| Free Scooter Libby! Tom DeLay called Scooter's conviction a "travesty of justice." Condi Rice, John Bolton, and Paul Wolfowich weighted in on behalf of Scooter, sentenced to 30 months in prison for lying to a Grand Jury, calling for a pardon. Scooter is a "man of integrity," said Cheney, Scooter's ex-boss. The media too was concerned for the wellbeing of this man and for his wife and children. Then we heard what we expected to hear: Scooter is free! His ex-boss's boss freed him! His sentence commuted! No jail for Scooter! All is not well when the top executive brass of this government (or non-executive, if you believe Cheney) and the media rallies around an eyes-wide-open liar and conniver. Bush fears the abuses of stem cell research? He fears cloning? What are the Friends Loyal to the King and Kingdom? They are everywhere in the government and outsourced, too, to foreign but soon-to-be protectorate lands! We are talking about a specific group of people -- White super wealthy men, bullying their way around the world. They not only want the toys of others on the playground; they want the playground too. When they are caught or feel the heat of an impending subpoena, they suddenly remember others: wives with nannies and children who, by hook or crook, will end up at Harvard. Elsewhere -- The "U.S. imprisonment rates are much higher than the rest of the world," according to Dr. Oliver, Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The increase does not account for the likes of Scooter Libby, but instead, represents young people from the Black, Native Americans, and Latino/a populations, often convicted of lesser crimes and are given more time in prison. Yet, no voices cried out to free them! Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that public school districts could not use race to determine which schools students can attend. According to the Washington Post, this "five-justice majority ruling" could "sharply limit integration programs across the nation." Education, unequal still, will now be separate again! Anyone say "travesty of justice"? Just last week, too, in an article for the Black Commentator, Linda Flores quoted New York public school students who complained about being treated "like criminals, like we're animals." Another student spoke about the classroom feeling "like a jail cell." Before you say it is different there or those children are different -- wait! Listen to yourself. Perhaps you are one of those who opposed Scooter Libby's escape from serving time, but like him, knows the justice system works perfectly well to incarcerate other people's brown and black children, the ones who end up in Iraq for Bush and Libby's freedom and who else's freedom? I spoke with Dr. Pamela Oliver by phone a couple of weeks ago as I was really interested in her efforts to educate the public about the disparities between White and Black rates of incarceration. Dr. Oliver works with Money, Education and Prisons to present statistical evidence that since the 1970s, racial disparities in the criminal justice system have worsen: it is a "lot worse than the 1920s," said Dr. Oliver. After the 1970s, things changed, and the disparities have "spiraled in the 1980s." Drug activity accounts for the highest disparity between White and Black prisoners. More Blacks are arrested and sentenced for drug use despite the fact that more Whites use drugs. Thanks to Democrats and Republicans, policies enforce the ideology of imprisonment for the "underprivileged." People are actively engaged in trying to solve this problem, Dr. Oliver said, but "people at the school district" want to improve the disparity, but they often "dance around each other" looking for "who's to blame."Worse, money that could be used to brainstorm and fund programs is "diverted into the prisons." Dr. Oliver notes the "reactive response to racism from the kids." Money for prisons and more for war sends them the message that their well-being is of no concern to anyone. I commend Dr. Oliver for her effort to address this fallout from a government determined to have just the right amount of coloring, sprinkled here and there, where needed. Prison industrial complexes represent places for those of limited use not the educational institutions where the image of a "student" is synonymous with White student. This playground is for us and this one is for you! Ethnic courses in history, art, or literature are designed and taught for White students to learn about the "other " superficially. The students receive a neo-liberal spattering of education that, in turn, does little to curtail their own sense of invincibility or empower Blacks, Native Indians, Hmong, and Latino/a students themselves. The "thug" was once a child. Dr. Oliver shouldn't be alone working to free the spirit of children who, unlike the big kid Scooter, are destined for incarceration. |
| Voices/Dr. Jean Daniels Free Scooter Libby! |
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