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July 16-22, 2008
™ Vol. 13 Issue 24
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USA Self-Delusion
Should God bless or damn (ugly) America? BUD JOHNSON
African-American News&Issues
Racists Devalue Justice See page 2
A prisoner’s view: Criminal Justice System riddled with failure John Cousin
Freelance Writer
ANGOLA, LA- The suicide committed last year by Jerrod Peterson brought shock and sorrow to his family and friends as it reignited legal and moral outrage at yet, another example of the inherent failures within Louisiana’s Criminal Justice system. Peterson’s death by a self-inflicted gunshot wound came on the heels of his written confession to numerous suspected crimes perpetuated by him. This confession is eye-opening as it implicates Judge Edward A. Dufresne, Jr. as a co-conspirator. As the Director of Support Staff for the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, handling many parishes’ legal interests in the state, Peterson used his office to deny pro se (self-represented without aid of an attorney) defendants the right to an appeal. Under the constitutions of both the U.S. and the State of Louisiana, the right to an appeal is a fundamental due process right. Without this protection our freedom may be taken from us by the criminal court at any time, leaving no avenue to prove innocence or to seek redress. It is here that the See JUSTICE SYSTEM page 3
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Quote of the Week ““Reconciliation, the years have taught me, is where the hardest work is found. It requires “critical thinking and reexamination of faulty assumptions.” -Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Is freedom a virtue or a vice? That question goes to the heart of some of the past century’s most violent conflicts. And it seems to be driving much of the criticism against the US today. But as it is described in the quintessential work on freedom – the US Declaration of Independence – liberty is worthy of the entire world’s admiration. Essentially, the signers declared: We believe that it is true beyond any doubt that every human enters the world with the right to live and with the freedom to pursue happiness. But since it’s a jungle out there, few people are actually able to enjoy these freedoms. The sole purpose of the people-elected government is to protect these basic rights. Detractors argue that this government-protected liberty licenses a lust for the kind of greed responsible for much of the world’s misery. To satisfy this lust, they say, Americans, or their proxies, kill, steal, and destroy other cultures – and then justify this behavior on the basis of “freedom.” The foregoing text excerpted from a retired history teacher’s July 3 article (Freedom is self correcting), should give a wide diversity of patriots, indigenous to the land of the free, cause to pause and ponder whether, or not, one has to be self delusional to celebrate this great nation’s 232nd Independence Day in the spirit of truth. Then again, one would be remiss not to note that it’s only in America that the Black perspectives of African-American News&Issues’ can be published without fear of dire consequences. Freedom of expression notwithstanding, one is free to embrace the pro and cons of a democratic system of government that obviously believe that Sen. Barack Obama (who happens to be Black) is “A Change We Can Believe In,” while at the same time question his patriotism. For sure, when one listens Johnny Lee Mitchell (aka “Popooh”) was born during a magical era for descendants of slaves. History records that Black men who had been emboldened by fighting in World War II introduced “a new Negro,” when they began to demand more respect, and appreciation for their people’s contributions that helped make America great. However, as the great orator Fredrick Douglass had said years before the Harlem Renaissance, “Power is not conceded without a struggle.” And the struggle, indeed, was manifested in 1921 America on May 31-June 1, when a violent race riot destroyed a thriving African American neighborhood and business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the bloodiest riots in the nation’s history 21 Whites and 60 Blacks were casualties of that unforgettable racial war. Yet, history also records that a wave of White backlash in the south was responsible for 59 lynchings in 1921 alone. That caused an outcry from Black activists led by Ida D. Wells which led to Congressional leg-
Rev. Jeremiah Wright said the right thing at the wrong time.
intently to Black Christians (wont to believe that “God has his hand on Obama,” who will heal this sin, sick nation), one has to conclude that they unwittingly lean toward the philosophy that Pres. George W. Bush espoused, “My fellow citizens, we now move forward, with confidence and faith. Our nation is strong and steadfast. The cause we serve is right, because it is the cause of all mankind. The momentum of freedom in our world is unmistakable -- and it is not carried forward by our power alone. “We can trust in that greater power who guides the unfolding of the years. And in all that is to come, we can know that His purposes are just and true. May God continue to bless America.” Yet, the same confused citizens of godly consciousness shouted amen, loud and clear when Rev. Jeremiah Wright pontificated: “We bombed Hiroshima, we
Johnny Lee Mitchell
September 30, 1924 - July 19 2007
islation. Thus, the lynchings continued to bedevil made in America African’s males throughout the Deep South. In fact, 16 Black men were lynched when Johnny Lee was born to Roddie Henry and Carie Lou Shelman Mitchell, on September 30, 1924. Meanwhile, Johnny Lee began his long and productive life that was celebrated on July 22, 2007 at Gethsemane MBC, 8775 Flagship, with Pastor Dennis Carl Jones officiating an order of service that in-
bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye. We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and Black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost. The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ “No, no, no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.” Keep hope alive aside, this is a pivotal moment in America’s political history that could well determine cluded: Rev. Charles Monette, Roland Thompson, Bobby Arnold, Kay Johnson, Joan Coleman Bass, Kavon Bourgeois Rev. Henry Carey and Voices of Gethsemane. Active pallbearers were: Rev. Michael Currie, Bobby Arnold, Chase Arnold, Reginald Lacy, Virgil Moore and Juan Parker. Relatives and friends were listed as honorary pallbearers for “Popooh”, who accepted Christ at an early age and grew up in Saint Luke MBC and later united with Gethsemane BC. He attended Houston Independent School District’s public schools and graduated from Phyllis Wheatley High School. After graduation, he went into the United States Army and served in World War II, as a Staff Sergeant in the 92nd Division for three years. After his military service, he returned to Houston, attended Erma Hughes Business College and went on to be employed by B. J. Hughes for 39 years. He united in holy matrimony January 18, 1947 to Lida Lee Holcombe and to this holy union, three children were born: Phillip No-
whether God, indeed, should bless or damn America. Thus, as Black America’s strongest editorial voice we would be remiss not to suggest that we should reflect on the wisdom of Gary Watts, the retired history teacher who concluded: “Judging how our basic principles have served us and affected the world depends on the scale of measure. While other societies are usually evaluated on their progress from whence they began, too often the United States is judged on how far it has to go to attain perfection. “What rubs those that argue the perils of individual freedom the wrong way isn’t just what the US unfairly takes from other societies, it’s what we force on others – our ways. Profitmakers peddle Barbie dolls, iPods, cellphones, DVDs, computers, and other materialistic items too numerous to count in See SELF-DELUSION page 3
lan Mitchell, Mychael A Mitchell and Patricia Y. Templeton. Johnny is preceded in death by his eldest son, parents and brothers: Richard, Theodore, Roddie Jr., Gerald, Luther and Clarence Mitchell; and sisters: Birdola Jones and R. Marie Monette. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 60 years, son, Mychael (Connie); daughter, Patricia (Steven); daughter-in-law, Georgette Mitchell; one sister Mary Alice Pruitt (Rathel); seven granddaughters - Dr. Phylette Willis (Dr. Maurice), Robin Mitchell, Christina Taylor (David), Sheila Hurley, Natasha Wells (Edward), Danielle Clayborne (Jaz) and Kristen Currie (his best friend and apple of his eye); five great grandsons: Matthew Dawson Taylor, Maurice Phillip Willis, Dylan Mychael Taylor, Mitchell Nicholas Willis and Jaz Dwayne Clayborne; one great granddaughter -Chloe Marie Taylor; sister-in-Iaws, Carolyn Bass Lacy and Joan Coleman Bass; one brother-in-law, Charles Jerome Bass, and a host of other relatives and friends. TX-1