ALABAMA PRISON CRISIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Alabama's love affair with incarceration has failed from a crime-control perspective. If the purpose of prisons is to combat crime and provide for public safety then Alabama's tendency to "lock them up and let the parole board sort them out" must be viewed as a failure. While the growth in the state's incarceration rate has outpaced the nation as a whole, Alabama lags behind when it comes to reducing index crime rates. Further, a disproportionate, and growing, share of the state's correctional resources has been devoted to incarcerating people convicted of nonviolent offenses. Person offenses accounted for just a quarter of prison admissions during the last half-decade, and the proportion continues to fall as drug and property commitments grow. The use of incarceration for offenses that are directly tied to substance abuse contributes significantly to Alabama's overcrowding crisis. Among the ten leading commitment offenses, the top three are substance-related. Drug and alcohol offenses account for just 38 percent of all prison admissions. In 2004, more people were admitted to prison for possession of marijuana than for first-and-second degree assaults combined. While many states taken to reduce incarceration of substance abusers, Alabama is allowing addiction to drive prison growth. Comparing 1999 and 2004, commitments for drug possession and DUI were up by 28 percent, respectively, while admissions for personal offenses were down by 14 percent.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE ALABAMA PRISON SUMMARY PART 2

Alabama's overuse of incarceration and attendant prison crisis stem from two flaws in the state's criminal justice system. First, the current sentencing structure exposes defendants charged with nonviolent and low-level offenses to the same long sentencing ranges as others whose crimes pose a much greater risk to public safety. The problem is compounded by harsh mandatory sentencing laws -including the state's repeat-offense statute and "drug-free zone" enhancements-that fall hardest on those convicted of non violent crimes.
Alabma's Habitual Felony Offender Act-considered one of the toughest in the nation-exposes defendants to sentences that are up to ten times the sentence permitted for first-offenders. Under the law, an individual charged with stealing $3,000 who has one previous felony conviction faces the same harsh sentencing range, 10 to 99 years, whether the prior conviction was for marijuana possession or murder. In fact, prisoners sentenced as "habitual offenders" were twice as likely to be serving time for property offenses as personal offenses. Further, wide variation in use of the statute exacerbates sentencing disparity. For example, prisoners committed from Montgomery were two times more likely to be sentenced as "habitual offenders" than those committed from Mobile.
The second cause of Alabama's prison crisis is historic underinvestment in community corrections, which has left judges with few options apart from the already overburdened prison and probation systems. The state's community corrections programs have been shown to be a popular and effective way to criminal justice costs while improving outcomes. Despite progress made in the last few years, however, half of Alabama counties have no access to community corrections programs. This development of a strategic plan to increase funding support to assure that every judge has effective penalty options and sufficient high-quality substance abuse treatment placements at hand when making sentencing decisions.

Political Prostitutes Hoping To Get Laid Into A Position Of Power!

94% of Huntsville's Afro-American leadership can justly be classified as political prostitutes. They run around jumping in bed with every organization and entity that has a lot of voters. They entice the leaders of those organizations to fool their members into giving them their vote. What they're hoping to do is get laid into a position of power. Once they get laid the community gets screwed out of economic empowerment. They prostitute themselves downtown and in Montgomery and then brag to us at election time. A close look at what they brag about reveals they were pimped for insignificant goals. This fact is open for debate to any leader who wishes to measure claimed accomplishments compared to economic and cultural empowerment. When I bring voices to power I will shut down these political hustlers, who instead of being strong voices for the community they practice a "blend in attitude" in local politics. Together we can stop these political pimps and prostitutes hoping to get laid. So do what you can do, get out, get registered and most of all stay informed. Once you're informed you'll never be inactive. Ask at least one person a day something about politics. I guarantee you that everyone has an opinion.

Conflict Is Good If You Recognize Its Inherent Creative Potential

The Five Main Conflict Styles

1. Pit bull: Argumentative, intimidating, threatening and competitive, the pit bull avoids concession and is most effective in a full scale war when compromising or backing down could mean defeat.
2. Golden Retriever: Accommodating and loyal, the golden retriever is a people pleaser and is most effective at team building.
3. Roadrunner: Avoiding conflict at all costs, the roadrunner never engages in petty disputes.
4. Cobra: The cobra includes others in the conflict rather than directly engaging the persons involved. They successfully build a consensus among the powerless.
5. Eagle: The eagle approaches conflict swiftly, impartially,and with precision.
*Here's how to tame your fear of conflict and learn to use it to your advantage:
1. Identify your own conflict style and how it defines your leadership and communication skills in conflict.
2. Don't take a stand. Instead, identify your needs and interests.
3. Avoid personality clashes and focus on problem solving.
4. Establish parameters and work within them to manage and resolve conflict.

In Honor and Loving Memory of George Seldes

I honor George Seldes a true activist whose life raised fundamental questions about freedom, fairness and diversity in the media, about power, public citizenship and democratic process! A voice like his at the grassroots level is severely missed and so I will try to fill the void. Local African-Americans must realize that we can't depend on our "so-called" black papers to investigate or talk about the corruption of our own. These organizations and entities are doing a disservice by drowning out new ideas and voices. This "political infratracide" is now under attack. To achieve cultural, financial and political empowerment we must rid ourselves of the corruption.

Apollolistic vs. Holistic Health Health Care- From: AWARD THE MANIFESTO

Apollolistic medicine is named for the Greek god Apollo. It came into practice that the problem in an area of the body must be treated externally specifically on that area of the body. However useful this was merely a small part of practiced medicine at the time but unfortunately since that time it evolved into the preferred format of the health care we practice today. Holistic practices began to be called 'preventive' when in fact if the type of money that's pumped into Apollolistic operations were placed within preventative educational endeavors the results would be far more effective than any new medicine. The body is designed to heal itself. Given proper encouragement it will prevent or overcome almost any situation short of the issues that have arisen due to our cultural encouragement of ignorance.

SOME REASONS WHY WE DISTORT AS WE LISTEN

1. Perceptual Differences
A person recieves a message and interprets it in light of previous experiences, values, or education. We have a predisposition to hear or not hear different messages that are sent (e.g. types of music.)

2. Selective Listening
An activity in which the listener blocks out a new message especially if it conflicts with previous information and beliefs.

3. Value Judgements
The reciever places a value on the quality or merit of a message prior to recieving the entire communication.

4. Source Credibility
A situation in which there is a lack of trust, credibility, or faith in the words or actions of the communicator. E.g. Being delegated an unusual task by a new supervisor whom you have never met, but have heard bad stories about.

5. Language or Jargon
A situation in which words, terms, or technical language may only be known by one party.

6. Time Pressure
If time pressure occur, communications are often shortened, or important parts are left out.

7. Status Differences
A situation in which there is a perception of threat on the part of someone lower in the hierachy which can prevent or distort communication.

*. Distorter
A situation in which one communicator distorts, omits, or adds to the original message, making it inaccuarte. E.g. a message is passed from person to person, and retains only 10-15% of othe original meaning.

9. Information Overload
When an individual is involved in multiple communication attempts at the same time and screens out the majority of the message. E.g. Problems at home, doctors report, two bosses calling within ten minutes of each other to give you instructions which are exactly opposite of what a third boss has told you to do and you have to show up for a hearing in five minutes.

Grassroots Muckraker and Proud Of It!

I know there's people close to Bob who call themselves "community activist." Well I'm back and I take issue with this assumption! Even the Huntsville times persons connected to corruption are "dubbed" as community activists. This is totally false because the activist they talk about only look for their own "selfish interest and those of the Commissioner not the community as a whole. These "so-called activists" need to answer why they try to silence the same voices they proclaim to represent. I'm a true grassroots voice and 98% of the others are LIARS and TRAITORS to the cause! When your household profits from corruption you lose your status as a community activist. You become "self activist and you're exactly who the enemy" wants to dub as a community leader. I'm a MUCKRAKER and true to form: I investigate corruption and then go after those that hurt the community with an unyeilding purpose like a crusader.

Ethiopia: Root Of Christian Blackness

By the fourth century, the Ethiopian Empire porfessed it's faith in Christianity and adopted the symbol of the cross as the most important sign of it's faith. Large processional crucifixes belong to monasteries and churches, while pilgrims carry pole crucifixes are the property of the priests who let the faithful kiss them for blessings. Some crucifix shows the cross bearing Adam and at the same time Christ who, as a second Adam, founded a new humanity. The rectangular base refers to Adam's grave on Calvary. Some priest also see in this base slab a reference to the legendary Ark of the Covenant which is said to rest in Ethiopia. *Numbers 12-Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Ethiopian wife, for he had married an Ethiopian. The handle represents the hope of rebirth, the resurrection from the grave. It also refers to the belief that the cross of Christ was cut from the Tree of Life. From the Coptic Christians in Egypt (who we recognize as blacks) Ethiopian and Christianity goes back to early Judaism. This is why, besides the common saints of the Christian church such as the archangles, typical Ethiopian saints of the Christian church such as the archangels, are also revered. Take the Ethiopian saint Tekla Haymanot. His portrait, like that of Gabre Manfas Qidolus, can be found in almost every church. Legend has it that the Tekla Haymanot once balanced himself on on leg between two spearheads in order to be able to keep the vow of eternal prayer. When the raised leg had died off after seven years, angels took it before GOD'S THRONE. There upon the LORD presented the saint with three pairs of wings. Also typical for the Chrisitian-Ethiopian art is the representation of Saint George, who mounted on a white horse, is driving his spear into the throat of a dragon. This picture can be found in every church on the left side of the main door to the sancturary. The counter part on the right side is usually an image of the black Virgin and Child. Christiantiy is a good thing so African-Americans should not let right-wing Americans pervert it to the point we forget or reject the ideals of being Christians.

Operation From The Bottom: Ethiopia: Root Of Christian Blackness

Operation From The Bottom: Ethiopia: Root Of Christian Blackness

Stereotype Threat

"Stereotype threat" is a problem that pervades American life, according to Claude Steele, an internationally recognized social psychologist and professor at Stanford University. In an insightful and engaging talk, Steele maintained that overcoming stereotype threat is key to achieving integration of our society that goes beyond statistics and "allows people to flourish in an integrated setting." Steele's basic premise is that a person's "social identity"- defined as group membership in categories such as age, gender, religion, and ethnicity-has significance when "rooted in concrete situations." Steele defines these situations as "identity contingencies"-settings in which a person is treated according to a specific social identity. As we all know when a person's social identity is attached to a negative stereotype, that person will tend to under perform in a manner consistent with the stereotype. This can be attributed a person's anxiety that he or she will conform to the negative stereotype. The anxiety manifests itself in various ways, including distraction and increased body temperature, all of which diminish performance level. Stereotype threat is not limited to historically disadvantaged groups, and that every person suffers stereotype threat in certain contexts. For example, a study testing stereotype threat among white engineering students. When the white students took a test after being told that Asians typically outperformed whites on that test, the whites performed significantly worse than they would have otherwise. While racism exists, stereotype threat is a far more pervasive barrier to a truly integrated society. A person's fear of being negatively stereotyped according to race-whites as racist, blacks as intellectually inferior, for example-creates a general level of discomfort in racially mixed settings. There is still hope because abilities are expandable and that there is no truth to allegations that a particular group lacks a particular capacity. Stereotype threat will continue as the "default setting" until steps are taken to counteract it. At an institutional level, we must promote "identity safety," implicit efforts to establish that diverse social identities add integral value to a setting.

Some Jim Crow Laws

Intermarriage: All marriages between a white person and a negro, or between a white person and a person of negro descent, to the third generation, inclusive, or between a white person and an member of the Malay race; or between the negro and a member of the Malay race; or between a person of Negro descent, to the third generation, inclusive, and a member of the Malay race, are forever prohibited, and shall be void. Maryland

All marriages between ....white persons and Negroes or white persons and Mongolians...are prohibited and declared absolutely void...No person having one-eighth part or more of negro blood shall be permitted to marry any white person, nor shall any white person be permitted to marry any negro or person having one-eighth part or more of negro blood. Missouri

Child Custody. It shall be unlawful for any parent, relative or other white person in this State, having the control or custody of any white child, by right of guardianship, natural or acquired, or otherwise, to dispose of, give or surrender such white child permanently into the custody, control, maintenance, or support, of a negro. South Carolina

Militia. The white and colored militia shall be separately enrolled, and shall never be compelled to serve in the same organization. No organization of colored troops shall be permitted where white troops are available, and while white permitted to be organized, colored troops shall be under the command of white officers. North Carolina

Promotion of Equality. Any person...who shall be guilty of printing, publishing or circulating printed, typewritten or written matter urging or presenting for public acceptance or genera information, arguments or suggestions in favor of social equality or of intermarriage between whites and Negroes, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to fine or not exceeding five hundred (500.00) dollars or imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or both. Mississippi

Africans Also Share a Blame in Slavery!

Americans are not the only ones who should apologize for slavery. I want an apology from the descendants of corrupt African chiefs who swapped our bodies for rum. To Africa the traders brought rum and it corrupted and destroyed us like the Native Americans. We were taken to the colonies, the West Indies, Cuba, and Brazil and used as currency to buy molasses; the molasses in turn was taken to the distilleries of New England and battered for rum, which formed the basis for another slave voyage. We millions of black folk who live in this land were born into Western civilization of a weird and paradoxical birth. The lean, tall blond men of England, Holland, and Denmark, the dark, short, nervous men of France, Spain, and Portugal, men whose blue and gray and brown eyes glinted with the light of the future, denied our human personalities, tore us from our native soil, weighted our legs with chains, stacked us like cord-wood in the foul holes of clipper ships, dragged us across thousands of miles of ocean, and hurled us into another land, strange and hostile, where for a second time we felt the slow, painful process of a new birth amid conditions harsh and raw.
The immemorial stars must have gazed down in amazement at the lowly of England and Europe, who, with hearts full of hope, pushed out to sea to urge rebellion against tyranny and then straightway became engaged in the slave trade, in the buying and selling of our human bodies. And those same stars must have smiled when, following the War of Independence, the Lords of the Land in the South relaxed their rigid slave code ever so little to square their guilty conscience with the lofty ideals of the rights of man for which they had fought and died; but never did they relax their code so much as to jeopardize their claim of ownership of us.

Causes For the Turning Point

A small minority, both north and south, felt outraged at a system of human bondage that nullified all they had so ardently striven to build, and many sensitive men grew violent against all government and went up and down the land propounding the principles of passive resistance and civil disobedience. In an atmosphere of such tension, the whites began to distrust each other. Therefore, when the Bosses of the Buildings suggested that we blacks be deported and colonized, the Lords of the Land rose and threatened to resort to a wholesale breeding of slaves in order not to be deprived of our living bodies. And, on the other hand, when the Lords of the Land, afraid of our growing numbers and increasing rebelliousness, suggested that the entire nation be taxed to raise money to deport us, the Bosses of the Buildings declared that such a course would destroy the capital of the nation, stifle productivity, and crush the poor whites, who were already being smothered in the slave atmosphere. But as we blacks continued to multiply and spread, our population would never exceed that of the whites or grow so great in any one area as to constitute an insurrectionary danger!

Turning Point in Relations

In the latter part of the eighteenth century the conduct of most of the Lords of the Land began to alter toward us. To evade the prevailing Christian injunction that all baptized men are free, and to check our growing record of revolt, they culled from the Bible a thousand quotable verses admonishing us slaves to be true to our masters. Thereupon they felt that they had squared conscience with practice, and they extended Christian salvation to us without granting the boon of freedom. This dual attitude, compounded of a love of gold and God, was the beginning of America's paternalistic code toward her black maid, her black industrial worker, her black stevedore, her black dancer, her black waiter, her black sharecropper; it was a code of casual cruelty, of brutal kindness, of genial despotism, a code which has survived, grown, spread and congealed into a national tradition that dominates, in small or large measure, all black and white relations throughout the nation until this day!

HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF

STOP ALL CRITICISM. Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.
DON'T SCARE YOURSELF. Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It's a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure and immediately switch your scary thought to thoughts of pleasure.
BE GENTLE, KIND, AND PATIENT. Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would someone you really love.
BE KIND TO YOUR MIND. Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don't hate yourself for having the thoughts. Don't hate yourself for having thoughts. Gently change your thoughts.
PRAISE YOURSELF. Criticism breaks down the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing.
SUPPORT YOURSELF. Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is being strong enough to ask for help when you need it.
LOVING TO YOUR NEGATIVES. Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill a needs, so lovingly release the old negative patterns.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise can you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.
MIRROR WORK. Look into your eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself looking in the mirror. Talk to your parents looking into the mirror. Forgive them to. At least once a day say "I love you. I really love you."
LOVE YOURSELF. Begin it now. Do the best you can.

ROADBLOCKS TO COMMUNICATION

Ordering: You must.....You have to.....You will.....
Threatening: If you don't then..... You had better or else......
Preaching: It is your duty to.....You should......You ought.....
Lecturing: Here is why you are wrong..... Do you realize......
Providing Answers: What I would do is..... It would be best for you......
Judging: You are bad....lazy!......Your hair is too long.....
Excusing: You'll feel better........It's not so bad......
Diagnosing: You're just trying to get......I know what you need....
Prying: Why?.....Why?....What?.....How?......When?......

What Can You Do?---AWARD

Most people will joke and tell you not to have sex or wear a condom, be safe out there, and other on demand simple useless answers. I suppose this will anger some more people. Oh well. What we can do has to be a complete and total purge of the weak element of our society. Bridges burnt and mine fields laid out. The most powerful ability humans have is communication and those who lack self respect will only attempt to spread poison in the forms of hate and deceit. They will perpeturate ignorance and attempt to destroy knowledge because they feel as if they're already without hope. They believe you don't deserve the best. That you should settle for less.
They are friends, teachers, coworkers, pastors and parents. We must attack ourselves in a cultural civil war waged within the minds of ourselves and the following generations. You must educate in every exchange of communication. You must remove yourself from all negative people and places. Any person in a negative situation is solely responsible for themselves. There is something they haven't learned yet and they will continue to drag themselves through the mud until they learn their lesson in this life or the next. You can help them but you should not support them. Give them knowledge, give them power.
The battleground for the freedom of tomorrow is to be fought within our bodies, over our blood, no knife, no rims, or bunch of friends. If you stole your significant other from another person then in turn they'll probably be stolen from you. If you have a friend that steals from others then they'll steal from you. If you lie to others then you're going to lie to yourself. If you know someone committing negative acts, then eventually that person will act against you once it becomes in their best interest.
If you love this person even more than you love yourself, then you must let them go, let them see you grow. Be inspiration to another person. I push over ladders and burn bridges on a daily basis. All I need to keep me company is my faith in The Most High and my determination to succeed. So find a group. Make allies, map out goals and strategies. Leave the deadbeat behind. Tomorrow is waiting to behold your legacy.

Children Learn What They Live

IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH CRITICISM,
THEY LEARN TO CONDEMN.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH HOSTILITY,
THEY LEARN TO FIGHT.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH FEAR,
THEY LEARN TO BE APPREHENSIVE.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH PITY,
THEY LEARN TO FEEL SORRY FOR THEMSELVES.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH RIDICULE,
THEY LEARN TO BE SHY.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH JEALOUSY,
THEY LEARN WHAT ENVY IS.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH SHAME,
THEY LEARN TO FEEL GUILTY.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH ENCOURAGEMENT,
THEY LEARN TO BE CONFIDENT.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH TOLERANCE,
THEY LEARN TO BE PATIENT.
IF CHILDREN WITH PRAISE,
THEY LEARN TO BE APPRECIATIVE.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH ACCEPTANCE,
THEY LEARN TO LOVE.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH APPROVAL,
THEY LEARN TO LIKE THEMSELVES.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH RECOGNITION,
THEY LEARN THAT IT IS GOOD TO HAVE A GOAL.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH SHARING,
THEY LEARN ABOUT GENEROSITY.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH HONESTY AND FAIRNESS,
THEY LEARN WHAT TRUTH AND JUSTICE ARE.
IF CHILDREN LIVE WITH FRIENDSLINESS,
THEY LEARN THAT THE WORLD IS A NICE PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE
IF YOU LIVE WITH SERENITY,
YOUR CHILD WILL LIVE WITH PEACE OF MIND.

7 Things To Ponder

1. Every man is limited by three things which are the knowledge in his mind, the strength of his character and the principles upon which he is building his life.

2. The words you speak are the most important aspect of life changing behavior, for words spoken into the mind become ideas, and ideas held become attitudes and attitudes held and maniested become behavior.

3. Physical hunger is to the body as spiritual hunger is to the mind or intellect. True success is to the spiritual harmony as healthy food is to a sound body. As appetite precedes eating, spiritual development precedes accomplishments.

4. If you have an appetite for true success, you must focus on education, attitude and time. "EAT" for success.

5. Once belief in self is attained, the problem is 50% solved because the greatest obstacle in solving problems is the psychological barriers you create from past failures.

6. To develop life-sustaining attitudes and thoughts that are developed into positive action, we must police and discipline the words we speak and hear.

7. Development of self, not material gain or self-aggrandizement, must be the ultimate quest of every individual.