Artikel von Dr. Firpo Carr

[Brigitte 58]

Michael Jackson & the 'Last Daze'

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Wrong Way Witnesses?

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by Firpo Carr

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.Los Angeles Sentinel & Online Sentinel International

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December 2 - 8, 2010

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Have you ever moved into a new place and had to wait to get the lights turned on? Or have you ever had to wait a long time for the repairman to arrive to fix something? Remember being told that he'll be out sometime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.? To add insult to injury, you were told that someone has to be there when he comes! Every time you heard a car pull up you thought it was him--but it wasn't. And as if that weren't enough, suddenly you heard a knock at the door and said to yourself, "Finally, he's here," only to open it and be greeted by a pair of Jehovah's Witnesses!

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Well, it seems everyone has had such experiences. Since the Witnesses believe we're living in the "last days" (2 Ti 3:1-5, New World Translation)--as did Michael Joseph Jackson--they're preaching like there's no tomorrow. (Pun intended.) With the world in a craze; with spiritual eyes awash with a glaze; with spiritual vision seeing a haze, mankind gropes through a diabolical maze, causing people everywhere to be dazed and amazed. "People will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world." (Lu 21:26, Contemporary English Version) This is why the Witnesses keep coming to your door. They don't want you fainting all over the place. But why do they persist when there's little or no interest in some instances?

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Relentless Religionists: The short answer is, circumstances change--sometimes miraculously it seems--as the Witnesses act as "fishers of men." (Matt 4:19, NWT) For example, in a community where scant interest is shown, an earthquake might strike. Now, armed with rolled-up Watchtowers, Witnesses have to beat people off of them. This hyperbole aside, consider the experience of Peter. He didn't catch a thing after fishing all night. However, when the Lord instructed him to fish again in the same waters, the catch was overwhelming. (Lu 5:1-11) Sometimes the Witnesses preach in the same unproductive territory, only to experience overwhelming interest after some attitude-altering event; whether it‘s a family tragedy, or a local or international news headline. Still, despite their well-meaning work, what about when they've been wrong about the date of Christ's return?

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Disappointing Dates: The Witnesses are the first to admit that they've blown it in the past. In their publication, Reasoning from the Scriptures, Witness leaders write: "Jehovah's Witnesses do not claim to be inspired prophets. They have made mistakes. Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, they have at times had some wrong expectations.--Luke 19:11; Acts 1:6." They thought they heard the clanging tools of the celestial Repair Man--the resurrected Lord Jesus--approaching the door. You see, the human condition is in desperate disrepair. The Repair Man will fix it, first by demolishing the present irreparable system of things.

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Though they've been wrong about dates, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses asks the following about Witness teachings: "Have these truly uplifted people morally? Are those who adhere to these teachings outstanding in their communities because of their honesty? Is their family life beneficially influenced by applying these teachings? Jesus said that his disciples would be readily identified because of having love among themselves. (John 13:35) Is this quality outstanding among Jehovah's Witnesses? We let the facts speak for themselves."

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The Witnesses don't know the day or hour that Jesus is coming. (Matt 24:36-44) Can you imagine that? At least we know what day the regular repairman is coming. And, while we may not know the exact hour of his scheduled arrival, we do know the range of hours. The Bible, however, indicates that "at an hour that you don't think it's going to happen, that's when the Son of Man is coming." (Matt 24:44, Carr's Christian Bible) Yes, the celestial Repair Man--Jesus Christ himself--"will come unexpectedly on a certain day, and at an unknown hour." (Matt 24:50, CCB) So the Witnesses, as did Michael, keenly anticipate and eagerly expect his arrival.

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Conclusion: Even if they've been wrong in trying to predict the Repair Man's arrival, it was a well-intentioned exercise in vigilance. They don't want to lower their guard for a moment, only to notice a "Sorry We Missed You" sign on the door! So, the next time you see them, cut them some slack. They're just trying to do right by God--and right by you. Peace and blessings to all. Amen.

diesmal ist unser doktorchen spät dran. aber eigentlich egal, oder?

[Brigitte 58]

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[Brigitte 58]

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[Brigitte 58]

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Did the Gov. Grip the Glove?

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'Sneak n' peaks' & library leaks

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by Firpo Carr

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.Los Angeles Sentinel & Online Sentinel International

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December 30, 2010 - January 5, 2011

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After what some are calling the preventable terrorist attacks on American soil on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, American citizens lost a great measure of privacy along with certain liberties. Providentially, English author George Orwell predicted an oligarchical, collectivist society--a police state--in his 1949 novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four (or, 1984). He predicted that in 1984 a totalitarian government ("Big Brother") would, among other things, use oppressive surveillance to watch everyone. Interestingly, the very private Michael Joseph Jackson sang chorus to the song Somebody's Watching Me, released January1984, by Kennedy William Gordy (a.k.a. Rockwell), son of music mogul Berry Gordy. (Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson, who was married to Berry's daughter Hazel at one time, provided backup vocals.)

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In the song, Rockwell wondered if the mailman was watching him. In a twist of irony, the George W. Bush White House proposed that "mailmen" report suspicious activities to the authorities. While that proposal didn't ‘fly like an eagle,' the USA PATRIOT ACT (an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act) permitted other Orwellian tactics, as some would describe them. Others say the Act is necessary. The present article will present the rationale of a qualified proponent of the Act, while a future article will consider rebuttal arguments from an equally qualified Patriot Act opponent.

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"Sneak n' Peak": John C. Yoo is a professor of law at UC Berkeley, and was an official at the Bush Justice Department when he authored parts of the Patriot Act. First, Yoo points out that "well-known liberal Democrats" like Senators Dianne Feinstein and Joe Biden "have dismissed the idea that constitutional freedoms are in danger." Yoo notes that Feinstein consulted the American Civil Liberties Union to see if there were any documented cases of abuse. "They had none," said Feinstein.

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Second, Yoo says that if you're bothered by "a system of secret courts," "secret evidence," and "secret warrants" authorizing "secret search and/or surveillance of suspected terrorists without notice to the target," don't blame President Bush and the Republicans. "President Jimmy Carter and a Democratic Congress established them in 1978 in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)." FISA created the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). Why the secrecy? Because the government doesn't want terrorists to know that they're being investigated. To seek a warrant or debate the particulars of a probable case in open court would give terrorists an advantage on government agents, hence the need for secrecy.

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Third, Yoo identifies Section 215 of the Patriot Act as "perhaps the most politically controversial provision." It "extends FISA warrants to business and other records that are relevant to a terrorism investigation." On the surface, Yoo asserts, this violates the Fourth Amendment guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. But he counters that "individuals generally do not have a Fourth Amendment right over records about them held by someone else," that, "we have no general constitutional right to privacy over such documents because they are not in our possession. We have already lost our privacy rights by giving them to another person." Governmental access to your records without notifying you is called the "sneak ‘n' peak" approach. Patriot Act proponents conclude that you shouldn't mind, if you don't have anything to hide.

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Library Leaks: Should the government be notified if you check out certain books from the library? Yes says Yoo. "Al-Qaeda terrorists have used libraries to conduct research and to communicate, and their activities can be traced through credit-card receipts and travel reservations. Why provide terrorists with a safe haven in a library, or allow them to freely use the modern-day tools of terrorism: air travel, currency movements, and credit cards?" He argues that the government wants to go wherever terrorists are hiding, or wherever they're doing business. It's that simple. If they've left a paper trail, "Big Brother" wants to be able to follow it to see where it leads. These efforts are done all in the name of protecting American citizens, key assets, and critical infrastructure. The terrorist paper trail is not a ‘happy trail' say proponents.

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"Extension of FISA to such records seems eminently reasonable. Under FISA, the government can intercept e-mail, telephone calls, and even conversations by terrorist targets. It does not make sense to give the government such powers to fight terrorism, but then to exclude physical items and documents," argues Yoo. Convinced? Stay tuned for the rebuttal. Peace and blessings to all. Amen.

[Brigitte 58]

Dethroned & Disassociated

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The saga of sheep, shepherds, MJ & JWs

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by Firpo Carr

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.Los Angeles Sentinel & Online Sentinel International

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January 5 - 12, 2011

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As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, the King of Pop was "dethroned," as it were, when among his spiritual brothers. He himself said that, instead of treating him like royalty, Witness "elders treated me the same as they treated everyone else." (The Michael Jackson Tapes, 2009) These elders, or spiritual shepherds, treated Michael like any other sheep of the flock. (Ac 20:28; 1Pe 5:2-4) Still, although each sheep is unique, Michael was very different, to say the lease.
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To help put this all in perspective, Alymbek Bekmanov, who grew up to become a shepherd in the village of Chyrpykty, which is on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul, not far from Kyrgyzstan, a former republic of the Soviet Union, gives his experience in the March 2011 issue of Awake! magazine. "We gave a name to every sheep, according to differences in their appearance or character traits." Goats, on the other hand, were noted for being stubborn. Jesus noted this contrast between sheep and goats:

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"When the Son of Man arrives in all his glory, along with all the angels with him, then he'll sit on his glorious throne. And all ethnic groups will be gathered before him and he'll separate people from one another just like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. He'll put the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Then the king will invite those on his right, ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the government prepared for you from the time the world was founded.'" (Matt 25:31-34, Carr's Christian Bible) "Then he'll turn his attention to those on his left, saying, ‘Be gone from me--cursed ones--into the perpetual fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.'" (Matt 25:41, CCB) Yes, the more docile sheep were on Jesus' right side, while the more obstinate goats were on his left (which, incidentally, means sinister in Latin).

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But, even some sheep can be stubborn. That this undesirable trait is not exclusive to goats, Bekmanov makes a rather fascinating observation: "In a flock there always seemed to be stubborn sheep. For some reason they just didn't want to obey the shepherd. At times, other sheep were inclined to follow a disobedient one. So the shepherd would try to train and discipline the stubborn ones. For example, he would leave such a sheep in the pen alone. In time, some accepted correction and followed the shepherd's directions." Indeed, God says that he will "judge between a sheep and a sheep."--Ez 34:17, 22, New World Translation.

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Interestingly, when a congregation member is persistently disobedient, the shepherds will "try to train and discipline" him by isolating the stubborn one from other congregation members who may be inclined to follow him. As the saying goes, one bad apple will spoil the whole bunch; or, put scripturally, "a little leaven ferments the whole lump." (1Co 5:1-13, NWT) Such stubbornness can spread like a spiritual virus, infecting the minds of coreligionists. As is the case with real sheep, some of the faithful ‘accept correction and follow the shepherds' directions.' But what about sheep who don't?

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"Sheep that remained stubborn ended up on our dinner table," said Bekmanov. Without a doubt, Michael believed that if you weren't grounded in your love for Jehovah as evidenced by observing his commandments, Satan and his worldwide system would eat you alive. (1Co 5:5; 2Co 4:4; 1 Jn 5:3, 19) But did Michael ever clash with appointed shepherds?

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"I had questions that sometimes even the elders couldn't answer ... I'm the kind of guy who used to grab the microphone and say, ‘Well, what about this and what about that?' they would say, ‘Brother Jackson, we will talk to you later.' They would come up with this other funny kinda answer that wouldn't drive the point home." (The Michael Jackson Tapes) This is not to suggest that the Moonwalker was recalcitrant, walking willy-nilly all over the elders. What it does suggest is a breakdown in communication.

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Encouragingly, Bekmanov notes: "If we found that a sheep was missing, my uncle would ... go out looking for the lost one--even going out when it was raining and dark to search for just one lamb. He would call loudly. His voice would scare off wild animals. When a sheep heard that voice, you could just see that it felt safe." (Jn 10:1-6, 16) Feel safe Michael. Peace and blessings to all. Amen.

[Brigitte 58]

Did the Government Have Love for the Glove?

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Mike Jack & the Patriot Act

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by Firpo Carr

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.Los Angeles Sentinel & Online Sentinel International

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January 13 - 19, 2011

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Anyone who has ever spent time at Neverland and has gone inside the main house (not everyone was allowed in Michael Joseph Jackson's house), would have seen a photo of the King of Pop and President Ronald Reagan, as well as one of the Moonwalker and President Bill Clinton. Both photos were in the living room. To be sure, it was during this time that the government had much love for the Glove. In time, though, Uncle Sam would take the mittens off in dealing with Peter Pan. When Michael was falsely charged and tried, his "friends" in high places left him staring at The Man in the Mirror. And invoking the USA Patriot Act, they may have bypassed Elizabeth Taylor and instead focused Betty Davis Eyes on him.
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Law professor David Cole contends that the Patriot Act robs us of some freedoms and was enacted by ignorant lawmakers. He alleges that only a few of them read the 342 pages that comprise the Act. Some now have misgivings. Two weeks ago I presented the arguments of an expert proponent of the Patriot Act. This week Cole's concerns are presented herewith.
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Material Support?: Particularly unnerving to Cole is the apparently retroactive nature of one provision of the Patriot Act. He references the ongoing case of two exemplary Palestinians, Khader Hamide and Michel Shehadeh, who have been living for decades here in Los Angeles. Because they distributed magazines issued by a faction of the Palestinian Liberation Organization to raise money for humanitarian aid to the West Bank, the government is seeking to deport them. "In the government's view," Cole protests, "it does not matter that these activities were lawful at the time they were engaged in, or that they are protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech for all, not just citizens."

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How significant is this case? "If this law had been on the books in the 1980s," bemoans Cole, "any foreign national who donated to the African National Congress for its largely lawful, nonviolent opposition to apartheid in South Africa would have been deportable, because the State Department designated the African National Congress a terrorist group until it came to power in South Africa with the fall of apartheid." The government can freeze your assets simply by placing you "under investigation" for embargo violations.

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Library Lies?: The "libraries provision" (Section 215 of the Patriot Act) allows authorities to demand "business records" from utility companies, employers, schools, bookstores, or even libraries. Particularly disturbing to critics is the associated gag order that prevents responsible entities in these from alerting you to the fact that you're being investigated. "Defenders often claim that even before the Patriot Act, prosecutors could get such information through grand jury subpoenas, which did not even have to be approved in advance by a court," notes Cole.

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"But there are two critical differences. A grand jury subpoena requires the impaneling of a grand jury, which requires a substantial criminal investigation. Prosecutors are unlikely to impanel a grand jury absent a pretty strong reason for investigating. A Section 215 subpoena, by contrast, requires no grand jury whatsoever. In addition, a grand jury subpoena is not subject to a presumptive gag order. The library approached with a grand jury subpoena can go to the press about it, and that fact of public disclosure acts as a checking function on abuse of the power. Section 215 subpoenas, by contrast, are subject to a gag order that presumptively eliminates any public check on their abuse."

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"Knock and Announce": The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches. With few exceptions, it requires law enforcement to obtain a search warrant and execute it during daylight hours. They have to knock on the door, announce their presence, and then show the householder the warrant prior to initiating the search. But things have changed: "Under the Patriot Act's ‘sneak-and-peek' authority," says Cole, "the FBI can now obtain such approval for secret searches." There's more. "The ‘sneak-and-peek' provision, moreover, is not limited to terrorist crimes," complains Cole. "It applies to all federal crimes, including the most routine mail fraud investigation. Thus, in the name of fighting terrorism Congress diluted protection for us all."

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So how did Michael feel about all this? He concluded: "Jehovah is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Heb 13:6, New World Translation) Peace and blessings to all. Amen.

[neferiti]

Diese Andeutungen machen einen wirklich vollkommen verrückt.

Teddy Riley hatte ja auch schon Zeter un Mordio gespuckt in der Art sinngemäß "die Schweine haben ihn umgebracht, wenn ich doch nur sagen könnte, was ich weiß" und hat jüngst öffentlich alles als Misverständnis zurückgenommen (die Quellen hierfür sind irgendwo tief im Bauche des KOP Board versteckt, bitte lasst sie mich nicht suchen müssen, dafür bräuchte in nen Tag Urlaub).

Aber ich bin halt persönlich immer noch doppelt alarmiert, wenn die Komponente dieser religiösen Gesellschaften mitspielt, die immer um Michael herumschwirrten ... vor der er sich aber offensichtlich zu Lebzeiten distanzierte.

Hm, ZehKah - der sagt eigentlich absolut überhaut nichts das dafür aber mit sehr viel Wortgewalt, oder ich versteh`s einfach nicht!!!

[Briánna]

dieses zitat von zehkah ist mittlerweile über ein jahr alt...
da war es noch nicht so klar einzuschätzen, was es mit dem märchenonkel
so auf sich hat... wir kennen jetzt seinen monatlichen erguss.. damals hagelte
es kommentare, einschätzungen und verdächtigungen von allen seiten...
und wenn die sich zufällig deckten, konnte einen das schon ganz schön durcheinander bringen...

[Brigitte 58]

Martin Luther "King" of Pop

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MJ & MLK on racism and segregation

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by Firpo Carr

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.Los Angeles Sentinel & Online Sentinel International

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January 20 - 26, 2011

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Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream of racial equality, and Michael Joseph Jackson said it shouldn't matter if you're Black or White (1991). The reality is, in America, King's dream is just that--a dream; and it does matter if you're Black or White. Disturbingly, racism is still rampant and segregation is the American standard.

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Segregated Psychologists: The Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) "was formed in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King and the rise of Black Nationalism of that era," says one source. It "intended to create a psychology of the black experience focused on improving the circumstances of black people. The founding psychologists believed that a psychology created mostly by white middle-class men could not explain the situation of people of African descent, and moved to incorporate African philosophy and cultural experience into the creation of a new understanding of black psychology." What about the mostly White American Psychological Association? "The founders actively chose to remain independent of the American Psychological Association, decrying that body's complicit role in perpetuating white racism in society." (See also the Association of Black Sociologists.)

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Segregated Lawmakers: "The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the black members of the United States Congress," says Wikipedia. Membership is exclusive to blacks." It further states: "The Caucus describes its goals as ‘positively influencing the course of events pertinent to African-Americans and others of similar experience and situation,' and ‘achieving greater equity for persons of African descent in the design and content of domestic and international programs and services.'"

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I would've listed a "Segregated Senate," but only six Blacks have ever served in the Senate in the entire history of Congress. (See also the National Association of Black County Officials.)

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Segregated Law Interpreters: "Black judges criticize America's most popular anti-crime policies as racist and proven failures during candid interviews about the nation's system in the new book Black Judges on Justice (1998)," reports one source.

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"Mandatory sentencing is very popular with politicians who posture themselves as ‘tough on crime,' but these harsh imprisonment polices have ‘not been effective in cutting crime,' states Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge Veronica S. McBeth. McBeth is one of three female jurists included in the 14 judges interviewed in this book that has been described by one reviewer as a ‘seminal work.' The incarceration of huge numbers of young black males nationwide, resulting largely from mandatory sentencing laws, is termed ‘a quiet kind of genocide' by Joseph Brown of Memphis, a trial court judge who trims his black judicial robes in African kente cloth."

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See also Black Robes White Justice (1987) by Bruce Wright. In it Judge Wright reveals "Why our justice system doesn't work for blacks."

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Segregated Law Practitioners: The National Bar Association (NBA) is the nation's oldest association of African American lawyers. There's also The National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA). And here in California we have the California Association of Black Lawyers.

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Segregated Law Enforcers: There are the National Association of Black Law Enforcement officers, the Association of Black Law Enforcers (ABLE), and the National Organization of Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). Locally, the Oscar Joel Bryant (OJB) organization of African American officers differs from the predominantly White Police Protective League, both of the LAPD.

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Segregated Law Breakers: Prison politics dictate racial segregation. So you have, in alphabetical order, the Aryan Brotherhood, the Black Gorilla Family, and Mexican Mafia.

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Segregated Medical Professionals: The National Medical Association represents "the interests of more than 30,000 African American physicians." It distinguishes itself from the predominantly White American Medical Association (AMA). Then there are the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), the Association of Black Women Physicians, and the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). See also blackdoctor.org.

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Segregated Educators: The National Alliance of Black School Educators is devoted to furthering "the academic success for the nation's children--particularly children of African descent." National Black MBA Association.

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Segregated Journalists: "The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of journalists, students and media-related professionals that provides quality programs and services to and advocates on behalf of black journalists worldwide."

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Both Martin Luther King, Jr. and the King of Pop are turning over in their graves. But, fear not. Martin's and Michael's dream of a world where it won't matter if you're Black or White is just over the horizon. There, the "King of kings" will set all matters right. (Re 17:14) Peace and blessings to all races. God bless. Amen.

[Brigitte 58]

The King of Pop & Sharing Beds

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What Michael meant

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by Firpo Carr

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.Los Angeles Sentinel & Online Sentinel International

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January 27, 2011 - February 2, 2011

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Since his death Michael Joseph Jackson is an angel that can do no wrong. But back when I defended him before the world as the Jackson family spokesman, it seemed there was no shortage of people castigating him for saying that he saw nothing wrong with sharing his bed with little boys. Though he regularly had little girls and boys visit Neverland, when it came to bedtime the boys separated from the girls, just as they did when he was a little boy growing up in his own large family's household.

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And when friends and relatives came to town with no place to stay, it was not uncommon for adult men to sleep with young boys. Fast forward. Michael is interviewed by Ed Bradley of CBS on 60 Minutes in December 2003. "When Bradley asks Jackson if he would allow his own children to sleep in a bed with a grown man who was not a relative, or to sleep in that man's bedroom, Jackson replies, ‘Sure, if I know that person, trust them, and love them. That's happened many times with me when I was little.'" Why many times? Because when Blacks traveled in an openly segregated America they were not afforded accommodations. Consequently, there was a need for The Negro Motorist Green Book.

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"The Negro Motorist Green Book was a publication released in 1936 that served as a guide for African-American travelers. Because of the racist conditions that existed from segregation, blacks needed a reference manual to guide them to integrated or black-friendly establishments," says one source.

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"That's when they turned to The Negro Motorist Green Book: An International Travel Guide by activist Victor Green and presented by the Esso Standard Oil Company. Originally provided to serve Metropolitan New York, the book received such an alarming response, it was spread throughout the country within one year. The catch phrase was ‘Now we can travel without embarassment [sic].'

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"The Green Book often provided information on local tourist homes, which were private residences owned by blacks and open to travelers. It was especially helpful to blacks that traveled through sunset towns or towns that publicly stated that blacks had to leave the town by sundown or it would be cause for arrest. Also listed were hotels, barbershops, beauty salons, restaurants, garages, liquor stores, ball parks and taverns. It also provided a listing of the white-owned, black-friendly locations for accommodations and food.

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"The publication was free, with a 10-cent cost of shipping. As interest grew, the Green Book solicited salespersons nationwide to build its ad sales. Inside the pages of the Green Book were action photos of the various locations, along with historical and background information for the readers' review. Within the pages of the introduction, the guide states, There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States."

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Whatever happened to this publication? "The Green Book printed its last copy in 1964 after the passing of the Civil Rights Act."

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Now, suddenly we have context regarding the significance of Michael's completely innocuous statement, "That's happened many times with me when I was little." Yes, adult men and boys shared beds, bathrooms, clothes, and trunks of cars when the occasion called for it. (Yes, as a little boy I shared a car trunk with an adult male as we snuck into the drive-in.)

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Adults sleeping with children even moves into the realm of the sacred. In showing that God will help us if we keep asking, Jesus used an illustration of a man's friend prevailing upon him in the middle of the night. The friend says: "Quit making me trouble. The door is already locked, and my young children are with me in bed; I cannot rise up and give you anything." (Lu 11:7) Now, while commentators debate the meaning of this text, it should not be anachronistically examined retrospectively. Even frightened children occasionally sleep with parents (or adult guardians) today.

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In any event, the Lord encouraged: "Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking it will be opened." (Lu 11:5-10) Seek understanding in recognizing Michael's sweet, childlike innocence. Peace and blessings to all. Amen.

[HealTheWorld2012]

jetzt kann ja jeder ausm gebüsch labbern

[Brigitte 58]

http://firpocarr.com/article.html

[Brigitte 58]

The King of Pop's Final Performance?

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"The World Is A Stage"

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by Firpo Carr

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.Los Angeles Sentinel & Online Sentinel International

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February 10 - 16, 2011

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As an ardent reader of the Bible, Michael Joseph Jackson was fascinated by Jesus and his apostles. He felt a kinship with them because just like them, he was in the spotlight up until the time of his death--and even beyond. Under a different set of circumstances, the apostles, too, were in a spotlight that eventually led to some of their deaths. "For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession," writes the apostle Paul, "like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men." (1 Co 4:9, New International Version) The ancient Greek word for "display" used here is theatron, from which we get our English word "theater." The Latin equivalent is spectaculum, from which the English word "spectacular" is derived.

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The King of Pop, A "Hypocrite"!: Before you label me a traitorous Judas since I charge Michael with being a "hypocrite," let me remind you that the Moonwalking Maestro starred as the scarecrow in the hit musical The Wiz (1978). As such, he was what the ancient Greeks--famous for their stage plays--called a hypokrites (English, "hypocrite"). Yes, Michael was an ‘actor on the big stage,' along with fellow hypocrites (that is, actors) Lena Horne, Diana Ross, Ted Ross, and Nipsey Russell. In The Wiz, the world was Michael's stage.

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Spectaculum Sisterella!: Though Michael didn't star in it, he had everything else to do with the hit musical, Sisterella. And, happily, it looks like a new version of it is coming to Los Angeles. "Vegas DeLuxe has learned that the production created by Las Vegas composer and writer Larry Hart will have its world premiere in L.A. next spring. Sisterella has the distinction of being the only musical ever financed, produced and presented by the King of Pop that was not his creation. The Cinderella fairytale-themed contemporary musical garnered 12 NAACP Theater Award nominations and won eight awards, including Best Play, Best Director and Best Choreographer. It won rave reviews after premiering in L.A. When it toured Europe, fans there voted it Show of the Decade as it broke box office records." All, though, is not well in this fairytale. Fans have mixed emotions that Michael's former manager, Frank Dileo, is co-producing the new version.

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When in 1996 I was invited by the Jackson family to see the original Sisterella, I remember having to be talked into going. In retrospect, I can't believe I hesitated. It is by far the most endearing musical I have ever seen. It touched my heart in a spectacular way. I cannot begin to describe the feeling. I ended up seeing it several times there at the Pasadena Playhouse. In fact, on one occasion Michael's mother Katherine, a few others, and I coordinated to meet up for one of the performances. We had a fantastic time! Since I lived at the time in the "Old Town" section of Pasadena, the Playhouse was practically in walking distance.

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Passing Scene: During a stage play there are any number of scene changes. One scene passes and another takes its place. This transient nature of Greek and Roman plays is documented in the Bible. "The scene of this world is changing" wrote the apostle Paul. (1 Co 7:31, New World Translation) Bible commentator Albert Barnes makes these observations: "What a striking description of the changing, unstable, and unreal pageantry of this world! Now it is frivolous, splendid, gorgeous, lovely; tomorrow it is gone, and is succeeded by new actors and new scenes. Now all is busy with one set of actors; tomorrow a new company appears, and again they are succeeded by another, and all are engaged in scenes that are equally changing, vain, gorgeous, and delusive."

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The venue for Michael-related matters has changed from gargantuan stadiums to matchbox courtrooms. According to CNN, "Jury selection in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray ... will begin March 24 ... Judge Michael Pastor also approved television cameras in court for the trial." Again, the world will be watching.

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Michael's Final Act?: The Fantastic Four sang The Whole World Is A Stage (1967). Although the curtain came down abruptly and prematurely on the inimitable performance of the King of Pop, this might be the last dance. Stay tuned for the next curtain call. Peace and blessing to all. Amen.

[Brigitte 58]

[Url] http://firpocarr.com/article.html [/ url]
The King of Pop & the Police

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Law enforcement and public dis-trust?

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by Firpo Carr

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.Los Angeles Sentinel & Online Sentinel International

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February 17 - 23, 2011

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Michael Joseph Jackson greatly admired police officers, proudly posing with men and women of law enforcement wearing dark shades as wave after wave of camera flashes captured frozen moments in time. The stash of photos with cops from Detroit, Michigan, to Bucharest, Romania, attests to the King of Pop's lively curiosity of the police. Of course, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses he was taught to respect duly constituted authority as did Christians in the first century. (Ro 13:1-5) Centuries prior, God's faithful servant Nehemiah acted as a law enforcer. To person's breaking God's Sabbath law he warned: "If you do this again, I will arrest you!" (Ne 13:21, New Living Translation) With others, more acute measures were taken in order to save lives that were notably endangered spiritually: "And I took up the cause against them, cursing them and giving blows to some of them and pulling out their hair."--Ne 13:21, Bible in Basic English.

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Police Brutality?: It's doubtful that former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge had the spirituality of Black men in mind when he brutalized and tortured them. For decades African American males arrested by Burge charged him and his "Midnight Crew" of detectives with abuse. All the while, "Burge denied that officers ever abused suspects in custody," says Courthouse News Service, "but evidence at a 2003 trial showed that he suffocated suspects with plastic bags, shocked them with electrical devices and put loaded guns to their heads."

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"I'm a white boy from the suburbs who has no idea what living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1970s felt like," writes Matt Kelley, the Online Communications Manager at the Innocence Project. But he acknowledges that Burge played a "role in torturing more than a hundred suspects, almost all of them black, and many of them completely innocent." In fact, Burge tortured "dozens of people into false confessions that sent them to prison for life." Anthony Holmes, 64, served 10 years after Burge electric-shocked and smothered him before he confessed to murder, and Mark Clements did 28 years after similarly being tortured. Both feel Burge, now serving 4.5 years in federal prison, got off light.

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Smoke Screen?: Locally, a Black officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) killed Reggie Doucet Jr., also Black. "Whenever officers use deadly force," explains LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck, "the LAPD's Force Investigation Division (FID) conducts an extensive and thorough investigation. Next, a Use of Force Review (UOFR) Board is convened ... The Board submits its findings and recommendations to me, the Chief of Police, and I review the case. I have to decide whether the force was within Department policy and the law, and present my findings and recommendations to the Board of Police Commissioners. The L.A. County District Attorney's Office independently investigates the use of force, as does the Inspector General (IG), which monitors the ongoing investigation and conducts its own independent review. Both are totally separate from the LAPD." But, regrettably, the LAPD has taken steps to hamper past IG investigations.

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"While both Mr. Doucet and the officer involved in this incident are African-American," notes Beck, "some have alleged race played a role." The Chief says this is unlikely. However, I caution him to eschew fallacious reasoning. You don't have to be White to promote racist causes on a national scale no more so than you have to be American to champion America's agenda on a global scale. The deeply entrenched grip of systemic, institutionalized racism can easily be the force behind the Black finger that squeezes the trigger of the gun that kills a Black suspect.

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And more often than not, city, county, state, and federal investigations are a matter of the fox guarding the hen house. Los Angeles, like Chicago and most other cities, largely defends officers' actions in court, especially during the current fiscal downturn. For example, though Burge, a 23-year veteran, was fired in 1993 because of abuse allegations, the City of Chicago backed him for years, consistently denying liability. This reality does not inspire public trust and confidence.

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Michael also charged police with misconduct. But he took courage in knowing that Jehovah warned wayward authority figures claiming to serve him: "Learn to do good; search for justice; set right the oppressor; render judgment." (Isa 1:17, New World Translation) Ultimately, good will prevail over evil. Peace and blessings to good cops, innocent Black men, and everyone ‘searching for justice.' Amen.