Westlake Saturday - 04/09/2011

Two demonstrations were held at Westlake Center this afternoon. Peace Activists held an "art in" and open mic in support of jailed whistleblower Bradley Manning. Representatives from PETA and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society also gathered to protest the opening of the annual Canadian harp seal hunting season.

Pamphlets:

Canadian Sea Hunt
Free Bradley Manning

SPD Rally and Counter Protest - Southwest Precinct - 04-08-2011

Approximately 50 pro-SPD demonstrators gathered outside the Southwest Precinct at the corner of Delridge and SW Webster on Friday evening in the third of a series of rallies organized by the families of SPD officers. A small group of counter protesters, supporters of the October 22 Coalition, were also in attendance.

Noise was the weapon of choice on both sides. A large number of the pro-SPD supporters had brought their children to the event. Give a pack of grade schools shiny new whistles, and they'll make noise -- even if they don't know what they are supporting. The counter protesters made up for their small numbers with generous use of the bullhorn.

The more of these rallies I attend, the more convinced I am that the SPD supporters have miscalculated in organizing them. It's hard to argue that the Seattle Police Department should "keep up the good work, " as one sign announced this evening, with stories detailing incidents of police brutality and mishandled cases piling up in the press. Assuming a contrite tone and waiting for the public's attention to shift would be a safer public relations approach for the SPD. These rallies represent another opportunity for the press to rehash the abuse allegations and SPD's critics to take to the street.

October 22 Coalition pamphlet.

The Week in Review with Lady Paula Merry

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Lady Paula gives her option on the Libyan no fly zone and watches some game shows.

Direct Mail Craziness

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Received the following mailing from Saint Matthew's Churches the other day telling me all about the miraculous power of their "prayer rug." A poster, included in the mailing, that has brought physical healing and financial blessings to the thousands who have used it.  If you believe that, there's a friend my mine I'd like you to meet. He's a Nigerian prince and he's having some trouble securing his inheritance.

Saint Mathews does not operate churches (plural) or even a church (singular). It's direct mail operation founded by James Eugene "Gene" Ewing.  In the 1980s, Ewing's former church-by-mail enterprise was ruled as a "for profit" organization by IRS and there's evidence that Ewing routed millions from evangelical activities to purchase real estate in Beverly Hills.  Saint Matthews has managed to retain it's tax exempt status, despite using the same tactics and providing no accounting of how funds are used.

The mailing utilizes all the cheesy direct mail devices -- fake underling, handwritten fonts, testimonials from past donors that would be impossible to verify. This mailing serves as phase one of the Saint Mathews fund-raising strategy. Individuals who reply to this mailing receive follow-up letters indicating the specific monetary donations required to see their "prayers" answered.  I'm tempted to mail it in, just to behold the craziness of phase two and learn how much salvation is going to cost.

The Hydra and other Mythical Beasts

International Day of Action / US Uncut / 03-26-2011

Supporters of US Uncut gathered outside the Westlake Bank of America branch to protest the billions of tax revenue lost every year via offshore tax shelters utilized by multi-national corporations. Through foreign holding companies, corporations such as Google and Amazon perform tax dodges known as the "Double Irish" and "The Dutch Sandwich" to move income off-shore and avoid paying U.S. corporate taxes. These tax maneuvers are the chief cause of the austerity measures depleting the budgets of social welfare and education programs nationwide, according to US Uncut. 

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released a report Friday showing U.S. corporations experienced all-time record earnings in the forth quarter of 2010 (Huffington Post: Corporate Profits At All-Time High As Recovery Stumble).  With last year's decision in the Citizen's United case, corporations now have more power to lobby and influence the results of elections than ever before.  With more money to spend, and a greater ability to spend that money however they choose, the embodiment of "corporate person hood" in U.S. law and legal precedent becomes increasingly problematic when considered against the interests of the average voter.

Behold that great behemoth: the corporation. A monster of our own creation, it's thick skin and writhing heads making it impossible to kill.

Fresh Air Story on "the Double Irish."

US Uncut - Seattle Facebook group

USA Uncut Pamphlet

Photos via flickr:

Seattle Clinic Defense / U-District / 03-26-2011

Coming on the heels of last weekend's Planned Parenthood rally in Capital Hill, a small group of protesters gathered outside the former location of Life Choices Pregnancy Center in the University District this afternoon to raise awareness of misleading practices at Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). These centers, many operated by religious and pro-life groups, attempt to divert young pregnant women away from Planned Parenthood and other clinics that offer abortions by disguising themselves as medical clinics.  Clients walk in the doors expecting a free pregnancy test and professional medical advice, only to receive biased and often false information on the physical and psychological side-effects of abortion from pro-life advocates. The Stranger recently ran a feature that demonstrated some of the more deceptive practices found at CPC's in the Seattle area (Six Pregnancy Tests in One Week by Cienna Miller).

Unfortunately, the moment to bring this issue to the public's attention may have already passed - at least for this legislative session. Earlier this year, the Washington State legislature debated HB 1366 and SB 5274, legislation that would have required Crisis Pregnancy Centers to fully disclose all services offered (or not offered) and supply written results for any pregnancy tests performed.  It now seems clear that the House bill lacks sufficient support for a floor vote (Seattle Times: State House unlikely to take up pregnancy centers bill.)  The fact that Life Choices no longer operates a center at this location somewhat diminished the effectiveness of today's protest.  Seattle Clinic Defense, organizer of the event, plans to hold additional rallies in the near future.

Seattle Clinic Defense website

Seattle Clinic Defense on Facebook group

Seattle Clinic Defense pamphlets

Photos via flickr:

5Oth and Roosevelt / 03-26-2011

Photos of the current incarnation of NE 50th Street and Roosevelt Way NE in the University District  Here's a story from the Seattle PI detailing how this former tanning salon / spa became a semi-permanent showcase for street art: "City can't clean up notorious graffiti hub." With no definitive plans to demolish the building in place, it will be interesting to see how this develops as new tags cover old ones.

Support SPD Rally / West Precinct / 03-22-2011

Maybe bringing a box of doughnuts to a Support the SPD rally isn't the best idea?

Approximately twenty wives and family members of SPD officers gathered outside the West Precinct at Eight and Virginia on Tuesday night to show their support for the SPD and counter some of the negative press local police departments have received in recent months.  The timing of this rally did not work to the SPD supporter's advantage.  Last week, King County completed an inquest into the fatal shooting of David Young that occurred last August in Federal Way.  Over the weekend, another fatal shooting occurred involving a suspect armed with a machete in rural King County.  Monday brought news that improper handling of DUI cases by SPD has put dozen of cases on hold until an internal investigation can be completed, which prompted the usual line of excuses from Seattle Police Officer's Guild President Richard O'Neill.

The Seattle Police Department has a public relations problem that feel-good demonstrations like this one are not going to solve.  A good argument anticipates likely rebuttals and signs like "Landlords Back SPD" only confirm the arguments of anti-police critics that claim law enforcement only exists to protect the rights of privileges of wealthy elites.  Appeals to sentiment might not be the best coarse of action either: "my dad spends nights away from me to keep you safe" can be countered effectively by "a cop shot my dad in the head." If you want to be taken seriously, leave the kids and the doughnuts at home. 

The fact that no minority officers were represented at this rally also reinforced a common criticism of police departments. A bunch of white suburban soccer moms singing "Stand by Your Man" won't do much to convince Seattle's Native and African American communities that they're not subject to disproportionate police attention based on racial grounds. 

Additional rallies are planned for other Seattle precincts in the coming weeks.

Photos via flickr:

If war is not the answer, what is?

If war is not the answer, what is? As far as I can see, the various anti-war groups that gathered at Westlake Center this afternoon to commemorate the launching of the Iraq war on 03/19/2003 don't have any concrete alternatives to offer. Today's battle cry: no U.S. involvement in Libya. While it's difficult to claim than any U.S. action can be attributed to ideologically pure motivations, especially in the Middle East, not intervening against the Gaddafi regime could result in a major humanitarian disaster. “No matter how one feels about Libya today and the role of the Gaddafi government; regardless of how one evaluates the Libyan opposition, a U.S.-led war or intervention in Libya is a disaster for the Libyan people, and for people and progress around the world” according the International Action Center. On Thursday, Gaddafi threatened to level the rebel stronghold of Bengazi with many of its residents fleeing to the Egyptian border. The refugee situation alone is likely to claim thousands of innocent lives.

U.S. isolationism seems to be the only policy these activists would support. While Gaddafi doesn’t have the resources to become another Hitler or Hirohito, he’s still powerful enough to ravage the Libyan people. If Libya turned into another Rwanda or Iraqi Turkistan, will these people still say that the international community should sit on its hands. It’s important to pick one’s battles. During the Bush administration, the U.S. undoubtedly rushed into a war in Iraq based on trumped-up intelligence and suspect intentions. Failing to come to the aid of the Libyan people would mark an equally damning lapse.

One the underlying problems of the current anti-war movement is their lack of rhetorical focus. At today’s rally, speakers connected U.S. foreign wars with union busting in Wisconsin and the impending nuclear disaster in Japan. The global financial crisis and bank reform was also invoked at one point. The arguments being that prolonged military spending is the cause for current state and federal budget deficits, which forces cuts to domestic spending, and that nuclear power was originally developed for military applications only to be turned over to cost-cutting corporations in the public sector. There’s a much more straightforward explanation for the anti-union bills currently being proposed – a resurgent republican party and it’s long-term animus towards unions. As for taking aim at the transfer of technological innovations from the public to the private sector, I’d say the public has done all right in that exchange – including a little thing called the internet. The anti-war cause would be better served by a more straightforward line of reasoning.

Pamphlets

Photos via flickr:

Timber Corruption?

A small group of protesters gathered outside the FBI regional office at Third and Spring in downtown Seattle this afternoon to promote awareness of timber corruption in Sarawak, a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo.   

Unfamiliar with the term "timber corruption?" Me too. The term is used almost exclusively in connection with Chief Minister of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud. In short, Taib Mahmud is a Malaysian version of Hosni Mubarak – a politician who grabs political power, maintains that power through corrupt elections and nepotism, and converts national resources into personal wealth.  For the past thirty years, Taib Mahmud has used his position (he also serves as Financial Minister and Planning and Resource Management Minister) to sell logging rights in the Sarawak rain forest in exchange for kickbacks. Taib Mahmud then proceeds to relocate these assets via bank accounts and real estate investments in more industrialized nations.  The site of the protest, 1110 3rd Avenue, is one such investment -- the building is owned by shell corporation operated by Taib Mahmud’s son.

More information:

Rain Forest Robbery – How Sarawak’s Chief Minister became a Billionaire

Bruno Manser Fund

www.stop-timber-corruption.org/

News from Crazytown

Further updates from Lady Paula Merry, who appears to be getting into the newspaper business.

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Down with Gaddafi!

In a repeat of last weekend's rally, Seattle residents gathered downtown to demonstrate their support for the pro-democracy protests taking place in Libya.

Photo's via flickr:

March to Stop Raids and Deportations / 02-25-2011

Demonstrators gathered Friday to protest SB 5407, a law workings its way through the Washington State Senate requiring proof of citizenship prior to the issuance of a Driver's license, and recent raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Ellensburg, Wa.  SB 5407 would effectively make it impossible for undocumented workers to obtain Driver's licenses and auto insurance in Washington State.  Another proposed piece of legislation, HB 1272, would require state employment agencies to verify that workers are qualified to work in the United State prior to referring them to potential employers. While these proposed laws don't rise to the level of the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (SB 1070) signed into law last April in Arizona, they would contribute to making every day life more difficult for Washington's immigrant communities.

Like most groups that argue from the pro-immigration side of this debate, the activists that gathered friday ignore an essential fact: individuals subject to detention to ICE and deportation are in the United States illegally.  What these activists label "attacks against immigrant communities" are, in fact, lawful arrests.  Given the Republican sweep of the 2010 elections, immigration policy at both the state and federal level is headed towards more, not less, restrictive legislation. While it may be true that Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in Washington, what percentage of this population is in the state illegally? If you're not a citizen and can't vote, you don't represent a political constituency attractive to legislators.  Unless U.S. immigration policy gets in sync with the economic necessity of immigrant labor, through amnesty or guest workers program, Latino workers will continue to face the cost / benefit decisions that come with choosing to work in the U.S. illegally.  Until the U.S. decides to adopt a less schizophrenic attitude on immigration, the risk of deportation is not going away.

Pamphlets

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Wheat Paste Goodness

Shepard Fairey style street art posted around Alaska Junction in West Seattle:

Please drop me a line if you can identify the artist.

Render unto Caesar

References to God and debt keep springing up among the evangelical preachers and pamphleteers. Here's a few examples:

Paid in Full

All About the Benjamins

$1 Million

While this isn't surprising, sixteen of thirty-eight parables in the New Testament deal either literally with the subject of money or evoke money as a symbol, it seems less apt in today's cultural and economic climate. The street preachers often speak of humankind's debt to Jesus / God for the gift of salvation. The millions of people who have recently lost this homes or jobs and are dealing with real world debt cannot find this message all that attractive. It feeds into the escapism that's inherent in Christian theology.  Yes, you're poor and miserable, but that doesn't really matter because someday you'll get to die and than everything will be ever-so-much better.

At least this message is consistent with canonical theology -- as opposed to the prosperity theology put forth by many contemporary televangelists. " I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" would seem to contradict the notion that "God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us." If Joel Olsteen ran into Jesus on the street, he'd probably mistake him for a hobo.

Pro-Libyan Democracy Rally, 02-19

 

I headed downtown this afternoon expecting a rally in support of Wiki-leaks and Julian Assange.  At the appointed time, I found Westlake Center empty of protesters -- which is something of a rare sight on a Saturday afternoon.  Fortunately, a group approximately 30 Pro-Libyan democracy activists stepped up to fill the gap later in the afternoon.  I'm guessing this was an unscheduled or non-permitted event, given that the usual Socialist and Anarchist hangers-on were not in attendance.  A protest undiluted by distractions; it's a rare occasion when i find nothing to foster my cynicism.

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Signal-to-noise

Tensions continue to mount in the streets of Seattle with Wednesday's announcement by King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg that criminal charges will not be charged against SPD officer Ian Birk for the fatal shooting of John T. Williams in August 2010.  Birk subsequently announced his resignation later that afternoon.  While the Native American community has consistently called for solutions to the problems of police brutality from within the system in the aftermath of Williams' death, a variety of voice from the far left have been calling for more racial approaches.  Marches organized on Wednesday (02/16) and Friday (02/18) were composed primarily of Anarchist and Pro-Socialist activists that have co-opted the issue. Friday's march turned violent with police deploying pepper spray after protesters vandalized a squad car.  Unfortunately, this march was scheduled in direct conflict with a more reasoned discussion of the problem hosted at the Chief Seattle Club, with a panel including representatives from the NAACP, ACLU and Seattle City Council.  It's becoming clear that these protesters are more interested in marching, destroying public and private property, and disrupting everyday life than advancing reforms with the Seattle Police Department.

Photos of Wednesday's march via The Stranger. Photos of Friday's march via MyNorthwest.com.

Some pamphlets distributed Friday:

All Cops are Bastards

Justice is Impossible

Fuck the Police

To Protect and Divide

Down with the American criminal injustice system!

Pamphlets from the Chief Seattle Club Forum:

U.S. Department of Justice: Community Relations Service
Know Your Rights!: A People's Council on Social Justice Forum
Respect: Youth Guide to Seattle Laws & Police Procedures

The material being put on by the City and Federal agencies in connection with the Williams shooting remains both non-specific to the problems at hand and tone deaf.  Calling for mutual respect between police and the public, given SPD's well-publicized instances of excessive force, isn't going to win any hearts or minds. 

Harry Potter made me do it

FAITH: 2.b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof

SUPERSTITION: 2. a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

How do you argue for the validity of one spiritual belief over another spiritual belief when the two concepts are basically equivalent? How is praying to a dead saint any different than talking to your dead mother? How is faith really all that different from superstition?  In this excerpt from the February 2011 issue of "Awake!" the Jehovah Witnesses attempt to address these questions, offering up an amusing bit of religious cognitive dissonance with dashes of western elitism.

For those unfamiliar with Jehovah Witness beliefs, one of their core principals is that the end of days began in 1914, when Jesus returned undetected to the earth and began to separate the saved from the damned. Prophesy indicated that Armageddon would occur "before the generation that was living in 1914 will have died out." A quick review of a life expectancy table will tell you that the Apocalypse is running a little late -- which has lead to a number of revisions to prophesy in recent decades. A comprehensive review of this theological backpedaling can be found here.

"You cannot be partaking of 'the table of Jehovah' and the table of demons." So watch out, fans of young adult fiction. Don't let your love of Harry Potter keep you out of heaven.

A revolution without dancing isn't worth having

Police Brutality Rally / Westlake Center / 02-12-2011

The activists that gathered Saturday afternoon to protest police brutality didn't add much to the on-going debate on how to reform the Seattle Police Department.  The usual cast of Anarchists and Socialist groups made up the majority of the crowd of approximately 100 demonstrators, along with a small contingent from victims advocacy groups such as The October 22nd Coalition.  Speakers took aim against the recent Police Accountability Forum hosted by The Stranger, calling the event a sham, and evoked the recent anti-Mubarak protests in Egypt as proof of the effectiveness of street activism.

The lack of a cohesive message at these events continues to undermine this movement. What are these groups demanding? Beyond the prosecution of Ian Birk for the shooting of John T. Williams, it's difficult to say. Many of these activists are so hostile to even the existence of a police force, it's difficult to find any logical starting point for a dialogue. And many are hostile to the idea of dialogue. When a posed this question to one activist in attendance, who was distributing literature for the Seattle Anti-imperialist Committee, his response was 'there's no dialogue with racist gun thugs."  

Hey, at least this revolution has a band.

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Lady Paula Merry on the 2012 Presidential Election

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Looks like Joe Biden's days are numbered.

Damp Solidarity

 

Seattle residents gathered at Westlake Center this afternoon to show their support for Anti-Mubarak demonstrators in Egypt. While the majority of the demonstrators limited their critiques to Mubarak and the oppressive regimes of other dictators throughout North and Central Africa, there was no shortage of far left groups ready to attach themselves to the movement:

Communism: The Beginning of a New Stage

A decisive state in the Egyptian revolution

U.S. Hands Off the Arab Revolution!

Support the Egyptian Revolution

I question the effectiveness of such efforts. They inject additional issues into a debate that is sufficiently complex. They dilute the power of a very simple message: the Egyptian people, after thirty-years of autocratic rule, demand the end of the Mubarak regime. The sign I posted above contains the most succinct summary of the pro-democracy movement I've seen. Most importantly, in terms of U.S. support for a new Egyptian government, they supply ammunition for right-wing commentators like Glenn Beck. Here's a clip from Friday's Rachel Maddow show that demonstrates my point:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mr. Beck is just doing what he does best, constructing wildly hyperbolic arguments to incite fear against the Islamic world and renew cold war hysteria.  As often as his claims are debunked by the likes of Maddow, Beck's rhetoric still proves persuasive to some. For large segments of the American populace, whose political consciousness evolved during the late 1970s and 1980s, any argument put forward by an organization that self-identifies as communist or socialist will prove to be a non-starter. They see the word "manifesto," images of Stalin and Hitler flood their heads and any chance at reasoned discourse dissolves.

And these groups have arguments worth presenting. U.S. foreign policy, both in the last thirty years of Mubarak's regime and as recently as last week, have backed U.S. economic and military interests over the self-determination of the Egyptian people. U.S. foreign aid to Egypt cemented Mubarak's regime and kept him in power longer. Mubarak's rule has impoverished average Egyptians while enriching Mubarak himself, as he has constructed a golden parachute for himself with financial holdings in the U.S. and abroad.  All these things are true -- but if they're presented from a socialist / communist perspective, they'll largely be ignored by American audiences. On the most basic level, it's a branding problem.

acrimony grief rage

Police Accountability Forum / City Hall / 02-03-2011

An audience of over 350 attended the Police Accountability Forum on Thursday evening to hear public officials and community leaders respond to well-publicized instances of excessive force by SPD officers in the past 18 months -- most notably the fatal shooting of John T. Williams. Dominic Holden, News Editor for The Stranger and organizer for the event, opened the discussion by stating that "We need to be blunt. This is not an event in celebration." Unfortunately, civility was in short supply. Members of the audience began to heckle and make complaints before Holden finished discussing the format. Many in attendance objected to the fact that the event would not be open-mic. Written questions were requested from the audience. For those who showed up to publicly air their grievances with the Seattle Police Department and City Hall, many left disappointed.

Moderator C. R. Douglas was able to keep the conversation on the rails for most of the first hour, even as protesters outside and inside interrupted the speakers on multiple occasions.  At one point, a member of the Williams family left the lecture hall and asked the protesters stop chanting. As interruptions from the crowd grew more frequent, Douglas was often forced to acquiesce to the crowd and allow direct questions to the speakers.

Richard O'Neill, President of the Seattle Police Officer's Guild provided some of the most incendiary comments of the evening.  If the Seattle police needs deescalation training, Mr. O'Neill should be the first officer assigned to attend. O'Neill defended the SPD's record with questionable statistics and offered up accreditation from external review boards as evidence that system-wide problems do not exist within the department. He seemed to be arguing that while recent instances of excess force were inexcusable, it could be much worse. Hey, at least we're not as bad as Detroit, is not an adequate response.
 
At one point O'Neill essentially blamed victims of excessive force for their own attacks and recommended that the best course of action for ensuring an incident free interaction with police was to "comply with their commands." He later remarked, in connection with participating in community policing efforts, that "I did not have to do these things." The 85% of police officers that were so often evoked during the night -- those with no complaints in their service records -- need to step forward and ensure the O'Neill is one of the first officials to lose their jobs. Someone this prone to gaffs, who appears unable to speak in a conciliatory tone, is not someone you want speaking for you.

The "Blue Wall" was in force with many off-duty police officers in attendance sounding their support for O'Neill's positions. Many uniformed officers were also in attendance. Perhaps showing up to a forum on police brutality with a gun on your hip isn't the best idea.

Nicole Gaines, president of the Loren Miller Bar Association, was seated directly to O'Neill's left during the panel and deflated many of his arguments throughout the evening -- casting doubts regarding SPD's statistics regarding interactions with police officers, specifically interactions with minorities. Watching Gaines and O'Neil spar was perhaps the most illustrative part of the evening.  While Gaines attempted to keep the conversation civil and stick to the facts, her body language often got the best of her. Watching her bite her tongue while O'Neill floated one specious argument after another was a sight to be seen.  In the end, she managed to keep to the high road, reminding the audience the police officers take an oath to "protest and serve" and stating that "to ask the public to always take the high road when dealing with officers when it’s the officers job to be professional is absolutely unacceptable."

Major McGinn walked a difficult tightrope between an outraged public and maintaining good relations with a Police union with whom he is currently negotiating a new contract.  While advocating for increased oversight, accountability and transparency, McGinn couldn't offer up much to satisfy SPD critics. Representives of the Office and Professional Accountability and Police Chief John Diaz offered little beyond a discussion of the complexities of the filling a complaint against a police officer.
From their comments, one thing seems clear: it's far too difficult to fire an SPD officer for misconduct and prosecutions are far too rare.

Pamphlets distributed at the event presented a cross-section of rhetorical approaches on the issue:

Brochures from the Office of Professional Accountability offered by typical bureaucratic assurances that procedures are in place to address excessive force by police officers (How Concerns about Police Misconduct are Resolved, Civilian Oversight of Seattle Police). 

City Hall chimed in with their Race and Social Justice Initiative. Sure, equality opportunity programs are great, but these efforts don't speak to what many critics are calling systematic racism in Seattle police department.

Members of the Native American community in attendance kept the focus on the victims (Be Part of the Movement, No Compromise with Justice!)

As seen at other recent protests against police brutality, Anarchists groups continue to glam on to this issue: (Cop on fire, the end of dialogue). 

The Stranger has a photo gallery of the forum posted here.

The Final Call: $1 Buys a Whole Lot of Crazy

The Final Call is a weekly newspaper published by the Nation of Islam. As one might expect from an organization labeled a hate group by both the South Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, there's some rather kooky stuff passed off as news in this publication. There's also a surprising amount of actual news, including stories that are often neglected or received limited coverage by the mainstream press. This issue included coverage of Jean-Claude Duvalier's return to Haiti, sentencing in the Jon Burge trial, Michael Steele's ouster as RNC chairman, and Charles Taylor's war crimes tribal before the ICC. In general, for a paper aimed at promoting a specific religious and political philosophy, targeted at an African American audience, it does a surprising good job at covering news at regional, national and international levels.  But don't get me wrong, there's still a whole lot of crazy.

I picked up the February 1, 2011 edition from a vendor that distributes outside a McDonald's in downtown Seattle. Choosing this location is a political statement in itself, as the Nation of Islam warns against the evils of "white-flour cake meals" in addition to the more traditional Islamic practice of avoiding pork. The February 1 issue included a reprint from "How to Eat to Live," Elijah Muhammad's two volume treatise on dietary practices for the modern NOI member.  In the reprint, he speaks of the dangers of the fluoride, chloride, sodium and DDT that contaminates the food supply. The Final Calls editors might want to take note that DDT was banned in 1972, and that chlorinated water is the single most effective method for preventing water born diseases, but one should not quibble over facts when receiving the wisdom of the prophet.

Here's another bit of wisdom on dangers of whitey and his white bread:

"Eat whole wheat, but not the whole grain, it is too much for the digestive system. Eat wheat, never white flour, which has been robbed of all its natural vitamins and proteins sold separately as cereals. You know, as well as I that the white race is a commercializing people and they do not worry about the lives they jeopardize so long as the dollar is safe. You might find yourself eating death, if you follow them."

Like other religions manufactured in recent history, the Nation of Islam is trying to sell you something. Like the Mormons and the Scientologists, they want you to make a financial contribution to their organization by either buying their publications or attending their events. In fact, the only advertisements that the paper carries are ads for Nation of Islam publications and DVDs. In the cover story, "Goin' Broke" there's a particular glaring example of news-as-product-placement. This report, discussing the financial crises faced by many state and city governments, non too subtly transitions into a plug for Louis Farrakhan's 1993 book "A Torchlight for America."  Something tells me that Minister Farrakhan's master plan for the U.S. Economy might be a little out of date and not all that germane to the problems at hand.

The big push in this particular issue is the upcoming Savior's Day Convention, where the devoted can shell out up to $100 to hear the latest and greatest in antisemitism from Minister Farrakhan himself (full page ad here).

King is their Jesus in their Kwanzaa church

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More dispatches from the sage of Pike & Pine, Lady Paula Merry Mayowa.

I don't disagree on any particular point

Approximately thirty local high school and UW students gathered Wednesday afternoon in Victor Steinbrueck Park near the Pike Place Public Market to protest the shooting of John T. Williams by SPD officer Ian Birk in addition to several other incidents of excess force in recent months. The rally was well attended by members of the press. The official inquest into Williams' death concluded late last week with mixed results, the Stranger has full coverage here.

Here's a look at the literature distributed at the event:

Police are the Absolute Enemy

Prosecute SPD gun-thug Ian Birk for Murder

We Demand Justice for John T. Williams

As I say, I don't disagree on any particular point. At least not with the central argument that SPD training and policies failed on a grand scale in the Williams case. For many in the general public, the release of dashboard camera footage from Birk's squad car last month spelled the end of his career with the SPD.

Yet, these activists are attempting to make so many points, some of them vastly disconnected from the core issue, that their arguments as a whole fail to persuade. I suggested to one of the pamphleteers, distributing literature for the Seattle Anti-Imperialist Committee, that it might be more effective to narrow their arguments -- to focus on ensuring full a investigation of SPD policies and demanding reform. He replied that they were attempting to " draw a larger picture" of systematic problems throughout the U.S. justice system. When I asked if that was an effective approach, he didn't have an answer.

The two groups arguing from a far left position, The Seattle Anti-Imperialist Committee and the Puget Sound Anarchists, both offer up criticism of the police force without proposing any concrete proposals for a solution to the problem. The Anarchist pamphlet is hostile even to the idea of dialogue on the issue: "[i]n the face of hot anger, the con artists deftly gesture towards the open doors of the democratic system through a better world is promised. . . the most insidious aspect of their effort to clean the blood from their hands is the attempt to find 'solutions.'" These groups are using police brutality as a starting point to indict the entire government and economic structure of the United States.

So go ahead, smash the state -- these arguments aren't going to do anything to ensure justice for Williams or change SPD policies. If you're not going to advocate for reform within the existing systems of governance, those systems are going to ignore you. Wake me when the Anarchist / Communist Revolution starts, I'll want to snap some photos.

A recurring theme throughout all of these pamphlets is the claim that Birk should be charged with murder. The videotape of the shooting works in Birk's favor here -- the quick succession of events, the fact that Williams could have been considered armed, the highly speculative question of whether or not Birk should have considered Williams a threat -- these factors make even a second degree murder prosecution problematic. How is justice better served: by an unsuccessful prosecution on the more serious charge of murder, or a successful prosecution for manslaughter in the first degree?

But I'm only contributing to the problem here -- there are enough people in both the public and the press passing judgment on this case, playing armchair district attorney. A decision from King County prosecutor Daniel T. Satterberg regarding filling criminal charges against Birk is expected in the near future.

Consider the Source

(click for full size)

I didn't think too much of this pamphlet when I came across it six months ago. Anti-Papist sentiments, while not uncommon in Protestant tracts, have fallen somewhat out of style. Rather than criticizing Catholics for their loyalty to the Pope, or portraying the Pope as the Anti-Christ, more topical criticism has been leveled in recent years due to the multitude of sex abuse cases brought against Catholic priests. Nothing all that new here.

From a rhetorical perspective, the author commits a logical fallacy not uncommon with theistic thinkers: cum hoc ergo propter hoc -- correlation does not imply causation. By this logic, one could claim a direct link between global warming and the dwindling pirate population. Again, nothing all that new or surprising.

Then I took a look at organization distributing this particular piece of nonsense:

" FOUKE, Ark. — Six children have been placed in temporary state custody as they are interviewed in the wake of a raid on a church compound as part of a child-porn investigation, Arkansas police said Sunday.

The children will be under the care of the state Department of Human Services during the interviews, said state police spokesman Bill Sadler. He didn't say how long the interviews would last.

More than 100 federal and state police raided the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries in the small southwestern Arkansas town of Fouke on Saturday as part of a two-year investigation into child abuse and pornography allegations against convicted tax evader Tony Alamo."

(full AP story here.)

Turns out this was distributed by Tony Alamo Christian Ministries Worldwide. Pastor Alamo - legal name Bernie Lazar Hoffman -- was convicted of 10 counts of interstate transportation of minors for illegal sexual purposes, rape, sexual assault, and contributing to the delinquency of minors and sentenced to 175 years in federal prison.

Alamo was convicted on July 24, 2009. The fact that his followers continue to distribute Alamo tracts over a year after he was sent to prison is a testament to the resiliency of cult indoctrination. I'm also a bit surprised at how far this pamphlet as traveled geographically from Alamo's base in Arkansas.

CNN interview conducted after Alamo's arrest:

Does it work?

Does it work? Do the words or images presented persuade the given audience? It's the most basic critique of any rhetoric.

Yes and no. According to the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), the number of American's who self-identified as Christian decreased from 86% to 76% from 1990 to 2008. Immigration from Latin America paid a large role in stabilizing these numbers for the period, providing an infusion of 9 million Catholics. The survey concludes that "[t]he challenge to Christianity in the U.S. does not come from other religions, but rather from a rejection of all forms of organized religion" with 15% of the population now identifying as "no stated religious preference, atheist, or agnostic."

The cultural dominance of Christianity may be somewhat diminished, but the ARIS report also notes a change in the character of spirituality in the United States:

"Much of this decline in Mainline identification is due to the growing public preference for the generic “Christian” response and the recent growth in the popularity of the “non-denominational Christian” response. Fewer than 200,000 people favored this term in 1990 but in 2008 it accounts for over eight million Americans. Another notable finding is the rise in the preference to self-identify as “Born Again” or “Evangelical” rather than with any Christian tradition, church or denomination. "

The percentage that identified as "Born Again or Evangelical Christians" increased to 34% across all Christian denominations. So, within their own base, the street preachers aren't doing too badly.

We are living in a world that is growing both more and less rational simultaneously. The statistics support what we see every week in the headlines: for every school district pushing Creationism somewhere, there's another rolling out a comprehensive sex-ed program. For every Bill O'Reilly, there's a Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Here's a selection of the more amusing and disturbing items being passed out by the Jesus dealers:

Where did they go? - This is a particularly nasty piece of business. Manages to oversimplify christian doctrine, demonize U.S. domestic and foreign policy and depict followers of Islam as bloodthirsty murders in thirteen short pages.

Heart Trouble? - the heart that beats in your chest is a cesspool of evil. But Christianity is a religion of love and life affirmation, right?

Jesus! - More guilt and threats of eternal damnation in cartoon form.

I would not have permitted you to harm my tribe

The world refuses to cool. Peace is just the brief period between wars. And if one is to experience any kind of safety or security, it's within the confines of one's own tribe. Or at least, that's the message underneath the more overt religious views being propagated by the faithful who took to the streets this Saturday afternoon. Join or die. Submit to our superior ideals or find yourself punished in this life of the next.

Here's a tribe you might not be familiar with -- or at least I wasn't until recently -- the Black Hebrew Israelite movement. If you've never had the pleasure of being called a cracker to your face, these are the folks you'll want to share a few uncomfortable moments with on a crowded city sidewalk. While there are multiple sects of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, which have adapted various elements of mainstream Christianity and Judaism into their religious practices, their core doctrine is that Black Africans are the true descendants of the Ancient Israelites. Active primarily in the United States, adherents of Black Hebrew Israelite sects were estimated at around 200,000 through the 1990s.

Membership has been on the rise since 2000, after prophecies of the second coming and apocalypse failed to materialize resulted in a schisms within the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ. New leadership emerged, headed by Jermaine Grant, who updated the church's message by embracing contemporary R&B culture.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported extensively on Black Hebrew Israelite activities in the past few years:

"Confrontations between Hebrew Israelite street preachers and their perceived enemies are growing uglier and gaining increasing attention through video clips circulated to legions of viewers on websites like YouTube. The Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge, a sect that is the Israelite Church's main rival, has its own YouTube "channel," or video sharing distribution networks, with over 500 subscribers. One recently circulated Israelite School video, which has been viewed more than 26,000 times, shows a group of robed street preachers harassing a white woman until she bursts into tears. Another shows the preachers applauding as a white man kneels down to kiss the boots of "the prophets of God" while begging forgiveness for the sins of his race."

(Read the entire report, Ready for War.)

I wasn't able to nail down exactly which sect setup camp at Westlake Center today, but here's a sample of their particular brand of crazy:

Black Hebrews 1
Black Hebrews 2
Black Hebrews 3
Black Hebrews 4
Black Hebrews 5
Black Hebrews 6

I found it interesting that these gentlemen had no problem spewing their vitriolic nonsense in public, but stated quite explicitly that I could not photograph their faces.

Lady Paula Merry on Gentrification, Haiti disaster relief.

Just when I though she may have disappeared, Lady Paula Merry strikes again. So gather around everyone and learn all about the dangers of all-white police forces, how the FBI is restricting your rights and Haiti's future as a island trailer park paradise. What's enlightening about these rants, beyond the generalized insanity and paranoia, is how rooted they remain in the events of the day. This is clearly someone who pays attention to the media in one form or another and as a result is in a position to be influenced by the media.

False Equivalants

False equivalency is the rhetorical battleground of the moment -- the concept that both the right and the left are guilty of utilizing violent, anti-establishment language in political discourse, but that the left is less likely to transition from words to action. The republicans have the guns; the democrats don't. This view tends to highlight militants on the right like Timothy McVeigh, but overlooks militants on the left like the SLA and the Weather Underground.

Here in Seattle, resentment and distrust of law enforcement are on the rise in connection with shooting death of John T. Williams, a Native American folk-artists fatally shot by SPD in August 2010. (Cops = Murderers) The city has also played host to numerous demonstrations regarding the FBI's investigation of peace activists in recent months (Build a Wall of Resistance).

Can the possibility that this rhetoric could lead to violence against police officers be discounted? The moment a police officer is killed in the course of a routine traffic stop, this argument will be made by someone in politics or the media. Activists on the left should be as equally motivated as those on the right to consider the consequences of their rhetoric in light of the Tuscon shootings.

The left is also not immune to a little after-the-fact spin, either -- as this pamphlet demonstrates: The Green Scare.

"The acts of 'terrorism' that these defendants have admitted to would be more actually described as simple acts of sabotage. These were attacks against property, never people. Out of the deepest concern for life, the individuals involved took the greatest care to ensure that no people were harmed."

Obviously, these folks are unfamiliar with the law of unintended consequences. Regardless of whether or not people were targeted, these methods share a common element with more conventional definitions of terrorism -- they both attempt to shift public opinion through the coercive force of fear. "When reasoned argument fails, it's time to light something on fire" is the message here. It's this mentality that produced the stricter sentences in these cases.

Save Gaza; Don't Eat Israeli Hummus.

Westlake Center is the location of choice for the weekend activist set. In more agreeable weather, one can sometimes find three to four groups hocking their ideological wares from the sidewalks and plazas. A group of Pro-Palestinian activists braved the cold and damp this afternoon with tales of the Israeli police state. The Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign recently generated national attention with their attempts to purchase ad space from King County transit featuring similar allegations of Israeli war crimes. Complaints from Pro-Israeli groups lead to King County's decision to pull the ads and a temporary ban on all non-commercial advertisements on metro buses.

How can you help solve the most vexing political situation of the modern world? Simple: don't buy Israeli hummus. See page 6 of Voice of Palestine's pamphlet for details. Chickpeas -- chickpeas are the answer to the problem of Mideast peace.

Tucson Vigil, Westlake Center, 01/13/2011

"He that has destroyed a single life, it is as if he has destroyed a whole world. We weep for those worlds."

--Rabbi Alan Cook, Temple De Hirsch Sinai.

A crowd of approximately one hundred gathered tonight in Westlake Park to pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the 01/08/2011 shootings in Tucson. Speakers included Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wa), local representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties and religious leaders.

While this event managed to remain non-partisan, that is hardly the sentiment nationwide. With pundits on the left decrying Sarah Palin's "blood libel" remark and many on the right complaining that President Obama turned his Tuscon speech into a campaign event for 2012, it seems clear that any call for a cessation of hostilities in the culture wars in light of Saturday's events is an unrealistic expectation.