff was no joke huh? You did it, but I knew you would!!

Freimann Family Thursday

I attended the Freimann Family Thursday. It was a success in drawing mothers and their children to the park. The biggest treat for the littlest one was the balloons and the Statute of Anthony Wayne.

The lines were too long for parents to stand in just to get a face drawing or a balloon. Many mothers with their children left the park.

Suggestions: Have more lines.
Have things for the little ones to play on.
Have a musician or songs or two for the little ones.
Have some free snacks, pops, ice cream, Popsicles.

Parents do not want to bring their littlest out and not have something constructive for them to do, even if it's a fun thing. Besides I got tired of hearing students come up to me to tell me it was boring.

So much for fun in the sun at Freimann Family night out with the little ones.

First Amendment Rights

The first amendment right protects the right to be anonymous. Privacy.

Political Candidates loses part of their right to privacy when they decide to go public with their opinions.

Thieves, crooks, and liars should not be protected with politeness. Let it be known that friends in high places does not protect others from knowing your illegal behavior is about your character.

And you are just as quilty when you aid and abet a criminal.

Tell the truth and shame the devil


Some thoughts on civility...an act of politeness.

Updated:Matt Kelty camp agrees to fishing expedition but brings in a Big Fish: Jim Bopp

The Journal Gazette reports Matt Kelty's campaign manager Glenna Jehl, all the financial documents that the Allen County Election Board requested, the Board will get.

[The] campaign manager for Kelty, said the campaign plans to provide all the financial documentation requested by Andy Downs, Democratic member of the county election board. In a letter to Kelty last week, Downs set a deadline of noon Friday for the documents to be released.

Some of the stuff that the nosy expedition team are searching for according to the article are:

Andy Downs, Democratic member of the Allen County Election Board, wants to review financial information regarding loans to Republican mayoral nominee Matt Kelty’s campaign account. Here are a few examples of what the election board has requested:

•Copies of promissory notes or other loan documents from Fred Rost and Steve and Glenna Jehl to Matt Kelty or the Kelty for Mayor Committee.

•Names and account numbers from which the Jehls or Rost transferred money to Kelty or his campaign.

•Transaction reports from those accounts from Dec. 1, 2006, to May 24.

•Names and account numbers into which the Jehls or Rost transferred money to Kelty or his campaign.

•Transaction reports for all accounts held by the Kelty for Mayor Committee from Dec. 1, 2006, through May 24.

Why would a person have to provide their personal account numbers to their private funds? The personal bank account numbers are about as personal as your social security number. Too much handling of personal information exchanged between public entities can lead to identity theft. We only have to look at the disclosure of social security numbers of those applying for social security and veterans from various government agencies.

Will it prove fraud? No, but it will determine whether the amounts of the loans came from the two individuals.

Update: Well, somebody did not tell the Allen County Election Board or Allen County Republican Chairman about Matt Kelty's camp next move, bringing in an expert of federal campaign election laws. Gives new meaning to the saying speak softly..

AFROSPEAR NATION NEEDS YOU

It's rally the troops time. Listen Bronzetrinity has made it so easy to join the Afrospere. So stop resisting and join. My goal is to get 10 of you to sign on the dotted line. It does not cost a penny. BronzeTrinity has a layout page that is nothing but love. Each one reach one two three....you get the picture.

Dear Blogger, you are invited to become a member of the Afrospear. We are a group of concerned African Diaspora bloggers who discuss problems that affect people of African descent, create solutions and action plans to solve those problems, and inact those plans using internet resources.

Please sign up for the Afrospear Forum and visit the Afrospear Think Tank and take a look at the Afrospear Online Paper.

We want to change the world and we can do it with your help. Please join because we value your membership. If you do not want to join then please consider getting involved with the Save Darfur campaign and the Boycott China to Save Darfur campaigns. You can read about them here , and here Take Action and Please Spread the Word!



HOW TO RECRUIT MEMBERS


1. Put a "Want to Join" or "Click Here to Join" link to the Afrospear Forum or somewhere else so that people visiting your blog can sign up. You can put a link to your email address if you want.
2. Google "black blog", "African blog", "African American blog", "Afrosphere", or "Afrospear" in the blog search at http://blogsearch.google.com/ . You will probably find many non Afrospear members this way.
3. Visit blogs that are owned by members of the African Diaspora.
4. Send emails to the owners of popular Black blogs and ask them to put up the recruitment notice.
5. Visit the links on Black blogs to find other Black bloggers and invite them to join.
6. Make an AFROSPEAR ALERT! announcement on your blog that the Afrospear is looking for new members.
7. Post the alert on forums you belong to that have a large Black membership.
____________________________________________________________________

AFROSPEAR PURPOSE


We are a group of concerned African Diaspora bloggers who discuss problems that affect people of African descent, create solutions and action plans to solve those problems, and inact the plans using internet resources. Please visit the Afrospear Think Tank at http://afrospear.wordpress.com/ , and take a look at the Afrospear Online Paper at http://www.pageflakes.com/bronzetrinity . We want to change the world and we can do it with your help.

Everyone has a value in this project whether it be contributing ideas, finding resources, doing research, connecting with bloggers, contacting the media, recruiting other members, spreading the word, connecting us to other organizations, or signing petitions. Every African Diaspora blogger is IMPORTANT and VALUABLE to our cause.

No one is a leader and everyone is a leader here. If you come up with a campaign then please tell us about it in the campaign section or refine your idea in the other forums. Visit the Brainstorming Ideas forum to read and submit possible solutions to our problems. If you find another organization we should know about or help then please tell us about them. If you have a great action plan then please make it happen. You don't need anyone's permission to do so. We are all independent bloggers here and we want to stay independent. Participate as much or as little as you want, when and how you want. We hope that together we can improve all of our lives and CHANGE THE WORLD!

Please tell everyone you know about Afrospear!

Fort Wayne African American Cancer Alliance Fundraisers

The News-Sentinel reports on the Fort Wayne African American Cancer Alliance funding support African American community about cancer.

The Fort Wayne African American Cancer Alliance (FWAACA), a grass-roots organization formed in 1996, has received several boosts in funding, including a challenge grant from the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation.

Evansville Indiana opens a Black Museum

Indystar writes about a new museum tracing the history of black residents in Evansville.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- A new museum tracing the history of Evansville's black residents opened to the public over the weekend after nearly 10 years of planning.

The Evansville African American Museum will be open permanently beginning June 5 in a building at the former Lincoln Gardens, a public housing development built by the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s.
Sondra Matthews, the museum's president and founder, said she was happy to see it open nearly 10 years after the project was first proposed.
"All of us who've seen the museum are proud. We're excited to see other people's faces," she said.
Two exhibits are yet to be completed, but visitors can take a virtual tour of the neighborhood as it was in the 1950s, view a living legends display and the Wall of Fame, and see the Lincoln-Clark Douglas room, which is dedicated to Evansville's all-black schools.
The museum also has a gift shop, community rooms, gallery, administrative offices and a replica of an original Great Depression-era Lincoln Gardens

apartment.

Memorial Day-Petition

Declaration of the Dead

h/t to African American Opinion: Memorial Day and Lavena Lynn Johnson



Mirror On America: LaVena Johnson and Other Fallen Soldiers and Mirror On America: Baghdad ER Revisited honors women and other fallen soldiers who have died at war.

Mirror On America: Another Iraq War Lie Uncovered provides who background information.

Exodus Mentality lets loose on his spot with TELL THE TRUTH-Mos Def-Immortal Technique-Eminem

D.R. Scott Pulp Culture shares some great articles on Blackout and Happy Memorial Day. h/t to Independence Bloggers Alliance

Michelle is beyond feminist

What in the heck is Debra Dickerson jaw jacking at the mouth about Mitchelle Obama leaving her job. It's this comment that gets me.

No, you'll have your well-manicured hands full being your husband's hostess in chief. Funny how she didn't mention her husband's parental angst; there have been whispers that he's been pretty busy, too, what with being the great black hope and all. Wonder what finally made her decide to quit.

Wonder what finally made her decide to quit? What are trying to insinuate here, Debra? That Michelle is concerned about her husband stepping outside the marriage?
She told you, Debra, but that was not a good enough reason for you!


Hello, her husband is trying to get nominated to be the President of the United States. How many African-American women have the luxury of leaving their jobs to be a stay at home mom? Her children are her first priority, so she cut back. How many women are working for themselves to be able to take off when ever they want too?

This woman mentored her husband before he became her husband. What's the saying behind every successful man is a woman. Mitchelle is that woman,a helpmate not a wifey, and Debra needs to leave Mitchelle alone. And calling Mitchelle ghetto with street cred:
Michelle's street cred as a churchgoing, "round the way" sister who made good makes her "ghetto pass" (her ability to operate as an insider) irrevocable. There will be no discussion of whether or not she's "black.", what is Debra drinking?

Mitchelle is not trying to be no tv friendly eye candy like Katie Couric. Mitchelle got her own goals, she's working her own program.

Mitchelle is Harvard educated, but Debra calls it fancy education for a colored church going around the way girl who can make it sexy to stay in school for black girls to get a man.

Of course, "black" problems are really American problems; having the golden couple spearheading the fight will make it sexy to help blacks with their systemic problems (education and entrepreneurship, to name two). The two Obamas can de-race these issues (here is where she can use her fancy education) and help America understand that black progress is American progress.

Is women' role in the world to make everything appeal sexy?

Debra will be forgiving of Mitchelle decision to leave her job, if Mitchelle will bring feminism to black women? Black women are beyond having sex with raced white women feminism...that's right. Black women have always worked, black women have been black as long as black men. And black women have been mistreated by all of them.

Michelle ain't Hillary. Michelle has mentored her man, while Hillary's man has walked all over Hillary and Hillary ambitions. A feminist fights to be treated as an equal, Hillary has failed the feminist test, yet feminist love Hillary. Hillary stayed in the background until she was told it was okay to step forward. Feminists still love high profile Hillary, and that's the only reason why they are sticking with Hillary. High profile.

Michelle does whatever Michele wants and that's a womanist.

So leave Michelle alone.

Renaissance Pointe

Kevin Leininger wrote about this Green house for the new synergy for Rennaissance Pointe, but we want you to see it for yourself.

Please leave comments about buying this house with its green house special features.

Dan Stockman reports on Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (IDLGF) report which:

examines the other end of the tax pipeline – how much each government spends. By showing the amount spent per resident, the report allows a crude apples-to-apples comparison.

In order to compile the report, the Department asked that political subdivisions
submit a copy of Parts 1 and 3 of the annual financial report routinely prepared for and submitted to the State Board of Accounts. Parts 1 and 3 of the annual financial report provide expenditure detail by fund and by classification. The Department acknowledges the assistance of the State Board of Accounts, the Department of Education, and the political subdivisions in providing information required for this report. The State Board of Accounts members are: Bruce A. Hartman, CPA, State Examiner, Mike Bozymski, CPA, Deputy State Examiner and Paul Joyce, CPA, Deputy State Examiner.

However, AWB blogs about some possible number errors in Stockman's report concerning what Fort Wayne spends on it residents from tax collections in the excerpt from Stockman's article which I have placed in bold:

Among Allen County cities and towns, for example, Huntertown spent $4,230 per resident, according to the report. Fort Wayne was a relative bargain at $1,643, followed by New Haven and Woodburn at $1,309 and $1,208, respectively, while Monroeville was at the bottom with $812. Grabill and Leo-Cedarville could not be compared because they did not report their 2006 spending to the Department of Local Government Finance. (In 2005, they reported spending $969 and $277 per resident, respectively.)

I decided to review the report and determine why my man Stockman had such a huge discrepancy in his numbers.

The IDLGF report list Fort Wayne civil city, which means its population has been updated to reflect the results of a special census, as having the second largest 2nd class city expenditure of $4,572.89 per capita compared to Bloomington Civil city with a 2nd class city expenditure per capita of $7478.53. The lowest cost per capita goes to Marion civil city at $1115.74 for 2006 based on 2000 census.

And when you compare cities and towns in Allen County, Fort Wayne expenditures are the highest at $4,572.89 when compared to the lowest, Monroeville at $812. But Huntertown civil town comes in pretty close to Fort Wayne expenditure at a cost per capita of $4, 229.87.

But here Stockman points to the report number of $4,572.89 as being a possible error:

The report itself is also imperfect: Fort Wayne was reported as spending $4,573 per resident, which, if correct, would have meant the city spent a total of more than $1 billion in 2006, about three times the correct amount

So, I come to the conclusion that Stockman was pointing that when it comes to knowing where your tax dollars are being spent is an unknown. And when you go to those who are suppose to be in the know, they only give you conflicting roundabout non answers to your original question.

In essence I would say Stockman reported on what was provided to him, Even erroreous information from talking heads that don't have a clue, folks who throw out terms like property taxes and a number. Stockman provides you with a few community experts quotes. But Stockman left it up to the readers to figure out what in the hell is happening to your tax dollars.

From the IDLGF report:

County government in Indiana is responsible for assessing property, recording deeds, providing sheriff services, holding elections, providing court services, providing welfare services, billing property taxes, and collecting property taxes. The services provided by counties generally do not differ across the state; therefore, disparities in spending levels are likely caused by various levels of current capital investment.

(bolded for emphasis)


It is your money. And Stockman leaves the reader with this quote from an ordinary citizen as food for thought:

It’s terribly important to look at the public sector as serving communities of people, and communities may differ,” Ostrom said. “The question is how effectively is the government reflecting the interests of the community they serve? That is the crucial question.”

Yep, the crucial question is to YOU challenging these folks who are stealing your money.

You don't have to get smart!

That's what the young lady said to me, after I told her she needed to take a seat. I had five minutes to take attendance. I had figured out the method. I would ask the students their name as they entered the room.

Girlfriend was gassed after she saw I was not her regular teacher. Her friends entered the room plotting where they were to meet up. This would be an early dismissal. I explained to the friend, if she waited in the hallway, she would be able to see her friend when the friend in question leaves the classroom.

As other students entered the room, girlfriend entered the hallway, to get new ideas on how to escape the class. She reenters with her backup, the newly formed Supremes singing, "she has a pass to leave early."

I need to see the pass.
I need to read it.

I read 2:00 p.m. It is 1:00 p.m. One of girlfriend's friend interrupts and says yeah, but girlfriend needs to leave, because her daddy's waiting on her. Sounds good, but I can read. I read 2:00 p.m. and its 1:00 p.m. so end of conversation.

As I make it to the door to keep other students from leaving the room before I take attendance.

These are seniors, young ladies trying to game. 10 minutes of fast talking sisters scamming to get out of classroom earlier than the early dismissal.

The teacher said this would be a good group. I had to close the door and stand by the door after the bell rang to keep the students from existing the room before I could take attendance. A good group?

It close to the end of the school year..at least that's the excuse I am going to use to explain the students behavior.

IRS Alert

Is it true that the Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana endorsed Nelson Peters? Is this allowed? Does this go against their purpose statement to receive tax-exemption? Are YLNI being mislead by other nonprofit organization in endorsing candidates?

What is the penalty for violating your exemption status?

School Pride-North Side Style

North Side High School Seniors were geeked up for Spirit Pride Day. Senior names would be called out along with their accomplishment throughout their high school career. The students would stand to be recognized by their fellow students. Those who were not yet seniors would look forward to the year they would be seniors and receive their recognition could only watch this year seniors' celebrate.

Except, for one sophomore, Ashley Christopher. Christopher would hear her name called out. Christopher was not a senior, but she was being recognized on Spirit Pride Day for her attendance. But attending school was not all Christopher did, she was engaged, she already had a 3.0 average. And she received something during the recognition that may inspire her to continue being engaged in school. Christopher was presented with a 1997 white Grand AM GT, with sunroof and power windows.


What a surprise for Christopher. Christopher only had her permit. And on Spirit Pride Day, she had become the owner of a car. A car that Christopher could at least sit in and turn on the radio and think about all the places she could go, if she couldn't drive for now. To her grandmother's house was one place the young redhair thought about out loud. A car just in time for her July 2007 17th birthday, in time for her to have her driving license.

Chuck and Jim Kelly of Kelly Chevrolet has set a precedent, who knows whats in store for next year North Side Pride Day.

The State of Indiana is auditing Harrison Square Park Project

The State of Indiana is taking a look at the financing of Harrison Square Park. With over a reported $130 million dollars being spent on the Project, it's about time some folks with some financial expertise steps in and took a look at the rush to spend taxpayer dollars in this deal compared to private investment.

Bruce Hartman, examiner for the State Board of Accounts, said his department is conducting its field work on the annual Fort Wayne audit. As part of this year’s examination, he said the state will look at the $130 million Harrison Square development.

Hartman said the state didn’t include the project as part of the audit because of suspected wrongdoing, but because of the size of and attention givenproject. “We’re definitely not doing anything special,” he said. “Its dollar value speaks for itself.”

The Harrison Square project is a public-private partnership that would bring a new hotel, new condominiums, new retail and a city-owned baseball stadium to downtown Fort Wayne. Opponents have criticized the project for requiring more than $60 million in public financing, and two residents – John Kalb and Mark Garvin – formally protested the project in writing. Although their objections were overruled by the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission, they have the ability to file a lawsuit against the project by next week.

Matt Kelty some republicans are not your friends

Nelson Peters was emotional distraught in losing the Republican nomination for Mayor of the City of Fort Wayne to Matt Kelty. Peters who was supported by the old established Republican old guard did not take Kelty challenge serious. Peters relied on the talks of his friends in the media and the Republican Party.

Kelty took his challenge seriously, as he reached out to the people. People who were tired of appointed officials instead of officials selected by the people. Kelty and team hit the pavement and used alternative sources to get Kelty's message out to the voters. As Kelty did his thing, his friends had his back. Friends shared who their wealth, rather than folks who stole from the coffer of the taxpayers or friends. Y'all remember Douglas Foy.

Kelty's grassroot campaign upset the good ole boy control over their selected candidates. Kelty left Peters visibility shaken and David Long arrival to see Kelty victory speech rather than Peters was an early shock. And some other insiders just simply outraged.


But there was nothing Republican Steve Shine could do but welcome the new kid on the block.

Kelty had a lot to be proud of, he did not go negative. But that did not stop his opponents. Kelty credibility was attacked, his faith was attacked, but Kelty remained Kelty. And in the end, Kelty the underdog had done the unthinkable, he pulled off an upset. Kelty won.

But Republican Chairman Steve Shine would or could not throw his support behind the opponent so quickly.

Winning did not mean, that the opponents within his party would welcome him with open arms. They were busy plotting, because that's what evil folks do. And so the only thing left, the next phase by the Republican party into getting their appointed candidate on the ballot rather than the candidate selected by the people was to charge Kelty with campaign financing reporting fraud.

You know the campaign financial report that everyone and their momma had earlier gone over with a fine tooth comb and found nothing. But, they need Kelty to tell his new friends what was not visible to the nake eye. Where did the money come from and how much money? Kelty trusted as he told his new friends.

A big credibility issue would be the headline news. Charges of a felony would kick Kelty from the ballot was the noise. But they had no evidence, they needed Kelty to come in and give up the information that was not on the campaign report voluntarily. Kelty was invited in, according to Republican Chairman Steve Shine on the afternoon Pat White talk show with host Pat Miller.

As the story unfolded in the media newspaper and talk radio, some interesting details were disclosed. Details not just about Kelty campaign finance reports, but how Kelty was advised to review, rethink his campaign report. Kelty was placed on trial before being charged or even issued a subponea for a dispostion. The republican wanted Kelty off the ballot by any means possible.

Once Kelty made that decision, the Allen County Election Board was invited to do what Peters and the Allen County Republican could not do to Kelty. The Allen County Election Board was on board to punish Kelty for his win. The Democrats Chairperson Kevin Knuth was beaming because the Democrats Tom Henry did not have a pray of beating Kelty.

Andy Downs was on the same WOWO talk show talking about the procedure in removing a candidate from a ballot. Candidates would have to bring forth evidences that is not available to the election board members. This would mean Matt Kelty personal records. Downs sounded as if he wanted Kelty to voluntarily hand over information to the board to prove Kelty of being guilt of campaign fraud.

A fine tooth comb did not find anything, this was the second bite at the apple. The Democrats and the Republicans last change to keep Kelty name off the ballot. The Democrats and Republicans wouldn't work together to keep a Republican off the ballot now work they?

Down hypothetical suggested that there may be issues of commingling of funds. No one said that there was commingling, but if Kelty bring in all of his accounts the Allen County Election Board could make that decision for Kelty.

Another issue Downs discussed on the radio talk show with Pat Miller, contribution made in someone elses name in a hypothetical. However, the hypothetical involved three parties not two parties. The three parties did not involve an exchange between one to another, but one to another in behalf of another. This is a big difference.

The third issue Downs discussed on the radio program was on a fraudulent return being filed. To me, this would be based on finding of the other two which are misdemeanors. And last but not least on Kelty providing them with the necessary evidence.

Does this not sound like a fishing expedition and sore losers?

So what if Kelty friends had deep pockets and supported Kelty. Kelty took the money and used it as he saw fit. If Kelty goes before the Allen County Election Board, it is bias, two of its members are to look out for the interest of their party, one is a republican and one is a democrat. Peters was the interest of the republicans and Henry is the interest of the democrat. The third person is the clerk of the court. Bias, bias. The Allen County Election Board needs to have alternative members.

Hopefully, Kelty handlers has contacted Indiana Election Board or the manual.
Other bloggers weigh in on the Kelty's party., and here a discussion of what is a loan, contribution, or what is the true meaning of a word when it is used in law, here for a run down of the events of the calls for a review by the non legal Allen County Election Board and here.

Other bloggers comments but say little, herehere, especially the comment section which gives the blogger a lesson on Peters and here.

Also here at ABC7 Chicago.com

Associated Press, May 25, 2007 (FORT WAYNE, Ind.) -

The Republican candidate for mayor of Fort Wayne is revising his campaign finance documents to indicate a political adviser made a 150-thousand-dollar loan to his campaign.

Matt Kelty submitted the revised documents yesterday. He says loan came from adviser Fred Rost, not from Kelty's personal funds as he indicated in a January filing. Kelty also indicated that a ten-thousand-dollar loan came from Glenna Jehl, who is Kelty's campaign manager.
Kelty says he didn't initially report the origin of the money because he considered it a personal loan, which he then gave to the campaign.

Allen County Democratic Chairman Kevin Knuth says it appears that Kelty wanted to hide the source of the loans.

Joel Schumm The Mighty Pen vs. Fort Wayne Jury Pool Selection

This one is too funny. Kevin Leininger writes about an attorney who fought one of Allen County Courts and won. First, Joel Schumm rode into the big city small minded Fort Wayne and received a traffic ticket. Schumm probably thought a busted tail light would get him a warning. But Schumm got a ticket and not a warning. So what happened? Schumm paid the ticket but he appealed the ticket and asked for a jury trial!

Schumm was an attorney, but an attorney from Indianapolis. It makes sense that a tail light would have called for a warning by the police officer. Not because Schumm was an attorney but because the infraction was a tail light. So:

Schumm argued police department guidelines recommend a warning in such cases, and challenged the ticket in court. Last July, the jury took less than 30 minutes to decide he had broken the law, after which Judge Marcia Lansky imposed the fine.

But Schumm was not satisfied with the jury of his peers, and had earlier objective. This disagree would lay the foundation to appeal the decision by the trial court. What was Judge Lanksy thinking? Schumm is a legal writing professor at Indiana Law School in Indianapolis. Arguing a legal point is part of being an attorney and the job of a a legal writing professor.

Fort Wayne does not have a law school nor a peer of new law scholars. Schumm has access to hundreds of students to research and argue this legal disagreement. Hundreds. Legal writing requires you back up your assertions, and the Court of Appeal ruled in Schumm favor in backing up his assertions that the trial court had error, the judge, not the jury, but the judge.

This is where Kevin Leininger steps in with the local newspaper to pass out another memo for a raced white person not honoring the traditional way of doing things in Fort Wayne. Tradition does not have to follow the legal guidelines to prevent arbitrary dissemination of justice. And this is what Schumm wanted the good ole boys network in Fort Wayne to know, he was no longer living in a world of tradition. But in a world in which he taught legal rules, not skirting the law with discretionary application to just fill a quota:

Technical violation or not, it’s clear Schumm’s broken taillight earned him a ticket only because Grooms, by his own sworn admission, was on drunken-driving patrol at the time and was required to write at least one ticket an hour. Police Chief Rusty York said Grooms acted within his discretion when he ticketed Schumm, “but we don’t encourage officers to stop people for equipment violations, and would counsel officers” who do it often.

Kevin Leininger lets us know that Schumm decision to fight this little old ticket cost us the taxpayers. But Schumm's decision to fight this ticket highlights how laws are enforced in the City of Fort Wayne in an arbitrary manner. And even more importantly how the Allen County Court supports this discretionary behavior by law enforcement by not throwing out such cases.

But the target was a legal writing professor, a young educated raced white male. Someone the City of Fort Wayne is always talking about recruiting, retaining, but, this one argued that the police and courts of Allen county follow the law. Kevin Leininger suggest that Schumm is having his way with the Court of Appeal because:

[itseems Schumm – a young, white, presumably affluent professor and attorney – was unconstitutionally victimized by racial discrimination when prosecutors rejected the only black member of the jury pool.

This is not the first time, the Allen County Court did not follow the law for sitting a jury. These are practices which are not legal. Schumm only charged the court will an error.


Schumm ride into Fort Wayne with a broken taillight highlights not only a police officer issuing him a ticket went against the police department guidelines, as a police violating the law, and a court sworn to uphold the law failed to follow its own procdures. This is not a bizarre legal technicality, but legal procedures that attorneys and courts are too uphold. That's what they teach in law school not in journalism school, --opinions that have to be backed up with law not just facts.

Schumm is teaching the law to the police and the courts of Fort Wayne what he teaches in his classes to future lawyers. I think Schumm at least wants judges in which some of his students may stand before to at least understand the laws that he teaches his students.

Side Note: Douglas Foy did more harm to the taxpayers with forging signatures and stealing money and did not receive the same media attention showered on Schumm. Schumm only had a busted taillight.

The View Lose Another Woman

What the heck is going on with the View. Do Barbara really believe women don't speak up or will not challenge an airhead. Elisabeth Hasselbeck is an airhead. I am glad Rosie left three weeks earlier. Now let's see how quick Barbara can save her show with a replacement like when she went after Star Jones.

Rosie was needed to save the View and now she is gone.

Will Matt Kelty be charged with a felony?

For Matt Kelty to get kicked off the ballot for Mayor, he must be charged with a felony. Kelty may have been embarrassed that Fred Rost was willing to fund his run for Mayor. Rost as a friend may not had wanted to embarrass Kelty and loaned Kelty money to take care of personal matter and did not designate how the funds would be spent.

But the intent to not disclose where his money was coming from was a failure to disclose. What was Kelty intent?


This is nowhere near close to the Douglas Foy mess. There is no fake signatures or taking money from the party's coffer. I think folks are upset that Kelty pulled this win off. Does it rise to the lever of a felony? First offense, probably not.

My question would be, How come Fred Rost did not run for Mayor?

Where is Dan Stockman?

I've not been reading the newspaper later, but every now and then I want to read something from Dan Stockman. Today, is the day. Stockman reports on a candidate for federal wire fraud leadering to foreclosure of at least 150 homes.

A Fort Wayne mortgage broker has been indicted on federal wire fraud charges as part of $5.5 million in mortgages that resulted in nearly 150 home foreclosures.

Justin L. Stuckey, 34, faces up to 100 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines if convicted on all counts.

The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury Thursday, follows a civil lawsuit filed in federal court against Stuckey and several others involved in the deals. Both cases allege Stuckey, as owner and operator of Maximum Mortgage in Fort Wayne, obtained fraudulent loans in 2002 through ABN Amro bank for investors buying rental properties from landlord Rex Wells and Wells’ company, Alliance Property Management.

Both complaints allege the loans were for the investors to buy the properties from Wells but were applied for as refinancing. The civil lawsuit alleges the deals also used inflated appraisals to get loans for $2.6 million more than the houses were worth. Experts say refinancing loans get less scrutiny than purchase loans.

Misssing Children Day

School will soon be out and children will be looking for fun things to do. One way to keep children safe is to get registered on the new program in Fort Wayne, A child is missing.

If a child does not fit the Amber Alert criteria, A child is missing program is the next best thing. When a child in your neighborhood is reported missing, telephone calls are made in the child's neighborhood.

This not only alert you of a possible abduction but is warning that someone maybe in the neighborhood that is harming children.

FWOB on Kelty Campaign

I read little to nothing on Matthew Kelty win in the primary on Mitch Harper blog. But Mitch is back, because he has Kelty campaign records on his blog. Interesting? Is Mitch a Peters or Kelty fan?

Please don't tell me Peters in on the ticket by default!

Silence from the AWB Gang or Clique or whatever on Matt Kelty Campaign Finance

I just left AWB and friends blog. I did not see anything about the Matt Kelty campaign. AWB and friends like to believe they got peoples. But, I found nothing about the latest on Matt Kelty campaign on AWB post. Some even say that AWB blog was Matt Kelty campaign blog. If that was so it missed the biggest story.

A moment of silence.

Now, they spend a lot of time blogging about nothing, which probably explains why nothing is being said about the switcharoo of campaign funds. Or AWB was the last one to get the memo. I myself, and hoping this campaign thing works out. I would like to see some new blood in city hall. But something in the back of my mind would not let me forge, its a republican, it's a republican.

Why would anything or anyone good come out of the republican party? And why in the world would it have anything to do with AWB.

Tie a yellow ribbon around my oak tree

Having a school on property exempt from paying taxes based on the value of the property is probably more about profit than educating children.

This is a huge campus. And only 70 folks turned up for the groundbreaking ceremony. The MSM local media will try to floss this as a huge success, when in fact, it has no record in which to support any claims of success.

The crowd heard from a number of people involved with starting the school: Jason Bryant, regional vice president for Imagine Schools, who conceived the idea; Don Willis, a local entrepreneur and owner of Four D Educational Foundation, who helped point Bryant in the right direction and secure the site; Dennis Bakke, founder of Imagine Schools, a management company out of Michigan that oversees 39 charter schools across the country; and Matt Kelty, the architect for the project and Republican candidate for Fort Wayne mayor.

Charter schools are about a choice, and not about the only option for children who are kicked out of school. That's what will happen when Fort Wayne neighborhood schools are forced to closed if they are not repaired.

Tie a yellow ribbon around the trees in your yard, and support Fort Wayne Community Schools before it is too late

If Fort Wayne Community Schools is not successful in the remonstrance, the needed repairs will be delayed another year. In another year the school needs will more than likely increase. This is a delay tactic by the blue ribbon team in favor of a new charter schoolto harm Fort Wayne Community Schools progress. The citizens should not see public dollars go to a narrow focused school that is selling one sided christian values. Christian values that discriminate.

The charter school would not have been able to open had it not went outside of Fort Wayne to find a nonprofit company to run the school. This is not about educating our children. This is a land grab..seeking a profit. It can not be profitable unless it has children attending. And if attendance is free where is the money coming from?

Where is the money coming from to redesign the campus, and support the staff? It's your money.

All they need is just one.

Just one.

Yellow ribbon? Blue ribbon, Oh my what would the heavenly father do

Our heavenly Father, I suspect, doesn’t much care one way or the other, says Kevin Leininger. Yeah, Leininger speaks for the man upstairs. This time its not about taking homes from African-American families that surround Zion Lutheran Church in which Leininger is a member. But this time Leininger is admonishing Pastor Vernon Graham.

Who Leininger reminds the pastor has only a small congregation when compared to the Lutherans in Fort Wayne.

But with all due respect to the Grahams and their 126 member congregations, this is one area in which the church should not interfere with a decision rightfully left to the state – and not just because Scripture is silent on the issue.

Leininger is good for playing the race card..or political card. Leininger goes onto almost compare Graham to the late Jerry Falwell. You know the non lutheran who said outloud what some of the lutheran followers were really thinking about blacks, same sex and other folks. You know the thoughts of a great christian raced white male.

When the Rev. Jerry Falwell died last week, many commentators accused him – with some justification – of inappropriately injecting religion into politics. But at least much of Falwell’s attention focused on moral issues in which the church has a legitimate biblical interest.

But Leininger suggests that Graham is overreaching into affairs that the church has no business in, that is the funding of schools.

The Grahams are entitled to participate in government as private citizens, but should be circumspect about doing so in their official church-sponsored capacity – especially when they are advocating a tax increase from which their agency and its members will be exempt.

Yet Leininger church, Zion Lutheran and Leininger have no problem promoting or connecting church to the taking of home for the betterment of the community with government dollars that surround Zion Lutheran Church. Hey the church had no problem with having meeting with Mark to convince folks that they had a chance of owning one of the overpriced homes in the neighborhood. Marks gone now, so is the bully pastor, too bad but Leininger is still around.


What Leininger probably wanted to say to Rev. Graham is that the church school enrollment is down. And the church school could use some of that money if Fort Wayne Community Schools is forced to close some of their schools.

And Rev. Graham, Leininger probably wanted to tell you, our children education come before any black children and you should have read that memo a long time ago. Because our children mean raced white children and not black children.
Leininger would probably say all that with a big nonthreatening smile, because he is a christian...in one of the most segregated places in the world on Sunday morning..the church. And that is what good Christian do, hate with a smile.

I had to tell you, Rev. Graham because I believe that what Jesus would do.

Tired of being the slave master puppets

The question over who really gets to spend the taxpayer dollars is being asked of One attorney, William Fishering. The Allen County commissioners are asking the Allen County Commissioners' attorney for the answer to the question does the county council have any say any how the money is spent? Kinda of scary, huh?. The request comes from one of the republican candidate for mayor, Nelson Peters. Who is an elected Republican commissioner.

But this is the same party that runs the Allen County Commissioners, the same party that a member forged signatures, the same party that had their treasure siphoning off funds from its own members. And now more insults to injuries, Peters ask the Allen County Republican ran County Commissioners, own attorney who gets to spend the money? Now who do you really think the Allen County Commissioners will give an answer that does not favor the republican lead Allen County Commissioners?

$16 million dollar project that should be a $400 million dollar project

This is what the brochure shows what a smart green house looks like.

The pictures below are what a smart green house looks like in the African-American neighborhood.This is the green part with the use efficiency appliances, lighting and recycleable material


This is the smart part being wired, security, sensors.

Okay, I got the numbers wrong. It is a $4 million dollar project that has grown to a $16 million dollar project, that may grow into a $70 million dollar project.

As a result of this aggressive, multi-phase initiative, the Renaissance Pointe neighborhood will benefit from more than $70 million of community investment resulting in a $1.1 million annual increase to the area’s tax base.

When in fact it's really a $400 million dollar project, but raced white folks just refuse to pay black folks their value.

A little background information on this home: This house was assessed at about 13,000 and reassessed at around $22,000 with little improvement. The house was sold for $45,000. The picture you see here are improvements that will drive the price to an assessed value of around $140,000. Sit down and get yourself a cup of coffee, because I got questions.

would you pay for $140,000 for this renaissance pointe dream house: go to C:\Documents and Settings\2006Help\My Documents\Renaissance_Pointe.pdf.

better yet would Kevin Leininger pay $140,000 for such a house for his family? better yet would Leininger encourage his daughter to purchase her first home here. Probably not. Do you see a white male in this picture? Don't think so? Image, Leininger thinks all black folks are stupid, and all raced white males are clever.

No raced white man is moving his family into that neighborhood. Image, no this is not progress, more like more racialist behavior by raced white folks, take a real good look at the picture. Image.

Leininger knows well the racial history of Fort Wayne, he is a newspaper reporter. Leininger knows that Fort Wayne history did not sell homes to African-Americans. Leininger knows that for many years homes were contracted empty promises made and broken from raced whites to African-American families in Fort Wayne. Leininger knows that when white flight occurred in Fort Wayne, African-American moved in renting the abandoned homes, a few African-Americans were able to purchase homes.

But this is how Fort Wayne pretends that it does not and never had discriminated against its African American citizens in housing, jobs or education:

Since the 1930s, the historic core of Fort Wayne has been dismembered. Initially, buildings were removed to accommodate the automobile into a built environment not originally constructed with that form of transport in mind. Downtown still retained enough critical mass and remained vibrant until the 1960s.

Then, after it lost too many functions, it lost its vitality and surface parking and vacant lots came to dominate the landscape.

Sounds good? But raced white folks can tell lies because black folks and got no business calling them a liar! Right? Right!

Here some more lies about the decline of the urban core in Fort Wayne:

The decline in downtown Fort Wayne, as with most of our central cities, was a natural outcome of our access to inexpensive energy, our affluence and prevailing values that favored suburban style development.

Natural outcome of our access ...? Our! affluence? favored suburban? NOt ! Can you say G.I. Bill and the housing industry, banking industry that favored raced whites as it discriminated against affluence African-Americans? Discriminated and discriminating. Racialist behavior and practices that went unquestioned because black folks believed that raced white folks laws would make raced white folks do the right things. Not!

So, now Leininger, post up this pretty picture of what a good thing the
city's leaders are doing for black folks. Not!

What happened to all the brand new spacious home that was going to be built with the millions of dollars? Did that money for homes in African-American neighborhoods go to the Harrison Square Project?

Better yet what happened to all those new businesses that was going to support the synergy project of the nonprofits? Did that money for businesses go to the Harrison Square Project?

Hey do you think that the city tried to convince Hardball Capital to built homes in the neighborhoods, and they laughed in the city's face?

Do raced white folks believe that African-Americans will buy whatever piece of new gold that raced white folks is trying to pawn off as being real values?

Or is this not for African-Americans living in the neighborhoods but for attracting new immigrants to displace the African-Americans who currently resides in the neighborhood?

If the new method for valuing homes is through the process of trending? Trending being that even if a home is not sold in your neighborhood because of the neighborhood, if a home similar to your home is sold in another area, your home will be taxed the same as the home that was sold. So what that means is that homes in African-Americans neighborhoods do not have to be actual remodeled before they will be taxed at the new trending value.

So a new home appearing in an old neighborhood, valued at $140,000, places all similar homes at the same value,even though the other homes did not have similar repairs, will be valued the same.

Can we say "negro removal? Can we say without compensation?

Welcome to Renaissance Pointe - Fort Wayne's most exciting new neighborhood. Located near the heart of downtown, Renaissance Pointe is the revival of an historic 67 acre community where contemporary homes will be featured in a classic urban setting.

Be a part of this dramatic revitalization and take advantage of unique incentives being offered now to early qualified buyers.

67 acres of black folks.

Did I mention that these African-American neighborhoods were real close to the downtown Harrison Square Project ? But, I did mention Negro removal?

We will condemn your house but the city will not give you a dime.

Synopsis: Eminent domain. Requires a condemnor, before proceeding to acquire property by use of eminent domain, to: (1) establish a proposed purchase price; (2) provide the owner with an appraisal or other evidence used to establish the proposed purchase price; and (3) conduct a good faith negotiation with the owner of the property.

Requires a condemnor, except the department of transportation (department), certain utilities, and certain other persons, to proceed to acquire the property by use of eminent domain not more than two years after the condemnor submits a written acquisition offer to the owner of the property.

Requires the department, certain utilities, and certain other persons to initiate eminent domain proceedings not more than six years after the department, utility, or other person submits a written acquisition offer to the property owner.

Requires two of the three appraisers appointed under the eminent domain law to be: (1) licensed under the law concerning real estate brokers and salespersons; and (2) residents of Indiana. Extends certain deadlines under the eminent domain law.

Provides that if a condemnor fails to: (1) take possession of property the condemnor acquired though the use of eminent domain; and (2) adapt the property for the purpose for which it was acquired; not later than six years after the payment of the award or judgment for damages occurs, the condemnor forfeits all rights in the property as if the procedure to take the property had not begun.

Establishes procedures for using eminent domain to transfer ownership or control of real property between private persons for uses that are not public uses, including: (1) limiting the use of eminent domain only to certain types of property; (2) requiring mediation; (3) requiring that the acquisition of the property will accomplish more than only increasing the property tax base of a government entity; (4) requiring the payment of a premium to acquire certain types of property; (5) requiring the condemnor to pay the attorney's fees of certain owners; and (6) requiring the payment of certain other damages, if applicable, including business losses.

Prohibits a state agency or political subdivision from requiring that a lawfully erected sign be removed or altered as a condition of issuing a permit, license, variance, or other order concerning land use development unless the sign owner is compensated or has waived compensation in writing.

Provides that the land owner may receive litigation expenses and reasonable attorney's fees not to exceed: (1) $25,000 in a public eminent domain proceeding; or (2) 25% of the cost of the acquisition in a private to private eminent domain proceeding; if the land owner receives greater compensation at trial than was offered in the most recent settlement offer.

Provides that the landowner is entitled to reasonable attorney's fees if a proposed private to private eminent domain proceeding does not meet certain eligibility requirements. Specifies that certain persons authorized to exercise eminent domain may only do so to accomplish the essential delivery of services. Prohibits libraries from exercising eminent domain unless a specified legislative body in the library district adopts a resolution specifically approving the use of eminent domain for a particular purpose. Prohibits a privately owned cemetery from exercising eminent domain. Establishes a study committee to study eminent domain issues. Makes other changes and conforming amendments.

Now compare these homes in African-American neighborhoods to the houses purchased and needed for the Harrison Square Park Project that were not in African-American neighborhoods. You know the ones where Greg Leatherman went door to door offer thousands of dollars to homeowners without city council approval.

The name Leatherman sounds familiar, you say? Here Leatherman, participated in another city controlled negro removal just 10 years ago.

African-American neighborhoods are destroyed and the city's commitment is to prevent giving the money directly to the homeowners. The city instead pawns off a trade off on those who can afford to stay in the neighborhood with a new home, called renaissance pointe, or creative financing.

The deal. Let's us condemn your home (that no longer has a mortgage), and convince you black folks we now, city and bankers want to sell a new home for $100,000. The city will give you a grant of $45,000, leaving you a balance of $55,000 that the bank will provide a mortgage on the assessed value of $100,000.

Sounds good if the home was a quality type worth $100,000, and the homeowner would benefit. Sounds good if it was not a deal aimed at a single senior citizen who is lifted from her home, placed in an apartment to later return and beginning making house payment from her fixed income.

Sounds good, don't mean it is good or even to be called progress. I say progress when African-Americans receive value from their investment? And only then will I conceded that raced white folks in the city of fort wayne is about the right thing when it comes to African-Americans.

It is a good deal to change the lives of African-Americans when the $45,000 grant to move is not tied to a certain location. Otherwise, we know that the good deal is redlining. Redlining more affluence African-American onto property that is undervalued but a good location to contain and maintain a critical mass of affluence African-Americans in one location.

Sounds good.

Question? Were not African-American freed from the plantation style of living in the 1800?

All that is needed is just one.

Just one.

And the rest?

Be a part of this dramatic revitalization and take advantage of unique incentives being offered now to early qualified buyers.

A year ago I was asking questions about this renaissance point project, June 2006 if not earlier, because if it sounds to good to be true...it's probably a lie. But read this, the folks who they put on the committees who don't have a clue say about not being familiar with the area. No surprise there, but the truth finally comes to light.

Andrel Gaulden Graduates

Andrel Gaulden has completed his graduation ceremony from East Literature Magnet School. Andrel will move on to the next milestone of his life. The family of Andrel Gaulden would like to encourage him in his decision to enter the University of Memphis.

How Long can a lie Live?

Not long.

Right now, Renaissance Pointe is mostly about potential: What might happen when homes start going up – at least 30 a year, Presley hopes. But you don’t have to look very far to find concrete signs of progress.

Demolition of unsalvageable homes began this month, and next door to where Holman will live the city has spent about $140,000 to renovate a house using materials that are both “smart” and “green.” A computer touch-screen controls the alarm system and cameras and microphones in most rooms. Earth-friendly, energy-saving materials also were used where possible.

Presley knows the house probably won’t sell for that much, “but we wanted to demonstrate what you can do (in this neighborhood).”

It’s an important message. Later this year, an “Urban Parade of Homes” is planned for October – just one more indication the Hanna-Creighton neighborhood is on the move, thanks to “pioneers” like Holman and others who follow.



$400 Million dollars Renaissance Pointe? You be the judge.

Mayor Dick and his Wired City

Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard, (aka) Mayor Dick, believes Fort Wayne to be one of the most wired cities. This statement is impressive, with the lack of economic development. And because Fort Wayne is suffering a slow growth in jobs many college educated students must leave the city to get a higher paying job.

However, this opportunity is not available for high disadvantaged residents. And since Fort Wayne is one of the most wired cities, connecting these individual to the Internet could possibility close the digital divide. A WIFI service should be offered free of charges for low income families and not a select few nonprofit organizations, but the residents.

The Mayor of San Francisco has the right idea:

[An} agreement to bring free universal wireless Internet access to San Francisco is a critical step in bridging the digital divide that separates too many communities from the enormous benefits of technology. Ubiquitous WiFi will change how residents access education, social services and economic opportunities ... This will make city government more effective and accountable to the people we serve."

Yes Earthlink and Google can be used to close the educational and digital divide, but we need a brave Mayor to do the right thing? Has anyone seen our Mayor Dick?

MLK Montessori School Moves

The journal gazette reports MLK Montessori School will move into East Allen County Schools Village Elementary classrooms. MLK Montessori was forced to move from its current downtown location. MLK was paid over a million dollars to find a new location;.

With its move to Village, MLK will no longer compete with the limited spaces at Fort Wayne Community School pre-kindergarten programs at Bunch. East Allen County School saves money by not having to build a separate pre-kindergarten program that is supported by the public.

Yes, a perfect fit for avoiding and not doing the right thing.

Amy Sorrell goes to Washington

The Journal Gazette reports on Amy Sorrell receiving the Mary Beth Tinker Award from American University’s law school and the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. Sorrell, a teacher from the East Allen County Schools, almost lost her teaching job for a paper that was published in the school newspaper. Sorrell was quoted as saying:

We need to challenge schools to be advocates for students and to truly make schools a place for learning. Schools need to be places that harbor student rights, that encourage students’ thoughts and ideas even when they are unpopular.”

One person can make a difference.

So Long Yolanda

Yolanda Denise King
1955-2007


Martin Luther King's eldest daughter dies
h/t African American News Alerts

Congressman Souder did you mean drugs and not gangs?

3 accused of selling cocaine to officerspicture source: frost illustrated

Three Fort Wayne men were arrested Monday after police made numerous buys of crack cocaine, police said.

According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, Julius J. Arrington, 19, of the 6800 block of South Calhoun Street; Rico J. Parrish, 21, of the 2500 block of Warsaw Street; and Theodore Suel, 52, of the 400 block of Colerick Street were arrested on drug charges and taken to the Allen County Lockup.

Police said all of the undercover drug buys were made in a roughly four-block area along East Suttenfield Street.

After receiving complaints from the neighborhood and other police officers, the department’s Vice and Narcotics Division began a lengthy investigation into the area, which they said is well known for street-corner dealing of crack cocaine.

Police are still looking for other people who were involved and expect to make future arrests, they said.

Arrington was charged with two counts of dealing cocaine and one count of dealing in a look-a-like substance and was being held at the lockup in lieu of $110,000 bail.

Parrish was charged with one count of dealing in a look-a-like substance and was being held in lieu of $2,500 bail.

Suel was charged with two counts of dealing cocaine and was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Blogging who cares?

I start blogging a year ago this month. At first I was going to celebrate my first times. The first time I got a hundred hits, the first time, I hit 5,000, 10,000. Or the 1000th post which seem like a good time to celebrate, but no. None it seemed worthy of celebrating. Especially after you discovered you were traveling in a circle in this big blogosphere.

You would think you could blog with your personal identity intact. But folks, especially locals wanted to know your name, all the details even down to the who do you sleep with. Personal. Too personal.

But, I was new to blogging, I didn't know. Just words in a journal, I thought. I would have to learn about this part of the blogging world. Claiming your space, and telling folks enough, back off. Rude, crude and arrogant, normal.

All the time spent on attempting to build something. What? Extra Income!

Too much time, time investment with little in return. So, do I go? Do I stay?

This is what BlackLooks has to say about the situation:

This morning I switched on the computer and on to my pageflakes page and came across this post on Women of Color Blog echoing some of my own thoughts and feelings.

so we all know that occasionally, bloggers hit their wall and they just can’t do it any more. that it just builds up and builds up and builds up and finally, things collapse, and there’s the deep horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach that you want nothing more than to explode your blog or write a massive fuck you to the entire world?

Somewhere along the way things got lost. the bottom line is that really very few people actually give a fuck. SandMonkey was right after all - we live in a world of EXTREME APATHY. Who gives a shit about Khwezi, shackdwellers or violence against women, lesbians getting raped or young black men killing each other and then making t-shirts of the dead? Probably BL will be back sometime meanwhile a really big thanks to all the contributors - the space is here if you want - if not well it will either revive itself or die a slow death.

EXTREME APATHY? something. This is what Women of Color Blog has to say:

* I, just like all the other women of color out there, know who has been stealing our posts and our ideas.

* And no, it wasn’t “the patriarchy”.

* I just don’t have the drive any more–nobody gives a shit about mother’s being ripped from their children, nobody gives a shit if the cockroach slut is “rounded up” (and i don’t care if you hate that term, you’re still a bitch for saying it) and incarcerated like an animal, and EVERYBODY considers that a criminal latina may be lying when she speaks her fucking reality–oh, and I forgot–centralizing women in the immigration debate is dividing the community, letting the whites win, blah blah blah (as told to me by both male and female Latin@s).

I’m beginning to think that nubian was right–that there really is no place for a woman of color to speak specifically AS A WOMAN OF COLOR in this blogging world–blog posts directed solely toward other women of color get a handful of comments–blog posts to anybody, begging somebody to please, for god’s sake, pay attention–only get attention if they are angry and hostile and contain more energy than I’m willing to put into any more.

* And goddamn it, yes it bothers the shit out of me that when black or white women are shit on by sexism, men of color have something to say about it, but when latin@ mothers are fucking ripped from their children, imprisoned, deported–there’s silence–silence that is interrupted by nationalistic fuckheads that call me traitor and vendida. Is it being a traitor to remember your own? It’s being a traitor to love the your sisters and mothers and aunts and grandmothers?

i just don’t have the energy anymore for any of this. I know that this is a cycle, I know that everybody goes through it–the love/hate on/off thing is the biggest true-ism when it comes to blogging. maybe I’ll take a walk in the early morning mist tomorrow and feel better and ready to blog again at 9 AM–maybe I’ll never come back again. who knows. it’s probably some where in between. Who knows.

all I know is that it’s reflection time. and I do that best while by myself.

much love to all,
bfp

Yep, stealing posts and ideas. And we hardly take the time to comment on each others blog, while we peeks in on those who post up blackface and complain about what they are saying about us and doing to use. Yeah.

And then there is this:

Black blogger telling other black blogger who to link or association with on the blogosphere. Are you feeling me? Maybe not. So here let me explain it to you. When I pick up some reading material, I may read it or may not read it. I may agree with it, or I may not agree with it, but because the brothas or sista, married or dated raced white does not have anything to do with my opinion on the reading material. But don't read Evia? Who is Evia? Evia done done something that's being going on for a long long long time. But there was no blogs to blog about it.

So if Evia is on your link? You got to swear under oath that you don't hate black men. I'm laughing. I'm laughing.

Pageflakes has quite a few activities that would serve a more useful purpose. And as soon as I find time, I am going to to link to Evia. Oh yeah, because it ain't that many of us out here blogging and if it was we probably would have never heard of her.

One year, that's how long it took me to find Bronze Trinity, a blogger with a purpose, check out her pageflake. That's why I blog. And that's a lot of my time and I am sure other folks time like Evia.

Evia

Happy Mother's Day

To the first teacher of children:

Carl Noldon an honor student speech was censored during Black History Month. So I am going to share his speech with you this Mother's Day.

What I have to say is designed for the enlightenment of those who suffer from a school system that hypocritically manipulates Black history in a way that causes a disconnection from Black students and their history,” Noldon writes in the speech. “If you try to make a Black child co-exist with a racist school system or a Eurocentric school system, then you are basically putting that child back into slavery, perhaps mental slavery…There is something wrong with the educational system and the country. I believe the parents should take an active role in challenging the school system and even the curriculum of this school so that any residue of Eurocentrism is gone.”

Noldon continues, “All the history teachers I ever had were White and from every last one of them I never received the link to the genius of Africa. Those teachers always taught European history with a much stronger emphasis. The result was I was brainwashed. I was brainwashed because I thought genius equated to White people because the teachers talked about how much a genius a person like Einstein was or the Greeks.

“Later on I had to realize that those people that the White history teachers talked so greatly about were used as devices to implant a slave mentality in me and an inferiority complex. But, what the textbooks never taught me was how Europe took a lot from Africa and how Africa precedes Europe with thousands of years of philosophical, religious, mathematical, scientific, artistic, and medicinal knowledge. The African represented a genius so powerful that advanced civilizations flourished even before the concept of Europe was thought of.”

Noldon, set to graduate June 27, wrote the speech for a Black History Month assembly held Feb. 27. Instead, he ended up calling the NNPA News Service, pleading, “I want my voice heard.”

Noldon said in an interview that he never got to do the speech – for one main reason: “The principal was basically talking about how he wanted me to change what I was saying in the speech… There were certain things in my speech, the content, you know, he wanted me to change to make it appeal to everybody. The principal gave me two options. The first one was to omit what I was saying in my speech, the other option was to not read my speech at all.”

The speech was reported by Hazel Trice Edney, read more here.

My Man Mitch

Where in the world is my man Mitch. Mitch Harper who was the most low keyed candidate in the recent 2007 primary. The local blogosphere seems to be missing Mitch and friends on his blog, Fort Wayne Observed. I understand that Mitch is taking a vacation, but I need your blog traffic.

Is Mitch ditching his blog? Yep could have went there, tempting but didn't.

Or was Mitch so upset over Kelty win over Peters, that he is at a loss for words?

I say Mitch is ditching his blog. What say you?

The Good Samaritan

Let's see. Someone befriends a disabled man by driving the man to a bank. The driver has to make a return trip to the bank. It seems that the disabled man plan was to rob the bank. But failed to disclose this little tidbit with the driver. Nor the fact that the driver's car was going to be the getaway vehicle.

I wonder if the getaway driver gets a reward for returning the loot and the robber?

Magical Negro votes in Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne's Democratic Party may not be able to slate many African-American candidates but they know where to go to get the African-American votes.

Benjamin Lanka of Journal Gazette reports:

The Allen County Democratic Party hosted its fall slate of candidates for Fort Wayne mayor and the City Council at a dinner at Link’s Wonderland. Three Democratic Indiana gubernatorial candidates – or, in one case, his wife – also spoke to the crowd of a few dozen people.

Link's Wonderland is one of the few long standing African-American business serving the Fort Wayne, Indiana community. I don't think the Democrats has ever held a Democratic Convention there.

From the article a quote, "..to the crowd of a few dozen people." How about a group of a few dozen democrats committee members and few unsuspecting voters. The Democrats are seeking some "Magical Negroes" not to run for office but to get out the African-American vote. The status quo of a certain arm of the Allen County Democratic Party needs to feel safe as they seek out the mythical Magical Negro and it does not hurt that Link's Wonderland is just a few blocks from the police station.

And they are going to need more than a crowd of a few dozen folks. But the party does not want real participation from the African-American community. They love the caricature of the Magical Negro. The Magical Negro is only in the mind and does not make demands for sharing power.


So the Dems sing praises on a select few African-Americans out of the large group. This way the Dems don't have to be really inclusive of the changing demographic. The Dems wants to hold up these select few as representative of the whole African-American community. The Dems need the voters to push forth their agenda that they are helping the mythical Magical Negro.

And how are they helping the African-American community? Can you say SouthCentre..in hopes of creating a loyal and appreciative super duper Magical Negro. The Magical Negro works in movies, not in the African-American neighborhoods without representation.

NO Rain to blame

Get a grip. Fort Wayne voters low turnout can be blamed on the redistricting. Moving voters from one district to another and moving voting locations with little information provided to the voters.

They don't know who their representative is and if they don't know that who do they vote for?

Fort Wayne core has lost over 50,000 residents. White flight, leaving black power. But you better believe that little secret is being kept under wrap.


A City that has a majority of African-American and LatinAmerican population is being ruled by raced white males. What's up with that?

The Democrats wink at this arrangement because it keeps a few of their raced white neighborhood members available to serve on committees that requires a bi-partisan make up.

If it had rained they would have blamed the low voters turn out on the rain. But the real reason is that voters in the core of city do not look like the political machine.

Less than 14 % turnout is shameful, but no one will tell the truth. Few can handle the the truth that political machine is discriminatory in Fort Wayne. Heck they want to believe Fort Wayne is the All-American City !

Kelty is a Republican, and the Republican 1st choice did not win. The troops will rally around Kelty because this is a Republican town. A Republican town until you get African-Americans to the polls to vote.

Oh and before you go there, Richard ran against a female Republican. Do you think those macho males wanted a female Mayor? So we got a male mayor.

But it sure did help stack city council with a whole bunch of ...just fill in the blank.

More information for Afrospear

The Big 8

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h/t to free press

I hope this helps Mirror on America

The Mighty Pen vs the Death Penalty

For twenty-five years ZOLO AGONA AZANIA has been fighting the death penalty. The State of Indiana refuses to remove Azania from death row during several appeals that has proven that the procedure in imposing the death penalty was tainted.

Azania's sentenced should be life in prison for his crime..but Indiana wants to lynch Azania because he has proven that the Indiana courts do not follow the letter of the law. However, the court suggests that this is all Azania fault to escape blame:


Delays-Azania fault because he exercised his right to appeal- so the pen writes:

During much of the period of time in question, Azania and not the State had the responsi-bility of going forward. That is, it was Azania’s responsibility (1) to prosecute the appeal fol-lowing the completion of the original trial and imposition of the death sentence; (2) to prosecute his request for collateral review following the conviction and death sentence being affirmed on direct appeal; and (3) to prosecute his subsequent request for collateral review following the re-imposition of the death sentence.
11

Azania was using a defense strategy.

Delay is not an uncommon defense tactic. As the time between the com-mission of the crime and trial lengthens, witnesses may become unavailable or their memories may fade. If the witnesses support the prosecution, its case will be weakened, sometimes seriously so. And it is the prosecution which carries the burden of proof. Thus, unlike the right to counsel or the right to be free from compelled self-incrimination, deprivation of the right to speedy trial does not per se prejudice the accused’s ability to defend himself.

Forget the the court manipulated the jury pool. It's called a computer glitch.

The third time segment runs from the date of re-imposition of the death sentence in 1996 to 2002, when we again set aside the death sentence because Azania demonstrated to our satisfaction that the computer program used to select the jury pool inadvertently operated to deny him his right to be tried before a fairly constituted jury. Azania’s position is that this period of “delay” is not attributable to him because “he had nothing to do with the system of picking jurors which led to the unrepresentative jury.” (Br. of Appellee at 25.)

What was the computer glitch? Every African-Americans that was eligible for jury duty was excluded in the City of Fort Wayne. How can a computer pick out African-Americans by name is still a puzzle to me. Only in Fort Wayne, IN.


But what about full disclosure?

The penalty phase retrial record indicates that, more than one year and four months before the penalty phase retrial actually occurred, the State filed a “Motion for Hearing Regarding Conflict of Interest” disclosing that Azania’s lead defense counsel, Donald Swanson, was then a member of the Sheriff’s Merit Board; that defense investigator Jerry Ratajczak was then a Deputy Allen County Sheriff; and that defense forensic pathologist, Scott Wagner was then employed by the Allen County Coroner. In seeking the motion, the State represented that it sought to disclose potential conflict of interest information to the defendant and “to obtain a waiver of the defendant, upon the advice of independent counsel.”

A hearing on the motion was conducted and the defense waived the conflict. Swan-son withdrew fifteen days later. After Azania’s penalty phase retrial and sentenc-ing proceedings, Azania, acting pro se, filed a “Motion For Contempt of Court Proceedings Against Sheriff Joseph M. Squadrito” to which was attached a copy
13 of a newspaper article reporting Azania’s claims that Allen County officials pre-vented investigator Ratajczak and Dr. Wagner from joining his defense team, and that Swanson withdrew from the case “after his proposed defense team fell apart.”

But the Delay is still Azania Fault, because it was not unconstitutional. One of the Supreme Court Judges disagrees:

The net result of this exercise is that Azania has spent at least fifteen years on death row due to flaws in the criminal justice system for which he bears no responsibility.

Another Indiana Supreme Court states:

I agree with the trial court that given the circumstances caused by the long delay in this case, Azania’s constitutional rights to a speedy trial and due process would be violated if the State continues to seek a death sentence. A part of the due process violation includes Azania’s Eighth Amendment right to present meaningful evidence in mitigation.

Azania exposed the corrupt system in the City of Fort Wayne, and his punishment is the death penalty. Read the case and you will understand why they call Indiana Klu Klux Klan territory.

h/t to Indiana Law blog

Isaiah Washington-you're out of here!

Grey's Anatomy is one of my favorite T.V.Shows. Like alot of my favorite shows I have not been watching them. But tonight should be an exciting one, since it is a special. From snippets of newspapers article, my understanding that Isaiah is leaving the show. I am going to miss him.

Sad to see him go. But..it was a matter of time. Damage control. What was Mr. Washington thinking? Name calling. Not cool to refer to your co-worker, T.R. Knight in a negative term based on his sleeping or loving arrangement. Not so cool, and I thought you were oh so cool.

I'm going to watch tonight. Because I believe your power hungry girlfrien is not going to marry you because you are not going to get that chief position. Wedding is off.