Noose sightings up (WTF?)

A Web site that tracks noose sightings in the U.S. reports that since last fall, a noose is found hanging every week, according to Diversity Inc.'s "Noose Watch".

My question is, isn't it 2008? Didn't we stop hanging people in America a long time ago? All states except for Washington and New Hampshire (live free or die by hanging) have banned hanging as a capital punishment option.

But them there nooses ain't fer hanging, there fer hatin! Yee, haw.

Hold on, I have to vomit now.

Ok, back to business. A noose signifies death for everyone, but for black Americans, a noose is a strong hate symbol because it reminds of a time in American history when intolerance was the norm and racist groups like the dunce-cap wearing Ku Klux Klan, attacked, kidnapped and hanged black people for no reason other than the color God made them.

Oddly, the uptick in the number of reported noose sightings started to increase about nine months ago following the Jena 6 incident in Louisiana, and lawmakers there and in Connecticut and New York have made hanging a noose a crime punishable by imprisonment. Not that anyone in New York or Connecticut would do such a thing. Right? Right??

Ugh. Wrong again. It really hurt my Northeast liberal elitist ego to see how many noose sightings came from northern states.

I'd like to chalk those incidents up to the sad acts of attention seeking idiots, but it needs to be taken seriously - and in a few states, it is. Connecticut and New York passed laws in May with prison sentences ranging from a year in Connecticut to four years in New York for anyone found hanging a noose. Earlier this month, Louisiana, the state where thousands marched in support of the Jena 6, also passed such a law. Louisiana's noose law says that anybody hanging a noose or even a picture of a noose meant to intimidate somebody else could get a year in prison and a $5,000 fine. And now Florida, Maryland, Missouri and North Carolina are considering similar laws, Diversity, Inc. reports.

It's hard to believe that race-based hate still exists in the 21st Century, but clearly, it is alive and well.

In fact, within the past decade, two black men were actually hanged in the name of hate. Democracy Now reported, "On June 15 2000 in Kokomo, Mississippi, a black teenager was found hanging from a tree in his front yard. Investigators tried to rule it a suicide. But community leaders suggest that 17-year-old Raynard Johnson was killed because he had dated two white girls. And some are comparing his death to the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till, who was murdered for whistling at a white woman."

Of course, racists aren't the only ones violating peace. Religious fanatics spread a good amount of hate towards anyone who doesn't believe as they do, as we saw on 9/11.

I saw a great example of American religious fanaticism on YouTube; this Baptist church freak went on Fox news to spread the message of hate towards gays, Jews, and, strangely enough, soldiers who died in war.

The irony here is that religious extremists ignore the fact that their God also made the people they hate, and I'm sure their God wouldn't condone violence and hatred towards those people. This is the same type of hypocrisy we see when pro-life activists kill abortion doctors. Isn't the message supposed to be pro-life?

I could go on and on here, but I'll spare you of that.

As daunting as all of this is, I can rest easy knowing that whenever racists, religious fanatics and over the top activists are given the opportunity to state their case to the public, they make fools of themselves.

Oil Speculation; response from RI Sen. Jack Reed

After learning about the negative affects oil speculation has on the U.S. economy (and my wallet), I sent an email to my local congressmen last week urging them to take the steps to lower oil prices by enforcing tighter controls over oil speculation. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed's office sent an email response today.

Here it is, in summary;

Dear Ms. Botelho:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the high prices of gasoline and home heating oil. I appreciate learning of your concerns on this important matter.

Over the past six years the average prices of gas and home heating oil have increased over 125%, and prices are projected to continue rising. I recognize the burden that these costs and uncertainties place on families, and I believe that a number of steps must be taken to improve this situation in both the short and long term.

...Experts estimate that over 25% of the cost of a barrel of oil can be attributed to speculation. There are actions that can and should be taken immediately to ensure that the prices Americans are paying at the pump are not the result of price gouging or unlawful manipulation of energy markets. As such, I am a cosponsor of S. 2058, the Close the Enron Loophole Act.

The “Enron Loophole” provision was inserted into the Commodity Futures Modernization Act conference report in 2000, making large energy commodities traders exempt from government oversight.

Since 2000, these unregulated electronic energy markets have exploded in size. Without federal oversight, billions of dollars in energy trades have shifted from traditional trading platforms such as NYMEX to unregulated trading environments.

I am also an original cosponsor of two other bills that will place additional scrutiny on and increase transparency of trading done in energy commodities markets. S. 3130, the Increasing Transparency and Accountability in Oil Prices Act, which was introduced by Senator Durbin on June 12, 2008, would improve the ability of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to collect and monitor data to identify the forces that are responsible for the rapid increases in the price of oil.

This legislation would authorize an increase in CFTC personnel, strengthen its access to oil market data, and close the London loophole, which allows financial traders to evade speculation limits and reporting requirements by routing transactions through off-shore markets. After its introduction, S. 3130 was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry where it is pending further consideration.

Sincerely,

Jack Reed
United States Senator

On May 5, 2008, Reed and Senator Levin also sent a letter to the President calling on him to form a top-level inter-agency task force to investigate the role that unlawful manipulative practices may be playing in the volatility of energy markets.

It will be interesting to see if Bush does anything to stop excessive oil speculation. I am not holding my breath.

In the letter, Reed also detailed a number of other bills he supported that would help lower our dependence on oil, like H.R. 6, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act, which was signed into law on December 19, 2007. This law will raise the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards of vehicles to 35 miles per gallon in cars and light trucks by 2020 and increases investment into the research and development of advanced biofuels (those that are not derived from corn starch). By the year 2020, the law will reduce U.S. oil dependence by about 1.3 million barrels per day and, in that year alone, will save consumers $26 billion and reduce global warming emissions by over 200 million metric tons, according to Reed.

Let's hope so.

Congressmen crack down on oil speculation

A group of Democratic senators have introduced a bill called the "End Excessive Energy Speculation Act of 2008" that would put strict limits on the practice of oil speculation, according to reports.

This news comes after executives of major airlines, including United Airlines, US Airways, Jet Blue, and Delta, wrote a joint open letter asking consumers and congress to help lower the price of oil by curbing oil speculation.

Oil speculation, where investors buy barrels of oil and resell those barrels at a higher price, is the cause for today's outrageous oil prices. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reports that the high price of oil is not due to demand-supply imbalance, and numerous reports show that excessive speculation is to blame.

According to the letter from the airlines, "Twenty years ago, 21% of oil contracts were purchased by speculators who trade oil on paper with no intention of ever taking delivery. Today, oil speculators purchase 66% of all oil futures contracts, and that reflects just the transactions that are known. Speculators buy up large amounts of oil and then sell it to each other again and again.

"A barrel of oil may trade 20-plus times before it is delivered and used; the price goes up with each trade and consumers pick up the final tab. Some market experts estimate that current prices reflect as much as $30 to $60 per barrel in unnecessary
speculative costs."

Congress had established regulations to control excessive market speculation but, according to the airlines, these regulatory limits have deteriorated over the past 20 years.

"We believe that restoring and enforcing these limits, along with several other modest measures, will provide more disclosure, transparency and sound market oversight. Together, these reforms will help cool the over-heated oil market and permit the economy to prosper."

On June 25, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to President Bush asking him to direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to use its emergency powers to stop excessive speculation.

"Despite growing reports of excessive speculation in energy markets, the CFTC has refused to take actions they have taken in the past," Pelosi reported.

To state the obvious, the increasing price of oil effects consumers on every level imaginable; the cost of food, transportation, and products. For instance, over the past month I have received letters from both my local cable company (Cox Communications) and utility provider (National Grid) stating there will be increases in what we pay each month due to the high cost of fuel.

You can find more information about oil speculation at www.StopOilSpeculationNow.com, and take a second to send your congressmen a quick email through the "Stop Oil Speculation Now" site demanding them to vote in ways that will lead to lower oil prices.

Door to Door Magazine Crews Victims of Labor Trafficking

One Friday in June last year I opened my apartment door to a raggedy looking kid named Brandon -- probably about 19 or 20 years old -- who suckered me into buying an overpriced magazine subscription.

I was not aware that he was probably a victim of labor trafficking.

Brandon told me he was going door to door to "learn about people with interesting jobs and work on his speaking skills." He said he was trying to earn money for college through a leadership and scholarship program.

"I've travelled from California across the coutry to Rhode Island doing this for the summer. I stay in each area for about two weeks," Brandon said.

By pledging money for his cause I would get a three year magazine subscription.
I looked over the list of magazine choices while he talked to me about his dreams of college and his travels cross country, and I chose Psychology Today because I'm a geek like that. Beside it said 78 points. Some other magazines like Redbook and Metropolitian Home were worth more points.
He filled out the receipt labelled Tower of Power Sales, Inc, of 5775 Soundview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98335, and handed it to me.
I balked at the total.
"Jesus. $78 for a magazine?"
"Well it is a three year subscription and it goes towards scholarships. Also, if you itemize your taxes, it is a write off," Brandon said.
I gave a sigh and handed him the check, ignoring my gut.
"Do you have cash instead? We get more points for cash."
"Sorry, I don't."
He said he ranks number 10 out of the 386 people - I presume young people - doing his job. The top seller right now is a female, he said.
He asked me if the phone number on the receipt is the one he should use to call me later for a date.
I laughed to break my discomfort and walked towards the door for him to follow.
"Good luck to you," I said.
He thanked me and walked across the hall, knocking on the neighbor's door.

The next day, I went to my fourth training class for domestic violence prevention volunteerism at Day One in Providence. Katherine Chon, executive director and co-founder of the Polaris Project - a group working to end human trafficking, came to present information about types of modern day slavery that exists in our towns; the Asian massage parlors, street prostitution, and indoor prositiution, which is legal in Rhode Island by way of a loophole.
About an hour into the morning, Chon asked the group, "Have any of you been solicited by a teen or young adult going door to door selling magainzes?"
"Holy shit. I was yesterday," I blurted.
"Well this is one example of labor trafficking rampant across the country. Magazine crews. Young people are told by the owners of these magazine selling rings that they will be able to travel cross country, learn sales skills and earn scholarship money.
"Usually, the kids are packed into vans, taken from city to city and dropped off in an area to sell the magazines. They all stay in some hotel room together if they don't meet a quota for the day, they get beat - both by the leader and each other. The top ranking sellers, say it's a female, picks which lower ranking sales person to have sex with. The top rankers beat on the low rankers. They aren't always fed, either. In the end, many times the kids are dropped off in an unfamiliar city and don't see any of the money they worked for," Chon said.
One woman in the class asked if the magazine publishers know that this is one of the ways their subscriptions are being sold.
Chon said the magazine crews are led by about five or six "leaders" who are saavy enough not to let unveil their labor practices. They prey on young adults who are down on their luck, to put it lightly, by feeding them visions of cross-country travel, parties and a brighter future.

I was pissed at myself for not trusting my gut instinct. I should have turned him away. I mean, who goes selling products door to door wearing tattered, unwashed clothes and stinking of cigarettes?
I was even more pissed off that I had just supported labor trafficking.
I got home and put a stop on the check I wrote, and reported the incident to the Polaris Project. I'm not sure if it led to anything, since the crews are only around for a couple weeks before moving on to the next city.
I did a search on the web and found survivor stories and articles on this issue. I had never heard about this, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.


If someone comes to your door selling magazines, ask some questions, then close the door, go to your computer and email -- Report@PolarisProject.org or call 1-866-US-Tipline