November 7, 2011 at 1:05 P.M. Spacing between paragraphs was altered in this essay. I have tried to make the necessary corrections. An essay reviewing a recent BBC America series "Luther" will be posted soon together with a short story entitled "Hansel and Gretl." Recent expressions of concern for the plight of Internet writers in China (or anywhere) appear false -- if not insincere -- to a global audience witnessing the censorship, cybercrime, and plagiarism to which I am subjected, every day. ("How censorship works in America" and "What is it like to be censored in America?" then "What is it like to be plagiarized?" and "'Brideshead Revisited': A Movie Review.")
October 18, 2011 at 1:10 P.M. On Saturday, the 15th, I reserved a computer for 11:50 A.M. at NYPL (Inwood), INA -05. Ten minutes into my 45 minute session, hackers shut down the computer preventing me from writing. I do not believe that this incident was a coincidence or a fluke. I will try to continue writing and printing from multiple public computers in New York.
It was a great pleasure recently to attend a lecture by Noam Chomsky and Fred A. Wilcox ("Waiting for an Army to Die") at which the continuing problem of Agent Orange contamination and losses of many lives resulting from use of this chemical agent was discussed, together with other matters pertaining to current events. Please read Professor Chomsky on 9/11 and "Manufacturing Consent."
Mark Sherman, "Court Hears Strip Search Case: N.J. Man Being Held on Minor Charge Was Forced to Undress Twice," in The Record, October 13, 2011, at p. A-3.
The matter concerning Albert Florence of Borderntown, New Jersey is typical of many cases pending in American courts whose true significance is ignored -- or even barred from public discussion through informal interpretive mechanisms and a legal culture of denial or obfuscation -- because of the tensions in America's hidden fault-line of race and sex. Please see Professor Mark Kelman's classic paper in The Stanford Law Review: "Interpretive Construction in the Criminal Law."
Mr. Florence is "finance manager for a New Jersey car dealership, who was arrested on a warrant alleging that he had not paid a [motor vehicle] fine. Florence says he was twice required by jail guards, who stood close by, to undress, open his mouth and lift his genitals. On the second occasion, he also had to bend over and cough, [allegedly,] in case he was holding something."
Mr. Florence is African-American. His arresting officer is a white man. Mr. Florence was stopped and arrested while travelling on roads that have become infamous for racism throughout the world. This is the state and roads where the incident involving Assata Shakur/Joanne Chesimard took place, not far from Mumia Abu-Jamal's Philadelphia, easily the most corrupt and befouled jurisdiction in America, allegedly, ruled by the mafia in league with racist police officers. ("New Jersey's KKK Police Scandal" and "Driving While Black [DWB] in New Jersey" then "Organized Crime Group in New Jersey's State Police.")
Mr. Florence was travelling in a BMW SUV vehicle filled with his family members who were required to witness the abuse on the road to which he was subjected. The alleged excuse for this detention and arrest, that Mr. Florence had not paid a fine, provides no cause for stopping the vehicle since the arresting officer -- based on this news account -- failed to fabricate an allegation of a moving violation which would have provided probable cause for the stop. ("More Racism Charges Against New Jersey's State Police.")
The real reason for the vehicular stop is that a young, well-dressed African-American man (who might have been Barack Obama) was driving a luxury vehicle accompanied by his lovely family. A police officer who will probably never own such a vehicle, legally, nor enjoy the affections of such a family, nor dress as well as Mr. Florence, nor be as well educated as the man he stopped -- who the officer must have known had paid the fine since this information is normally entered immediately on court computers and the victim had the proof of payment issued only AFTER such payment is made with him when he was stopped and produced that proof! -- was the cop's envy and racism.
New Jersey has lied to the media and before the Supreme Court of the United States of America about the genuine reasons for this detention as well as any allegation of "good faith" mistake on the part of the officer(s) involved in the incident -- as, indeed, the state has lied about me and the OAE's actions in my life. ("New Jersey's Office of Attorney Ethics" and "New Jersey's Judges Disgrace America" then "Is Steven M. Sweeney, Esq. a Liar?" and "Christopher Christie is 'Mentally Deranged' and a 'Liar'?" as well as "New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System.")
Mr. Florence was simply unacceptable to this police officer as an image of African-American equality and dignity. Even the New York Times was unable to discuss race as the crucial issue in this story. "Unreasonable Strip Searches," (Editorial) in The New York Times, October 17, 2011, at p. A24.
Traffic offenses of a mythical sort usually provide the excuse for abuse, violence, rape and even torture on New Jersey's Turnpike and other roads -- for African-Americans who are made into victims of police criminality. Indeed, this charming New Jersey tradition has required federal take-over of the state police as well as several municipal police departments on multiple occasions. ("An Unpleasant Encounter With New Jersey's State Police.")
Prejudice probably goes a long way towards explaining my computer troubles and targeting by the OAE, with token minority representation, in N.J.'s typically tainted efforts to harm the "little people." I am one of the little people. No matter how much money he makes, Mr. Florence is a "little" person for some N.J. officials. ("Terry Tuchin, Diana Lisa Riccioli, and New Jersey's Agency of Torture" and "New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System.")
There is simply no way to understand what occurred in this case apart from race and the 400 years of history surrounding slavery/racism in America. Mr. Florence was tortured and sexually violated by an envious and racist cop who needed to make this man, clearly his superior, into an inferior, a woman, for personal sadistic and sexual satisfaction. This incident is about power as sex. This matter has nothing to do with a "mistake" concerning the payment of a fine or the driving of the victim. No attempt to change the subject will mislead observers concerning New Jersey's violations of civil rights through cybercrimes and censorship victimizing me. ("Duncan Kennedy, Peter Gable, and The Critical Legal Studies Movement" and "Roberto Mangabeira Unger's Revolutionary Legal Theory.")
The true motive for psychological torture of Mr. Florence was sexual humiliation and domination. As slaves -- especially males -- were kept naked before being sold in chains, or when whipped, so Mr. Florence had to be tormented for being "uppity." It is a miracle that Mr. Florence was not lynched. About fifty years ago, Mr. Florence would have been lynched. The issue is not whether the officers were 2 or 6 feet away when the victim was required to undress. The issue is whether Mr. Florence is a man versus a "thing," an object, or a slave. ("America's Holocaust" and "Foucault, Rose, Davis and the Meanings of Prison" then "Freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal" and "Amistad.")
The absurdity of the legal system is to make this matter about allegedly "neutral" security measures in a jail when everyone, including the judges deciding the appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court, are well aware of what this case is really about. Worse, in prison, ALL inmates are slave-like.
We do not wish to face our problem with prison conditions or what that problem -- and our societal proclivity for incarceration -- says about us. There is no way to have this important national discussion without entering into the problem of racism and/or sex in America. This case is about the one subject we do not discuss openly in America. ("America's Holocaust.")
To perfect the lie that this is a case about jail security, I expect that Justice Clarence Thomas -- who has suggested that there is no longer racism in America to the surprise of his then living grandfather who was born a slave! -- will be assigned to write the opinion. The Court's opinion will probably affirm the police actions as "reasonable" when undertaken within a "reasonable" distance from the accused and "reasonableness" will be determined on a case-by-case basis. This is all very reasonable. Slavery and racism, rape and other sexual violations are much less reasonable. ("What is it like to be tortured?" and, soon, "What is it like to be raped?")
A list of sources detailing further racism and corruption in New Jersey will be added to this essay in the days ahead. I was prevented from writing on Saturday of this week. I can never be sure of whether I will be able to write again. I will try to complete this work soon. ("Manifesto for the Unfinished American Revolution.")
"The wasted lives, the brutal inhumanity in the prison system is here on trial" -- Mr. Florence, and Mumia Abu-Jamal, are being punished -- "for trying to save their identities and self-respect ..."
Bettina Aptheker, The Morning Breaks: The Trial of Angela Davis (New York: International Pub., 1975), at p. 44 (quoting Angela Davis).
Sources:
Books:
Bettina Aptheker, The Morning Breaks: The Trial of Angela Davis (New York: International Pub., 1975).
Jessica Benjamin, The Bonds of Love: Psychoanalysis, Feminism and the Problem of Domination (New York: Pantheon, 1988).
Angela Davis, Women, Race and Class (New York: Random House, 1981).
Bell Hooks, Ain't I a Woman (Boston: South End Press, 1981).
Beth Riccie, Compelled to Crime: The Gender Entrapment of Battered Black Women (New York: Routledge, 1986).
New York and the World:
Laura Kasinof, "Fatal Strikes Hit Yemen as Violence Escalates," in The New York Times, October 16, 2011, at p. A13. ("U.S. drone strike kills at least 9 people," including ONE person targeted because of affiliations with Al-Qeda and the 17 year-old son of an alleged Qaeda official killed by the U.S. last month who is -- or was -- an American.)
Michael Barbaro & Kate Taylor, "Calls Flood In; City Backs Off; Protesters Stay," in The New York Times, October 15, 2011, at p. A1. (A failed attempt to oust the protesters in the Wall Street area.)
Steve Erlanger & Maia de la Baume, "Strauss-Khan Is Not Charged in French Case," in The New York Times, October 14, 2011, at p. A1. (Paris prosecutors agreed not to charge DSK due to limitations issues, but -- allegedly -- much more because rumors of political motives for the orchestrated charges led to the same result as in New York. The intended beneficiary of the behind-the-back attacks against Strauss-Khan may have lost the French presidential primary for the socialist party. Payback.)
New Jersey's Corruption Saga:
Richard Cowen, "Mayor May Face Contempt Charge," in The Record, October 14, 2011, at p. A-1. (Paterson Mayor Jeffrey Jones may face a contempt of court charge after refusing to testify before the city council concerning Hurricane Irene funds that "disappeared." Mr. Jones is a New Jersey lawyer, like John McGill, Esq. of the OAE.)
Hannan Adeley, "Clifton Engineers Working to Ease Sewage Backup," in The Record, October 14, 2011, at p. L-1. (Fittingly enough, Clifton homeowners have been inundated with sewage and what is called, "the stench of moral rot" in the mafia's hometown. Ms. Riccioli has no comment. How's Debbie Poritz, Diana? "Trenton's Nasty Lesbian Love-Fest!" and "Jennifer Velez is a Dyke Magnet!")
Peter J. Sampson, "Jury Set for Lawyer's Murder Trial," in The Record, October 14, 2011, at p. L-7. (N.J. attorney, Paul Bergrin, Esq., is on trial for murdering witnesses. Mr. Bergrin favors Paul Stewart suits like his friend Mr. Rabner. Why not just pay so-called witnesses to say what you like? The OAE prefers this second method: "New Jersey's 'Ethical' Legal System" and "New Jersey's Office of Attorney Ethics.")
Richard Cowen, "Paterson Mayor Storms Out of Hearing on Overtime Pay," in The Record, October 15, 2011, at p. A-1. (Mayor Jones refuses to testify about what happened to all that money for Irene victims in town.)
AP, "Man is Charged in Charity Scam," in The Record, October 8, 2011, at p. A-3. (Christopher Elia, Esq., 45, scamed more than $596,000.00 from a fake charity operation. Business as usual in New Jersey. More interesting corruption related items will soon be added to these sources.)
Mathew McGrath, "Condominium Fire Ruled Accident: Electrical Problem Caused Wayne Blaze," in The Record, October 13, 2011, at p. L-1. (As Bob Menendez would say -- and has said on many occasions -- "Jewish Lightning" is bad for insurance companies, but good for property owners in Union City. Still a landlord, Bob?)
Hanan Adeley, "Police Chief's OT Pay Reviewed: Got $29,400 for DWI Checkpoints," in The Record, October 8, 2011, at p. A-1. (Elmwood Park Police Chief DONALD INGRASSELINO has collected nearly $30,000 in overtime for "work" at DWI operations taking place, allegedly, during his "off hours." The Chief was amazingly vigilant while sound asleep.)
Ted Sherman & Matt Feldman, "Feds Drop Probe of Corzine Aide: Cabinet Chief Cleared of Corruption," in The Record, October 8, 2011, at p. A-3. (Joe Doria, Esq., alleged capo of the Columbo crime family -- I am sure that Mr. Doria denies this affiliation -- a former Menendez enforcer from Bayonne, New Jersey is "cleared" by the feds who only refused to pursue the charges "at this time." This suggests "cooperation" from Joe Doria and possible permanent disposition of these charges only after such cooperation yields some results. Don't take Joe Doria's call, Bob. Doria may be wearing a wire. Menendez "allegedly" came through for you, huh, Joe?)
John Petrick, "Clerk Gets Probation, 2 Years for Stealing From Union Fund," in The Record, October 8, 2011, at p. L-1. (VALERIA JACALONE, 57, basically gets a walk for stealing $23,000 from labor union funds. Considering the bigger thieves in New Jersey, this sounds fair. Maybe Valeria is kicking back to Mr. Rabner or Sybil Moses?)
