For nearly two months, oil from an explosion on April 22, at British Petroleum’s deepwater rig has been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate estimated to be as high as 200, 000 gallons a day. In the meantime, there have been the usual finger-pointing as the CEO of BP has been brought before members of Congress and sharply criticized by Legislators for not doing enough to contain the spill and possibly underestimating the amount of oil being lost, the serious damage to the environment and marine life, as well as the economic impact on the Gulf Coast region. This just might be President Obama’s “Waterloo” and certainly not his finest hour because he essentially lost this battle from the very beginning by not getting on top of it. It is too late to address the Nation when there are pictures of Sea Turtles, Whales, Sea Birds, Plankton, shrimp, oysters and other marine animals coated with a layer of black, sticky oil. There are critics of the President who refer to this as “Obama’s Hurricane Katrina,” but in some ways it is even worse than that. Barack must be feeling the political pressure because the usually cool and in-control President lost his cool during a press conference when he quipped about, “Knowing whose ASS to kick.” Doesn’t that statement sound like it’s coming from “An Angry Black Man” instead of the Commander-in-Chief and President of the United States?
And passing the buck toward the beleaguered federal agency under the Department of Interior, The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is not helping matters, and is only just a distraction and not a step toward solving the real problem, or better yet, of looking at how the spill got to be so unmanageable almost from the start. Outside of some rather unthinkable ‘Draconian’ legislation to nationalize British Petroleum, which might even be unconstitutional, there is at least one step that should have been taken, the very better-late-than-never proposal that actor Kevin Costner and his company, Ocean Therapy Solutions, who got the idea from his movie, “Waterworld,” which is, use giant centrifuges or cyclonic devices which are engineered to separate oil from water. There are only a few of these companies with the technology to separate a few hundred gallons to thousands of gallons of the oil/sea water slurry per day. Why did the government not contract with these companies to start sucking up and separating the heterogeneous mixture, along with BP trying to plug the leak before all of this disruption and destruction to the delicate ecological balance in the Gulf Coast aquatic universe? But like most things, hindsight is just water-under-the-bridge and what lessons have been learned are yet to be known. It is uncertain whether the effect of having controlled “burns” under the auspices of the Coast Guard will be successful and it must be remembered that oil is a complex hydrocarbon which contains other chemical substances, like methane and others, which may pose just as harmful and toxic to the environment as the visible slick, gooey, black stuff.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 18, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Seattle/King County Police Officers out of control?
In the second such incident this year, a member of Seattle Law Enforcement has been implicated in the use of excessive-force when it pertains to interacting with a non-White member of the community. Officer Ian P. Walsh punched a 17-year-old African-American girl, Angel L. Rosenthal, in the face after she intervened in the arrest of her 19-year-old friend, Marilyn Ellen Levias. It seems that this situation, which must be embarrassing for the Seattle Police Department, started as the result of a simple Jaywalking violation near Franklin High School on Monday, June 14, 2010, that spiraled out of control. Interestingly, Acting Deputy Chief Nick Metz has expressed concerns over Officer’s Walsh’s conduct and has recommended that he be reassigned to the department’s training unit, pending the results of an internal investigation by the civilian-led Office of Professional Accountability. The head of the Seattle Police Union and Sgt. Rich O’Neill of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, said that Walsh acted properly and was justified in the action he took to defend himself by the use-of-force. Serene Cook of Lakewood, WA wrote the Op-Ed, POLICE: Officer handled situation with grace (TNT, 6-17) in which she lauded the officer for handling the situation with amazing restraint [a punch in the face, no less] and should be commended, and that he handled it with grace; although one might just be inclined to suggest that it was D-I-S-G-R-A-C-E.
Be that as it may, here’s a little recent history lesson of interaction between Law Enforcement and local citizens. According to Seattle P-I reporter Scott Gutierrez, on November 29, 2009, King County Deputy Sheriff Paul Schene, an 8 year veteran, after a 15-year-old girl who was booked into the Sea-Tac City Hall Detention center holding cell, was asked to removed her basketball ball shoes, as she kicked one of them off, it was sent flying apparently in the direction of Schene and hit him on the right shin. The Officer then lunged through the other side of the door and kicked the girl, striking her in the stomach or upper thigh, pushed her against a corner of the wall before flinging her to the floor by her hair, and if that was not enough, he made “two overhead strikes” to her body, although it was not clear where they landed. He further uncovers that in December, Deputy Don Griffee was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a handcuffed male suspect. In January, Deputy Brian Bonnar was accused by his fellow deputies of using excessive force on a woman who had been restrained after a high-speed pursuit. And as far as interaction with the minority community, on April 17, 2010, at least two Seattle Police Officers kicked and stomped a Spanish-speaking robbery suspect who was lying prone on the ground and under their control. One of the officers kicked the suspect while he was lying on the sidewalk and yelled racist epithets at him. Officers let the man go after realizing that they had the wrong person.
So what does all of this have to do with Officer Walsh’s actions? It seems that the SPD has a systemic problem of over-reaction and developing an aggressive posture, especially with members of the minority community, often escalating into a use-of-force or excessive-force situational response during an incident that is either provocative, confrontational, or appears threatening to Law Enforcement. Officer Walsh has been on the force since 2006 and despite his training, it appears that he lost control of the situation, did not consider his surroundings and proximity to her friends to properly to make the proper assessment of his actions to handcuff Levias, wherein Rosenthal was able to approach him and place her hands on him. He apparently wasn’t watching her come near or if he did, was not able to prevent her advance until after making contact with his person, he decided to punch a teenage girl in the face. This is not the action of a trained professional because a blow to the face could have resulted in serious facial lacerations, a spinal injury from the head snapping backwards or even death, in some extreme cases.
Police officers are supposedly taught de-escalation techniques to take control of the situation, not to “lose” control, and it could very easily have gotten out of hand altogether; especially seeing a grown man [whether in a uniform or not] punch a teenage girl in the face with his clenched fist, especially if he’s White and she is Black. Walsh panicked because he didn’t have sufficient backup to secure the area and prevent any more interference from friends of the girls or curious onlookers, and it apparently did not occur to him to threaten to use a taser or pepper spray on anyone who seemed as though they would interfere with his initial detention and handcuffing of Levias. One can only ponder, in retrospect, what the reaction would have been if the girl in question was White and the Police Officer was Black?
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 17, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Be that as it may, here’s a little recent history lesson of interaction between Law Enforcement and local citizens. According to Seattle P-I reporter Scott Gutierrez, on November 29, 2009, King County Deputy Sheriff Paul Schene, an 8 year veteran, after a 15-year-old girl who was booked into the Sea-Tac City Hall Detention center holding cell, was asked to removed her basketball ball shoes, as she kicked one of them off, it was sent flying apparently in the direction of Schene and hit him on the right shin. The Officer then lunged through the other side of the door and kicked the girl, striking her in the stomach or upper thigh, pushed her against a corner of the wall before flinging her to the floor by her hair, and if that was not enough, he made “two overhead strikes” to her body, although it was not clear where they landed. He further uncovers that in December, Deputy Don Griffee was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a handcuffed male suspect. In January, Deputy Brian Bonnar was accused by his fellow deputies of using excessive force on a woman who had been restrained after a high-speed pursuit. And as far as interaction with the minority community, on April 17, 2010, at least two Seattle Police Officers kicked and stomped a Spanish-speaking robbery suspect who was lying prone on the ground and under their control. One of the officers kicked the suspect while he was lying on the sidewalk and yelled racist epithets at him. Officers let the man go after realizing that they had the wrong person.
So what does all of this have to do with Officer Walsh’s actions? It seems that the SPD has a systemic problem of over-reaction and developing an aggressive posture, especially with members of the minority community, often escalating into a use-of-force or excessive-force situational response during an incident that is either provocative, confrontational, or appears threatening to Law Enforcement. Officer Walsh has been on the force since 2006 and despite his training, it appears that he lost control of the situation, did not consider his surroundings and proximity to her friends to properly to make the proper assessment of his actions to handcuff Levias, wherein Rosenthal was able to approach him and place her hands on him. He apparently wasn’t watching her come near or if he did, was not able to prevent her advance until after making contact with his person, he decided to punch a teenage girl in the face. This is not the action of a trained professional because a blow to the face could have resulted in serious facial lacerations, a spinal injury from the head snapping backwards or even death, in some extreme cases.
Police officers are supposedly taught de-escalation techniques to take control of the situation, not to “lose” control, and it could very easily have gotten out of hand altogether; especially seeing a grown man [whether in a uniform or not] punch a teenage girl in the face with his clenched fist, especially if he’s White and she is Black. Walsh panicked because he didn’t have sufficient backup to secure the area and prevent any more interference from friends of the girls or curious onlookers, and it apparently did not occur to him to threaten to use a taser or pepper spray on anyone who seemed as though they would interfere with his initial detention and handcuffing of Levias. One can only ponder, in retrospect, what the reaction would have been if the girl in question was White and the Police Officer was Black?
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 17, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Should convicted felons be allowed the right to vote?
Sharon Brown and Roger Clegg wrote an Op-Ed in the LA Times newspaper and it was featured in the Thursday, June 17, 2010 edition of the Tacoma News Tribune under the heading: “9th Circuit should rule against using Voting Rights Act to let felons vote” in which they have filed an amicus brief in the case of Farrakhan v. Gregoire, challenging the ruling that the State of Washington is violating the Constitution. Their disagreement over the plaintiff [Farrakhan] using the Voting Rights Act as it derives from the 15th Amendment to prove that African-Americans are systematically and unfairly disenfranchised by being denied the right to vote as the result of a felony conviction because of disproportionate representation among overcrowded prison populations, receiving higher incarceration rates per the general population, and given longer prison terms, seem to have merit as a basis-in-fact; although the penal and Criminal Justice System is a failure as an institution, and it is inherently racist as well as biased against those who are poor, illegal or undocumented citizens and indigent.
Before weighing in on this matter further, it seems prudent to read the US Constitution to find out what it says about the “right” to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment, Section 1, says: “The right of citizens” of the United States to VOTE shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of (1) race, (2) color, or (3) previous condition of servitude. The Nineteenth Amendment says: “The right of citizens” of the United States to VOTE shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any other State on account of (4) sex [gender]. The Twenty-Fourth Amendment, Section 1, says: “The right of citizens” of the United States to VOTE in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, or for Senator or for Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of (5) failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, Section 1, says: “The right of citizens” of the United States, (6) who are eighteen years of age or older, to VOTE shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
The aforementioned Constitutional Amendments are the minimum set of guidelines that are set forth by the Founding Fathers of this Democratic Republic to guarantee that every person and their posterity, in order to enjoy the full rights of citizenship and freedom, to establish for the common good and to promote Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, the right to “vote” is certainly among these most cherished of our lofty ideals. Not only that, but even the First Amendment guarantees the Freedom of Speech, and voting is a part of that “Right.” For any State to enact “Felon Disenfranchisement Laws” to keep felons from voting is clearly ‘unconstitutional.’ According to the opinion of Ms. Browne and Mr. Clegg, “The Constitution ‘explicitly assumes’ that felons be barred from voting,” but where in the Constitution does it explicitly or implicitly say that? They go on to say, further: “There are certain minimum and ‘objective’ standards of trustworthiness, loyalty, responsibility, and those who have committed serious crimes against their fellow citizens don’t meet those standards.” Are they saying in effect: “If you are not living a morally excellent life or as a ‘saint,’ then you don’t have the right to VOTE?” Have they ever heard this statement: “Those of you without sin, be the ‘first’ to cast a stone at her?”
This is certainly not to excuse any of the totally reprehensible and heinous acts that felons do time and time again, but unless in the commission of these deplorable and sometimes unforgivable acts, they are deprived or stripped of the privilege of ‘citizenship,’ then any one of them has just as much a right to VOTE as the next law-abiding, hard-working, honest, and God-fearing or not, average citizen.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 17, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Before weighing in on this matter further, it seems prudent to read the US Constitution to find out what it says about the “right” to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment, Section 1, says: “The right of citizens” of the United States to VOTE shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of (1) race, (2) color, or (3) previous condition of servitude. The Nineteenth Amendment says: “The right of citizens” of the United States to VOTE shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any other State on account of (4) sex [gender]. The Twenty-Fourth Amendment, Section 1, says: “The right of citizens” of the United States to VOTE in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, or for Senator or for Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of (5) failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, Section 1, says: “The right of citizens” of the United States, (6) who are eighteen years of age or older, to VOTE shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
The aforementioned Constitutional Amendments are the minimum set of guidelines that are set forth by the Founding Fathers of this Democratic Republic to guarantee that every person and their posterity, in order to enjoy the full rights of citizenship and freedom, to establish for the common good and to promote Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, the right to “vote” is certainly among these most cherished of our lofty ideals. Not only that, but even the First Amendment guarantees the Freedom of Speech, and voting is a part of that “Right.” For any State to enact “Felon Disenfranchisement Laws” to keep felons from voting is clearly ‘unconstitutional.’ According to the opinion of Ms. Browne and Mr. Clegg, “The Constitution ‘explicitly assumes’ that felons be barred from voting,” but where in the Constitution does it explicitly or implicitly say that? They go on to say, further: “There are certain minimum and ‘objective’ standards of trustworthiness, loyalty, responsibility, and those who have committed serious crimes against their fellow citizens don’t meet those standards.” Are they saying in effect: “If you are not living a morally excellent life or as a ‘saint,’ then you don’t have the right to VOTE?” Have they ever heard this statement: “Those of you without sin, be the ‘first’ to cast a stone at her?”
This is certainly not to excuse any of the totally reprehensible and heinous acts that felons do time and time again, but unless in the commission of these deplorable and sometimes unforgivable acts, they are deprived or stripped of the privilege of ‘citizenship,’ then any one of them has just as much a right to VOTE as the next law-abiding, hard-working, honest, and God-fearing or not, average citizen.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 17, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Monday, June 14, 2010
Is “Vigilantism” the convenient new form of crime deterrent?
The Saturday, June 12, 2010 edition of the Tacoma News Tribune featured 2 articles about the shooting death of 20-year-old Joseph Tobeck of Tenino, WA. The story must have been quite important for two reporters, Kathleen Merryman and Mike Archbold to have written separate articles about this unfortunate incident. In Ms. Merryman’s version, the towns of Roy and McKenna have been under siege by a proliferation of Methamphetamine labs that have sprung up in these unincorporated towns within Pierce County, and the associated home burglaries which these “tweakers” commit to support their drug habit. In this particular case, however, 69-year-old McKenna resident William Morgan shot and killed Joseph Tobeck for nothing more than taking [collecting], along with an unidentified friend, old, discarded scrap metal pipe out of a drainage ditch on county property across the street from the shooters home. Mr. Morgan, armed with a handgun, confronted Tobeck and his friend, he fired nine .40 caliber rounds at them as they left the scene in a truck and one of the bullets struck Tobeck in the back of the head, and he died later as a result of his injuries. The thing is, according to Tobeck’s grandmother, he collected and sold scrap metal for a living.
The article by reporter Mike Archbold gives the identity of Joseph Tobeck’s friend, who was 20-year-old Robert Justus. Morgan’s claim that his actions were in self-defense because the pair tried to run him over with the truck may not stand up to the scrutiny of ballistics, forensic investigation, the fatal bullet entry wound to Tobeck, and the window and body of the truck which was riddled with bullets. WA State Law as well as every other one allows for the use of ‘equivalent’ deadly force if you have “reason” to believe your life is in immediate or imminent danger. To kill someone solely on the basis of protecting property, whether your own or belonging to someone else, is NOT permitted under Washington Law or any other jurisdiction within the United States. Another consideration is the mental or emotional state-of-mind of Mr. Morgan at the time of this event and whether he perceived a ‘real’ threat to his life and acted in the way he did based upon that fear. If the metal pipe did belong to Morgan, why was it not on his property instead of across the street in a ditch? Of course, it might have belonged to him at some point, but after he apparently discarded it then it was available to anyone to take who had the means to carry it away.
Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist might not have such a easy case with this one because a young man was killed, who it seems, did not pose an immediate threat to the alleged victim because the actions leading to this final and fatal confrontation occurred across the street and not on Mr. Morgan’s property; so what was the danger to his life? It is a sad commentary of our modern society when this kind of action by Mr. Morgan can be applauded as some kind of heroic action, and yet, a young 20-year-old’s family will have to make funeral arrangements for a son barely 2 years after graduating from High School, all because a possibly neurotic, depressed, lonely, delusional or mentally deficient 69-year-old man shot him to death over a 250 pound piece of old, crusty, deteriorated, metal drainage pipe.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 12, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
The article by reporter Mike Archbold gives the identity of Joseph Tobeck’s friend, who was 20-year-old Robert Justus. Morgan’s claim that his actions were in self-defense because the pair tried to run him over with the truck may not stand up to the scrutiny of ballistics, forensic investigation, the fatal bullet entry wound to Tobeck, and the window and body of the truck which was riddled with bullets. WA State Law as well as every other one allows for the use of ‘equivalent’ deadly force if you have “reason” to believe your life is in immediate or imminent danger. To kill someone solely on the basis of protecting property, whether your own or belonging to someone else, is NOT permitted under Washington Law or any other jurisdiction within the United States. Another consideration is the mental or emotional state-of-mind of Mr. Morgan at the time of this event and whether he perceived a ‘real’ threat to his life and acted in the way he did based upon that fear. If the metal pipe did belong to Morgan, why was it not on his property instead of across the street in a ditch? Of course, it might have belonged to him at some point, but after he apparently discarded it then it was available to anyone to take who had the means to carry it away.
Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist might not have such a easy case with this one because a young man was killed, who it seems, did not pose an immediate threat to the alleged victim because the actions leading to this final and fatal confrontation occurred across the street and not on Mr. Morgan’s property; so what was the danger to his life? It is a sad commentary of our modern society when this kind of action by Mr. Morgan can be applauded as some kind of heroic action, and yet, a young 20-year-old’s family will have to make funeral arrangements for a son barely 2 years after graduating from High School, all because a possibly neurotic, depressed, lonely, delusional or mentally deficient 69-year-old man shot him to death over a 250 pound piece of old, crusty, deteriorated, metal drainage pipe.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 12, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Friday, June 11, 2010
Local professional sports teams continue to disappoint fans
Will somebody please stop all the bloodletting about our local professional sports teams, it is excruciatingly painful. The Seattle Mariners should be named the "Marionettes" because they play like puppets on a string and the Seattle and King County council should contact comedian/actor Drew Carey and tell him they will pay him money to relocate the Seattle Sounders out of Washington State because this 'joke' ain't so funny. As for the Seahawks, maybe Billionaire owner Paul Allen should just sell then now and cut his losses.
Oh, wait! Isn't there another team that Sportswriters seemed to have forgotten about, namely, Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird and the quiet "Seattle Storm?" The only thing worse than hearing about the economy and unemployment rate is the dismal performance of the male-dominated sports franchises in the State. Even UW Senior girl's softball pitching and phenom Danielle Lawrie was a breath of fresh air to cover up the embarrassment of another losing season for avid and supportive sports fans. It seems that the highly-paid professional male athletes of the state's major sports teams play as though they are indeed, 'Sleepless in Seattle.'
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 11, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Oh, wait! Isn't there another team that Sportswriters seemed to have forgotten about, namely, Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird and the quiet "Seattle Storm?" The only thing worse than hearing about the economy and unemployment rate is the dismal performance of the male-dominated sports franchises in the State. Even UW Senior girl's softball pitching and phenom Danielle Lawrie was a breath of fresh air to cover up the embarrassment of another losing season for avid and supportive sports fans. It seems that the highly-paid professional male athletes of the state's major sports teams play as though they are indeed, 'Sleepless in Seattle.'
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 11, 2010
pbks@hotmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)