text:
- Lindsay Newland Bowker
- Stonington, ME
- United States
This conversation is closed.
Is Anyone Above the Law? Is it Prosecution or Correction We Most Need To Recover From Crimes That Affect So Many?
Is a process of truth, reconcilitaion and correction preferable to prosecution of wrong doing where the wrong doing has affected millions?
Two recent events in the public eye bring this questions to mind. (1)Obama undoubtedly at the urging of the Fed discouraged States from undertaking investigations and prosecution for bank frauds on behalf of consumers in favor of a settlement that would exempt banks from criminal liability and somehow reimburse injured consumers.As far as I know the deal does not include any substantial reform and does not include anything like "truth and reconciliation". As a board member of a bank regulatory agency for 10 years I understandthat a key function of Bank regulatory agencies is to maintain public confidence in the safety and soundness of banks. Corrections were undertaken discretely out of the public eye. But what happens when the very institutions charged with maintaining. a system worthy of trust and public confidence fails.? Does prsecution bring needed change? Are settlements with immunity from criminal liability justice? Does it bring abaout change?
(2) Although the Catholic Church World wide has struggled for decades with revelations and allegations of sexual abuse of parishioner children , a current effort by a reputable Human Rights Group to hold Pope Benedict to account in International Criminal Court could create a moral crisis throughout Christendom if the court were able to take the case ( which it may not be able to do) Is a public trial of a Pope the answer or is there greater public interest served by internal transformations that involve the public in a process of healing and restructuring?
Human Rights Watch has complained that the International Criminal Court ( established in 2002) has tended to avoid cases involving heads of state and government officials.
Mandela chose a course of moral correction and accountability over trials. When is that model the best course?
Closing Statement from Lindsay Newland Bowker
When we think of criminal activity affecting thousands of people systematically and continuously over many years we normally think of the mafia or drug cartels. We don't think of the largest Christian organization in the world. We don't think of our banking system, our financial markets, our own central bank, our bank regulatory agencies. Our own governments.
These aren't crimes of a single individual ,a few Bernie Madoffs, a few errant priests. These are systemic crimes that took collaboration, consensus, concealment throughout the financial system, throughout the church at all levels throughout the world....for years.
They are both crimes against humanity.both with global impacts.
I felt these two concurrent issues of how to pursue justice, where and how to apply available law, raised some very fundamental questions about what we have allowed law to become and how we allow law to selectively operate or not operate according to who the criminal is.These are both issues about us as global citizens..both the processes enabled by bank and market deregulation in 2000 and the many decades long scandal of child expoliation by preists have touched lives worldwide..touched people close to each us worldwide.
It seemed to me to be exactly the kind of issue TED Conversations was created for.
I am profoundly grateful for the global conversation we have had here at TED...for the sort of collaborative search for meaning and justice we have engaged on the workings of law in response to these two systemic global crimes..
Sep 18 2011: With respect for Luigi's and your opinion about law and justice I'm always wondering why everyone is occupied with victims and even more with perpetrators of criminal acts instead of looking to what it is such acts can tell us about how we organized our societies.
In every - or most cases I can relate any crime to something within society or flaws in the common mindset that inevitably caused this to happen.
If we look at it that way it becomes the source of knowledge on how to correct ourselves and the rules we live by.
Sep 18 2011: Frans yes..that's the big question and the big challenge exactlty.
Mandela's process put the sytem of arpartheid itself on trial and helped create a momentum and path for reformation which included everyone (victims and perpetrators alike) in the rebuilding. I think, as you apparently do, that that is what is most important here.
Any thoughts on what that could look like for the two cases at issue here, sytemic failures affecting millions. There seems to be consensus here that the whole truth has to be told as part of that process, at least I feel that. . How do we visit the truths of these two systemic failures together as a sociey? How do we have input to the reforms and corrections that are needed to redirect the operations and policies of these institutions to a place that deserves our trust and serves humanity? ( Obama's settlement, urged by Bernanke, absolves banks of all criminal liability , provides for no airing of the truth and no plan for reformation or role for us, we the people, in that process) Thanks again for your wisdom.
Sep 18 2011: Lindsay, a big question it is.
It looks though that few people can look that way.
They learned the habit to point at others with any offence they see which they need to change and take the blame on themselves first.
Your example of "apartheid" is obvious yet it took years and a maxitude of pressure for the problem to be acknowledged by those involved. It has much to do with conditioning and acceptance. Even those we see as victims can sometimes judge their situation as normal.
If I look at the two troubles you mentioned it can't be to difficult to see their origin yet to expose them immediate shows how radical a change must be to change all that.
As for the church it was for centuries a safe haven for people with uncommon sexual feelings that couldn't function in the all difference condemning society. Their closeness within the brother-sisterhood weighed much more than society that they felt expelled from. Even if the majority had a true calling this group would form a subculture that explains for sexual misconduct.
Both the abnormality of celibate and a bad education system within the Holy Church are the origin of a lot of suffering on both sides, victims and perpetrators.
The origin of the other problem is as simple as it is deep rooted. Working with virtual value is legal robbery. The first bankers were capable with their tricks to ruin nobility and even kings. Rulers that themselves let people bleed for their wealth were now ruled by those bankers.
The method is refined but not altered.Sep 18 2011: Frans laws are from society conventions and applied also for the crimes commiters, justice is for preserve the peace and also for the victims. The peace could be inner peace, serenity, wisdom....
Debra Smith
Sep 18 2011: To quote your words:"All the lawyers have to know that time in essential to fight against an institution that has the eternity in their side. Not to mentioned the very best lawyers among all. Jeff Anderson is a hero just to place the lawsuit. We all expect the results."
- +1
When the institution who is supposed to speak for God and who is supposed to be more just than any other human institution chooses to defend the ravening wolves and let the sheep that it was charged with protecting bleed to death and face public rejections, name calling and condemnation justice is clearly NOT working. Jesus would not be washing these men's feet. He would be cleaning the wounds and healing the hurts of his babies.
The expression in America goes that 'Elvis has left the building". I was only once in St. Peters and in the glory that is the Vatican. God must not live there any more if the people who are running his church with his sanction allow and defend such things or even just deflect blame. No conceptualization that I can live with allows me to believe that 'eternity is on their side."
Sep 18 2011: Debra, Lindsay, Luigi and Franz--
My thoughts --
God was never a big fan of ostentatious expressions by humans that seek to co-opt His/Her divine power in service to institutional powers over humans.
S/he was, as you illustrate, a big fan of humane expressions of love. His/her power -- which can be measured by humans only in life -- is affirmed through seeing and attending the human-ness of others, wherever and whomever they are.
This is when Gods power, which is love, can be expressed and encountered. And, when Her/his meaning for humans is communicated. Not through institutional structures, but through and with other human beings.
Static institutions, at best, can help illuminate God's intent. But only humans can live up to its power, through actions of lived love.
To bring this to Mandela, Mandela similarly symbolically and strategically rejected oppressive institutions, while symbolically and strategically embracing humans that were in relationship with the institutions and identified with the oppression institutions perpetrated.
By engaging people in relational encounters "where they were at" (echoing God's methods), in humane expressions that bridged their human differences and them in co-dynamic solutions people in South Africa experienced the power of their attempts to live and progress together through their divisions.
These strategies helped people understand the transformative power of diverse human (and thus messy) relationships as greater and more productive than institutionally isolated attempts at holding static power.
In this way, Mandela enlisted stakeholders in their solutions.
To invest their "diviner" powers in acts of love through relational restorations, which, though painful, catalyzed and propagated realization that life is improved when "loving" together helps all see and strengthen the ties between their "hidden humanity" -- the good, bad and ugly, which in turn, served as scaffolding for cultural strengths.
AndreaSep 19 2011: Debra, respectfully, you are free to think and believe what you want. Or not. Is your choice. We dont aprove the scandals that you all consider in this topic.Sep 18 2011: I hope I interpret your intent and position correctly in summarizing with something someone once said we all need: 'God with skin on.' In other words the spirit of God funnelled through human beings.
You might see that I long to believe and struggle with the realities of what I see. I do get weary in well doing -there are so many who are hurting. If I somehow overstepped or offended please forgive my excesses in my passionate struggle for truth.
Sep 18 2011: Debra --
Yes, you've nicely (and less verbosely) encapsulated my thoughts. And your so-called "excesses" need no forgiveness in my book.
My mom once said something like: "There are far greater crimes than passionate love."
You echo the passions of our most humane leaders. This ability to feel can be potent fuel for transformation. The challenge as Jesus, Mandela, Ghandi, et al knew too well, was to convert ones experience of suffering (by self or others) into larger expressions of healing.
Healing, as suffering, is never straightforward. But while suffering can lead to "straight-line" destruction if it is perseverated in isolation, Healing, by contrast, benefits from much, much inter-relational attention, which can foment contagions of energy for progress.
These relationships can fuel shared passions for change through shared experience. So while some hold the candle of hope one day, while others might temporarily succumb to all the sadness, the passions still remain so long as the relational focuses do. So the next day while the "light-bearers" reflect of the darkness, those who've spent their moments in despair can take over for a while.
The more the hopeful focus is spread, the more passions for active progress can be fueled. And, thus, despairs seem less dark -- and indeed, hope prevails.
Translation: I'm glad for your passions -- they help fuel mine.
And, I hope we can support some real solutions for the important considerations Lindsay brings to mind for our co-reflection.
AndreaSep 18 2011: Luigi
I already agreed with your observation but my point was another one.
I didn't think you have a Catholic blind spot.
Sep 19 2011: Frans I didnt have that....I can see accurately a lot of things, maybe others not so much, but your posts already help me to see trough. Inside the Vatican walls we have a diverse and very rich perspective that could be nurtured with the point from outside. Thank you very much. Believe me , we took care of the victims and provide justice for them.
(Maybe I missunderstood some of your expression)Sep 18 2011: Dear Andrea, wise, gracious and kind! You are a formidable woman and Lindsay is doing important work in sensitizing and motivating us.Sep 19 2011: Dear Luigi, I am absolutely certain that you did not approve of the scandals. You called Jeff Anderson an hero so obviously you are on the side of the angels. I am absolutely sorry that my writings can be interpreted to be blaming you or connecting you with it in anyway. I am simply upset by the ruined lives and the reactions of those in authority. If the company i work for were involved in a scandal, I would hope that you would not hold me personally responsible for things over which I have no control. Please forgive me if I offended you. I would never want to do that.
Sep 19 2011: Debra carissima you never offended me.
Luigi Vampa
Sep 17 2011: Carissima Lindsay...ciao, tanto piacere ....... we have to rmember that law and Justice are two different things, not always related in all cases. The law is a particular statement from a culture. The Justice is an Universal principle that could be expressed in many ways trough the time and history. Justice as principle is first over any law. Has the preeminence over the law statments that are inside and limited by the time and culture boundaries. In the two cases that you exposed works the same status from Justice and law. In the Justice History theres a lot of examples to be studied beyond our personal opinions and ignorances to see clearly how the culture affects the aplication of the law in diverse nations, traditions or cultures. The law is a tipical statement from the civilizations, and the Justice is a cultural and philsophical principle with the foundational strenght to be considerer as a key stone. Justice never change but the law is always in transformation. We have to see if we want to change or to transform the existent laws but not the Justice.
- +2
Sep 17 2011: Luigi,
You did not address the question.
I will copy and paste a statement I made earlier. Please give your opinions on it.
"The Catholic Church, in my opinion is shamed for eternity for crimes against humanity stretching over 1000's of years. The list of offenses is too long to mention now...But on the topic of the rape and torture of orphans and children by Catholic institutions in almost every country of the world and the subsequent denial and cover up these offenses and protection of known offenders, my answer is yes, the Pope should be put on trial in an international court of law or at least by an American court as soon as he sets foot on American soil. I also feel that global sanctions against the Vatican should be put in place until this happens, as the Pope is the head of state as well. Does religion get a free pass to rape? "
Sep 17 2011: Jason I very aware of the question. I prefer to express my point of view, my opinion are usless.
Of course you are right and we all know (myself as a member of the catholic church) that we cannot denied or accept the crimes, any crimes against the humanity or individuals, specially rape or violence on childrens, anywhere, not just in the institutions.
I invited to you to search more accurattely, not just from the press releases or the vulgar opinions, to be well informed about this very urgent topic. When you clame about the Catholic church you are focussed in one human institution. We, inside the Eclessia are very angry with this abuse, and in some cases historical abuse, that we accepted as a fact that has to be punished without any delay or complaint.Theres no any justification to pospone the Justice and the aplicattion of the law.
Sep 17 2011: Your compare and contrast of Justice vs Law is a good one. Let's explore this as it relates to the abuse (I do not like calling it that as it detracts from the seriousness of the crimes---it was rape in many cases) of children by members of the catholic elite and how it was dealt with by Ratzinger, who at the time was in charge of the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith"---The very department of the Vatican responsible for dealing with crimes committed within the Church---Including the rape of children by priests.
How many times did Ratzinger ensure that all parties involved were sworn to secrecy and moved the offending priest to another congregation only to rape again? Is this Justice? What about concealing the information from the police? Is that justice? How many known rapists in the system were defrocked? How many weren't? Is that justice? In my view, this Pope not only ensured that justice was not found, but directly contributed to the actual offenses by knowingly doing nothing to stop them and covering up each offense. How many known rapists are protected within the walls of the Vatican to this day?---even one is too many. These crimes must be acknowledged and brought to justice. Pleading for forgiveness from God is not justice by any account.
As far as searching more accurately for information on this topic...How do you have any idea how much information I have? Maybe it is you who need to search more accurately to be informed about this very urgent topic? Maybe you have all of the information that you need, but choose to view it through a very different lens than I do?Sep 18 2011: @jason to Luigi "comparison of Justice & Law a good one)
The facts are the facts and the truth is the truth..but how these truths are told before the world so all who were injured can hear and know they were spoken for..that society does not allow and will not tolerate what happened to the victims.also seems important to me especially where the victims ( if we include collateral damage) number in the millions. It seems to me that the way we bring these truths out must account for and be mindful of cutural and societal impoacts and the need to re estabkish trust in th these shamefully shattered instiutions whos operations literally shape the lives of millions.
What is served for the victims, for those who have suffered gravely as these truths have emerged and been adjudicated in family parishes all around the world, for reformation of the catholic church, for holding the church more mindfully accountable in its very structure and operation to civil and criminal law in the nations and communities it serves around the world.
What if the pope stood up this morning before the world and acknolwdeged all these truths,,confessed them before all humanity accompanied by a huge fat document of particulars that includes each and every victim, each and every priest and person in the chain of authrotiy who intentionally hid the truth. What if this morning the Pope opened a process of reformation and reconstruction that included laity all over the world? Some kind of Manela style truth and reconciliation intiated by the Pope himself.?
In your opinion, would it still be important to press this suit forward and try to get its existence and it purpose before all the world? And if so, why? What does it accomplish? What is the goal? Why is this an important way to confront these truths?
Thnak you for your further thoughts, Jason.Sep 18 2011: @ Jason referece to Ratzinger
By way of clarification to readers who may not know Ratzinger and Pope Benedict XVI are one in the same person.:
Here is a quote from the wikipedia above which provides further background to Jason's comment and also sheds some light on circumstances and history that lead up to the effort to hold Ratzinger, now Pope Bendict XVI accountable to humanity and law via the International Criinal Court..
As Cardinal Ratzinger was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the sexual abuse of minors by priests was his responsibility to investigate from 2001, when that charge was given to the CDF by Pope John Paul II.[5] Before given this charge, Cardinal Ratzinger was theoretically privy to all sexual abuse cases within the Church. As Prefect of the CDF, Canon Law directed Bishops to report sexual abuse cases involving priests in their diocese to Cardinal Ratzinger. However, due to the obscurity of Canon Law, even within the Church, it is unknown whether this directive was actually followed.
As part of the implementation of the norms enacted and promulgated on April 30, 2001 by Pope John Paul II,[6] on May 18, 2001 Ratzinger sent a letter to every bishop in the Catholic Church.[7] [8] . reminding them of the strict penalties facing those who revealed confidential details concerning enquiries into allegations against priests of certain grave ecclesiastical crimes, including sexual abuse, which were reserved to the jurisdiction of the Congregation. The letter extended the prescription or statute of limitations for these crimes to ten years. However, when the crime is sexual abuse of a minor, the "prescription begins to run from the day on that which the minor completes the eighteenth year of age."[
So much for truth and reconciltaion in lieu of court?Sep 18 2011: Lindsay,
Here are a couple real life examples of what I mentioned.
I had a friend in High school who just vanished one day. He wasn't one of my closest friends, but he was in my classes and we talked often, although he was quite introverted.. He never told me or anyone else that he was moving away. I asked the teachers what happened to him and they would not tell me. It wasn't until years later that I found out he had been raped by his pedophile priest for years and that his family decided to move far away to try to escape the priest and the wrath of some of the members of their particular Catholic church when the truth finally came out. To my knowledge, the priest was moved to another church and continued to be a "man of the cloth". This experience is one of the major factors that shaped helped shape my views on organized religion.
Whether one believes in "God" or not, no one can assume to know what God thinks or how God would want them to react to certain situations. If the Bible is our only evidence of God's record, the Old Testament would imply that God would want us to remove this evil by the most ultimate means available. The best we as humans can do is strive for solidarity and compassion toward our fellow brothers and sisters and in my opinion our children are the most precious of all. To worry more about the public perception of the Church than well being of children is one of the most evil acts I have ever witnessed. In my opinion, the only way the Church can regain any respect is to cleanse itself of its demons and not only promise complete transparency in the future, but deliver on that promise as well.
I also feel the need to mention to those who may not know that there are plenty of cases of priests abusing nuns as well which were met with little or no resistance from the Vatican.Sep 19 2011: @ jason Real LIfe ExamplesThose two posts are very hard to read and integrate:.overwhelming .dispriting..paralysing.
It's important to stay open and not to hide from these truths..not to turn away or invent some narrative simply beacuse we feel so powerless as individuals to do or say anything strong enough to heal what we witness. My practice is to always give a blessing..to hold the suffering I witness in light and to stand unflinching as witness even when I can do nothing to change what I see.
But building more of that record here doesn't take us any closer to the question of truth, reconciliation and reformation. How do we do that with these two powerful, well healed, well insulated, autonomous entities.Luigi seems to be gently telling us what we already suspect which is that the Vatican has the resources to duck the accountability part of this forever..to out wait the tolling of the staute of limitations on every. single child known to have been abused. We are asked as we are with the banks to simply trust. In this case that each and every child has in private somehow been made whole..just to accept that on faith
.Even though I believe the Mandela truth and reconcilitaion model is what serves humanity best, and even though Jeff Andersons efforts to hold what happened up before the world for what it is may fail as far as reaching a real case on International Criminal Court, maybe that's all we have available to us right now to keep the light on this , to stand with the victims and with Anderson in not letting the light on this go out until the church has acknowldeged its duty to honor the laws of society, especially those protecting children
It is important to note that cases brought before appropriate courts have not escaped accountability to law. The process of adjudication and judgements under law has virtually bankrupted many dioceses and forced the closing and consolidation of churches. So the law has triumphed without vatican cooperation..Sep 17 2011: Luigi,
Thanks for your post..nice to see you again..the point you make and the distinction you make beween law and justice is right at the heart of what was troubling my soul about these two issues. ( They are of course not the same..our relationship to a spiritual leader or to the church as an instiution involves very different parts of ourselves to our relationship as ordinary national citizens with our banks and their regulators .
Yes, laws are a cultural expression..and I would add..almost always an imperfect and ineffective attempt to secure or prevent something we value as a culture at a moment in time..and justice, like truth is eternal .
As the Law is not always the servant of justice, prosecution doesn't always bring justice and as Andrea says so beautifully, when the prosecution is for acts that have hurt so many so deeply, prosecution may draw on things within us that take us further from healing. Anger, bitterness and revenge are not the fruits of true justice.
Many victims ( families of murder victims, rape survivors etc,) find peace and healing in helping other victims not in the villification, himiliation and harsh punishment of the perpetrators) Their own suffereing is redeemed , their own peace and healing comes through service to other victims.
In both the incidents that troubled my soul, my concern was exactly at the place you and Andrea point to..staying connected to the humanity within us.as well as the risk of further unintended and unexpected harm.
Warmest regards and many thanks again for your wisdom.
Michael M
Sep 19 2011: This is a most fascinating discussion. Some of my very favorite TED people are involved.
- +1
Whether one judges by Canon Law or Civil Law, the actions of certain priests in the rape and sexual abuse of children is a crime. They are individually accountable to both Canon and Civil Law for their punishment. It should be swift and decisive. It should include appropriate punishment by both. Yes, thank goodness there is forgiveness and restoration, perhaps not to priesthood, but as human beings. I believe God's grace is there for anyone.
The Roman Catholic Church as an institution, however is also accountable for allowing the individuals to escape punishment and even for covering up the crimes. While I personally do not see how a trial of the Pope would work to resolve this problem, the Roman Church must bear the responsibility for the actions of all people involved in the scandal. The Roman Church cannot hide behind Canon Law to resolve this. They are directly accountable to Civil Law in all cases in all countries, in all situations. (Ok, I will admit this has been an "open question" since about the 10th century, but, good grief, this is the 21st century, not the 10th.)
The banking system, and its institutions are also legally accountable. Unfortunately in the US legal system, deals are struck every day to reduce either punishment or guilt based upon "negotiations." But whether a deal has been reached or not, people in those institutions and the institutions are still morally and legally accountable. As Luigi has said, "justice and law" may be two different things, but they are not totally separated either.
While moral correction or the path of Mandela might serve in some instances, in these instances, specifically, more is needed. What we need is the tribunal of moral correction in our society, not just in those institutions society creates. That kind of reflection would perhaps change how people actually perceive right and wrong.
Sep 19 2011: Hi Michael ..welcome..nice to see you and it is a perfect place in this conversation to make the distinctions you have made, in partaicular your distinction between criminal and civil law. and to cosnider "accountability"
(1) Criminal Law is the exclusive domain of the state. Once a victim reports a crime, it is the state (nation, state, municpality etc.) that determines the course of that trial. Both the actions contemplated by the Attorney's general and the prosecution of the Pope in International Criminal Court are about crimes. No one is above criminal law.. . Only "the state" can grant immunity from criminal liability as is contemplated in Obama's seetlement plan with banks. Criminal law dispenses only penalties..not victim cmpensation.
(2) Civil law is the domain of aggrieved individuals and only that individual can make a settlement. It;s a separate process and it is through that civil process the victim is compensated. Obamas Settlement plan anticipates a settlement for the benefit of consumers, still gives consumers a right to prusue civil actions but grants criminal immunity. Any settlements made voluntarily or through the courts are in the context of civil law. An individual can agree to release an entity from all future claims for damages but can't indemnify against criminal actions. So the state can still sue individulas under criminal law.
(3) accountability and privacy are separate considerations. The scope and nature of that accountability is set by statute. So the Church, like each of us as citizens, as no accountablility to the public except as set by law. Everythings else falls in the realm of privavcy and rights to privavcy. Corporations, including churches as well as each of us as individuals, have a right to privacy and of scourse everyone including the church wants to safeguard reputation and image. Settlement and attending confidendiality agreements are standard and perfectly acceptable.Sep 19 2011: Michael -
I second your call for a tribal correction system of sorts that transcend institutionalized systems.
This worked to great effect for First Nation groups in America, at least until Europeans brought institutionalized systems of religious and government mediated laws. Some still use them, with good effect.
I've been looking at the Iroquios Confederacy methods of participatory democracy. They informed the US Constitution. The Natives approach and delivery was quite integral -- and, most important, sustainable. This is a "collective culture" approach that marries contextual nuances with static, but universal, laws.
Most important it engages all of the society in conscious roles at a common ethics, not moral or legal interpretations level.
AndreaSep 18 2011: This article gives a little more Background on Jeff Anderson, referenced by Luigi and Andrea in their comments and a key figure in the attempt to hold the vatican legally accuntable:
It appears that the Vatican may have more or less invited recourse to the International Criinal Court by claiming immunity from Prosecution in the U.S. to a Milwaulkee case Jeff Anderson is key prosecutor in.
Sep 18 2011: Lindsay --
Anderson is interesting.
While he is a hero for the cause of Catholics wounded by the Catholic hierarchies, and does not practice formal religion, Anderson embraces sincere religious expression.
An example very loosely related to Luigi's interests and work:
Several years ago I interviewed Anderson for an article for a local magazine. And queried him regards his collection of religious art. I thought perhaps it represented some little bitter joke he harbored. And Qd him pretty closely on the potential irony. Which it doesn't appear to be in the least.
If anything, the collection, in my "hear" of his response, serves as a representation of the beauty of Christian belief in its most idealized forms. If not a personal inspiration of pieces that speak to Anderson's own spirituality.
Here is a snippet from the piece regards how Anderson was originally drawn to the preservation of religious artifacts. (While in Portland, Oregon.)
"Jogging through the city late one night, Anderson caught a glimpse of an altarpiece in an antiques shop window. Stopping to study the 12-foot by 10-foot depiction of angels, Anderson was transfixed. Before long it was on an onion truck, headed to Minnesota. "I didn't really know where I'd put it," says Anderson. "I just knew it was special."
Perhaps the encounter was providential.
In any case, Anderson seemed quite sincere in his passion for it and other pieces in his collection -- though he has never made any attempt to value it. Which he shares with visitors to a Bed and Breakfast he and his wife own. With this particular piece covering an entire wall in the Inns dining room.
So, this is a way that Anderson, in his own private life, but in another (though less) public way, echoes the and parallels the purer ecclesiastical "bigger picture" of his and others holiest work and most humane intentions.
Sep 18 2011: Andrea,
Thanks for that personal sharing of your own experience with Jeff Anderson. Reading the above link again and focusing on his quotes there it is clear that his is a cause of the heart and that he truly believes that the culture of the church has not been changed by all these law suits and revelations and that the needed change must come from Rome itself. He sees it a systemic institutinal failure
.Now that I understand more about Pope Benedict's long term connection, actual leadership, in the church's closed door response to the outside world's insistence on accountability to these children, that Benedict was Ratzinger..the orchestrator of the vatican's policy of obfuscation I am not seeing how the Truth and Reconciliation process could ever come into play as a response from the church.
Maybe as you say in your insightful observations on the dynamics of Mandela's process..the truth and reconcilitaion part has to be the work of those affected by the institution's wrongdoing..but then how does the change and reformation of the institution itself come about?
Although I think it has no chance of succeding due to legal technicalities, in this case, given the leadership's direct involvement, the only recourse may very well be an international trial for crimes against humanity. Where else is the force for the needed reformation?It did not occur to me at at the time I framed this questions,but there are many parallels between the vatican and the banking & monetary system. They both enjoy such an insulation from accountability to the world outside the institution and they are both able to draw an almost impenetrable cloud of secrecy around their activities. How could the truth and reconciliation process be brought to bear with either of these instiutions with any hope of fundamental change in the institutions themselves?
Sep 19 2011: Wow! There is some powerful stuff being written here in answer to these questions. I had no idea that Pope Benedict was involved in the policies of obfuscation and it demoralizes me to know it.
As to your point about crimes against humanity, I do think it is time that we began to use that definition more and more to get our world on track. There are things being done systematically and purposefully to our family of human beings that may only have a chance of being harnessed, stopped and prevented by using the international courts this way. We need a David to stop the mockery and tyranny of the Goliaths. Could this be it?
Addition: I think it is key to remember that Mandela was able to effect what he did in reconciliation because he brought in an complete change of regime.Sep 19 2011: LIndsay, Debra --
The truth and reconciliation Mandela achieved involved regime change, yes. And only occurred after he became president and used his position to reach out to his "enemies," via the very populist venues of soccer and rugby.
But it is important to understand that leadership transitions were fermented by a much larger movement of diverse, mostly non-elite citizens that began and persisted for decades after the fledgling African National Committee was founded, Even, of course, while Mandela was imprisoned.
Mandela is/was a David. But the Goliath of oppression in South Africa (as it in the Catholic Church, etc.) was/is a moving target. Thus, living, sustained iterations of such movements embodied and acted upon by many were what kept the ANC's efforts alive. As they still do today.
An interesting connection is that ANC officials were not allowed into the US without White House permission until July 2008. (Except for visits to United Nations in New York.) The timing of this is notable in my mind, coming as it did just before the election Barack Obama.
So there is a dialogic, dimensional and many-layered kinetic effect that must be catalyzed, nurtured and responsive to circumstances, environments and vernaculars.
To wind this all back to the Catholic church, and its cycles. The current Pope's predecessor was recently beatified by the Church for his humanitarian leadership. He was the Pope who permitted pro-victim responses to sex abuses. And is credited for transforming religious freedom in Cuba, among other places.
In this case, The isolated country was oppressed by Fidel Castro's communist regime, which forbade religious expression. Neither citizen protest, economic embargoes, military or international systems seemed to phase Castro's control of religion.
What did was a personal, private visit from then-pontiff John Paul II. Whose humble but holy presence so impressed Castro, he reversed his anti-religious policy.
AndreaSep 19 2011: This is the logical and heart trap that we can all fall into but it is a non sequitur. Of course we can point to the good that was done in the life of the previous Pope. That was his job after all. Without really meaning to be inflammatory we could probably point to good works that were done by dictators, thugs and Mafia bosses. In fact we can talk about the good that Castro has done in terms of medical services and science education in Cuba.
However, the issue is that crimes were committed, facilitated and covered up and the legacy of those knowing actions continues today. That speaks to one definition of crime which is criminal intent. When the so called church cares more for the hierarchy than for the people (perfect parallel with the banking system) it has lost all moral authority and has switched camps. It is no longer on the side of the angels and of the people.
Madela is exactly a David in this context. He is the one infused with the right spirit. He is the one who holds back his hand when he could wield the power to take revenge and finds a better way. So how do we take the lessons that Andrea is pointing to and work to become the equivalent of the ANC in our time and in these issues?Sep 19 2011: Lindsay
I want to try to derive a more total answer to your question. Yes, there are definitely parallels in those two institutions. Everyone is accountable for their actions. No one is above the law. It is that question of accountability and how some institutions manage it seems to not be, that makes this question fascinating.Sep 19 2011: @Andrea..truth and reconcilitaion involved regime change.
.Yes, important point that Mandela undertook the truth and reconciliation process as Presdent in the conrext of regime chnage and against a backdrop of many many years of struggle for freedom from oppression
.So in the absence of that leadership from the Vatican, the Vatican itself precludes truth and reconciliation as an altermative to prosecution?
In your conversation on Facts ( politicians playing fast and loose with facts) someone mentioned the importance of context in interpreting facts..understanding their meaning. Ratzinger's principal mission before becoming Pope Bendict XVI was to repress/eradicate liberation theology. Here is a quote from a paper Ratzinger wrote in 2004
:"Since, according to this view, there are, and can only be, two options, any objection to this interpretation of the Bible is an expression of the ruling class's determination to hold on to its power. A well-known liberation theologian asserts: "The class struggle is a fact; neutrality on this point is simply impossible."This approach also takes the ground from under the feet of the Church's teaching office: if she were to intervene and proceed against such an interpretation of Christianity, she would only prove that she is on the side of the rich and the rulers and against the poor and suffering, i.e., against Jesus himself: she would show that she had taken the negative side in the dialectic of history."http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/ratzinger/liberationtheol.htm
So the context of in which the debate and stuiggle for Vatican accountability to law is ocurring in the context of a leadership that seeks to reassert the church's authority and control and to re center on traditional teachings.
PS Perhaps I am overly sensitive to the invisible and almost total control over each of us by the plutonomy..the ruling non elected power elite but it is hard for me not to notice its centrality in his awareness .
Sep 19 2011: I am not sure how much more clearly the position of the Catholic church could be stated. It is for us to decide whether we will hear these statements and react accordingly. Most of us, have tried to always give the benefit of the doubt to the church, in the hopes that they were on the side of the divine or that they just stumbled and need the opportunity to recover.
With evidence like the quotes above, we are clearly long past that belief. It could not be more clear. The major mandate of the bible itself in the New Testament is to care for the sheep and to love one another. While there are lines about evangelism they are dwarfed in number when compared to Christ's own direction to care for the poor and downtrodden. We are no longer dealing with an organization with any sort of moral high ground. They have and continue to choose to stand against the very people that the religion was founded on and for. The 'church' the body of Christ is not and never was a collection of buildings or men in robes.Sep 19 2011: Lindsay --
I think the answer lies in something of quantum view of civil intent, not only polar truths managed by institutional means, but as the illumination of the truths in the living spaces and of people who are stakeholders of the law.
My view is stakeholders must be seen and see themselves as stewards of truth. And ideally that institutions would illuminate and empower stakeholders as such.
This is not likely in the Catholic church, though it is certainly the high-level ideal of President Obama. Whether his admin alone can deliver it, remains a Q.
A cross-partisan movement I've been involved with called We the People has done some development of such models, including through engaging colleges and universities with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. White House staff, fundamentalist faith leaders, business people, academics, students and others have participated in dialogues.
Here is video of the launch development and engagement event at which bipartisan leaders and citizens were enlisted as founders: http://vimeo.com/19585381
Harry Boyte's comments outline the focus and scope, which includes build up to the 2012 US presidential elections.
I expect We The People will come up in dialogues with Elinor Ostrom (the 2009 Nobel Prize Winner) in economics in the next few weeks as colleagues have engaged her. And your discussion will be much on my mind when I attend a master class with Ostrom.
AndreaSep 29 2011: The delay in implementation of the Dodd-Frank bill passed last year, is another example of Wall Street being above the law. The Dodd-Frank bill is addressed to the corrections to trading markets which would curb the kind of speculation that lead to market collapse in 2008.
Although it is law, republicans and the SEC have blocked its implementtaion hoping to take the presidency and repeal it.
As explained in this excellent piece at Real News,faiilure to pass the Dodd-Frank bill has consumers world wide locked into artificailly high prices for all goods and services through the artificially high price of oil
This is the reality of of being global citizens. What happens or doesnt happen in our central bank in our commoditities and other wall street markets, what happens in our legislative and regulatory structure literally shapes the price of goods and services world wide.Implementtaion of Dodd-Frank would have an immediate effect on oil prices globally and therfore on the prices of all goods and services globally..Sep 25 2011: Hi Lindsay, Did you see this TEDx talk that came to my email box this morning? It deals with moral judgements and might be quite germane to the discussion we are having.
http://youtu.be/r6D3PNuh7koSep 23 2011: Lindsay,
Here's what Paul Krugman has to say that relates:
Sep 24 2011: I am beginning to look to Paul Krugman ..he catches all the moments where history creates a platform to tell an important truth..to get the message out. And he is right, the back drop to the mortgage crisis, the dereregulation that unleashed it and the inequitable workings of justice in making whole those who were damaged has been unfolding since the mid to late 70's.: We didn;t even notice
" between 1979 and 2005 the inflation-adjusted income of families in the middle of the income distribution rose 21 percent. That's growth, but it's slow, especially compared with the 100 percent rise in median income over a generation after World War II.
Meanwhile, over the same period, the income of the very rich, the top 100th of 1 percent of the income distribution, rose by 480 percent. No, that isn't a misprint. In 2005 dollars, the average annual income of that group rose from $4.2 million to $24.3 million".
And now I hear the president starting to say publicly that not evryone can or should own a home..That only 50% of households should own..that renting keeps the labor market flexible and resilient..Is that why the sttlement for homeowners our prsident is asking u sto accept is so small only $30 billion , in comparison to the hundreds of billions the government and other financial instiutions are seeking ? That only those in the right 50% will be saved and have ther loans recast and their principal written down?Sep 24 2011: Yes, I may give Krugman a thumbs up in print on my question before it closes. (Please let me know who else I should mention within the next 4 hours or so, if you have the chance.)Sep 23 2011: Cara Lindsay, always the same human drama: Sex, lies,money, greed, ego, robery, hoax, fraud, death, crime, laws, victims.....the circumstances are different in history but the drama is the same.
Sep 24 2011: yes, but there is always the light and the rising up and the liberation from oppression,,the reformation, the evolution
Sep 24 2011: Yes!Sep 24 2011: Lindsay and Debra...Yes....but...
Hope has to be supported by experience. The hope is nice feeling but we humans have to transform in real action trough the experience.
Sep 25 2011: Yes, Father Luigi,,it is actions that bring change; actions which makes corrections.
I don't see any emerging grass roots activisim..nothing of the scale globally that ended apartheid; nothing of the scale that ended the viteneamese war here, or that brought our civil rights legislation.
The awakening to action isn't happening.Sep 25 2011: Lindsa let me tell you about some strategies used by the power & money people to desactivate the hope and the action that we cannot see yet.
1. Dissambled the lenguage. Nobody learn and understand the same. Knowledge is subverted by supositions and opinions.
2. Fear. In all the possibe manners, but the first one is fear to be alone.
3. Famine. The disguise of hunger is the junk food consumed by almost all the world.
4. Entertainement. Spend the time in nothing but spectacles or screens.
5. Credulity. Take almost all as a valid perspective without crithical thinking.
6. As a sum of all, the "sense of autonomy for each individual in despite of the real community.
7. The exhibition of the possible enemies by the foundation of any sort of NGO s.
8. The exaltation of the ego by the false truths about individualism. Selfeestim by example.
9.The social division achieved by the "differences rights" or Human rights.
As you can see is possible the identification of this strategies in many forms.Sep 23 2011: Another interesting example of who is above the law..or how the law often doesn't serve justice is the stonewalling of Solyndra exceutives before congress this morning. They used olitial influence to get their $500 million in loan guarantees and now that they have gone belly up ..they are refusng to answer any questions..takaing the fifth. Yes the law grants that..yes that's part of our freedom..but when we have put the people and $ ( this was only a loan guantee not a loan but now we are on the hook because they failed)..shouldn't we expect full accoutability to the people? Shouldn't it be required that you can't take the fifth when the people, via our elected officials, are asking what went wrong..how we came to be responsble for their $500 million screw up?Sep 22 2011: This article from Forbes, posted yesterday afternoon at their web site describes an $8.5 billion settlement between Bank of America, owner of the notorious Countrywide Mortgage Co. at the heart of the scandal and 22 large investors ( not all investors, just the large ones)
A few weeks ago news broke of a huge $196 billion law suit against 17 banks for losses to Fannie Mae and FHA who insured the bulk of thes mortgages:The Federal Housing Finance Agency has sued 17 large banks for $196 billion
/".. this shockingly huge $196 billion lawsuit just filed against 17 major banks on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Bank of America is severely exposed in this lawsuit. As the parent company of Countrywide and Merrill Lynch they are on the hook for $57.4 billion. JP Morgan is next in the line of fire with $33 billion. And many death spiraling European banks are facing billions in losses as well".
Only those consumers who have been foreclosed ( on fraudulaent loans) received any "benefit" of you can call it that. This $196 billion on behalf of the federal agencies who insured these loans doesn't include the damagesunder law consumers have suffered and are suffering paying unconsionable rates on these criminal loans. Presidents' plan offers only $30 billion in relief to consumers in the form of refinancing or alteringthe terms of loans ( eg reducing principal) with complete indemnity from all further criminal prosecution by anyone.
Doesn't the difference in size of these law suits suggest that is way too little for homeowners?. Is this equality under law?
Sep 24 2011: What an astounding and unconscionable decision it is that is made over and over again to give back the money of the big investors and hang the little ones out to dry. The saddest thing is that we all seem to accept it so easily. If you were apportioning something out, whose conscience could allow those without need to be given more while leaving the needy at the end with nothing? I guess this demonstrates why the judges cannot be trusted to make these decisions.
Thanks Lindsay for being my favourite new investigative reporter!Sep 21 2011: I am sorry if this is off topic, but i hope it augments. I have been fascinated by Ngrams (see Sabin;s question)
Here is a diagram of the uses of 'we the people' in contrast to the uses of 'propaganda" It may not mean anything but to me it is interesting and I would like to see them far more equal.
OOOPs! forgot to add the link:
http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=we+the+people%2C+propaganda&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3Sep 21 2011: Here are two Charlie Rose interviews which may contribute to this discussion.
The first was posted by Kevin Hernandez on another TED question:
The second was sent to me by Michael M.
It is a Charlie Rose interview with Nassim Taleb on economics.
If you are interested please follow this link:
Sep 21 2011: Thanks for these..both excellent. I like David Brooks phrase " a political system not capable of bearing that right now" which in effect comes back to us, "we the people", and to the issue of complicity..and also draws in your inquiry on balanced journalism and Andrea's on Facts. Essentially Brooks is syaing that no one in office dares to tell the truth because rhe electorate..we the people have been sold and totally are wedded to a different and erroneous set of assumptions. So how do we the people to move to a point of understanding "the bottom line" enough that what is realy needed can actually begin to happen?Certainly that happens here at TeED when we explore these issues and spread these high qulaity links where we can learn but how does that get broadly disseminated how does it get to be undersrood. We can't take back the law and redirect its focus from the few to all of us until we understand that the law itself has been hijacked..( as it was in the case of the dergulatin of bank that Clinto actually signed into law as he was exiting the white house)I also like the reassurance of both Brooks and Krugman that there is no imminenet crisis with our debt..our ability to borrow but the "dark side" of that god news points to an issue you mentioned recently..manipulation of e public by fear. The more afraid we are the more wiling we are to give up freedoms..to give up control to others for "protection", and by extesion, the less likely we are to "rise up" and take back control. The more likely it is we will be frightened into rusting for instance that $30 billion is fair stellement for 100's of billion in damages..that we have no choice but to settle, exempt the banks from cirminal liabiity and move forward.Maybe we do need to think about what's stalling us out as "fear" and not disenfrachisement.Truth in sound bites at least doesn't seem to penetrate that fear. What does?Sep 21 2011: To Those Just joining and the many wonderful contrbutors already here:
The two examples given to explore how things get to be above or beyond te law have been a ladder that has brought us up above these two issues to a broader cultural consideration of how this happened and more particularly what role "we the people " play. ( see Marks and Andreas and my most recent comments below on complicity). In some wasy it takes us to an extension of or several earilier conversations on dircet democracy and the power of the interernet to facilitate that.
It takes us to new questions and new explorations here.
(1) In the case of the mortage scandal, the law itself was hi jacked to serve global interests that compromised or at least failed to leave in place a legal structre that had offered more consumer protections, more oversight, a separation of banking and speculation, more direct sense of purpose heared to national economic interest..iei the broaderr interests..not the plutonomy.(the ruling global non elected elite)
(a) were "we the people" complicit in allowing this to happen? Did we enjoy the apparently free lunch that let us buy more, have more, cash out the equity in our homes and just nnot consider the question "at what cost down the line?"
(b) are "we the people" now willing and able to play a rol ein bringing the law back into alinement with the need to rebuild our own nation, to serve us and not the plutonimy while maintaining and recognizing our place as a nation in a global economy.?
2 is there a take home lesson here for newly emerging democracies on what happens after a constitutions..how law and th eoperation of national government stays accuntable to "we the peope"?
3.Is it too late for "we the people " in the U.S. to "take back the law" that allowed all this to happen or do we now have no choice but to wait out whatever it takes to keep being able to borrow right now to meet ongoing obligations..to effectively use credit to paythe light bill?Sep 20 2011: Michael --
Thank you for naming the elephant in the room. Our own complicity. There are two things I believe need addressing regards complicity:
1. Our active participation in the problem (which is easy, with immediate feedback to senses)
2. Our lack of participation in the solution (not easy, with little feedback to primary senses)
Two essays that get at this somewhat --
Sep 20 2011: Andrea
Yes, complicity...from the top down.
Mind you I am not a back to the 19th century type. It isnt about just living more simply. But we do have to recognize how involved or (not) we were in letting a system get so awry.
I will try to read those essays. Thank you.Sep 19 2011: An interesting analysis of The Obama settlement plan at a blog called Cororate Jsutice suggesting that the $20 or $30 billion settlement amount doesn't begin to represent fair compensation citing as an example pension fund losses in Flroida in excess of $60 billion as a result of investments in these fraudulent mortgages. This blogger concludes that the bill really serves the interests of the banks nore than the interests of aggrieved consumers giving them fiscal closure and a finite loss amount which will remove uncertainty about inknown liabilities from their balalnce sheets
lInterestingly as we are also considering the church scandal, this araticle cites a Rolling Stone article in which Taibbi called the Obama setllement plan a massive "pap dispensation".
Overall the analysis at this blog supports the NY Attorney General in his refusal to agree to this settlement. (Again though, the bill only grants immunity from criminal prosecution..individuals aggrieved can still pursue civial compenation).
Is Taibbi right? Is this a huge dispensation for wrong and no reformation taht effectively puts banks above the law.? From a risk management oint of view if it only costs $30 billion in fines to civer wrongful gains of $100's of billions..would you curb your practices or pay the fines?..Sep 19 2011: So far we have focused much more on the Sex Abuse Scandal and the prospect f the Pope being tried in International Criminal Court and have not really explored much the issues whether Obama's Settlement deal for the mortgage scnadal serves the publiic interest more and more expediently than the the planner proescutin of State Attorney's General.
Here is a good summary from the Huffington Post:
The Obama administration is seeking to force the nation's five largest mortgage firms to reduce monthly payments for as many as three million distressed homeowners in as little as six months as part of an agreement to settle accusations of improper foreclosures and violations of consumer protection laws, six people familiar with the matter said.
It provides immediate relief directly to millions of consumers through recasting of loan terms to millions holding fraudulent loans to the tune of $30 billion. There is a priority on those facing or in forecelsure which is what the NY Attorney General suit was to address. A We are being asked to allow its immeditae passage without public comment or review, without any analysis of
Described as a "shock and awe" approach, the deal would accomplish the four goals set out by state and federal policy makers and regulators as part of their multi-agency investigations into abusive mortgage practices by the nation's largest financial firms: punish banks for violations of state law and federal regulations; provide much-needed assistance to distressed borrowers; stabilize a deteriorating housing market; and dissuade firms from abusing homeowners in the future.
The price? Complete protection against criminal liability for the banks and no public review. Can we even lnow what's right?
Sep 20 2011: When the banking crisis was first happening I was dating a federal bankruptcy judge in Buffalo. He felt that the president would likely expand the power of judges somewhat so that they could deal with and correct the imbalances in the system. It would have given the average home owner a much better chance at getting a fair deal and would have held the banks accountable on a case by case basis. He actually felt that with the right expansion of powers the judges across America could have tamed the problem and created far more equitable solutions in short order. Unfortunately, that never happened.
The very idea that the banks could increase the percentage of America that they own as a result of a crisis that they caused and that the people bailed them out of is unconscionable. To sweep this under the rug is in reality sweeping the American dream under the rug.
Yes, we need to get back on track but this is like putting another bandage on a gangrenous foot. The treatment in North America is often to lop off the foot (the common man) but in England they save the foot by allowing medical maggots eat the dead flesh away with the gangrenous infection. Gross? Yes! Effective? Yes! If the plan that is in place for the banking industry goes forward and all that corruption is in place we had better kiss the patient goodbye!
Sep 20 2011: Another good analogy..but I don't think I agree this is self contained to America...All of the wolrd banking systems and central banks are organized to serve the plutonomy andnot we the people. The countries with important global resources like oil who have tried to nationalize their resources for the benefit of all the people are "enemies of the west"
When the dollar goes ( loses its value and loses its place as the wolrd's currency of trade as it will)
the euro goes too..the immediate effects will take a lot of our allies down too...
The patient at issue in the setllement plan Obama has put forward is really the $us and maintaining the place of americas big bank sin global banking..it's not the consumer, notthe millions whose lives were ruined.
Sep 20 2011: Oh, You are absolutely right, Lindsay. I was just keeping it within those confines to not confuse things but the problems are world wide. The solution we are discussing though is American and no one else has any real input but will certainly suffer the consequences.
The thing is though that we in Canada have not had the same impact in many ways because our banking laws were considered rigid and stuffy by the rest of the world and our bankers were not able to access the level of leverage that the American and other country's bankers could (and believe me they envied the Americans). Our economy faired much better initially also because a former Prime Minister made drastic financial readjustments 20 years ago when he was a finance minister. His name was Paul Martin. What we are suffering now is a direct result of how closely our economies are tied together.
I intend the patient in the anology to be the American economy and banking industry. I am supporting the idea that the only way to health is to take the yucky but more medically advanced solution and that solution is actually really primitive. Get rid of the corruption and the system's mechanisms will then have a chance to actually work. We do not want to lop off the foot which is an instant "cure" that leaves the economy with a permanent limp. (I may have dragged the analogy past the point of meaningfulness- I don't know.)Sep 20 2011: Debra,
I fear that the truth may be that justice for injured consumers and the fixes needed to reintroduce accountability and protections for consumers may actually be in conflict with saving the dollar...I think its possible its that bad..
I have been working on a new article for my political blog on china. What they are doing to protect themselves right now is keeping the gun on our central bank. The consequences of what hapened when the market collapsed rippled all through to our allies and trading partners. I think the while problems is much bigger and more complex than any of us outside the system can possibly understand.
But I think this country, every country coming to realize that its destiny cannot be shaped by its own policiesalso has to rethink from scratch how its own people are to thrive and prosper.. I don't see that happening with Obama's Settlement plan.
Sep 20 2011: Revised:
Lindsay I agree that the Chinese are nervous. They have worked to diversify their investments widely. America is not the safe haven it once was for their money. They are still a nation of savers rather than predominantly living on borrowed money. They are nervous if they monitor Blackboard for many American universities because I have seen really unconscionable strategies put forth in MBA finance classes I was involved in. Some feel that we should just decide not to pay the debt. They had deviously clever ways to make it happen too and I felt at times that I was the only one reading these ideas who was shocked.Sep 20 2011: If it is true what was displayed in a report on TV a while ago then most of the USA is already bought by the Chinese. If the dollar is crumbling they take the rest of it.
Maybe Chinese will indeed be the world language in the following generation.Sep 21 2011: Lindsay,
In case it can be of use to you as you construct your blog regards China, I pulled together some related figures for another TED Conversation in a back and forth I had with James Walker regards US spending on military.
I took a look at the official 2011 US Budget and found nearly every department contributes to military spending.
The net effect:
While China is building its infrastructure and commence at breakneck pace, we are spending more military assets. With costs breaking the back of our own citizen's well-being.
The US disconnect:
The usual argument is that our military interests are humanitarian and/or economic. But this argument is DOA given the state of uncivil inaction in behalf our own citizens economic and human well-being.
The financial intersections:
When you consider the lobbying efforts directed to the Super Congress group, combined with Citizen's United, the money trail begins emerging. In fact, it is more like a clogged intersection.
This is not as much a problem of China infiltrating US society as US leaders jamming the budget flow while jamming big-money pockets.
AndreaSep 22 2011: Andrea we jesuits knows China from so many years ago. And we know very well that, far from the circumstances in bussines, army, commerce and all that things, China has the biggest resource in the world: land, they are plenty of, and and the binomia space-time give them the very real and deep sense of patiente. They have more resources than any country in the world to be calm and quite and in the meanwhile they invade any country and any culture. I reccomend the review from history of the jesuits in china in xvii and xviii centuries. Specially the work from Father Mateo RicciSep 22 2011: Luigi,
Thanks, I'll take a look at Father Ricci's work. Whether China invades other countries or capitalizes on them seems more relevant to me. I see their patient stance as more akin to the latter.
I had an interesting exchange with a Chinese scholar last year who joined others to observe civic efforts here in the U.S. While others visitors engaged in the international knowledge exchange, the Chinese leader remained quiet, observing.
A local politician had visited China not long before and shared her impressions of the quite impressive buildout of cities there. So I Qd the Chinese leader about how their government worked to get so much done. He said: "In our democracy there is no policy deliberation. What the government decides, gets done."
AndreaSep 21 2011: @ debra..expnading role of judges
..I don't think that we can recalibrate our society or achieve reformation through adjudication of existing law..we need an alive and engaged electorate doing some housekeeping on the laws already on the books, government policy already in force through regulations ( or lack thereof in the caseoif banks).
That was the model for civil rights in 60;s..laws that forbade injustices that had been norm and ciulture for half of of our country new laws that came about through a determined and long lasting grass roots effort.
The deregulation at the end of Clinton's term, including repeal of Glass Stegall (separating banking from speculation)gave free passage to all that has happened since. I guess we could say the law was set well below wisdom and good sense without regard to possible impacts on middle class america and our poor andworking poor. In fact increasingly, without our even realizing it what we have a legal framework is exactly what i swrong and deeps deep cleaning. Only small fragments of existing older law can be brought into play in courts to redress the consumer damages, the damages and perhaps permamnet change to the fabric of our society..
Sep 24 2011: That last Huffington post article articulated some of the solutions that the judge that I dated told me about back then. Forcing banks to restructure payments and reduce interest rates would allow far more people to keep their homes and thereby to prevent a greater percentage of American wealth to be transferred to banks.Sep 21 2011: Andrea @ ChinaThanks Andrea..my post will be narrowly focused on monetary policy..specifically on China's program of gold accumulation in lieu of preferred investment in Amertican T-Bills and how that could further frustrate, perhaps defeat, any efforts we might make to get back on course.Also tying back to the main question here.your very valid exploration with Mark on the role of complicity definitely plays a key role in how a system can become "above the law" by subverting law to its purposes, which is really more the case here.
I have just been watching a documentary ( "$10 trillion and growing. "that speaks both to the question here and your conversation on Fact. It's basic point is that George Bush convinced the electorate that we could really have both very low taxes with few spending cuts.and also a huge long term expense..two wars on top of that. It basically says the American electorate is in fantasy land still believing in Bushes myth and refusing to accept the idea that we have to pay for what we choose to have.
Through that decade, we were all doing exactly what the government was doing..essentially paying utlity bills on credit cards.So when any sysyem confiscate law to serve itself at the expense of the electorate..we are complicit in that..when any system can reach a point of calamity that threatens our entire nation, where we may have no choice but to settle for a few cents per $1,000 of damages under law it is our complicity at work
.Whenever anyone is above the law or controls the law against the public interest we are responsible
And the good news is..we can take it back.
(edited 9/26 for typos)
Sep 21 2011: Ladies, I am so proud of what we are doing here. Where else could we compare notes like this. Thank God for TED! 2 cheers for TED and If I may, 2 cheers for smart caring women!
The data on the US military is an important piece of this puzzle.Sep 20 2011: Debra and Lindsay
These are great comments on this facet of the question. Yes, I think that the underlying problem is corruption and greed, but also a bit of covetousness on the part of the "common man" out there.
In systems theory there is a saying that the easy way out is often the hard way back in. That is probably what we are dealing with here. Yes, relief needs to come to consumers who were bamboozled by the bankers. The greed of the bankers consumed many people. They have made fortunes off of the sweat of many and now cry foul when it all collapsed. There needs to be a way to help the common family. We cannot let bankers totally off the hook with some sort of pre-emptive agreement.
You have to recognize too, that many people, the common guy, got into financial trouble out of their own greed. They wanted the lake house, the boat, three cars and the house they couldn't afford. Unfortunately the banks were more than willing to finance it all. They have to be held responsible for their actions too.
It is getting back to that collective dialogue however that we really need. How can we address corporate greed without looking at our own greed?


text:
- ISRAEL21c - http://www.israel21c.org -
Israeli supermodel Esti Ginzburg joins the army
Posted By Harvey Stein On January 12, 2010 @ 12:00 am In | No Comments
She's young, she's beautiful, and she's in the army. International supermodel Esti Ginzburg has joined the Israel Defense Forces while still juggling a career as a model and actress.
There aren't many international supermodels who would choose to serve in the Israeli army – right smack bang in the middle of their careers, but Israeli model Esti Ginzburg isn't about to let that stop her.
The 19-year-old from Tel Aviv, who has modeled for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and designer names like Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry, FCUK, Pull & Bear, is now serving a two-year military service for the Israel Defense Forces, while also juggling international modeling jobs.
Ginzburg's job in the army is to talk to high-school students about their options in the service. It's a far cry from the exotic photo shoots, glittering events, and designer clothes she's used to, but Ginzburg doesn't mind.
"If you live in this country and you grow up in this country then you have to serve and do the minimum," she tells ISRAEL21c. "It's the values I grew up on and I always knew I was going to go in, even though it's hard."
Last year, Ginzburg – who began modeling at the age of eight – made her acting debut in the film, Twelve, directed by Joel Schumacher, which will premier at the upcoming Sundance film festival.
Article printed from ISRAEL21c: http://www.israel21c.org
URL to article: http://www.israel21c.org/people/israeli-supermodel-esti-ginzburg-joins-the-army/
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2012 Israel. All rights reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Pitching around Rolen, it appears
Pitching around Rolen, it appears
"You only have to bat a thousand in two things; flying and heart transplants. Everything else you can go 4-for-5."
-Beano Cook
Rolen pops out near the Pirates dugout. 0-0 after 1
Pop out to Janish in shallow left. Nice grab.
Cedeno grounds out to Rolen. 1-2-3 for Bronson.
Lewis attempts to bunt on...pops it up to Cedeno. 1 down.
Gomes with a chopper over the mound. 2 down.
Hanny K's to end the inning. No score after 2.
Name the Red who stole 4 bases in a game TWICE?
Eric Davis
Eddie Milner
Gary Redus
Personally, I think it's Redus...but my gut reaction was Davis. But I seem to recall Redus doing it at least once.
McCutchen with a deep drive to center, nice grab by Stubbs over the shoulder. 2 down.
Tabata pops out to Drew as well. Another 1-2-3 for Bronson.
Bronson bounces one up the middle. Walker throws him out.
Damn. Stubbs grounds one to short and BARELY gets beat. 2 down.
Janish K's to end the inning. Easy 1-2-3 for Morton. Scoreless thru 3.
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text:
WHITLEY COUNTY ŌĆö The investigation continues after a body was found in a wooded area in Whitley County Wednesday night.
Authorities suspect foul play after a man was found dead on County Road 800 East (County Line Road) north of Old Trail Road.
Whitley County Coroner Randy Dellinger said the body had been there for a while, and was found face down in the woods.
The probe, headed by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Indiana State Police, assisted by the Whitley County SheriffŌĆÖs Department, is ongoing at this time.
Betty J. McManama, 89, a resident of Columbia City, died at 5:35 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at MillerŌĆÖs Merry Manor where she had been a resident for the past month.
She was born Feb. 10, 1924, in Washington Township, a daughter of the late Clarence and Osie (Huffman) Juillerat.
Her formative years were spent in Washington Township. She graduated from Washington Center High School in 1942.
WHITLEY COUNTY, IND ŌĆöThe Criminal Investigation Division of the Indiana State Police from the Fort Wayne Post is investigating the the death of a man who was found this past evening in a wooded area near the Whitley/Allen County line.
According to First Sergeant Mark Carunchia, an unidentified male was discovered just after 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday night by a property owner in a heavily wooded area in the 800 block of County Line Road in Whitley County. It is not known exactly how long the deceased man's body has been there.
WHITLEY COUNTY ŌĆö Police are currently investigating a death on County Line Road north of U.S. 30 in Whitley County.
No more information is available at this time.
SOUTH WHITLEY ŌĆö Whitko's girls track team split a three-way meet with North Miami and Tippecanoe Valley Monday night.
Whitko placed second to Tippy Valley, which had 81 points, but defeated North Miami, which finished with 17 points. Whitko tallied 66 points on the night.
The Lady Wildcats had several first-place finishes, led by the Craig sisters.
Reghan Craig placed first in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18 seconds. Cagney Craig, her older sister, took first in the pole vault with a height of 7 feet.
Regan also came in second in the long jump at 13 feet, 7 inches.
SOUTH WHITLEY ŌĆö Whitko's softball team dropped a double-header to Three Rivers Conference foe Northfield Monday night.
Despite outhitting the Lady Norsemen 8-7, Whitko fell 6-3 in game two, and 6-4 in game one.
In game one, the conference tilt was tied 2-2 at the end of the first inning. Each team scored again in the third, tying the score at three.
Northfield picked up an unanswered run in the top of the fifth, but Whitko found home plate again in the sixth, tying the score again at four.
The Lady Norsemen went on a 2-0 run in the seventh to take the win, 6-4.
LA GRANGE ŌĆö ChurubuscoŌĆÖs girls tennis team fell to Prairie Heights Tuesday.
The Lady Eagles lost 4-1 to the host Panthers.
ŌĆśBusco got the win at No. 2 doubles, as the pair of Maggie Kitt and Nikki Esslinger won in straight sets.
In singles play, ChurubuscoŌĆÖs Cheyenne Connor fell in No. 1 singles, Audfrey Gierscher lost in No. 2 singles and Kayleen Mitchell lost a tight match in No. 3 singles.
Madi Cook and Camille Cseri fell in the other doubles match for the Lady Eagles.
ROCHESTER ŌĆö WhitkoŌĆÖs boys golf team got nosed out on the road against Tippecanoe Valley.
The Wildcats fell to the Vikings by just two strokes, 176-178 at Round Barn Golf Club.
Colton LeTourneau paced Whitko by shooting 43. This tied him for second-place with Tippy ValleyŌĆÖs Bryce Zimmerman. Corey Carson of Tippy Valley was the match medalist, carding 39 for the day.
The next three Whitko golfers all shot better than the third-place Viking golfer, with Cole Bechtold getting 44, Will Peters 45 and Danny Zawlocki 46. Jacob Silveus rounded out the Wildcat scoring at 55.
SOUTH WHITLEY ŌĆö Whitko's girls tennis team dropped a close, 3-2, match to Central Noble Monday.
Aressa Tackwell won her No. 2 singles match to get the Lady Wildcats there first point of the night. Tackwell took a 6-3, 6-0 win.
Shortly after, Whitko's No. 1 doubles team of Laura Alfieri and Abby Marshall won 6-1, 6-1.
But the Lady Wildcats suffered losses in the other matches, giving Central Noble the 3-2 advantage.
Whitko was swept by Northfield last week.
The Lady Wildcats had some players missing Monday, forcing some line-up changes and a default win at No. 2 doubles.
LA GRANGE ŌĆö ChurubuscoŌĆÖs softball team earned a conference win on the road Tuesday.
ŌĆśBusco defeated Prairie Heights 5-4.
The win moves the Lady EaglesŌĆÖ record to 6-11 on the year. The Lady Panthers dropped to 5-10.
After the top of the second, ŌĆśBusco held a 3-1 lead. Prairie Heights got a run in the bottom of that frame, but the Lady Eagles pushed one across in the fifth. The hosts tied the game at four in the sixth, but Churubusco got what proved to be the winning run in the top of the seventh inning.


text:
Ariana Grande
Is LA All-In For Hillary Clinton? Hollywood Stars, Pundits Weigh In
On Twitter, some celebrities declared their support.
Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, the Band Perry, John Legend Added to Stevie Wonder GRAMMY Tribute
The Band Perry, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and John Legend will perform during the GRAMMY homage to Wonder, which airs Feb. 16 on CBS.
Madonna, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, AC/DC & Eric Church To Perform at 2015 GRAMMYs
This will mark Grande, Church and AC/DC's debut performance at the awards.
Taylor Swift Debuts 'Style' At Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Flanked by her Angels, Swift took a page from Derek Zoolander showing off a little Blue Steel and proving that she, can in fact, turn left.
Ariana Grande, Pharrell, Sam Smith & Mary J. Blige Holiday Spirit For 'A Very GRAMMY Christmas'
Ariana Grande, Pharrell, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, Sam Smith and Tim McGraw performed their hits and shared their favorite holiday and GRAMMY memories.
In Entertainment: Mariah Carey Misses Notes & Ariana Grande Gets Smacked
This week, a diva struggles with one of her classics while a rising pop star gets smacked in the face.
Preview The 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
The world-famous Victoria's Secret Supermodels were joined by seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist Taylor Swift, three-time GRAMMY Award nominee Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Hozier.
GRAMMY Nominees 2015: The Full List
Today (Dec. 4) the Recording Academy is slowly revealing the full list of nominees for the 2015 GRAMMY Awards, airing Feb 8.
Sam Smith, Big Sean Added To A Very GRAMMY Christmas
The GRAMMYs and CBS are throwing quite a Christmas bash—and now Sam Smith and Big Sean will join the party.
Musical Performers Announced For 'Victoria's Secret Fashion Show'
Taylor Swift returns to the "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" along with Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Hozier.
We Can Survive Recap: Taylor Swift, Pharrell, Ariana Grande Dazzle the Hollywood Bowl
There was no shortage of highlights at the second CBS Radio We Can Survive concert, which took place at the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 24.
Taylor Swift, JLo, And Iggy Azalea Perform During CBS Radio's 'We Can Survive' Concert
Pop music's biggest stars took the stage Friday for CBS RADIO's "We Can Survive" concert.
Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Pharrell & Tim McGraw to Perform on 'A Very GRAMMY Christmas'
The nominations for Album of the Year at next year's GRAMMYs will also be announced during the broadcast.
#Trending In Entertainment: Katy v. Taylor, Ariana The Diva & Justin Bieber (Again)
This week there's pop star beef, divas, and a natural reaction to being booed onstage.
#Trending In Entertainment: Joan Rivers Dies and Hollywood Gets Hacked
This week one of entertainment's comedic legends passed away, Hollywood got hacked, and apparently everyone is in court for something or the other.


text:
KDE Plasma 5 Becomes the Default Desktop of OpenSUSE Tumbleweed 60 60
Posted by Soulskill
from the onward-and-upward dept.
from the onward-and-upward dept.
sfcrazy writes: Jos Poortliet, former openSUSE community manager, wrote in a blog post, "At the time of writing this, the openQA servers were busily running tests and, by the time we publish this article, they should be done. What was being tested? A massive amount of changes, bringing not only the latest Plasma 5.3 and Applications 15.04.1 to Tumbleweed, but also marking the switch to Plasma 5 as the default desktop!" The switch to P5 will also have a massive impact in Plasma 5 development because now there will be more users finding bugs and filing reports to make it even better.


text:
CHRISTIAN COUNTY, KY (12/5/11) – The identity of the shooting victim from 2 Saturday's incident at 613 South Cavalcade Circle has being released by the Christian County Sheriff's Department.
According to Sheriff's Dept. officials, 29-year-old Kathleen McGee, of South Cavalcade Circle suffered a gunshot wound Saturday morning at her residence. McGee succumbed to her injuries at Blanchfield Hospital later that afternoon.
Investigators from the Sheriff's Department are awaiting official autopsy results.
SurfKY News
Information provided by Captain Chris Miller
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© Copyright 2015 SurfKY News Group, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without permission. SurfKY News encourages you to share this story on social media.
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text:
Overview of the Model
is Teaching
Public Health?
The Teaching Public Health model is an example of competency based curriculum development (CBCD). This approach is designed to provide reasonable assurance that students will be able to perform on-the-job what they learn in the classroom.
There are four critical questions:
The answers to these questions form the basis for the Teaching Public Health model. The starting point is crucial: specification of the tasks graduates will be called upon to perform in their future careers. The competencies they will need to perform these tasks determine the learning objectives. Content and method of instruction are then selected as a function of what students need to learn rather than in an arbitrary manner. What they learn is directly pertinent to their future professional careers.
This approach can also promote teacher accountability. To what extent have students acquired the needed competencies? Teaching Public Health provides explicit criteria for evaluation of student learning.
next: course components


text:
Grandmas Salmon Loaf
22 Jun 2009
This tasty salmon loaf recipe is a delicious and time aged recipe that is a favotite with my family. Made with salmon mashed and mixed with vegetables, bulgar and eggs, it is baked and garnished with fresh parsley. That salmon loaf goes great with the sour cream dill sauce.
|Canned salmon
|15 1⁄2 Ounce (Bumble Bee Keta)
|1 Clove (5 gm), pressed
|Diced celery
|1 Cup (16 tbs)
|Diced onion
|1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs)
|Vegetable oil
|1 Tablespoon
|2 , beaten
|Cooked bulgur wheat
|1 Cup (16 tbs)
|Grated parmesan cheese
|1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs)
|2 Tablespoon
|2 Tablespoon
|1 1⁄4 Cup (20 tbs)
|Dill weed
|1 Teaspoon, crumbled
|1⁄2 Teaspoon
|Onion powder
|1⁄4 Teaspoon
|Dairy sour cream
|1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs)
|Frozen peas
|1 Cup (16 tbs) (Thawed)
Drain salmon.
Saut 6 garlic, celery and onion in vegetable oil.
Mash salmon in a bowl.
Add sauteed vegetables, eggs, bulgur, cheese and thyme.
Mix until blended.
Turn into 9 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan.
Bake in 350 degrees F oven 40 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes.
Turn onto serving plate.
Garnish with parsley.
Serve with Sour Cream Dill Sauce.
Sour cream dill sauce: Cook butter and flour 2 minutes.
Add milk and seasonings.
Simmer, stirring, 5 minutes.
Add sour cream, cook until heated through.
Stir in peas.
Rate It
0 Comments
Grandmas Salmon Loaf Recipe


text:
Loyce Kinzel: U.S. Navy torpedoes divorce settlement
Loyce Kinzel, Redding
U.S. Navy torpedoes divorce settlement
After 35 years of marriage, four children and nine grandchildren, my husband got the middle-age crazies. When I divorced him, I was awarded his Navy insurance. When he passed away in 2012, the Navy gave his insurance to his new wife. Their explanation was that they do not recognize civil courts, so his family got nothing.
My question is, I am part of the government, so if I'm sued in civil court, can I refuse to accept any judgement? Can I also make my own rules?
What good are the courts if their judgments are not binding?
A lawyer? I've tried countless. Either they won't touch it, or they want a huge retainer. Sadly, I live on Social Security. Is there any help?
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Commenters must stay on topic, not attack other commenters, not post libelous statements or use profanity. Spam posts won't be tolerated. Read complete list of rules here.


text:
Recent Events
Moneylife Seminar: 10 ways to save on mediclaim
Moneylife Foundation's 246th event was conducted by Raj Pradhan, an insurance expert, who has written many cover stories for Moneylife magazine and was the expert associated with the insurance helpline. He discussed 10 ways of saving on mediclaim policies along with product intricacies. Moneylife does suggest a mediclaim policy for your health insurance needs. But,…
Mumbai needs separate corporation to address railway issues
It has been a romantic journey of almost 162 years on the Indian Railways and during all these years, we have seen so many changes that sometimes are beyond our imagination. Today, we have metro, monorails making grand entry but Indian Railway will always remain the first, preferred and cheapest choice for the aam admi,…
Moneylife TV
Moneylife Foundation
Moneylife Group
Moneylife is the only media organization that is driven primarily by the interests of customers and investors. This is evident in our long track record of reporting the unbiased facts and opinion, innovative analysis and non-profit initiatives. The Moneylife team has a unique understanding of what financial products work, what doesn't work and what to avoid. This is well-documented in the last six years in Moneylife magazine and also articles in our digital franchise. Moneylife's research on some of the most important aspects of personal finance such as gold, health insurance plans, collecting, best ways to save for your children, wills & nomination and even harmful drugs have set standards of excellence. Moneylife is among the most ethical media companies and is known for calling a spade a spade.
The Moneylife Group consists of:
- A fortnightly personal finance magazine, which covers everything that investors should know
- A vibrant pro-consumer business and news website, which covers everything from personal finance to consumer and regulatory issues, and much more!
- A 29,728 member-strong non-profit registered trust—Moneylife Foundation—to promote financial literacy and consumer and investor initiatives. Membership is Free! Click here to become a member!
Our mission is to give a voice to those of us who work hard, earn, save and still don't seem to have a say in the decisions that affect us, because we are neither a vote bank nor part of any vested interests! We engage in spreading financial literacy through workshops, lectures by experts, awareness campaigns, and advocacy to crystallize policy and effect regulatory changes to protect investor rights, grievance redressal, counseling and research. Moneylife Foundation has a touched the lives of thousands of people since February 2010 with an array of seminars, conferences, speeches and positions papers. MSSN members automatically become members of Moneylife Foundation Grievance Redressal: Linkages with various regulators and top financial intermediaries has led Sucheta Dalal to offer a unique effort among all media companies - redressal of grievances – with a huge success rate. This effort is being expanded and supplemented through Moneylife Foundation.
- Engage in advocacy and take up issues with regulators
- Make investors aware of their rights and promote better understanding of issues related to finance
- Make regulators and policymakers aware of investors issues
- Knowledge creation by undertaking research, surveys and knowledge dissemination
- Constant interface with investors and to be a link among investors, regulators and policymakers
- Enabling investors to enhance their knowledge through workshops and seminar


text:
On Death Row, Aaron Patterson kept his birthday a secret.
For Patterson, a former altar boy turned gang leader turned convicted murderer, birthdays were different.
"It was a day to take stock," he says. "What had I accomplished in my life? What did I contribute to mankind? Nothing."
The answer filled him with despair. He promised himself and his maker that if he ever got home, the next time he faced death he would be able to say he had contributed something. That the world became a little better because Aaron Patterson was still in it and had not been executed for a crime he did not commit.
"When it's my time to meet God," he now says, "I want to be on track."
Today, Patterson, at age 39, is getting that chance. Since his release from Death Row 10 months ago, his goals have been at once simple and far-fetched, concrete and quixotic.
He is going to run for political office someday and "shake the system up from the inside." He is going to save those he left behind the walls, and bail out others who need his help.
He is going to close crack houses and use his influence among gang members to turn street corner drug dealers into productive citizens. He is going to give them jobs cutting grass and shoveling snow.
He is going to bend his old world to his new vision.
His first months of freedom have been a mighty struggle, as rage and reason battle it out for his soul. The same qualities that kept him alive on the streets and in prison--his refusal to back down, his reflexive resistance to authority--now get in the way as he tries to write a new chapter in his life.
Months after his release from prison, someone asks him how he had survived. "Anger. Anger. Anger," he replies.
"I know I'm messed up," he adds. "I know I'm scarred for life."
He is no innocent. But he was innocent of the crime he was condemned to die for: the murder of a couple in their home on the Southeast Side of Chicago in the spring of 1986.
Last January, after Patterson had spent nearly 17 years behind bars, the last 13 on Death Row, then-Gov. George Ryan freed him, part of a dramatic and sweeping condemnation of the state's death penalty system. Saying he wanted to correct a "manifest injustice," the governor granted Patterson a pardon based on innocence.
Since his arrest, Patterson has claimed the police tortured him into confessing, allegations that authorities have denied for just as long. But Patterson did not sign the confession and there has never been any forensic evidence or eyewitness account linking him to the killings, all factors that led to the governor's decision.
Still, at the time of the murders, Patterson had blood on his hands and his conscience. By the time he was 21, he had shot and wounded a man and helped beat another senseless in the kangaroo court of gang justice. In jail, awaiting trial for murder, he stabbed a fellow inmate during a fight. His violence was directed at other young black men like himself, trapped in the circular firing squad of Chicago gang life.
But, he says, he never killed anyone.


text:
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COLUMBIA CITY — A Warsaw man was arrested Wednesday by a Kosciusko County sheriff's deputy on an outstanding Whitley County warrant for dealing marijuana.
Robert William Hersha, 50, 522 E. CR 200 N., Warsaw, was taken into custody at 10:49 a.m. Wednesday for the class D felony.
To read the rest of this story, please order the e-edition [2] or call The Post & Mail at 244-5153, ext. 207 and ask for a subscription.
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