Milwaukee criminals disgusted by “boxer bandit.”

I have canvassed Milwaukee crime lords, thugs and assholes in recent days who are revolted by recent news stories about the”boxer bandit”, a young black man who robs banks while having his pants hanging half off his ass. TV news stories showed pictures from bank cameras showing a young black man robbing banks. But what was different was that this guy shows up with his pants down around his knees. He’s mean, seems to have a gun and wears plaid boxers.

Your grandfather when he was a virgin might have worn plaid boxers. But in 2012, America, I said it, now deal with it. A young black bank robber wears plaid boxers. Things I ain’t never seen, much less put on my wonderful brown body. I usually wear those wonderful very comfortable so-called “tighty whities.” that’s why I decided to canvass Milwaukee criminals about this latest story. Here’s what Joe Motherfucker said. “Fuckin bullshit, I’m gonna be a banker or a congressman.Motherfucker rob a bank in his boxers. Fuckin white people always tearing down the black man.”

It was heart wrenching listening to men with such long crime histories pour out their hearts about this boxer bandit. They’re ashamed, frustrated by the amount of ridicule that thugs receive as a result of this news story. This is  America and we will soon see a young man attempting to run from the police with his pants down around his knees. It’s going to be a long year for run of mill criminals.

When will we stop  having sex with our mothers and find women who did not give birth to us? If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t be interviewing these thugs.

Related articles

• Police need your help in search for two-time bank robber (fox6now.com)

On to the grassroots

Jim Doyle and Kelda Roys (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This afternoon I received  confirmation from the Grassroots Empowerment project that my registration was approved for Empowerment Days. This event is an effort to contact policy makers in Madison from April 29-May 1. I  went to Empowerment Days several years ago but this one will be my first major advocacy effort since I became a certified peer specialist a few weeks ago.

As such it is an important step forward. The last time I went, Jim Doyle was Governor and there were democratic party majorities in both houses of the legislature. Now things are radically different, with Scott Walker as Governor facing a recall election along with five  republican state senators. The republicans have instituted many policy changes that I don’t like, which is why I signed the recall petition against Walker. However, simply shifting back to democratic control will not automatically solve all of the problems for people with mental illness.

We need to expand the funding available for consumer run services, which was an issue that Jim Doyle inherited and failed to correct . Similarly, the problem of inadequate Medicaid reimbursements for dentists and psychiatrists developed over several years and many administrations. In addition, since Grassroots Empowerment Project is a non-profit organization, there is a possibility some of the participants in Empowerment Days will be republicans. Otherwise, they could run the risk of losing their tax exempt status. This non-partisan effort seeks support from across the political spectrum.

I’m going to Empowerment Days to make a difference in the lives of the consumers where I work. I want to see change because people can’t wait. We are in a critical time where the misplaced priorities nationally and statewide are damaging thousands of vulnerable citizens. In the days ahead, I will be blogging my observations from Madison. Always remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with first step.

 In the days ahead, I

Recall Walker (Photo credit: marctasman)

The Free Dictionary: To take part in something: participated in the festivities. →

Ozzie and Fidel: not a match made for Miami

Español: Fidel Castro en Brasilia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ozzie Guillen, the new manager of the newly renamed Miami Marlins, is currently serving  a five game suspension handed down by the team for…speaking his mind. If you  were watching the Internet recently you probably  heard that Guillen, an outspoken native of Venezuela, had praised Fidel Castro for being able to survive so many years in power in Cuba. The anti-Castro Cubans in Miami, who are loud, howled in disbelief.

They called for a boycott of Marlins games as long as Guillen remained the manager. The politically astute Marlins management released  a statement denouncing Castro and suspended Guillen for five games. Guillen has apologized and hopes to be able return to his job.

I don’t intend to change anyone’s mind by posting my opinion but I believe Guillen was right in saying there are things to admire about Fidel Castro. He inspired a lot of people in the late 50′s and early 60′s who loved his audacity in being able to resist the US and the CIA inspired attempts to subvert the Cuban revolution. There are American medical students enrolled in Cuban medical schools who had not been born when Fidel came to power in the 1959 revolution.

Since the United States became a world power, we have always treated Cuba like a tasty little morsel that should have slipped into our orbit from the time we began seizing land and power from Spain. The United States is sold bold, we just wrote our permanent occupation of Cuba into their constitution through the so-called Platt Amendment.

There is the often repeated narrative that by resisting continuing American control Castro first inspired but then alienated many people. There were many things that happened, including Cuba fighting South Africans in the struggle against colonialism in Angola. The last ten years of increasing South American political independence from the US can be attributed in part to the Cuban revolution.

Even after the fall of the Soviet Union and the passage of ever increasing measures intended to make the Cuban economy scream for mercy, Cuba remains firmly in the control of the revolutionaries. It is that long history of survival and change that Ozzie Guillen admired. And I believe he was correct in admiring Fidel. Having saving that I probably would not have done so in his position.

The Cuban government has been implementing changes in their economic system but they are not willing to allow American political control.Which is probably what the rich Cuban-Americans want. They want to own land, plantations, and labor in Cuba.  It is a struggle for the destiny of Cuba and the verdict is out on who will win.

I said that even though I understood why there are things to admire about Fidel Castro , I might night have done so as the Marlins’ manager. It’s a presitigious position and it pays a boatload of money. In a way, Ozzie Guillen, who previously managed the Chicago White Sox to their first World Series championship since the Bronze Age, is like one of the people portrayed in the This American Life episode You Have the Right to remain Silent. People for whatever reason refuse to shut up no matter what the consequences.

There was a police man who exposed crooked police practices in New York City and was put in a psychiatric ward and there was a loud mouth on facebook who made a comment that got him in trouble. There are people like that. Ozzie spoke up, so I guess he’s the latest one.

Ozzie Guillen - Chicago AL - 1991 Road (Photo credit: BaseballBacks)

Related articles

• Ozzie to address Castro comments in Miami (mlb.mlb.com)
• Ozzie Guillen Loves Fidel Castro And Getting Drunk After Every Game (inquisitr.com)

 

We Have the Right to Violate You!

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Imagine that you have reported wrongdoing  to the people at the top of the agency and in return you become investigated. Your higher ups come to your house and have you sent to a psychiatric ward without your consent and without a psychiatric evaluation. Your family does not know where you are. Is this a story about psychiatric abuse in the Soviet Union? No, it is  abuse of power by the New York City Police Department. The very institution charged with enforcing the laws is in fact a lawbreaker. And even after being exposed for their venal behavior, the police routinely visit a police officer on leave far away from the city where they have no jurisdiction and demand that he “act  like a man” and return with them for even more abuse. As if to tell him, “we have the right to abuse you.”

On September 10, 2010 the public radio program This American Life aired a series of stories  under the theme “you have the right to remain silent” about  a groups of individuals who at great personal cost spoke up about injustices they witnessed being committed. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/414/right-to-remain-silent The most gripping story was about Adrian Schoolcraft, who exposed a widespread practice among his fellow officers of police inventing reasons to stop and arrest people. Such concerns as probable  cause, evidence and constitutional rights were thrown out the window in this reckless effort to enforce so-called “quality of life” issues. At the same time more serious crimes were being ignored or downgraded.

The Village Voice series that broke Schoolcraft’s story, written by Graham Rayman, is here. Schoolcraft’s website looking for other cops to come forward is here.

My concern is with the psychiatric abuse part of the story. If  you listen to Schoolcraft’s story, you will hear a recording of the incident I referred to in the introduction to this blog. His superiors came to his apartment under false pretenses and decided that his refusal to leave with them constituted mental illness. In my work as a peer specialist the police I have seen are scrupulous in informing mental health consumers of their rights. There are very strict procedures to be followed when declaring that someone is exhibiting dangerous behavior and must be transported to an institution. But the New York City police felt they were above this law. That is the most dangerous part of what happened to Schoolcraft.

What if others are being locked away under similar circumstances? We must continue to advocate for the right not to be violated. Employers can not be allowed to manipulate our minds, the way that the police attempted to manipulate Schoolcraft’s. We must be vigilant. Schoolcraft could be anyone. Say no to mental abuse.

Related articles

• Corruption in the NYPD much wider than Occupy Wall Street beatings (americablog.com)
• Anthony Bologna of NYPD Part of Long History of Police Brutality, Cover-Ups (ibtimes.com)
• #414: Right to Remain Silent (thisamericanlife.org)

My cat turns radical activist

Riley, the Snowshoe kitten (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Riley C. Cat was disgusted the news about the weiner Enough with that schmuck, she cried, what about the war? I mean a cat can only take so much bullshit. She couldn’t stand Palin and her sidekick, the old guy. And if she had been allowed to vote (some stupid law forbids her from voting) she would have bought into the whole I’ve got a  crush on Obama movement. Setting aside the creepiness associated with animal and human sexual activity. But now enough was enough. For all of her life the US has been in Afghanistan and it’s like when will this ever end? So today Riley unfurled a banner: Money for Cats at Home, Not Wars Abroad. I’m proud of her.

Related articles

• Cats and olives (kottke.org)
• The sunny cabin. The depressed cat. (mountainmissy.wordpress.com)

Away with all vegans

UWM Post

Dear Editor:

I read the UW Post every week and sometimes I am pleased and other times I am not.  There is a column about sex and sexuality which provides timely and well-focused information about an important subject that  appeals to a wide audience. On the other hand, the Verbal Vegan appears to be the biggest waste of newspaper space ever developed. Frankly I have been surprised that the author, Sarah Hanneken, could find so much to chew this unmeaty subject matter. Yes, that pun was definitely intended.

So, Ms. Hanneken doesn’t eat meat or dairy and does not enjoy the fact so many of us own pets. Why is that our problem? I’m speaking as a person who eats a balanced diet that includes meat and dairy products. I also own a cat named Riley who recently became ill. I don’t think of Riley as a “sentient being”, a phrase which, outside of Star Trek and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, I have never seen used in conversation. To paraphrase Freud, sometimes a cat is just a cat.

I enjoy Riley’s companionship and I attend to her needs as well as I can. The food that I give her includes tuna fish and various meat products. No, I haven’t talked with her about the ethical implications behind our diet. Like I said, a cat is just a cat.

Having said that I thought I would offer some constructive suggestions for topics that might appeal to a broader audience. This semester a new student group called Active Minds organized on campus to increase awareness of mental health issues. Why not go and talk with them about what interested them in this subject matter. Have the members experienced issues with mental disorders or are family members with these issues?

Need more ideas? My friend Diana Vang, a Hmong-American woman lent me a book to read called The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. This fascinating book tells the story of a Hmong couple whose daughter had a very difficult experience with epilepsy. It also describes in great detail the cultural clash between the Hmong community and the Western medical system. It makes for very interesting reading. I wonder how often students are encouraged to explore people with very different backgrounds and what do they learn.

Finally, what is going on in Milwaukee? One of the most interesting stories involves the creation of housing for people who have been homeless. Last week I attended the ribbon cutting at the Johnson Residences which are permanent supported housing. After coverage in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel exposed the poor conditions to which people were being exposed, Milwaukee leaders organized a positive response which resulted in many new housing developments. Are there opportunities for students to become involved in this movement? As advocates, employees, researchers or designers?

If the spirit catches you, it may be possible to get out of your comfort zone and explore new ideas and meet new people.  Otherwise, we can let the Verbal Vegan keep chewing on those old bones.

Sincerely,

Kenyatta Yamel

I am a UWM senior and a member of the Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force.

Related articles

• Hmong Chic (hmongchic.wordpress.com)
• Re-designing mental Health (kenyatta2009.wordpress.com)

Send Lindsay Graham to War!

Military use of children in iran-iraq war in iranian fronts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Banisadr (right) with injured man in iran-iraq war (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is one of those out of control rants for which leftists has become famous. I want each right-wing would be killer who recommends that America attack some foreign country be required to serve in combat. Let’s start with Lindsay Graham a  Repugnant  Senator who is still trying to earn his macho stripes. This would be belligerent has called for war against Iran which has neither the capacity nor the desire to attack America. Let’s send David Broder to fight alongside Graham and see how many minutes he lasts against the Taliban. And then let’s go down the list of Congress, senators, think tank know nothings and others who want to send young men and women to their deaths to defend an American empire and tell them, since you think it’s such a good idea to kill all these foreigners, you should be the first in line. Otherwise, frankly, you need to STFU.

Real people understand that we need to avoid war and develop a new identity for America. we must put an end to war or face the consequences of being ruled by idiots.

What Is It You Find Comforting About Hell?

When I debated with classmates about religion,   I often asked them about hell, saying things like, had you ever heard from anyone in hell? I mean, how can you really tell that such a place exists? Who is in it and what have they done? What purpose does hell serve and who created it?

To me the idea that some invisible being had the power to vanquish people to such a   place where they would be tortured for all eternity seemed harsh. A person could be a faithful believer in Wicca or traditional African religion but according to the rules governing some other doctrine be considered a heretic and told he or she will burn in hell for not accepting the tenets of Christianity, Islam or something else. Does that sound just or logical? Why would there be one true faith?

Why would heaven be so exclusive? Is it just for the people who believe like the followers of my deity or can there be exceptions? Whoa, that’s a lot of questions, K Man.

In life we mix with Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, pantheists and more. Except for the few who wear signs proclaiming that someone or another is the savior of the world, we have no idea what someone truly believes.

I tell the consumers I assist that religion is one place I consider off-limits. when people try to say “god bless you’,  most often I respond, “no thanks.” There was a so-called National day of Prayer so naturally we non-believers proclaimed a National Day of Reason. A day to reflect upon the things we say and do  and take ownership of them. A day to understand what we need to change and what we wish to retain.

So, why shouldn’t heaven, if it truly existed, be like that, a mirror of every day society? Shouldn’t there be people of many different colors, shapes, sizes and beliefs in heaven or is the concept of heaven merely a waste of time?

There are general ideas of goodness that are accepted such as doing onto others as you would others do onto you.  Committing crimes such as murder, rape and burglary is not only morally unacceptable, but punishable by law. Prisoners are kept in a living hell far away from society for their crimes.

But even prisoners can seek redemption. Even death sentences can be appealed and overturned. Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, for example, waged a long battle and was victorious in overcoming his wrongful conviction on a murder charge. If one can be found innocent of a crime, why isn’t there an appeal from being condemned to hell? I suspect that hell was simply created by religious zealots to enforce discipline and frighten the superstitious. In a moment of anger I might say that I hope certain people are in hell. But in reality I don’t believe it exists and I would not wish anyone would suffer such a fate.

I prefer the possibility of redemption and learning from one’s mistakes. It was very instructive that Rev. Carlton Pearson lost many people from his very large ministry after he developed the doctrine of the inclusive gospel and declared that he no longer believed in hell. Moreover he began reach out to gays and lesbians and others not included in his earlier spiritual vision. If you google his name you will undoubtedly find websites denouncing Rev. Pearson. His crime was the ultimate, taking away the fear of ultimate eternal judgment and substituting human love and decency. So it leads me to ask you to ponder the question I asked at the beginning of this blog, what is it you find comforting about hell?

Related articles

• Carlton Pearson muses on no hell’s Bell… (thewearypilgrim.typepad.com)