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Paradox
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend
more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have
more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read
too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but
have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not
better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more,
but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than
ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days
of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window
and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight,
or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes
from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
George Carlin
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend
more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have
more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read
too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but
have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not
better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more,
but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than
ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days
of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window
and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight,
or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes
from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
George Carlin
The Face of the Foreclosure: 90 Year Shoots Self
Addie Polk owned her home for 38 years and when she took out a 30 year mortgage on her home in 1997 she would never have known what
was to come. After refinancing several more times she found herself where many are. Owing more than her homes worth.
One morning the 90-year-old put her life insurance next to her purse and keys and then went to her bedroom and shot herself. She had just
received the final notice on her home being foreclosed on. Polk survived when a neighbor broke in and found her.
After the news of what happened to Ms Polk and is happening to many others Rep Dennis Kucinich rushed her case to congress. Upon
hearing what occurred Fannie Mae forgave her mortgage and will allow her to live out her life in her home.
California Father Kills Family
And Himself
By Kate Randall
08 October, 2008
WSWS.org
According to a new study by the American Psychological Association (APA), close to half of those surveyed say they are increasingly stressed about their ability to
provide for their basic needs and those of their family.
People of all age groups are increasingly worried about job security, housing costs, medical costs, rising college tuitions and providing for retirement, and this
stress is taking a toll on their mental and physical well-being. Eighty percent of Americans say that the economy is a significant cause of anxiety in their lives.
These statistics tragically found flesh and blood expression last weekend when a 45-year-old former financial planner in the San Fernando Valley region of Los
Angeles killed his wife, mother-in-law and three sons before taking his own life, despondent over his family’s financial situation.
Some time between Saturday night and Monday morning, Karthik Rajaram shot and killed his wife, Subasri, 39; his mother in law, Indra Ramasesham, 69; and his
three sons—Krishna, 19, a business economics major at UCLA; Ganesha, 12; and Arjuna, 7. Rajaram was found dead in his younger sons’ bedroom, the gun still
in his hand.
Police found the bodies in the family’s 2,800-square-foot rented home in a gated community in the Sorrento neighborhood of Porter Ranch after a neighbor reported
that Rajaram’s wife had not shown up for her carpool Monday morning. Subasri had worked as a bookkeeper at a local pharmacy.
According to police, Rajaram left behind three letters. In one addressed to the police, he took responsibility for the killings and blamed his actions on his economic
situation. A second letter was addressed to family and friends, and a third contained a last will and testament.
LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Moore commented, “This is a perfect American family behind me that has absolutely been destroyed, apparently because of a man who
just got stuck in a rabbit hole. It is critical to step up and recognize we are in some pretty troubled times.”
In his letter to police Rajaram said he had weighed two options: killing only himself, or killing himself and his entire family, and that he felt the latter option was more
“honorable.”
Karthik Rajaram’s fortunes had taken a nosedive recently. The once successful financial planner and businessman was unemployed with no job prospects and
had been hard hit by losses on the stock market. He had not been able to hold onto a job over the past several years.
Just seven years ago, however, he had made more than a million dollars in a voluntary liquidation of NanoUniverse, a Los Angeles- and London-based venture
fund. According to the Los Angeles Times, Rajaram, one of the company’s founders, made $1.2 million on a £12,500 investment when the fund was taken public on
the London Stock Exchange.
In 1997, the Rajarams purchased a home in Northridge, another community in the San Fernando Valley, for $274,000. In 2006, they sold it for $750,000 and moved
into the rented home in Porter Ranch. Sue Karns, a former Northridge neighbor, told the Times, “The market was going down and he [Karthik Rajaram] wanted to get
out before the bottom dropped out.” He told her, “I feel I did a good thing by selling when I did.”
Rajaram held a Master of Business Administration degree from UCLA. In 2003 and 2004, he worked at Azur Partners LLC, a management consulting agency. His
boss, Greg Robinson, told the Times that he had fired Rajaram because “his life wasn’t moving in the right direction.”
Rajaram also worked with Robinson at the Century City office of the accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He was also unable to keep that job. “He was not an
emotionally stable person,” Robinson said. “It was a real problem and would affect any business he was involved in.”
More precise details about Karthik Rajaram’s financial situation at the moment he made the decision to carry out the murder-suicide are at this point unavailable. It
is clear, however, that the profits from the London stock liquidation and proceeds from his home sale were long gone and that he was fraught with anxiety over his
family’s future.
Individual psychological factors play a significant part in such a tragic decision. According to his former neighbors, the Karns, Rajaram was “very high-strung, very
intense.” “The man was never relaxed,” Sue Karns told the Times. But she also recalled his devotion to the children whose lives were claimed in the tragedy: “He
loved those kids more than any man I’ve ever seen love his sons.”
There are growing signs that the kind of financial and psychological pressures that gripped the Rajaram family are becoming a widespread phenomenon in US
society as the economic crisis deepens. While Karthik Rajaram’s response was a particularly violent one, and psychological problems clearly played a role, these
pressures are taking a heavy toll on the mental and physical health of millions of Americans. Inevitably, these pressures will have the greatest impact on those with
an emotional susceptibility.
The report released this week by the APA—“Stress in America”—indicated that nearly half of those surveyed (47 percent) report that their stress has increased in the
past year. Women aged 44 to 62 are the most likely to report the economy as a significant source of stress.
According to the APA survey, this increased stress is manifested in feelings of irritability or anger, lying awake at night, lack of interest or motivation, feelings of
depression and sadness, poor eating habits, headaches, muscular tension and other physical symptoms. Respondents also reported increased use of alcohol
and smoking to manage their stress.
Ironically, as stress rises and mental health problems increase, many people are forced to cut back on therapy. According to the Wall Street Journal, psychiatrists
and psychologists across the country are seeing increasing numbers of patients who are worried about paying for mental-health treatment. In New York, therapists
are seeing more and more patients from the financial-services industry.
The APA’s recommendations for dealing with stress? Psychologist Katherine Nordal, the APA’s executive director for professional practice, comments: “Pay
attention to what’s happening around you, but refrain from getting caught up in doom-and-gloom hype. Take stock of your particular situation and what causes you
stress. Reach out to family, friends and trusted advisers. Research shows that receiving support from others is effective in managing stress. If you continue to feel
overwhelmed by stress, then consider seeking professional help.”
Sound common sense perhaps, but of questionable value to the growing numbers of Americans who are faced with the loss of their jobs and homes, struggling to
pay for food and utilities and unable to fund their retirements or pay college tuition. It’s hard not to get caught up the “doom and gloom” when it’s enveloping you.
A recent incident focused attention on the human toll resulting from one of the most devastating manifestations of the current financial crisis—home foreclosures.
Ninety-year-old Addie Polk of Akron, Ohio, shot herself at least twice in the upper body on October 3 as sheriffs came to evict her from the home she had lived in
since 1970. She was unable to make payments on the 30-year, $45,620 mortgage she took out in 2004 with Countrywide Home Loans. Countrywide filed for
foreclosure last year, and the home was sold at auction to Fannie Mae.
Deputies had attempted to serve the elderly woman’s eviction notice 30 times previously. When she didn’t answer the door this time, Polk’s longtime neighbor,
Robert Dillon, climbed through her window and found her bleeding, lying in bed, with a gun next to her. The incident took place the same day that the US House of
Representatives was preparing to vote on the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street.
In July, a Taunton, Massachusetts, woman, mother of one, killed herself in her home after sending a fax to her mortgage company alerting officials of her intention.
The company was planning to sell her foreclosed home that day at 5 p.m.
Following exposure of Addie Polk’s plight, Fannie Mae announced that it was dismissing the foreclosure action and forgiving Polk’s mortgage, and would allow her
to return to her home. She remains in Akron General Medical Center recovering from her wounds.
Addie Polk owned her home for 38 years and when she took out a 30 year mortgage on her home in 1997 she would never have known what
was to come. After refinancing several more times she found herself where many are. Owing more than her homes worth.
One morning the 90-year-old put her life insurance next to her purse and keys and then went to her bedroom and shot herself. She had just
received the final notice on her home being foreclosed on. Polk survived when a neighbor broke in and found her.
After the news of what happened to Ms Polk and is happening to many others Rep Dennis Kucinich rushed her case to congress. Upon
hearing what occurred Fannie Mae forgave her mortgage and will allow her to live out her life in her home.
California Father Kills Family
And Himself
By Kate Randall
08 October, 2008
WSWS.org
According to a new study by the American Psychological Association (APA), close to half of those surveyed say they are increasingly stressed about their ability to
provide for their basic needs and those of their family.
People of all age groups are increasingly worried about job security, housing costs, medical costs, rising college tuitions and providing for retirement, and this
stress is taking a toll on their mental and physical well-being. Eighty percent of Americans say that the economy is a significant cause of anxiety in their lives.
These statistics tragically found flesh and blood expression last weekend when a 45-year-old former financial planner in the San Fernando Valley region of Los
Angeles killed his wife, mother-in-law and three sons before taking his own life, despondent over his family’s financial situation.
Some time between Saturday night and Monday morning, Karthik Rajaram shot and killed his wife, Subasri, 39; his mother in law, Indra Ramasesham, 69; and his
three sons—Krishna, 19, a business economics major at UCLA; Ganesha, 12; and Arjuna, 7. Rajaram was found dead in his younger sons’ bedroom, the gun still
in his hand.
Police found the bodies in the family’s 2,800-square-foot rented home in a gated community in the Sorrento neighborhood of Porter Ranch after a neighbor reported
that Rajaram’s wife had not shown up for her carpool Monday morning. Subasri had worked as a bookkeeper at a local pharmacy.
According to police, Rajaram left behind three letters. In one addressed to the police, he took responsibility for the killings and blamed his actions on his economic
situation. A second letter was addressed to family and friends, and a third contained a last will and testament.
LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Moore commented, “This is a perfect American family behind me that has absolutely been destroyed, apparently because of a man who
just got stuck in a rabbit hole. It is critical to step up and recognize we are in some pretty troubled times.”
In his letter to police Rajaram said he had weighed two options: killing only himself, or killing himself and his entire family, and that he felt the latter option was more
“honorable.”
Karthik Rajaram’s fortunes had taken a nosedive recently. The once successful financial planner and businessman was unemployed with no job prospects and
had been hard hit by losses on the stock market. He had not been able to hold onto a job over the past several years.
Just seven years ago, however, he had made more than a million dollars in a voluntary liquidation of NanoUniverse, a Los Angeles- and London-based venture
fund. According to the Los Angeles Times, Rajaram, one of the company’s founders, made $1.2 million on a £12,500 investment when the fund was taken public on
the London Stock Exchange.
In 1997, the Rajarams purchased a home in Northridge, another community in the San Fernando Valley, for $274,000. In 2006, they sold it for $750,000 and moved
into the rented home in Porter Ranch. Sue Karns, a former Northridge neighbor, told the Times, “The market was going down and he [Karthik Rajaram] wanted to get
out before the bottom dropped out.” He told her, “I feel I did a good thing by selling when I did.”
Rajaram held a Master of Business Administration degree from UCLA. In 2003 and 2004, he worked at Azur Partners LLC, a management consulting agency. His
boss, Greg Robinson, told the Times that he had fired Rajaram because “his life wasn’t moving in the right direction.”
Rajaram also worked with Robinson at the Century City office of the accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He was also unable to keep that job. “He was not an
emotionally stable person,” Robinson said. “It was a real problem and would affect any business he was involved in.”
More precise details about Karthik Rajaram’s financial situation at the moment he made the decision to carry out the murder-suicide are at this point unavailable. It
is clear, however, that the profits from the London stock liquidation and proceeds from his home sale were long gone and that he was fraught with anxiety over his
family’s future.
Individual psychological factors play a significant part in such a tragic decision. According to his former neighbors, the Karns, Rajaram was “very high-strung, very
intense.” “The man was never relaxed,” Sue Karns told the Times. But she also recalled his devotion to the children whose lives were claimed in the tragedy: “He
loved those kids more than any man I’ve ever seen love his sons.”
There are growing signs that the kind of financial and psychological pressures that gripped the Rajaram family are becoming a widespread phenomenon in US
society as the economic crisis deepens. While Karthik Rajaram’s response was a particularly violent one, and psychological problems clearly played a role, these
pressures are taking a heavy toll on the mental and physical health of millions of Americans. Inevitably, these pressures will have the greatest impact on those with
an emotional susceptibility.
The report released this week by the APA—“Stress in America”—indicated that nearly half of those surveyed (47 percent) report that their stress has increased in the
past year. Women aged 44 to 62 are the most likely to report the economy as a significant source of stress.
According to the APA survey, this increased stress is manifested in feelings of irritability or anger, lying awake at night, lack of interest or motivation, feelings of
depression and sadness, poor eating habits, headaches, muscular tension and other physical symptoms. Respondents also reported increased use of alcohol
and smoking to manage their stress.
Ironically, as stress rises and mental health problems increase, many people are forced to cut back on therapy. According to the Wall Street Journal, psychiatrists
and psychologists across the country are seeing increasing numbers of patients who are worried about paying for mental-health treatment. In New York, therapists
are seeing more and more patients from the financial-services industry.
The APA’s recommendations for dealing with stress? Psychologist Katherine Nordal, the APA’s executive director for professional practice, comments: “Pay
attention to what’s happening around you, but refrain from getting caught up in doom-and-gloom hype. Take stock of your particular situation and what causes you
stress. Reach out to family, friends and trusted advisers. Research shows that receiving support from others is effective in managing stress. If you continue to feel
overwhelmed by stress, then consider seeking professional help.”
Sound common sense perhaps, but of questionable value to the growing numbers of Americans who are faced with the loss of their jobs and homes, struggling to
pay for food and utilities and unable to fund their retirements or pay college tuition. It’s hard not to get caught up the “doom and gloom” when it’s enveloping you.
A recent incident focused attention on the human toll resulting from one of the most devastating manifestations of the current financial crisis—home foreclosures.
Ninety-year-old Addie Polk of Akron, Ohio, shot herself at least twice in the upper body on October 3 as sheriffs came to evict her from the home she had lived in
since 1970. She was unable to make payments on the 30-year, $45,620 mortgage she took out in 2004 with Countrywide Home Loans. Countrywide filed for
foreclosure last year, and the home was sold at auction to Fannie Mae.
Deputies had attempted to serve the elderly woman’s eviction notice 30 times previously. When she didn’t answer the door this time, Polk’s longtime neighbor,
Robert Dillon, climbed through her window and found her bleeding, lying in bed, with a gun next to her. The incident took place the same day that the US House of
Representatives was preparing to vote on the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street.
In July, a Taunton, Massachusetts, woman, mother of one, killed herself in her home after sending a fax to her mortgage company alerting officials of her intention.
The company was planning to sell her foreclosed home that day at 5 p.m.
Following exposure of Addie Polk’s plight, Fannie Mae announced that it was dismissing the foreclosure action and forgiving Polk’s mortgage, and would allow her
to return to her home. She remains in Akron General Medical Center recovering from her wounds.
Our Gov't is getting ready to lending a helping hand to the same clowns who fucked up our economy in the first place. Great Idea.
Below you'll see a couple of stories to help you understand exactly what's going on outside your doorstep.
Below you'll see a couple of stories to help you understand exactly what's going on outside your doorstep.
The Mexican Repatriation was a largely forced migration mainly taking place between 1929 and 1937, when an estimated 2 million[1][unreliable
source?] Mexicans and Mexican Americans, of which approximately 1.2 million[1][unreliable source?] had been born in the United States, were
deported or "voluntarily repatriated" to Mexico. Approximately 60% of the people deported were children born in the U.S. and others who, while of
Mexican descent, were legal citizens.[2][3][unreliable source?]
During the Great Depression, Mexicans and Mexican Americans were viewed as usurpers of American jobs and a burden on social services such
as relief aid[citation needed]. The Immigration and Naturalization Service targeted Mexicans because of "the proximity of the Mexican border, the
physical distinctiveness of mestizos, and easily identifiable barrios."[4]
These actions were authorized by President Herbert Hoover and targeted areas with large Hispanic populations, mostly in California, Texas,
Colorado, Illinois and Michigan. Although President Franklin Roosevelt ended federal support for the program when he took office, many state and
local governments continued with their efforts.[citation needed]
In 1924, the Quota Act of 1924 reduced immigration from Europe from over 1 million a year to less than 100,000, although exemptions were made
for the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico. Following the onset of the Depression, the US government began an active drive against
immigrants living illegally in the country. Announcing that there were 400,000 illegal immigrants in the U.S., Sec.of Labor William Doak ordered his
agents to carry out provisions of the new law. They raided public and private places from New York City and Chicago, to Los Angeles and San
Francisco. Between 1929 and 1935, some 163,900 people were deported from the country for being here illegally, of whom 35,000 were deported
to Mexico, roughly 20% of the total.
Doak's agents targeted many groups (more than 70% were either European or Canadian[citation needed]). Some who did not obtain visas
crossed illegally, making them legally subject to deportation. Emigration into the United States, particularly European emigration, had been
severely curbed, while more than half of all Mexican immigrants who entered during the 1920s did so illegally, according to Manuel Gonzalez,
author of Mexicanos.
Many who were not forcibly deported opted to leave of their own volition in light of the anti-Mexican climate. Still others were coerced by social
workers who exaggerated the economic opportunities in Mexico. Accumulating in border towns such as Ciudad Juárez, deportees and those who
had voluntarily repatriated found few resources.[citation needed].
The state of California passed the Apology Act for the 1930s Mexican Repatriation Program in 2005, officially recognizing the "unconstitutional
removal and coerced emigration of United States citizens and legal residents of Mexican descent" and apologizing to residents of California "for
the fundamental violations of their basic civil liberties and constitutional rights committed during the period of illegal deportation and coerced
emigration".[3][1]
FUCK Herbert Hoover!
source?] Mexicans and Mexican Americans, of which approximately 1.2 million[1][unreliable source?] had been born in the United States, were
deported or "voluntarily repatriated" to Mexico. Approximately 60% of the people deported were children born in the U.S. and others who, while of
Mexican descent, were legal citizens.[2][3][unreliable source?]
During the Great Depression, Mexicans and Mexican Americans were viewed as usurpers of American jobs and a burden on social services such
as relief aid[citation needed]. The Immigration and Naturalization Service targeted Mexicans because of "the proximity of the Mexican border, the
physical distinctiveness of mestizos, and easily identifiable barrios."[4]
These actions were authorized by President Herbert Hoover and targeted areas with large Hispanic populations, mostly in California, Texas,
Colorado, Illinois and Michigan. Although President Franklin Roosevelt ended federal support for the program when he took office, many state and
local governments continued with their efforts.[citation needed]
In 1924, the Quota Act of 1924 reduced immigration from Europe from over 1 million a year to less than 100,000, although exemptions were made
for the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico. Following the onset of the Depression, the US government began an active drive against
immigrants living illegally in the country. Announcing that there were 400,000 illegal immigrants in the U.S., Sec.of Labor William Doak ordered his
agents to carry out provisions of the new law. They raided public and private places from New York City and Chicago, to Los Angeles and San
Francisco. Between 1929 and 1935, some 163,900 people were deported from the country for being here illegally, of whom 35,000 were deported
to Mexico, roughly 20% of the total.
Doak's agents targeted many groups (more than 70% were either European or Canadian[citation needed]). Some who did not obtain visas
crossed illegally, making them legally subject to deportation. Emigration into the United States, particularly European emigration, had been
severely curbed, while more than half of all Mexican immigrants who entered during the 1920s did so illegally, according to Manuel Gonzalez,
author of Mexicanos.
Many who were not forcibly deported opted to leave of their own volition in light of the anti-Mexican climate. Still others were coerced by social
workers who exaggerated the economic opportunities in Mexico. Accumulating in border towns such as Ciudad Juárez, deportees and those who
had voluntarily repatriated found few resources.[citation needed].
The state of California passed the Apology Act for the 1930s Mexican Repatriation Program in 2005, officially recognizing the "unconstitutional
removal and coerced emigration of United States citizens and legal residents of Mexican descent" and apologizing to residents of California "for
the fundamental violations of their basic civil liberties and constitutional rights committed during the period of illegal deportation and coerced
emigration".[3][1]
FUCK Herbert Hoover!
| C O M E D Y |
There's nothing worse than hearing a teenager (human) complain about not having
a cell phone or not getting the 200 dollar pair of shoes he/she wanted. America
needs a new National Holiday, "Bitchslap a teenager day". Would be a good idea to
have it somewhere around the begining of the new school year. Better yet.. let's
name it, "Bitchslapping a teenager day" some teenagers need more than one.
a cell phone or not getting the 200 dollar pair of shoes he/she wanted. America
needs a new National Holiday, "Bitchslap a teenager day". Would be a good idea to
have it somewhere around the begining of the new school year. Better yet.. let's
name it, "Bitchslapping a teenager day" some teenagers need more than one.
How have you been?
USDA, Black Farmers Settle Bias Lawsuit
Paul Solomon, shown on his Screven County, Ga., farm,
joined a class action lawsuit against the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. (AP Photo)
By Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 6, 1999; Page A1
A federal judge yesterday tentatively approved a historic
agreement
requiring the Department of Agriculture to pay hundreds of
millions
of dollars to black farmers who say they were denied
government
loans and other assistance because of their race.
The agreement settles a class action lawsuit filed in 1997 by
more
than 1,000 black farmers and marks the first time that the
government has agreed to compensate them as a group for
racial bias
that has been documented by various federal officials for years.
Discrimination by USDA officials has been cited by civil rights
advocates and others as a major reason why the ranks of black
farmers have dwindled at three times the rate of white farmers.
Blacks now account for less than 1 percent of the nation's
farmers.
The deal is one of the largest racial discrimination settlements
in
federal history and puts to rest an issue that has long been a
major
embarrassment for the Agriculture Department. The vast
agency is
derisively referred to as the "last plantation" by many black
farmers and by many of the department's own minority
employees who
see it as a bastion of racial prejudice.
In the end, the agreement could cost the federal government
$400
million or more, depending on the number of farmers who step
forward
with claims. Plaintiff attorneys said that as many as 4,000
claimants roughly one in four of the nation's black farmers
could end up taking part in the deal, although USDA officials
dispute that figure.
The black farmers alleged that for years they have been either
denied government loans or given loans smaller than those
awarded to
white farmers who had similar credit histories and assets. Loan
decisions are crucial to farmers who often borrow money,
based on
the next crop, to cover their considerable operating expenses.
And
the Agriculture Department is the lender of last resort for those
shut out of the private credit market.
"This, in my view, is the most important civil rights litigation in
years," said J.L. Chestnut, one of the attorneys representing
the
black farmers. "This case is fundamental. We are talking about
land,
the basis of capital."
The vast majority of farmers are slated to each receive tax-free
payments of $50,000. In addition, the government will forgive
the
USDA debts owed by the farmers, which Chestnut said typically
range
from $75,000 to $150,000.
A second but smaller category of farmers would include those
who
have well-documented discrimination cases. These farmers
would agree
to have their cases settled by a court-appointed arbitrator, who
could award judgments much larger than $50,000.
A third category would be made up of farmers who would
essentially
exclude themselves from the settlement and continue to pursue
individual administrative cases with the department.
In addition to cash payments and debt forgiveness, all claimants
would be given priority on future government loans and could
have
foreclosed farmlands returned to them if they are still in the
federal government's inventory.
"This is a victory for black people," said John W. Boyd Jr., a
Baskerville, Va., farmer and president of the National Black
Farmers
Association, a group founded in 1995 to fight the perceived
racism
in USDA loan programs. "I think this is fair to many farmers who
would not have been able to get any compensation otherwise.
Many of
the farmers who were discriminated against don't have all the
documentation needed to make their case."
Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said he hopes the
agreement
closes "a painful chapter" in the department's history. "We do
not
admit or deny any of the specific allegations in the lawsuit," he
said, "but the fact that we are settling with a significant amount
of money does indicate that we believe there is substantial
liability."
For years, farm advocates, civil rights officials and members of
Congress have cited discrimination in the Agriculture
Department's
huge loan programs as a major factor in the disappearance of
many of
the nation's black farmers. Between 1982 and 1992, the
number of
black farmers in the United States dropped by 43 percent, to
18,800.
The next agricultural census report, scheduled to be released
in
several months, is expected to find far fewer black farmers.
Through the years, charges of racial discrimination have been
acknowledged in individual cases by top USDA officials. But
under
President Ronald Reagan, the department dismantled its civil
rights
enforcement apparatus, leaving bias complaints to mostly go
unaddressed.
In the past two years, activism grew around the issue, with
groups
such as the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus
joining the
farmers in protests and calls for government action.
Subsequently,
Glickman met with black farmers and promised to address their
concerns. Just over a year ago, a group of farmers met with
President Clinton. Last year, administration officials pushed a
change in the law that allowed farmers to pursue discrimination
claims that were more than two years old.
In October, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman ruled that
black
farmers could pursue a lawsuit they filed in 1997 as a class
action.
The class includes all black farmers who worked between 1983
and
1997 and filed a discrimination complaint with the department or
some other government agency.
While many farmers view the settlement as a successful end to
a long
struggle, others said it does too little to redress discrimination
that has gone on for years.
Ben Hillsman Jr., 47, an Army veteran and former Tennessee
state
trooper, filed a discrimination complaint against the Agriculture
Department in 1988 after officials denied his application for a
government loan to purchase a "very productive" 290-acre
farm to
expand his operation. When he appealed the loan denial, it was
reversed. But by then, his option to purchase the farm had
expired.
He said it was later sold to a white farmer.
"This settlement is not adequate for me. You can't put a price
tag
on your health, the disrespect, the embarrassment in the
community,"
said Hillsman, who now leases out his 400-acre cotton and
peanut
farm in Halifax County, N.C. "To have risked my life as a state
police officer and then be a veteran for this country, then to
have
to go through this, is enough to make you hate people."
Paul Solomon, shown on his Screven County, Ga., farm,
joined a class action lawsuit against the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. (AP Photo)
By Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 6, 1999; Page A1
A federal judge yesterday tentatively approved a historic
agreement
requiring the Department of Agriculture to pay hundreds of
millions
of dollars to black farmers who say they were denied
government
loans and other assistance because of their race.
The agreement settles a class action lawsuit filed in 1997 by
more
than 1,000 black farmers and marks the first time that the
government has agreed to compensate them as a group for
racial bias
that has been documented by various federal officials for years.
Discrimination by USDA officials has been cited by civil rights
advocates and others as a major reason why the ranks of black
farmers have dwindled at three times the rate of white farmers.
Blacks now account for less than 1 percent of the nation's
farmers.
The deal is one of the largest racial discrimination settlements
in
federal history and puts to rest an issue that has long been a
major
embarrassment for the Agriculture Department. The vast
agency is
derisively referred to as the "last plantation" by many black
farmers and by many of the department's own minority
employees who
see it as a bastion of racial prejudice.
In the end, the agreement could cost the federal government
$400
million or more, depending on the number of farmers who step
forward
with claims. Plaintiff attorneys said that as many as 4,000
claimants roughly one in four of the nation's black farmers
could end up taking part in the deal, although USDA officials
dispute that figure.
The black farmers alleged that for years they have been either
denied government loans or given loans smaller than those
awarded to
white farmers who had similar credit histories and assets. Loan
decisions are crucial to farmers who often borrow money,
based on
the next crop, to cover their considerable operating expenses.
And
the Agriculture Department is the lender of last resort for those
shut out of the private credit market.
"This, in my view, is the most important civil rights litigation in
years," said J.L. Chestnut, one of the attorneys representing
the
black farmers. "This case is fundamental. We are talking about
land,
the basis of capital."
The vast majority of farmers are slated to each receive tax-free
payments of $50,000. In addition, the government will forgive
the
USDA debts owed by the farmers, which Chestnut said typically
range
from $75,000 to $150,000.
A second but smaller category of farmers would include those
who
have well-documented discrimination cases. These farmers
would agree
to have their cases settled by a court-appointed arbitrator, who
could award judgments much larger than $50,000.
A third category would be made up of farmers who would
essentially
exclude themselves from the settlement and continue to pursue
individual administrative cases with the department.
In addition to cash payments and debt forgiveness, all claimants
would be given priority on future government loans and could
have
foreclosed farmlands returned to them if they are still in the
federal government's inventory.
"This is a victory for black people," said John W. Boyd Jr., a
Baskerville, Va., farmer and president of the National Black
Farmers
Association, a group founded in 1995 to fight the perceived
racism
in USDA loan programs. "I think this is fair to many farmers who
would not have been able to get any compensation otherwise.
Many of
the farmers who were discriminated against don't have all the
documentation needed to make their case."
Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said he hopes the
agreement
closes "a painful chapter" in the department's history. "We do
not
admit or deny any of the specific allegations in the lawsuit," he
said, "but the fact that we are settling with a significant amount
of money does indicate that we believe there is substantial
liability."
For years, farm advocates, civil rights officials and members of
Congress have cited discrimination in the Agriculture
Department's
huge loan programs as a major factor in the disappearance of
many of
the nation's black farmers. Between 1982 and 1992, the
number of
black farmers in the United States dropped by 43 percent, to
18,800.
The next agricultural census report, scheduled to be released
in
several months, is expected to find far fewer black farmers.
Through the years, charges of racial discrimination have been
acknowledged in individual cases by top USDA officials. But
under
President Ronald Reagan, the department dismantled its civil
rights
enforcement apparatus, leaving bias complaints to mostly go
unaddressed.
In the past two years, activism grew around the issue, with
groups
such as the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus
joining the
farmers in protests and calls for government action.
Subsequently,
Glickman met with black farmers and promised to address their
concerns. Just over a year ago, a group of farmers met with
President Clinton. Last year, administration officials pushed a
change in the law that allowed farmers to pursue discrimination
claims that were more than two years old.
In October, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman ruled that
black
farmers could pursue a lawsuit they filed in 1997 as a class
action.
The class includes all black farmers who worked between 1983
and
1997 and filed a discrimination complaint with the department or
some other government agency.
While many farmers view the settlement as a successful end to
a long
struggle, others said it does too little to redress discrimination
that has gone on for years.
Ben Hillsman Jr., 47, an Army veteran and former Tennessee
state
trooper, filed a discrimination complaint against the Agriculture
Department in 1988 after officials denied his application for a
government loan to purchase a "very productive" 290-acre
farm to
expand his operation. When he appealed the loan denial, it was
reversed. But by then, his option to purchase the farm had
expired.
He said it was later sold to a white farmer.
"This settlement is not adequate for me. You can't put a price
tag
on your health, the disrespect, the embarrassment in the
community,"
said Hillsman, who now leases out his 400-acre cotton and
peanut
farm in Halifax County, N.C. "To have risked my life as a state
police officer and then be a veteran for this country, then to
have
to go through this, is enough to make you hate people."
PEARSALL — The Rodriguez Brothers Farm has been overrun by mesquite.
Two small houses are crumbling into the dusty ground, and cactuses have
claimed the spots the brush hasn't.
Just off Texas 81, about 75 head of cattle now graze on the land, where 50
horses run wild.
They all sit atop 523 acres bought by Manuel Diaz Rodriguez and his wife,
Benigna, in 1952 in hopes that their farm would sustain generations of their
descendents.
Amid the vestiges of that dream, Modesta Rodriguez Salazar, 65, waits with her
brothers, Modesto, 67, and Felipe de Jesus, 75, for their livestock to meander
to a clearing. It's dinnertime, and the hay is waiting, too.
Waiting, it seems, has become a part of the family business.
Since 2000, the family has been among 110 Mexican American farmers
nationwide suing the Agriculture Department and its Farm Service Agency,
alleging systematic discrimination in farm credit loan programs, disaster relief
loans and noncredit benefit programs.
Though the farmers were denied a class-action designation, their lawyers hope
to reverse that decision and negotiate a settlement on their behalf that will
erase their debt and allow them to rebuild their family farms.
Next week, a court in Washington, D.C., will review the status of the case.
Garcia vs. Vilsack, of which the Rodriguezes are a part of, mirrors Pigford vs.
Glickman, which was waged and won by African American farmers. It was
settled in the late 1990s for $2.2 billion, and this year the Obama
administration allocated an additional $1.2 billion to its fund.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said he's committed to eradicating
discrimination in his department, once described in a government report as
“the last plantation” and perceived as part of “a conspiracy to force minority
and socially disadvantaged farmers off their land through discriminatory loan
practices.”
The Rodriguez Brothers' lawyers — Stephen Hill of Howrey LLP, former FBI
Director Louis Freeh and former federal Judge Eugene Sullivan — describe the
treatment their clients faced as “institutional racism.” They use words such as
blatant, insidious and deep-seeded.
“When President Obama said he was allocating an additional $1.2 billion to
resolve the claims of black farmers who missed the filing deadline, he said he
was closing a chapter on the ugly history of the USDA,” Hill said. “I submit the
USDA needs to close the entire book, and the only way to do that is to resolve
the claims of victims that suffered the same discrimination at the hands of
USDA.”
Salazar, the family spokeswoman, who has testified in hearings across the
country since 2000, says she's glad her parents didn't live to see what has
become of the family farm nor endured the hardships she and her brothers
have in hopes of saving it.
She remembers how it used to be — the peanuts, corn and cotton that grew
there, the 2,000 plates that were served up for a sister's wedding on the farm,
the baseball field that drew Pearsall youths and the many children from
Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church who would show up for Easter
outings.
When she talks about the farm that was, her voice sounds full of regret and
anger.
“It makes me mad,” she said, recalling how much time her brothers spent
fighting Farm Service Agency officials. “My brothers were fighting, fighting,
fighting.”
To understand how discriminatory practices persisted at the Agriculture
Department, the farmers' lawyers say, one has to understand how crucial the
administration of timely loans are to a farm operation.
Because the Agriculture Department is a decentralized bureaucracy, it allows
FSA offices throughout the country to administer its programs. In Pearsall, FSA
representatives historically have been Anglo, the plaintiffs and their lawyers
said.
Attorneys said such situations were ripe for discrimination. Former Agriculture
Secretary Dan Glickman said as much in the late 1990s, admitting that the
department's “flexible systems” were used to “preserve unacceptable ways.”
Hill said the department practiced discrimination from start to finish.
“The USDA would typically deny applications (to Mexican Americans) in the first
instance,” he said. They were told no applications were available and that they
probably didn't qualify. Then they weren't helped to apply, even though FSA
was required to assist them.
Also, the USDA would “slow roll” loans, he said, and delays would drag out
processing times.
When a loan was approved, Hill said, “all too often the loan was arbitrarily
reduced,” leaving the farmer without the means to run a farm effectively.
“Minority farmers got too little, too late, but just enough to get them in trouble,”
he said of debts and foreclosures.
Department agents “used the default mechanism. ... So rather than provide
servicing, they'd tell you to sell some of your land.”
Hill said that allowed takeover attempts. “The evidence strongly suggests that
that is indeed what was happening. Minority farmers are losing their land, and
it's being taken over by majority farmers.”
Freeh said their civil rights complaints were ignored.
In April, Vilsack announced “a new civil rights era for USDA” and temporarily
suspended all foreclosures in the FSA farm loan program.
Last week, he granted an $8 million contract to a company that would help
“ensure that its assistance programs are administered equitably.”
Justice Department spokesperson Melissa Schwartz, said last week that unlike
the Pigford vs. Glickman case, “We will not be able to negotiate a classwide
settlement.”
But the Agriculture and Justice departments “will give fair consideration to
settling claims based on the facts and circumstances of each individual case.”
Attorneys for the farmers say individual litigation effectively kills their clients'
hopes of saving their farms because they can't afford to wage individual
lawsuits.
The Justice Department's stance vexes Freeh, a department veteran.
“From a legal point of view, they won their class-action motion,” he said.
“Congratulations, you won on a technicality.”
That ruling, by a U.S. District Court and upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the District of Columbia Circuit, also troubles the legal team.
“Judges sometimes deliver contradictory results,” he said, noting the African
Americans successfully declared a class-action case. “It's why we have a
Supreme Court, by the way.”
“We'll ask the court respectfully to reconsider the class-action issue,” he said.
The lawyers say there might be thousands of Hispanic farmers eligible to
participate in the case.
They won't put a figure on what would satisfy their clients' claims. But Salazar
has an idea of what it would take for her family.
She wants the Rodriguez Brothers Farm's debt of more than $400,000 erased,
“plus damages that have been done to us.”
“We were always good farmers,” she said. With a little cash, the young
members of her family — upwards of 90 of them — can restore the farm.
Esmeralda Rodriguez Balderas, 37, a daughter of one of the Rodriguez
brothers, hopes for as much.
“We want to keep it in the family and start it up again.”
Two small houses are crumbling into the dusty ground, and cactuses have
claimed the spots the brush hasn't.
Just off Texas 81, about 75 head of cattle now graze on the land, where 50
horses run wild.
They all sit atop 523 acres bought by Manuel Diaz Rodriguez and his wife,
Benigna, in 1952 in hopes that their farm would sustain generations of their
descendents.
Amid the vestiges of that dream, Modesta Rodriguez Salazar, 65, waits with her
brothers, Modesto, 67, and Felipe de Jesus, 75, for their livestock to meander
to a clearing. It's dinnertime, and the hay is waiting, too.
Waiting, it seems, has become a part of the family business.
Since 2000, the family has been among 110 Mexican American farmers
nationwide suing the Agriculture Department and its Farm Service Agency,
alleging systematic discrimination in farm credit loan programs, disaster relief
loans and noncredit benefit programs.
Though the farmers were denied a class-action designation, their lawyers hope
to reverse that decision and negotiate a settlement on their behalf that will
erase their debt and allow them to rebuild their family farms.
Next week, a court in Washington, D.C., will review the status of the case.
Garcia vs. Vilsack, of which the Rodriguezes are a part of, mirrors Pigford vs.
Glickman, which was waged and won by African American farmers. It was
settled in the late 1990s for $2.2 billion, and this year the Obama
administration allocated an additional $1.2 billion to its fund.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said he's committed to eradicating
discrimination in his department, once described in a government report as
“the last plantation” and perceived as part of “a conspiracy to force minority
and socially disadvantaged farmers off their land through discriminatory loan
practices.”
The Rodriguez Brothers' lawyers — Stephen Hill of Howrey LLP, former FBI
Director Louis Freeh and former federal Judge Eugene Sullivan — describe the
treatment their clients faced as “institutional racism.” They use words such as
blatant, insidious and deep-seeded.
“When President Obama said he was allocating an additional $1.2 billion to
resolve the claims of black farmers who missed the filing deadline, he said he
was closing a chapter on the ugly history of the USDA,” Hill said. “I submit the
USDA needs to close the entire book, and the only way to do that is to resolve
the claims of victims that suffered the same discrimination at the hands of
USDA.”
Salazar, the family spokeswoman, who has testified in hearings across the
country since 2000, says she's glad her parents didn't live to see what has
become of the family farm nor endured the hardships she and her brothers
have in hopes of saving it.
She remembers how it used to be — the peanuts, corn and cotton that grew
there, the 2,000 plates that were served up for a sister's wedding on the farm,
the baseball field that drew Pearsall youths and the many children from
Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church who would show up for Easter
outings.
When she talks about the farm that was, her voice sounds full of regret and
anger.
“It makes me mad,” she said, recalling how much time her brothers spent
fighting Farm Service Agency officials. “My brothers were fighting, fighting,
fighting.”
To understand how discriminatory practices persisted at the Agriculture
Department, the farmers' lawyers say, one has to understand how crucial the
administration of timely loans are to a farm operation.
Because the Agriculture Department is a decentralized bureaucracy, it allows
FSA offices throughout the country to administer its programs. In Pearsall, FSA
representatives historically have been Anglo, the plaintiffs and their lawyers
said.
Attorneys said such situations were ripe for discrimination. Former Agriculture
Secretary Dan Glickman said as much in the late 1990s, admitting that the
department's “flexible systems” were used to “preserve unacceptable ways.”
Hill said the department practiced discrimination from start to finish.
“The USDA would typically deny applications (to Mexican Americans) in the first
instance,” he said. They were told no applications were available and that they
probably didn't qualify. Then they weren't helped to apply, even though FSA
was required to assist them.
Also, the USDA would “slow roll” loans, he said, and delays would drag out
processing times.
When a loan was approved, Hill said, “all too often the loan was arbitrarily
reduced,” leaving the farmer without the means to run a farm effectively.
“Minority farmers got too little, too late, but just enough to get them in trouble,”
he said of debts and foreclosures.
Department agents “used the default mechanism. ... So rather than provide
servicing, they'd tell you to sell some of your land.”
Hill said that allowed takeover attempts. “The evidence strongly suggests that
that is indeed what was happening. Minority farmers are losing their land, and
it's being taken over by majority farmers.”
Freeh said their civil rights complaints were ignored.
In April, Vilsack announced “a new civil rights era for USDA” and temporarily
suspended all foreclosures in the FSA farm loan program.
Last week, he granted an $8 million contract to a company that would help
“ensure that its assistance programs are administered equitably.”
Justice Department spokesperson Melissa Schwartz, said last week that unlike
the Pigford vs. Glickman case, “We will not be able to negotiate a classwide
settlement.”
But the Agriculture and Justice departments “will give fair consideration to
settling claims based on the facts and circumstances of each individual case.”
Attorneys for the farmers say individual litigation effectively kills their clients'
hopes of saving their farms because they can't afford to wage individual
lawsuits.
The Justice Department's stance vexes Freeh, a department veteran.
“From a legal point of view, they won their class-action motion,” he said.
“Congratulations, you won on a technicality.”
That ruling, by a U.S. District Court and upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the District of Columbia Circuit, also troubles the legal team.
“Judges sometimes deliver contradictory results,” he said, noting the African
Americans successfully declared a class-action case. “It's why we have a
Supreme Court, by the way.”
“We'll ask the court respectfully to reconsider the class-action issue,” he said.
The lawyers say there might be thousands of Hispanic farmers eligible to
participate in the case.
They won't put a figure on what would satisfy their clients' claims. But Salazar
has an idea of what it would take for her family.
She wants the Rodriguez Brothers Farm's debt of more than $400,000 erased,
“plus damages that have been done to us.”
“We were always good farmers,” she said. With a little cash, the young
members of her family — upwards of 90 of them — can restore the farm.
Esmeralda Rodriguez Balderas, 37, a daughter of one of the Rodriguez
brothers, hopes for as much.
“We want to keep it in the family and start it up again.”
MORE STORIES FROM MEXICAN FARMERS: click here
African-Americans and Mexicans, treated equally? Is it our turn to pull out the "race" card?
African-American farmer settle class action lawsuit for 1.25 billion dollars. Mexican farmers ignored.
African American & Mexican
farmers file discrimination class
action lawsuit against the USDA.
African Americans settle for 1.25
billion dollars while Mexican's are
ignored.
farmers file discrimination class
action lawsuit against the USDA.
African Americans settle for 1.25
billion dollars while Mexican's are
ignored.
PAL event has McManus in its corner
A week from now, as many as 600 amateur boxers from all over the United States will descend on San Antonio for the start of the 2009 National
Police Athletic League Boxing Tournament.
It should come as no surprise that the event's No. 1 fan is Police Chief William McManus.
The SAPD's top cop was a PAL boxer as a youth growing up in Philadelphia.
“I fought as a light heavyweight,” he recalls. “But I wasn't much of a brawler. I tried to keep my distance. Hit and move.”
The tournament, one of the premier events in amateur boxing, runs Oct. 19-24 at Municipal Auditorium.
Three rings will operate simultaneously during the opening rounds of the tournament, which is sanctioned and run by the national governing body
for the sport in America, USA Boxing.
The national PAL was formed in 1914 in New York, and in the early 1940s it became a national organization for youth-based athletics.
There are 350 PAL chapters in 48 states, said Mike Dillhyon, executive director of the Jupiter, Fla.-based organization, including 17 in Texas.
The PAL offers sports from volleyball and tennis to judo and basketball, giving kids a place to feel good about themselves and keep off the
streets.
Another key part of the PAL mission is to expose youths to the human side of police.
McManus said that kind of guidance was important to him as a teen.
Athletics generally kept him out of trouble most of the time, but there were plenty of opportunities to go astray, he said.
“I always hung around with older guys,” he said. “My best friend was four years older than me. He was a good kid, but a lot of his friends went
sideways.”
He said the PAL gym near his grandmother's house offered him “a place to belong.”
The local PAL, which serves more than 1,800 youth from ages 7-18, operates successful volleyball and summer baseball leagues, along with the
Pizza Hut Drug-Free Basketball League, co-sponsored by the Spurs.
But no boxing.
That didn't discourage Danny Zamora, the local PAL director, and San Antonian Robert Alvarado, a regional PAL chairman, who worked to bring
the annual PAL boxing tournament to the Alamo City in 2009 and 2010 after four years in Oxnard, Calif.
They immediately enlisted the aid of McManus, who was able to secure the Municipal Auditorium for free, as well as help in soliciting sponsorships
and donations.
“He's been a tremendous help,” said Dillhyon, who is scheduled to arrive Thursday to help with walk-up registration and in running the event.
McManus says he quit boxing in high school to concentrate on football. He was a quarterback at Father Judge High School in Philadelphia and
accepted a scholarship to play at Villanova.
He was the starting quarterback for the Wildcats his freshman year but was hit by a car while crossing the street.
McManus has remained a big boxing fan. One of his good friends is legendary boxing manager and trainer Lou Duva. Pictures of McManus with
Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao adorn his office walls.
“I could take Pacquiao,” he joked.
He said the tournament “is going to be great for the city. I'm excited about it. I can't wait.”
A week from now, as many as 600 amateur boxers from all over the United States will descend on San Antonio for the start of the 2009 National
Police Athletic League Boxing Tournament.
It should come as no surprise that the event's No. 1 fan is Police Chief William McManus.
The SAPD's top cop was a PAL boxer as a youth growing up in Philadelphia.
“I fought as a light heavyweight,” he recalls. “But I wasn't much of a brawler. I tried to keep my distance. Hit and move.”
The tournament, one of the premier events in amateur boxing, runs Oct. 19-24 at Municipal Auditorium.
Three rings will operate simultaneously during the opening rounds of the tournament, which is sanctioned and run by the national governing body
for the sport in America, USA Boxing.
The national PAL was formed in 1914 in New York, and in the early 1940s it became a national organization for youth-based athletics.
There are 350 PAL chapters in 48 states, said Mike Dillhyon, executive director of the Jupiter, Fla.-based organization, including 17 in Texas.
The PAL offers sports from volleyball and tennis to judo and basketball, giving kids a place to feel good about themselves and keep off the
streets.
Another key part of the PAL mission is to expose youths to the human side of police.
McManus said that kind of guidance was important to him as a teen.
Athletics generally kept him out of trouble most of the time, but there were plenty of opportunities to go astray, he said.
“I always hung around with older guys,” he said. “My best friend was four years older than me. He was a good kid, but a lot of his friends went
sideways.”
He said the PAL gym near his grandmother's house offered him “a place to belong.”
The local PAL, which serves more than 1,800 youth from ages 7-18, operates successful volleyball and summer baseball leagues, along with the
Pizza Hut Drug-Free Basketball League, co-sponsored by the Spurs.
But no boxing.
That didn't discourage Danny Zamora, the local PAL director, and San Antonian Robert Alvarado, a regional PAL chairman, who worked to bring
the annual PAL boxing tournament to the Alamo City in 2009 and 2010 after four years in Oxnard, Calif.
They immediately enlisted the aid of McManus, who was able to secure the Municipal Auditorium for free, as well as help in soliciting sponsorships
and donations.
“He's been a tremendous help,” said Dillhyon, who is scheduled to arrive Thursday to help with walk-up registration and in running the event.
McManus says he quit boxing in high school to concentrate on football. He was a quarterback at Father Judge High School in Philadelphia and
accepted a scholarship to play at Villanova.
He was the starting quarterback for the Wildcats his freshman year but was hit by a car while crossing the street.
McManus has remained a big boxing fan. One of his good friends is legendary boxing manager and trainer Lou Duva. Pictures of McManus with
Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao adorn his office walls.
“I could take Pacquiao,” he joked.
He said the tournament “is going to be great for the city. I'm excited about it. I can't wait.”
PAL event has McManus in its corner.
So much so that he kept his promise to me from a little over 1 year ago. I sat in his office and heard him say all the right things. He said he was
excited about having such a prestigious event (PAL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT) here in San Antonio. Then he went into the "i used to box story"
You know, the story you hear from everyone when they find out you're involved in boxing. Hanging up a bag in your backyard, getting boxing
gloves from wal-mart for xmas or going to the gym twice doesn't make you a boxer. It's frustrating having to hear these stories. It's an insult to kids
who actually box. Kids who are dedicated and give their heart to the sport. What gives someone who has been in the gym once or twice.....or has
laced up some plastic gloves in someones backyard the right to call themselves a boxer? Anyone can throw a punch but not anyone can be a
boxer.
A year before the PAL Tournament took place in San Antonio Mr. Jaime Martinez (LULAC) introduced me to SAPD Cheif McManus. The meeting
took place downtown at McManus' office for one reason.....to get the SAPD involved with amateur boxing. All the right things were said in the
meeting. The Chief told me he'd be by our gym to workout for the media and help us get some sponsors. Well a year and change has gone by
and I have yet to hear from him.
If someone walks by a lit match and doesn't put it out don't expect him to bother with a wildfire.
So much so that he kept his promise to me from a little over 1 year ago. I sat in his office and heard him say all the right things. He said he was
excited about having such a prestigious event (PAL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT) here in San Antonio. Then he went into the "i used to box story"
You know, the story you hear from everyone when they find out you're involved in boxing. Hanging up a bag in your backyard, getting boxing
gloves from wal-mart for xmas or going to the gym twice doesn't make you a boxer. It's frustrating having to hear these stories. It's an insult to kids
who actually box. Kids who are dedicated and give their heart to the sport. What gives someone who has been in the gym once or twice.....or has
laced up some plastic gloves in someones backyard the right to call themselves a boxer? Anyone can throw a punch but not anyone can be a
boxer.
A year before the PAL Tournament took place in San Antonio Mr. Jaime Martinez (LULAC) introduced me to SAPD Cheif McManus. The meeting
took place downtown at McManus' office for one reason.....to get the SAPD involved with amateur boxing. All the right things were said in the
meeting. The Chief told me he'd be by our gym to workout for the media and help us get some sponsors. Well a year and change has gone by
and I have yet to hear from him.
If someone walks by a lit match and doesn't put it out don't expect him to bother with a wildfire.
| 2010-2020 BOXERS WISHLIST |
As each boxer sat on Santa's Lap they had a few "witcchesss" (souffside!)...some boxers who could not attend sent in their request via snail-mail &
email. A few by Fax. Here's the list: (ps. Santa is a snitch. He'd die in Prison)
email. A few by Fax. Here's the list: (ps. Santa is a snitch. He'd die in Prison)
Celina Salazar - More fights
"Santos" Martinez - superglue to keep his right hand up
AJ - height
Roman - longer pants
Roman's brother - not look so much like Petey
Amanada - a job
Julian - Jenny Craig
Ramon Cardenas - less jokes about his forehead
Ray Cordova - muscle
Russell - record deal
North Carolina - Golden Gloves title
Armband - reflexes
Steven "Mouff" - a jab
Hector - no more unknown "speed bumps" to the face
Jersey - bollas & energy
Manny Man - new tendon
Mike - another 10 hours to our 24 hour days
Cresencio Jr. - a victory when deserved
Juan, "El Mexicano" - Chingasos...mas chingasos!
Petey - some weight to go with his new added height
Denise "Red" - new elbow
Amber - a new dad
Richard - shoulder
Slim Duron - Free helicopter rides to the gym
Luna - new nose
Arturo - less buenuelos
Pete Sr. - less curl
Cresencio Sr. - NO MORE parties during the weekdays
"Santos" Martinez - superglue to keep his right hand up
AJ - height
Roman - longer pants
Roman's brother - not look so much like Petey
Amanada - a job
Julian - Jenny Craig
Ramon Cardenas - less jokes about his forehead
Ray Cordova - muscle
Russell - record deal
North Carolina - Golden Gloves title
Armband - reflexes
Steven "Mouff" - a jab
Hector - no more unknown "speed bumps" to the face
Jersey - bollas & energy
Manny Man - new tendon
Mike - another 10 hours to our 24 hour days
Cresencio Jr. - a victory when deserved
Juan, "El Mexicano" - Chingasos...mas chingasos!
Petey - some weight to go with his new added height
Denise "Red" - new elbow
Amber - a new dad
Richard - shoulder
Slim Duron - Free helicopter rides to the gym
Luna - new nose
Arturo - less buenuelos
Pete Sr. - less curl
Cresencio Sr. - NO MORE parties during the weekdays
A few weeks ago a announcement was made by the Eastside Boys and Girls Club. The old boxing gym run by the late Tony Jaramillo was being
renamed, San Antonio Golden Gloves Boxing Gym. This past Sunday the following was posted in the Express News:
Ring needed: Officials are in need of a boxing ring for the newly formed San Antonio Golden Gloves Boxing Club.
Anyone willing to donate a ring or sponsor the purchase of one is asked to contact Skip Wilson, the local Golden Gloves director, at 210-843-6558 or Jim Watson, executive
director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio, at (210) 434-4383.
The new program, located at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club, is headed by Robert Lopez.
This raises a few questions.
Tony Jaramillo Sr. operated the old Alamo Boxing Gym above Coney Island for over 20 years as the Head Coach. He did so by paying for ALL
expenses out of his own pocket. I know this because I was part of the program. We'd eat bread sandwiches, bunch up 10 per hotel room and have
to switch uniforms with our gloves on cause we had 3 uniforms and 6 boxers fighting on the same night. Tony Jaramillo did this for the kids........for
the BOXERS. He did this out of the good will of his heart cause he knew most of us would wind up dead or in jail if he didn't keep us occupied. I will
forever be thankful for this. At the time I didn't understand it. I just went with the flow. NOW as an adult, I understand the meaning behind all of it.
Tony teamed up with my father and put their pennies together to keep this program going.The gym didn't have running water. None of us
complained about it. We simply found a way. I can remember going through 2 hour
renamed, San Antonio Golden Gloves Boxing Gym. This past Sunday the following was posted in the Express News:
Ring needed: Officials are in need of a boxing ring for the newly formed San Antonio Golden Gloves Boxing Club.
Anyone willing to donate a ring or sponsor the purchase of one is asked to contact Skip Wilson, the local Golden Gloves director, at 210-843-6558 or Jim Watson, executive
director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio, at (210) 434-4383.
The new program, located at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club, is headed by Robert Lopez.
This raises a few questions.
Tony Jaramillo Sr. operated the old Alamo Boxing Gym above Coney Island for over 20 years as the Head Coach. He did so by paying for ALL
expenses out of his own pocket. I know this because I was part of the program. We'd eat bread sandwiches, bunch up 10 per hotel room and have
to switch uniforms with our gloves on cause we had 3 uniforms and 6 boxers fighting on the same night. Tony Jaramillo did this for the kids........for
the BOXERS. He did this out of the good will of his heart cause he knew most of us would wind up dead or in jail if he didn't keep us occupied. I will
forever be thankful for this. At the time I didn't understand it. I just went with the flow. NOW as an adult, I understand the meaning behind all of it.
Tony teamed up with my father and put their pennies together to keep this program going.The gym didn't have running water. None of us
complained about it. We simply found a way. I can remember going through 2 hour
workouts without drinking water. . . or having to wait 2 hours to pee cause we didn't have a restroom but still had to spar and do a full workout.
Unlike lots of the stories your fathers and grandfathers tell you, this one is a bit different. We've all heard the, "I walked to school in the snow
...etc...." stories. We all question these stories and usually brush them off as fiction. Well, the stories I talk about are NON FICTION. Thanks to my
father we have videos of these workouts and incidents. Some of the boxers and parents here at our gym have had the privilege of watching some
of these old VHS tapes.
There's a reason I'm sharing some of these stories about Tony Jaramillo with you. We have lots of "coaches" walking around saying they do this
for the kids. That they're not in it for monetary gains or "power". I question these same people. Ton Pastran, Tony Jaramillo, Joe Souza, my
father.. these people come to mind when I think about coaches doing it FOR THE KIDS. TO HELP. Doing it for no personal gain but for the simple
reason of HELPING KIDS STAY on the right path. We're running out of people like this. The upcoming Golden Gloves tournament is a perfect
example. Not many people know the reason why so many gyms enter boxers who have no chance of winning into the tournament. Each gym
receives X amount of dollars per registered boxer. Our LBC tournament has always had a poor turnout. I have a suggestion. Give coaches the
same deal the Golden Gloves does and you'll have hundreds of boxers registering for the tournament and not cause coaches think they can win
or advance to the national tournament. . . . but cause of the $$$.
"THE RING (& boxing equipment, including all the posters) BELONG TO THE BOYS CLUB". This was said to Tony Jaramillo's children,
(Tony Jr, Bobby & Robert). Although they were willing to continue the program they were told they couldn't. They didn't have a choice but to pack
their things and leave. . .. well, they thought. They wanted them to leave but couldn't take anything with them. The Boys Club wanted to keep
everything. They told them everything belonged to the Boys Club. The same ring Tony Jaramillo had paid for out of his pocket...his OWN
PERSONAL $$ didn't belong to them. Jaramillo didn't ask for help, donations or hand me downs from anyone. He went into his own pocket and
paid for it. Why? His boxers needed a ring. Simple. HE wasn't going to sit around and wait for someone to donate or hand something to him. He
did it out of his own good will. For HIS BOXERS......FOR THE KIDS. If the program at the Eastside Boys Club wasn't going to continue why didn't
they want the Jaramillo's to take their things with them? Was this the plan all along? Bully Jaramillo's kids and keep the things their father had paid
for out of his pocket and start this "NEW PROGRAM" ? This program isn't new. It might be something NEW for the people that are now involved
but this EASTSIDE BOXING TEAM "program" has been around a very long time.
Bobby & Robert Jaramillo contacted my father and I when the Boys Club tried keeping their belongings. The Boys Club told them they had no
proof this equipment belonged to them. WRONG. We told them my father was paid by Tony Jaramillo for the ring that was sitting there. So it
belonged to Tony Jaramillo, not the Boys Club. We also told them we had videos that showed all those old vintage posters (some are worth some
serious dough) hanging on walls at the old Eastside Boxing Gym downtown. The Boys Club had no choice but to back off. The following day my
father showed up at the gym and helped the Jaramillo's pack their things, including the ring.
Months later the truth comes out. There was a plan all along. The program was going to continue. . . on their terms. Kinda sneaky how they waited
a few months before making a announcement about the "NEW PROGRAM". Were they hoping we'd forget this program was already in place? It's
not new.
IF this program is really meant for the kids I challenge the coach, director and anyone else involved in this program to do what Tony Jaramillo
did. GO INTO YOUR OWN POCKET and pay for these things yourself. The man upstairs is watching. Here's your chance to prove who you really
are. Do the right thing. Do it for the kids .........do it cause you're good person and you want to help make this world a better place for our
children.........come on weasel, do the right thing.
Everyone wants to be the next Larry Merchant. The Expert Observer. If you're a bum, give advice on being a bum......not on how to become a
millionaire.
Unlike lots of the stories your fathers and grandfathers tell you, this one is a bit different. We've all heard the, "I walked to school in the snow
...etc...." stories. We all question these stories and usually brush them off as fiction. Well, the stories I talk about are NON FICTION. Thanks to my
father we have videos of these workouts and incidents. Some of the boxers and parents here at our gym have had the privilege of watching some
of these old VHS tapes.
There's a reason I'm sharing some of these stories about Tony Jaramillo with you. We have lots of "coaches" walking around saying they do this
for the kids. That they're not in it for monetary gains or "power". I question these same people. Ton Pastran, Tony Jaramillo, Joe Souza, my
father.. these people come to mind when I think about coaches doing it FOR THE KIDS. TO HELP. Doing it for no personal gain but for the simple
reason of HELPING KIDS STAY on the right path. We're running out of people like this. The upcoming Golden Gloves tournament is a perfect
example. Not many people know the reason why so many gyms enter boxers who have no chance of winning into the tournament. Each gym
receives X amount of dollars per registered boxer. Our LBC tournament has always had a poor turnout. I have a suggestion. Give coaches the
same deal the Golden Gloves does and you'll have hundreds of boxers registering for the tournament and not cause coaches think they can win
or advance to the national tournament. . . . but cause of the $$$.
"THE RING (& boxing equipment, including all the posters) BELONG TO THE BOYS CLUB". This was said to Tony Jaramillo's children,
(Tony Jr, Bobby & Robert). Although they were willing to continue the program they were told they couldn't. They didn't have a choice but to pack
their things and leave. . .. well, they thought. They wanted them to leave but couldn't take anything with them. The Boys Club wanted to keep
everything. They told them everything belonged to the Boys Club. The same ring Tony Jaramillo had paid for out of his pocket...his OWN
PERSONAL $$ didn't belong to them. Jaramillo didn't ask for help, donations or hand me downs from anyone. He went into his own pocket and
paid for it. Why? His boxers needed a ring. Simple. HE wasn't going to sit around and wait for someone to donate or hand something to him. He
did it out of his own good will. For HIS BOXERS......FOR THE KIDS. If the program at the Eastside Boys Club wasn't going to continue why didn't
they want the Jaramillo's to take their things with them? Was this the plan all along? Bully Jaramillo's kids and keep the things their father had paid
for out of his pocket and start this "NEW PROGRAM" ? This program isn't new. It might be something NEW for the people that are now involved
but this EASTSIDE BOXING TEAM "program" has been around a very long time.
Bobby & Robert Jaramillo contacted my father and I when the Boys Club tried keeping their belongings. The Boys Club told them they had no
proof this equipment belonged to them. WRONG. We told them my father was paid by Tony Jaramillo for the ring that was sitting there. So it
belonged to Tony Jaramillo, not the Boys Club. We also told them we had videos that showed all those old vintage posters (some are worth some
serious dough) hanging on walls at the old Eastside Boxing Gym downtown. The Boys Club had no choice but to back off. The following day my
father showed up at the gym and helped the Jaramillo's pack their things, including the ring.
Months later the truth comes out. There was a plan all along. The program was going to continue. . . on their terms. Kinda sneaky how they waited
a few months before making a announcement about the "NEW PROGRAM". Were they hoping we'd forget this program was already in place? It's
not new.
IF this program is really meant for the kids I challenge the coach, director and anyone else involved in this program to do what Tony Jaramillo
did. GO INTO YOUR OWN POCKET and pay for these things yourself. The man upstairs is watching. Here's your chance to prove who you really
are. Do the right thing. Do it for the kids .........do it cause you're good person and you want to help make this world a better place for our
children.........come on weasel, do the right thing.
Everyone wants to be the next Larry Merchant. The Expert Observer. If you're a bum, give advice on being a bum......not on how to become a
millionaire.
....BAD PEOPLE.