Tag Archives: terrorism

Protests and Prison

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The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Ironically, the paperback edition of the tenth anniversary publication of THE NEW JIM CROW: MASS INCARCERATION IN THE AGE OF COLORBLINDNESS by Michelle Alexander, was released on January 7, 2020. Now you must wait to get a copy on Amazon, as I type because it is temporarily out of stock; however, the eBook is available. Click here to order.

Doubt does not reside in my mind about hundreds of people going to prison because of their involvement in the current protests going on in America. Not for the protesting, per se, but because of related activities going on around the protest, by the thug element that always finds its way into such events as an opportunity to “Come Up” by looting and committing other crimes under the false pretension of seeking justice, retribution for an act committed.

As I wrote in my most recent blog, Protests Gone Viral, quoting from The Wall Street Journal, President Trump said he would designate Antifa as a terrorist organization.

The United States Department of Justice will prosecute under Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S. Code CHAPTER 113B—TERRORISM) and rely on the definition stated below for Domestic Terrorism to prosecute those labeled as members or accomplices (conspirators) of Antifa:

“(5) the term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—

“(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;

“(B) appear to be intended—

“(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

“(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

“(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

“(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States;”

[18 U.S.C. § 2331 (2)(5), Definitions]

The penalties are stated in 18 U.S. Code § 2332. Criminal penalties, and range from “not more than ten years” for some criminal acts included, and up to life for others, meaning until carried out in a box, since there is no parole in the federal system.

Many people who commit state crimes have no idea that the Feds may step in to use a multitude of laws to get jurisdiction to prosecute in federal court. Believe me, I met several who were in federal prison for crimes of that nature, especially drug cases and violent crimes that involved guns or money that crossed state lines.

The thousands of laws on the books in the States and Federal systems are the ammunition used to create Mass Incarceration in America, where thousands of others profit from the incarceration industry (read The Truth About Incarceration, Part II for more information related to that topic).

Even though an alarming number of those who find their way into jail cells are people of color, as Michelle Alexander wrote about in her book, prison systems across the United States mainly consist of poor people who cannot afford to fight their cases or who are given bad advice to enter a plea of guilty, and then live to regret it when that plea leads to more time in a jail cell than ever imagined.

Many protestors will fall into that category, not because of what they do, but because of what those around them do that erodes the effect of a worthy cause.

Protests Gone Viral by Wayne T. Dowdy

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Photo by Vital1na on Pexels.com

Racism lives and continues to thrive in America and around the world. Police brutality in Minneapolis, Minnesota that resulted in the death of an African-American man named, George Floyd, on May 25, 2020, sparked riots across the United States and caused disruptions around the world.

US cities assess protest damage, await another day of unrest by By TIM SULLIVAN and MATT SEDENSKY

Reading or watching news isn’t my favorite past time and it took all of the chaos going on in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia to draw my attention to what is going on in many American cities.

In researching for this blog, I read what one source stated that I know most people will not see the seriousness of one word used in the following statement “terrorist“:

“Officials moved to restore order. Governors called in the National Guard, mayors extended curfews for a third night in some cities and President Trump said he would designate Antifa as a terrorist organization.”  

The Wall Street Journal, Officials Look to Restore Order After Riots

Though I am not an attorney and do not intend this to be legal advice by any standard, I am of the opinion that under American law, terrorism and domestic terrorism carry strict penalties, and when coupled with conspiracy laws, the use of that one word, when tied into legal terminology few can comprehend, many people who are protesting and are in the group of those tied to the violent offenses, may be charged accomplices.

If you don’t believe me about the severe criminal penalties for terrorist-related crimes, read what the law states in 18 U.S. Code CHAPTER 113B—TERRORISM

Two of my former blogs also relate to conspiracy laws and how easy men and women may end up spending the rest of their lives in prison. The men I wrote about got lucky when former President Obama commuted their life sentences: https://straightfromthepen.com/2016/01/05/freedom-for-a-friend/ and https://straightfromthepen.com/2016/08/09/freedom-for-another-friend/

My hope is that the protests do result in needed changes to eliminate racism and police brutality in America and abroad. The reality is that the stereotyping will continue for decades more to follow, because there will always be those who refuse to move away from the past and see each person as they are, rather than by some external element beyond control.

The sad part for me is in knowing that innocent people always get caught in the crosshairs of anger and hate and suffer dire consequences for what others have done. In this case, that will include the innocent protesters who get labeled as terrorists and go to prison for the rest of their lives for only doing what they felt they must do to take a stand against injustice.

The False Narrative – Islam is to Blame by Abdul-Jalil Rashid Al-Imarah

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This blog post contains religious content. Paid content is as submitted, other than minor editorial changes. Straight from the Pen does not express any opinion on the subject matter or content or the validity of any statement or claim made, as the posted content is expressly that of the author.

by Abdul-Jalil Rashid Al-Imarah

The false narrative that exists which is circulated by the Zionist, Western, establishment and Anti-Islamic media is that Islam is an intolerant misogynistic religion that allows no debates and stifles the free exchange of ideas. In furtherance of continuing their perpetuation of this falsehood they allege that Islam does not allow the challenge to its doctrines or practices and cannot operate in an open honest playing field. This isn’t true. For the self-containing vices, they embody forces their want to blemish and launch their own characteristics as attacks on Islam. the West is the one feeling challenged and is suffering an identity crisis. Any Islamist would be willing to honestly debate their secular counterpart but such is never allowed by the ‘freedom-loving people’ because they view this as giving an opportunity to ‘spread hate’ or rather ‘infect’ others.

Yet it is the West that demonizes Islam, spends billions of dollars to misportray it or show it in an alternative light suitable to their objectives[1] and motives, have called for re-interpretation of its scriptures and practices and promoting or rather creating fake dissidents whom they could promote. If there was any television network that allowed any dialogue to be aired about political Islam, it would censor parts of such and only portray segments that fit a certain narrative. Islamists fully quote and refute opposing intellectuals, policymakers, and others and directly challenge the premise which they stand on while the other side manufactures stereotypes to combat and engage with, omitting facts and statements, promoting outright fabrications and never quoting from any Islamist themselves or Islamic texts.

Thus, we are hen only left with the claim that either Islam is an evil religion or a faith that has been ‘hi-jacked’ or ‘misinterpreted’ by ‘extremists’ and ‘fundamentalists.’ Yet they bring forth no proof to their claims. Islamists quote from Islamic scriptures and classical ‘orthodox’ scholars while the opposition (western critics of Islam) is ignorant and unwilling to do such. They do not present viable arguments or opinions from the texts all Muslims agree on, rather they bring their deviant, secularized, ‘modern’ scholars who themselves do not quote from what was mentioned. So, we are left with the ‘they hate our freedoms’ nonsense or ‘they simply want to kill all infidels’.

The clash of civilization is not so. One side is actually engaging its adversary directly while the other is fighting and engaging phantoms and figments of its own imagination. So where are the two civilizations clashing? The truth is that Islam wishes to be heard without censorship and give the listener an opportunity to make an informed choice. As there is ‘no compulsion in religion'(Qur’an 2:256). So, for this reason, Islam takes it upon itself to combat those hindering the free propagation of its faith or erecting obstacles in its path. Islam sees itself as freeing mankind from the servitude of others to that of God, Allah, the Divine. Islam stands for the upholding of justice and the removal of all types of tyranny and oppression. And it views the greatest oppression as shirk (polytheism; worshipping inanimate or animate creation; judging by or the creation of manmade legislation without due right).

Islam wishes the ability to uphold the sanctity of Muslims ‘ rights and honor and to defend them. The propagation of Islam is not like the violent exportation or imposition of ‘Democracy’. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) called to Islam for a period of 13 years in Makkah patiently, while his call was slandered, belied, and demonized. He and the Muslims then proceeded to migrate to Madinah which accepted the call of Islam.

And here lies the beginning of the origin of enmity and hatred shown by idolaters, secularists, and satanic forces against Islam. The Qur’an tells us that ‘they wish to extinguish Allah’s light with their mouths but Allah wills only perfect His light [Islam; Monotheism] however much the deniers of truth abhor it’.[9:32]. the polytheists of Makkah hated the idea of a Muslim state living in accordance with the principles of Islam. The fact that there existed people who had the audacity to willfully, consciously, and voluntarily forsake the ‘freedoms’ of immorality and promiscuity for chastity, who forsake the ‘freedoms’ of intoxicants for sobriety, who forsake interest-based capitalism for a non-usurious one, who forsake the ‘freedom’ to legislate or enact laws in accordance with the whims of the masses for Divine rule according to their religious scripture, this enraged them.

They felt that possibly others would also be ‘radicalized’, ‘brain-washed’, or ‘infected’. So to ‘protect’ the world from such, the forces of polytheism and idolatry descended upon Madinah the city lit by the divine light and it resulted in the decisive battle of Badr at which point the Muslims were victorious. They ignored the promise of Allah that stated that Islam would ‘prevail [ideologically, militarily, legislatively, and all other ways] over every other religion however much the idolaters hate this’. [9:33].

From Madinah, the Muslims continued calling to and propagating their faith at which point multitudes flocked to it. When emissaries or preachers of this faith were harmed or killed then the Muslim State of Madinah retaliated on their behalf and for the faith. When the Romans mobilized and began inching forward to destroy this call and new polity then Islam also mobilized its men to push back the possible coming onslaught. As time went by the Muslims continued to send emissaries and preachers to distant lands inviting to the faith. Those countries or tyrant rulers that blocked humanity from the opportunity to respond to this call or deliberately kept the people ignorant from it were fought.

Armies were mobilized to make sure this call was protected, to give strength to it, and pave the way for it, but never to impose it. It was for the freedom to deliver the message, the freedom to respond to this message, and freedom to live in accordance with this message that these battles were fought and every opposer and hinderer was hit in the head with the sword and left as garbage to be abhorred in the pages of history. For there were countries of shirk such as Roman territory and lands of Christendom that allowed this preaching to go on while even speaking against it or launching intellectual challenges due to their difference of religious inclinations yet history shows that they were not fought, instead there were peace treaties between them and the Muslims. Muslims even had tax-paying Christians within their own lands who preferred to live under the justice and Islamic system of government. They did not deny Islam its voice even if they made their ruckus, shouts, and another cacophony of sounds.

Now think about the situation that we are all faced today concerning the violent exportation of democracy. No one is ignorant of democracy today for the cold war seen to that. Yet despite all of the incitement, funding, and incentives promised by the US government and Western countries there are those who willingly reject democracy. So, in Egypt today you find traditionalists, Islamists, Marxists, and those calling for democracy. The same in turkey, Pakistan, and others. even in China! Yet it is not to safeguard democracy and to provide it voice[that they fight or go out for], for it is the loudest voice of all the many different types of political systems. Know that it is western hegemony and imperialism that is the true motive behind the false call of democracy.

They topple governments solely for being ‘undemocratic’ yet they have not taken on Communist China, Autocratic Russia, Monarchist Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Morocco. Why is that? Islam didn’t differentiate as to who it confronted in pursuit of its message. So the weak clans and polytheistic tribes of Arabia were fought with the same vehemence as the paganistic Roman empire, which Islam caused to weaken and collapse, and the Persian empire which is caused to be totally wiped from existence along with others, for its claim was sincerely held. So at the dawn of the Islamic Revival when the Soviets were defeated and IsraHell remained as the occupier and the West, after destroying the Islamic Caliphate(de facto; Ottoman not de jure), was demonizing Islam and interfering with Muslims attempt to abide by Islam in Algeria, Tunisia, and others seeking it by the mirage of democratic elections[what did they expect?].

And after the atrocities Muslims endured in Chechnya, Bosnia, Palestine, and others, doesn’t it make sense that the conclusion the Muslims would come to is that the West is enemy? Wouldn’t the logical conclusion be to go after the West for its defiling the sanctity of Muslims’ honor and blood and hindering Islam? So, what is the clash of civilizations that they speak of? Is it the US invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan? Or is it after Bush and Cheney said, ‘with us or against’ and then proceeded to label it a crusade? Is it their support of the Zionist entity? Or is it their ‘War on Terror’? Or is it recently begin when an Islamic state rose with Raqqah declared as its capital?

I’m an Islamist if that is the term I must be labeled. I consider myself a muwahid (which means a monotheist) and an orthodox Muslim yet if the term Salafi Jihadist fits better then that is what I am. As such, I oppose honor killings and say that it has no basis in Islam and is a deviant cultural practice that occurs at the hands of people in Muslim lands who are not firmly granted with a proper understanding of Islam. There are penal or capital punishments in Islam that must follow the procedures of Islamic law and executed by officials of an Islamic government. No father, brother, husband, or son has the exclusive right alone to kill their mother, daughter, sister, or wife.

I believe in stoning since it is a divinely legislated Islamic punishment and has been practice as a divinely related ordinance by all the previous Abrahamic prophets, and I have no qualms about it nor am I apologetic about it. Yet Islam grants each person due process in accordance with the statement of the prophet that ‘the burden of proof is upon the claimant and the swearing of an oath for the one who denies[the claim]’ and the Quranic injunction of 4 witnesses in cases of adultery/fornication. With that being the case I believe that the majority, if not all of the sensationalistic Western media frenzy on claims of stoning taking place in rural parts of Muslim lands whether Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Iraq, that these took place in opposition and not in conformity with Islamic law so they are thus not Islamic. Many are due to ignorant tribesmen or tribeswomen engaged in un-Islamic behavior that leads to vigilante like justice which Islam condemns. I also believe that some are outright fabrications and simply designed to shock the mind like any other tabloid type news and that the only modern-day proper stoning that ever took place within this century has occurred in the territory controlled by the Islamic State.

I am not misogynistic if the word is to mean that a man has full absolute rights over a woman or that he owns her in the matter of possession of the property and no Islamist I’ve met is a misogynist according to that meaning. Islam says that husbands and wives have rights over each other.

Another stereotype is that Islam or Islamists oppose female education. Every Islamist falls outside of that so-called norm, fully accepting the prophetic narration that ‘seeking knowledge is an obligation on each and every single Muslim male and female’ especially if this Islamist reads ‘Wahhabi’ books which cite this tradition of the Prophet(Peace be upon him) allot. Another claim is Islam enforces or imposes forced marriages. Such is far from the truth since the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has clearly stated that marriage is not valid without a bride’s consent, meaning it will be akin to rape, slavery, or trafficking, in other words, contrary to Islam. There is a verse in the Qur’an which explicitly states that a man cannot take a woman by force or inherit her against her will since the pre-Islamic Arabs upon the death of their fathers would also inherit the widows and such is also a Jewish practice mentioned in the Talmud.

Yet such lies and others are perpetrated by establishment elitist feminists who are demagogues or mouthpieces of Western Imperialism. They feign concern for Muslim women, yet what have they actually done to actually lift her plight besides denigrating and disparaging her prophet and noble religion of Islam?

Muslims do bad things that it not hard to admit. Some treat their children and wives in a horrible fashion, yet such is not reflective of the noble principles of Islam. That is reflective of those individual cultural values and lack of personal ethics.

In a sense, every Islamist is a feminist in the truest sense of the word since an Islamist is against using women as commodities, and against the visual imaginative depiction of a woman in the so-called art of pornography which is none other than a form of passive rape. [They are] against using them as commodities in the fashion industry which demeans the appearance of women and imposes a conformist culture which causes some women to starve themselves to fit a particular mold. [They are] against anti-female capitalism which exploits women for the purpose of using women to market products, lifestyles, and popular culture through music videos, magazines, and others. [They are] against the idea that a woman’s value is solely in her attractiveness and not her intellect or contributions she can make to society and the world at large.

So, what is this clash about? Is it one side defending the chastity and honor of women with the opposing side giving itself the right to enslave them or barter them as pawns for corporate interests? Is it one side advising her to preserve her virginity and chastity for a lifelong intimate relationship with one person who would, honor, love, and respect her while the other side is fighting to impose a ‘freedom’ that incites her to debase herself to catcalls, shattered reputations, broken hearts, manias, and the cycle of men she would succumb to? Is it not that one side wants a ‘market’ of ‘available’ women to date, fornicate with, and for her to be plastered on screens and magazines as an ornament or trinket?

 A clash of civilizations. If that is what the clash is about then surely the hedonistic side will surely implode on its own and would not ever be able to withstand a confrontation on an equal footing. Of course, that is not it for the talking points are obfuscated by one side that refuses to engage with the other. What sort of clash is it that is limited to one participant? For the West alone is the aggressor and the sleeping Muslims are only now awaking to realize and become aware of what is going on. So let it be known that the West is clashing with itself and while being held hostage within it as a casualty of this ‘clash’, I’m the victim of the ‘clash’ and for such views, I have been branded terrorist. Such is the false narrative the courts wish to present to the jurors in their cases against ‘terrorists’ and on the international scene to the global audience in support of its ‘War on Terror’. Such is the false narrative. But then again, I am a Muslim. No wonder they say, ‘Islam is to blame’.

1. Rand Corp has their suggestion of an American or reformed version of Islam which is called ‘Civil Democratic Islam’ which advises the government to promote one type of Islamic tradition over another and to use one sect against another and to give incentives to individuals that they vet. Rand Corp is an American think tank affiliated with the US government focusing on international affairs, counter-terrorism, and US policy and conducts analysis based on such.

By Abdul-Jalil Rashid Al-Imarah, written on the 2nd of December of in the year corresponding to 2018 C.E from the depths of the taghuti prison known as the US criminal justice system and pejoratively as LEVIATHAN.

LEVIATHAN – Giving Name to the Prison Industrial Complex

Politics, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

By Abdul-Jalil Rashid Al-Imarah (S. Baptiste)

Paid content is as submitted, other than minor editorial changes. Straight from the Pen does not express any opinion on the subject matter or content or the validity of any statement or claim made.

“The American Prison System has grown into a leviathan unmatched in human history. The financial costs entailed are staggering, and extent of human suffering endured boggles the mind.” [1]

We live in a complicated world. We are bombarded with questions as well as skepticism regarding our various stances on multiple issues. The world today as we know it is tremendously different than yesterday. It is the age of global activism and advocacy. Where international crisis constantly buzz across our news feed. Atrocities, mayhem, and scandals. A time of global unrest sparked by economic inequality, lack of social justice, climate change, imperial military interventions under the guise of humanitarian intent, terrorism, and civil wars. The new issues we are forced to address by way of them becoming prominent in the media such as #MeToo movement, LGBQT, immigration, genocide, Islamophobia and everything else in the motley menagerie of issues that the talking heads of punditry and demagoguery tells us are important, have multiplied.

Well I’m going to tackle two issues that are significant yet overlooked: Mass incarceration and immigration, sometimes focusing on one more than the other. Mass incarceration has a great and radical impact upon the immigration experience. In a way it even defines and shapes the narrative of such. Especially in a time when the head of the US executive branch is publicly branding the majority of immigrants from Latin American countries as ‘rapists, crooks, thieves, gang members, and murderers,’ and increasing the number of deportations, restrictions on visa criteria, and banning many Africans, Arabs, and South East Asians from Muslim majority nations from entering the US, it becomes of greater importance.

From those detained at the border, sweeps conducted by ICE, all the way to those facing deportation following their arrest, its impact is felt in many ways. The shambles and disarray which we call the ‘American Justice System’ continues to baffle people around the world.[2] Mass incarceration is a monster. A beast. It is more than a system or network of interconnecting policies and agencies. To avoid being overbroad and too general as well as not being too specific enough, we will personify ‘Mass Incarceration’ as simply one entity that we shall term ‘Leviathan’.

 How pervasive is all of this and how far do its tentacles reach? We shall start off by way of introduction to this matter by quoting one reform advocate, “The US has 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prison populations. Congress creates 50 crimes every year. That’s 500 things that were legal a decade ago that are now felonies. It’s no wonder the prisons are full.” [3]

People hailing from countries with progressive policies governing their criminal justice system such as Sweden, Norway, the U.K, Germany and others are appalled by the length and conditions of sentences that prisoners in America are subjected to. [4] Even countries from the so-called third world scratch their heads at things which the US government criminalizes. As one reform advocate noted ‘… The rest of the world looks at us and shakes its collective head, especially our European allies.” [5] 

Many people have begun to grow vocal about prison reform and the plight of prisoners. This is from judges, lawyers, social scientists, legislators, law students, civil liberty groups, all the way up to the president. So, what equips me or makes me fit to discuss this complex and great issue? Firsthand experience. As a first-generation child of immigrants from Haiti, an Islamist activist, political prisoner, a victim and one of the living casualty of Leviathan. Though I am relying on basically the same data used and available to others who speak on this matter, I am bringing to the equation and table a fact which sets me apart; the passion and zeal that only a prisoner can bring.

Crime is basically a violation of enacted laws. Yet manmade laws are fluid and so they constantly change. [6] Laws are what make criminals; the criminalization of acts or activities thus becomes the origin of all criminals. This may seem like circular logic but bear with me and keep reading to see the basis for this claim and others. An example of this is how the FDA treats some controlled substances. Some medicines used in other countries are banned and considered harmful and illegal as controlled substances.[7] Criminal cases stemming from this are not uncommon. Things like counter the narrative of the ‘American Dream’. 

People come to this country for opportunities, yet they have no idea that the monster Leviathan exists until confronted. Individuals are deported for mere traffic violations. Since police are the enforcers of law and have arrest powers, whenever they act within their wide latitude of their discretion into what we know as racial profiling, this has a negative impact on those minority immigrant populations. When a wave of unrest is fomented by arcane laws and incomprehensible legal technicalities you will have law abiding aliens panic about the possibility of their status being revoked or being caught up in a sweep. Many immigrants know of a person who has been deported or ordered removed. Or they have heard of a family or individual within their own ethnic group who have been affected by such.[8]

ICE agents are conducting sweeps and raids like Nazi Germany or Soviet Gestapo’s herding off people to concentration camps. And we shouldn’t be naive and think that that there are not similarities between then and now regardless of the obvious difference in the age we live in from those previous time periods. We’ve learned nothing at all from the war detention of Japanese Americans. During World War II Asians in general and specifically Japanese who were living their lives as law abiding citizens were rounded up and taken to internment camps. Executive order no. 9066 gave the authority that was affirmed by the United States Supreme Court that ‘Japs’ couldn’t be trusted and had to be ‘dealt with’ [9- German/media]

That is an irremovable stain from US history. Since that particular episode, the US government has classified and further detained more American citizens as ‘enemy combatants’ in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba via its executive branch. In illegal maneuvering, it has conducted extra judicial killings of American citizens overseas by way of armed militarized drones in the way and manner dealt to American citizen and popular Muslim cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki in Yemen and countless other Americans in Syria. The psyche of the nation or at least the mentality of its leaders and policy makers has not shifted nor pivoted away from such.

For following the attack on Pearl Harbor, many Japanese Americans were locked up without due process. In the same, more than half a century later Arab Americans, Middle Easterners, Muslims, and Southeast Asians were rounded up after September 11th (9/11). [10] A country that prides itself on being open and free has twice initiated Nazi Gestapo tactics as if it were dispatching SS squads to round up those whom it finds disagreeable in an ideological and racist manner.

“…there are millions of lives being destroyed or distorted because we haven’t fully thought through our process”- Obama [11]

“We already know that the massive waste of life in our prisons is morally troubling’- Kwame Anthony Appiah [12]

The incarcerated (or victims of Leviathan as I prefer) are left broken, chained, and tethered to their fate, which is captivity and detention. Yet in such circumstances there are those who are resilient and use whatever means at their disposal to undermine the titan by which they have been ensnared. From advocacy and raising awareness of discriminatory and repressive policies and laws, highlighting, and spreading word about the reality of incarceration as well as the conditions of prison. These are examples of ways in which the incarcerated resist the system that holds them in captivity. And by way of the same is the intent of this essay. Taking advantage of the impotent reprieve known as the grievance procedure or otherwise ‘Administrative remedies’, along with others, the most constant form of resistance is never giving up or accepting their condition with a sense of resignation or fatalism.

The incarcerated have joined the national dialogue termed ‘prison reformation’ as the most committed advocates. Yet the fact that they have become participants does not mean that they will be effective nor are they guaranteed an audience, as censorship is rife behind the steel heavy bars and concrete wall. Christopher Zoukis and Imam Jamal AL Amin are among whose voices have been heard above the dull crescendo, and they have become prominent yet still remain as constant victims of censorship.

A liberated world would first and foremost mean the complete and final eradication of Leviathan, at least ideally. It would not be some fantastic utopia nor anarchy and chaos. Rather a balance between the two is sought. Human beings will continue to behave recklessly, and some will always seek to trample the rights of others through some sort of transgression. So, there must always exist means to combat these tendencies and behaviors. Whenever crime exists in society there must always be sufficient and just deterrence and punishment. [13]

Alternatives to prisons should seriously be considered for most non-violent offenses and even violent offenses if committed by those suffering from mental illnesses and juveniles who are not yet adults. Within the 94 federal judicial districts there are only 22 alternatives to incarceration programs. [14] Funding should be diverted from other ineffective government programs to fund and create more of these programs. An increase of funding and reform of in-place re-entry program is needed. Pell grants should be restored to prisoners so they can overcome the ignorance of their criminality and open more avenues that will not include a path to crime by being qualified for better jobs and/or careers. Incentives to prosecutors that reward conviction rates and the length of sentences they seek as well as the incentives to judges who are rewarded for the lengthy sentences imposed in the climate of ‘tough on crime’ politics should be eliminated.

I could see a world where applicants for a job would be free to discuss their criminal history during the job interview without fear of automatic disqualification. A world where people will not be in jail for the sole reason of poverty. [15] A world where correctional departments do not shackle pregnant women. A world where after paying their debt to society a prisoner can easily tread up and down the pathway to success. But we are a long way from there. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles. Lack of training, along with the wrong incentives, make probation departments a tool for recidivism and not for re-integration into society. Ex-prisoners are confronted with the reality of their second-class citizen status each and every time that they fill out a job application that immediately places them into one of two categories, those with a prison history and those without,  [16] before they are even considered for the job. A study published by the Prison Policy Initiative has noted that the ex-prisoner rate of unemployment is “higher than the total US unemployment rate during any historical period, including the Great Depression”. [17] The study agrees with the findings that I’ve previously mentioned that ‘formerly incarcerated people want to work, but face structural barriers to securing employment.” “This perpetual labor market punishment creates a counter-productive system of release and poverty, hurting everyone involved: employers, the taxpayers, and certainly formerly incarcerated people looking to break the cycle.” [18]

A proper ‘Justice’ system would truly have a semblance of justice and enable a smooth transition for prisoners into society. This does not mean that Leviathan remains an unchallenged dragon that no valiant knights have confronted. Nay, there many pioneers from private citizens to organizations who attempt to tackle or ease the harmful effects of mass incarceration, but unless this beast is slayed or methodically euthanized it will only continue to spell trouble for millions of people who are victims. 

There exists a parasitic trickle-down pyramid scheme erected for a minority composed of  indifferent legislators, police unions, bail bondsmen, bounty hunters, lawyers (prosecutors and some defense attorneys), judges, probation officers, correctional guards and their unions – who benefit at the expense of the lives of prisoners, their families, and society at large. I don’t doubt that some may be skeptics and doubt just how bad the current makeup of the justice system is, so I will break down some statistics.

Citing one expert familiar with the data: ‘America’s sentences of imprisonment on average are five to ten times longer than those of France, and much longer than those of Germany…. [I]imprisonment has become the moral mode of dealing with crime in America”. [19] The following statistics were selected from public records of California:

*Nearly 70% of female inmates are non-violent offenders

*2/3 are convicted for property or drug related offenses.

*Over 1/2 of males convicted for violent offenses while only 30% of women convicted for the same.

*4/10 [female] inmates were physically or sexually abused before 18

* Approximately 67% of incarcerated women [there] are mothers, most are single parents and primary caregivers.

* [CA] has about 10,000 female inmates – more than other state

* Incarceration rate for female offenders has doubled over last 20 years.

I’ve chosen to highlight data coming out of California for the following reason: 1) It is one of the top 3 states with the largest prison population and highest incarceration rate [20];  2) People often assume that only conservative states or those run by Republicans are the main perpetrators of mass incarceration, 3) Data regarding female offenders was more easily available.

Now take a hard look at the above. Contemplate and ponder how this is perpetuated on a larger level when it comes to the whole prison population including state and federal. How many women (and parents in general) are taken from their children? How many children are themselves led to criminal behavior due to the trauma exacted upon them from having their parent taken away? How many of these children of prisoners are forced into foster homes, while being placed in one increases the likelihood that a person will turn to crime later in life? Americans need to rethink their institutions. The public have been told that there is an ‘Opioid Crisis’ in America.  The so-called ‘War on drugs’ continues despite findings from researchers and independent reporters and mainstream media such as NPR that the people most affected by it are drug users, children, and other relatives. Yet we still see mass incarceration being perpetuated and continue. 

Is Leviathan a beast that is never satisfied and its jaws like an abyss from which there is no way out? Has it become so powerful that there is a real fear of speaking against it? In the textbooks of schools and even university courses focusing on criminal justice, there is no serious thought given to combating mass incarceration. The data is out, yet we talk only about the effects and not the causes. Foolish would be a field of medicine where the doctors discuss only the symptoms of disease, and not its treatment or cure. Suffice to mention its effect on immigrants and minority population is to know that over 60% of prisoners are black or Hispanic (due to census categories this include foreigners from other countries with no slot listed to check). The DOJ has publicly stated that BOP is 38% over-crowded. So there exists not only mass incarceration but over-incarceration as well.

Things are simply messed up and to fix it we must first realize this. As Helen Keller said: “I had once believed that we were all masters of our fate- that we could mold our lives into any form we pleased… and I supposed that everyone could come out victorious if he threw himself valiantly into life’s struggle. But as I went more about the country, I learned that I had spoken with assurance on a subject I knew little about. I learned that the power to rise in the world is not within the reach of everyone.”[21]

Footnotes: 1.Glenn C. Loury & Bruce Western ‘The Challenge of Mass Incarceration in America’ in Daedalus: Journal of the academy of Arts and Science (Summer 2010) 2.-‘ The rest of the world looks at us and shakes its collective head especially our European allies.” John Kirakou 3.- John Kiriakou 4. For the same crimes American are incarcerated 2x long as English prisoners, 3x as long as Canadians, 4x as Dutch, 10x as French and 5x as Swedish prisoners. 5. Quote by John Kiriakou. ‘China is an authoritarian nation with 3x the population of the US yet the U.S still incarcerate more than it. The national incarceration rate of the US is 737 per 100,000 is more than Russia’s 581 per 100,000[and] much higher than those of peer nations with democratic, market-based economies such countries incarcerate between 36 and 196 per 100,000.”- Nicola Lacey ‘American Imprisonment in Comparative Perspective’ in Daedalus Sumer 2010 6. In the era of Prohibition alcohol was banned in the US and declared illegal yet before that period of ‘Prohibition’ and afterwards it was considered licit. This is similar to what is going on with the new pressing issue today to determine if Marijuana (Cannabis) should be a licit drug or not. This is the utter confusion and inconsistency which these laws and system leave the civilian while also baffling its enactors. 7. There was an incident with a man from the Republic of Georgia who came to the US (specifically Miami, FL) for vacation. As he was in Customs, his luggage was being inspected, he was then arrested for possession and ‘trafficking’ of controlled substances. His thyroid medication wasn’t FDA approved and with the quantity he had with him he was charged and arrested for trafficking. 8. ” If the banishment of an alien from a country in which he has been invited, as the asylum most auspicious to his happiness- a country where he may have formed the most tender connexons, where he may have vested his entire property, and acquired property of the real and permanent, as well as the movable and temporary kind; where he enjoys  under the laws a greater share of the blessings of personal security and personal liberty than he can elsewhere hope for [;]… if a banishment of this sort be not a punishment, and among the severest of punishments, it will be difficult to imagine a term to which that name can be applied.’ -James Madison inveighing against Aliens and Sedition Acts.  In ‘Letters and other writings of James Madison’ (Cornell University 2009). The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1778 curtailed many rights that people enjoyed. Woodrow Wilson and Congress something similar in 1918 called the Sedition Act and it has been described as the most serious attack on American civil liberties since 1178 Act which was short lived.  9. Whenever America is at war it demonizes its enemies along with those who look or resemble them in appearance thought, religion, or philosophy. This was done with Native Americans, Japanese Americans, German Americans, Communist, and Muslims. From both World wars, the Cold War until Post 9/11 which we are now in. This is done through their policies implemented at airports, immigration, policing, and the media. Woodrow Wilson and the DOJ allowed what was called the Creel Committee on Public information to publish ads or wanted posters for ‘German spies’. Its perpetuated mass suspicion and employed citizens to report on the activities of their neighbors. Public distrust was at an all-time high. In 1920 President Wilson vetoed a bill that would have abolished the Espionage Act of June 1917 and the 1918 Seditions Act. 10. Policy guides and direct everything that contributes to mass incarceration. As we can see today under the Trump administration where his anti-where policies have caused the arrest of legal and undocumented immigrants to skyrocket. After Bush enacted the PATRIOT ACT the same happened; there was an increase of Muslims and Middle Easterners who were arrested and/or had immigration removal proceeding initiated against them. 11. Michael Scherer Dec 19, 2012 Times 2012 person of the year. 12. The Washington Post, ‘What will future generations condemn us for?’ Sep. 26, 2010 13. Before the American Revolution, colonial courts fashioned sentences with three basic purposes in mind: to punish the offender for his crime, thereby satisfying society’s desire for retribution to deter others from committing the same crime by demonstrating its disadvantageous consequences; and to incapacitate the wrongdoer, so as to protect society from further criminal activity. -United States v. Scroggins 880 F.2d L204, 1206 (11th Cir. 1989). In the 1800’s, penological experts became “dissatisfied with the failure of prisons to rehabilitate inmates,” and rehabilitation became a fourth basis of sentencing. yet America’s system has failed at that objective in a very drastic way. See also Arthur W. Campbell, ‘The Law of Sentencing (2009) 14. Many counties, and states have begun to see the benefit of alternative to prison programs, sadly though the ‘benefits’ they consider is only in regard to taxpayers’ money. Earlier in 2018 the Brennan Center released a criminal justice agenda which offers option for reforming local prosecutors’ incentives. Jan. 2017 Ohio launched T-CAP (Targeted Community Alternative to Prison), under it the state/county pays penalty for every person sent to prison for certain low class felonies and it forces them to reprioritize whom they lock up. Illinois implemented ARI (Adult Redeploy Illinois) in 2009 which works though grants to counties so that they can develop alternatives to incarceration, problem solving courts, enhanced probation, and other alternatives. Such a program on a larger scale can only hope to succeed and a reformed criminal justice system would prioritize programs like this over incarceration. 15. “Liberty is precious to Americans and any deprivation must be scrutinized. To protect public safety and ensure that those accused of a crime will appear at trial, persons charged with breaking the law may be detained before their guilt or innocence can be adjudicated, but that detention must not extend beyond its justifications. Many who are arrested cannot afford a bail bond and remain in jail awaiting a hearing. Though presumed innocent, they lose their jobs and families, and are more likely to re-offend. And if all of this weren’t bad enough, taxpayers must shoulder the cost-a staggering, $1 billion per year.” – The Honorable Nathan L. Hecht, Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, remarks delivered to the 85th Texas legislature, Feb. 1, 2017. There is a joint lawsuit against Harris County by former inmates alleging that it deprived them, and others similarly situated, of due process and detaining them because of their inability to pay a secured money bond. A 22-year-old single parent was arrested for driving without a valid license.  She had a $2,500 bond which she was not able to pay. She struggled to meet the basic necessities of life and was a recipient the federal welfare program WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) to feed her daughter and lived with a friend because she couldn’t afford housing. She was working a stable job that she held for 7 days at the time. She was released after 3 days due to assistance by a generous individual who heard of her situation. Another 22-year-old pregnant and single woman in worst circumstances who had a child with Down’s syndrome spent 4 days due to her inability to pay a bond. This is the reason that many advocates are demanding a removal of cash bond which the state of California has become one of the first to do so. The aforementioned case is Maranda Lynn O’Donnell V. Harris County (Texas) April 28, 2017. Hostages of Leviathan who are held for ransom, basically. 16. One with a criminal history and one without. Human Rights Defense Center has said that incarceration status should be on list of protected classes when it comes to discrimination such as Race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, and disability. 17. PPI Study released July 2018 title ‘Out of prison & out of work’, which finds that ‘27% of an estimated 5 million ex-offenders are unemployed or around 1,350,000 compared to national unemployment rate of 4%. 18.Ibid 19. Joshua Kleinfeild, The Concept of Evil in German and American Criminal Punishment http//ssrn.com/author+151440 19. (Working paper Sep.9,2010) 20. They included Florida, Texas, and California. Largest incarceration rate and prison population. 21. Helen Keller [Midstream: My Later Life (New York; Greenwood, 1968 (1929) p.156]

Author Bio: My name is Abdul-Jalil Rashid Al-Imarah (S. Baptiste) and I am a political prisoner unjustly being held in an American prison due to political and religious views. I am an Islamist, Poet, and writer. I also enjoy engaging discussions about social justice, Shari’ah, and political science. I’m an avid reader and can be reached at: Samuel Baptiste #09681-104, FDC Miami, PO BOX 019120,  Miami, FL 33101

Out of Many

2017, Current Affairs, Spirituality, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

human genome for WDowdyby Wayne T. Dowdy

When we unite we become stronger, more intelligent, and our chance of survival as a species increases because of unity.  Now with the Internet, billions of us are connected and can share intelligence and a collective conscious.

In social settings, if we focus on what we have in common, it helps us to feel “a part of” that society or group.  If we focus on our differences, we will often feel, well, different, as if we don’t belong and are out of place.

Likeness attracts; the Law of Attraction comes into play to create communities of like-minded people.  Does Evolutionary Biology possibly contain the answer to our survival as a species?  Maybe so.  We’ll see.  A cell biologist provides a lot of food for thought, positive thought.

In A Spiritual Journey (April 1, 2015), I showed how the human body (the way our blood cells work inside of us to provide and fight for life), provided evidence of Divine Creation, and how I believed the theory of evolution and intelligent design coexisted.  This blog follows a similar line of thinking:  The gist of it is that “we” are all part of the human organism.

My aspiring, psychologist-in-the-making friend, Dr. K., shares his books and magazines with me.  He loaned me his Spirituality & Health magazine.  I read something meaningful to share with you that coincides with the sense of Oneness belief system.  One caption read, “We see a human as a single living organism.  In truth, a human is an integrated community of around 50 trillion amoebalike cells.”  Bruce H. Lipton, PhD.  “Why & How to Let Go of Fear,” Spirituality & Health, September/October 2017 ($24.95 per year).

More quotes from the article will be revealed!

According to his brief biography in the magazine, Dr. Lipton is a cell biologist and lecturer who received the prestigious Goi Peace Award (Japan) in 2009 in honor of his scientific contribution to world harmony.  He is the best selling-author of THE BIOLOGY OF BELIEF and THE HONEYMOON EFFECT, and is the coauthor with Steve Bhaerman of SPONTANEOUS EVOLUTION.

Dr. Lipton explains the evolutionary process in comparison to bacterium and its surface area representing its “awareness capacity” and its need to grow to become more aware.  Bacterium receives information from the cell membrane (outer layer of cell-skin) about its environment; it communicates with other bacterium through chemical substances and vibrations, and then joins other bacterium to increase its chance of survival.

Those bacteria joins other bacteria to form a bacteria colony, a community (bacterial films) and becomes larger and more aware of its environment.

THE BIRTH OF AMOEBA:  Bacteria communities become specialized and integrated and continue to multiply to create more surface area; it becomes another living organism–an amoeba with more “consciousness” and an increased ability to communicate and thus increase its chance of survival.

“While the amoeba is recognized as a single cell, in truth it is a modified version of bacterial community.  For the next million or so years, the amoeba was able to continually expand its cell membrane surface area [the skin of the cell used to communicate] to an extent that an amoeba’s awareness is 1,000 times greater than that of a single bacterium.”

Amoebas then multiplied to create an even larger organism with an ability to communicate information collected with its sense of awareness.

“All the visible plants and animals are actually integrated communities of amoeba-like cells.  For example, we see a human as a single living organism.  In truth, a human is an integrated community of around 50 trillion amoebalike cells.”

If you view a human brain, you’d notice its furrows and ridges (folds).  The human organism created “folds” to add more surface area to increase its awareness, consciousness.  The skull limited its capacity for awareness, so then humans experienced another “[e]volutionary jump, … the Internet, a nervous system that can connect 7-8 billion human ‘cells’ into one giant community with shared awareness.

***

“The next leap of human civilization will be the realization of the United States’ logo:  E pluribus unum, ‘out of many, one.’  We are all in this together; we are all cells in the body of an evolving humanity.”

UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL:  Our beliefs and values may unite or divide us; whether based on racial or cultural differences or similarities, religion, politics, fears, sexual preference or identity, and a whole array of other reasons.

How do we keep from falling?  Join hands and accept each other so we can work together to survive this thing we call life.  If each of us represents a “cell” of the humanity organism, those who damage and injure others are the cancers of society, driven by hate and indifference.

This quote comes from a sidebar in Dr. Lipton’s article:

“The Don’ts & Dos of Evolution Because You Are An Energy Field …

“Don’t try to change other people.

If you go in to change negative energy with your positive energy, it’s called destructive interference.  You lose your energy, they lose their energy, and nobody gains anything in the process.

“Do:  Focus on yourself and finding like-minded people to create a community in which all your energies are enhanced.

“Don’t try to change the system.

If you charge in with your wonderful energy to try to change it, your energy will be canceled. You’ll come out with your tail between your legs, asking, What the hell was that all about?

“Do:  Put your energy into constructing a new system.  If you build a better system, people in the old one will gravitate to the new one.

“Don’t spend your life protesting.

Your life is energy.  Too much protesting will cost you your life, because the system is not going to feed the energy you need for your protests.

“Do:  Find out who’s protesting with you.  Gather them together and step out of the system.  Use your energy for construction rather than destruction, and find other compatible communities.  That’s constructive interference, when energies come together and multiply each other.

“Don’t become frightened or angry or burned out.

These responses create walls that block your evolution and everyone else’s.

“Do:  Create the best and healthiest and happiest experience for yourself–and share it with the community.”

END QUOTE.  MY TAKE:  The above seems simple.  My experience shows it is not.  I somewhat agree with all he says and hope to become a more “positive energy” field than I am.

DON’T TRY TO CHANGE OTHER PEOPLE:  I know I cannot change other people.  That doesn’t stop me from trying on occasion; however, my determination and tolerance level has lessened over the years after sponsoring/mentoring numerous people whom I learned to give the right to be wrong.  I realized that no matter what happened because of my sponsorship, good or bad, the result was between them and the God of their understanding.

DON’T TRY TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM:  I am determined that “we” can change the system, perhaps by doing as he wrote (by forming a better one to attract others).  The question is HOW do we accomplish that goal?

I must start with the only one I can change, myself.  Then maybe work on creating a larger community others will join to be with other like-minded people.  Maybe my change will come through an example set by someone else.  Maybe my part will only be putting like-minded people together to begin the process; it may be some of you who reads this blog.  We’ll see.

DON’T SPEND YOUR LIFE PROTESTING:  I don’t and won’t do that, as I prefer to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.  I will voice my opinion on issues, whether the issue is viewed from a negative or positive perspective, I try to put a positive spin on grim or negative topics.  Sometimes I fail.  🙁

But I will protest to release a good rant about unjust persons, situations, principles or processes.  I get it out to let it go until I allow some other event to trigger another reaction.

Perhaps silence is golden if the noisemaker chooses to spew negativity:  that even applies when the noise is in the mind.  Silence prevents the spread of negativity.

Let your actions shout by practicing love and acceptance of others.

Why not work together to build a better community that attracts others?

LIKE-MINDED ATTRACTION:  A wonderful example of like-mindedness attracting others manifested itself during Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in the United States.

A radio commentator shared about a group of people using a boat to search the flooded area of Houston, Texas to rescue dogs and other animals suffering in the flood.

The rescuers noticed a woman in need.  When they made it to her, they discovered she had rescued 21-dogs before they arrived to rescue her.  🙂

DON’T BECOME FRIGHTENED OR ANGRY OR BURNED OUT:  World events can create fear and anger, like those going on with North Korea (testing rockets with nuclear capabilities, then testing a hydrogen bomb four-to-five times more powerful than those used by the United States against Japan); the terrorist attacks in the Middle East and Europe, and in the United States and other parts of the world.

In reference to a possible nuclear attack, in 1983, a college professor once told those of us in his class that one thing the Super Powers know is that neither will ever push that button because they know it will annihilate mankind.  The threat of war allows governments to keep the people subservient to them for protection from the “evil empire.”

FAITH:  The opposite of fear is faith, so if I have faith and accept that whatever happens is working according to God’s will, then I can relax and not worry about a possible event I cannot control.

My belief is that we are spirits having a human experience.  As such, our spirits will live on regardless of what happens to the body because of world or personal events.  I continue to persist at building a better life regardless of the circumstances.

I may give out but I won’t give up; however, I don’t see me giving out (mentally, spiritually, or emotionally) until I breathe my last breath, and then my spirit will survive to push the agenda.  Even though I may be short on breath, I shall continue to do the things needed to build a better life.  I am passionate about what I do.

May the day come that each of us will unite to improve life and to make it sustainable for generations to come.  Our children are counting on us, as we are counting on our children and each other.  Our survival as a species depends on it.

______________________________

Wayne T. Dowdy writes at straightfromthepen.com.  Purchase his environmental-friendly eBooks at Smashwords.com.  Check out “Life is an Anvil” and “The Search for Enlightenment” while there, both of which are included in ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN (eBook $2.99, paperback $8.95, USD).