Standing Room Only at Job Fair for Felons

It's time we started retraining those who are incarcerated and stop making it a financial bonanza for private contractors to house prisoners.





Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved

Kirchner is about to Dance with Wolves

I first met Don Kirchner in Sedona, AZ in 1995.  No, not the music promoter, the ex-combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam whose involvement with the Mob and a huge drug smuggling operation led to his spearheading a DC-6 landing in the Florida Everglades carrying a load of high grade pot.  His eventual arrest, being on the run for five years, and his eventual capture and imprisonment make a great story and his book is outstanding.  I recommend it.

After serving 2 1/2 years of a potential 25 year sentence, and with the backing of Senator Goldwater and eventually John McCain, he was released and established the Society for Return to Honor. 

With over 2,600,000 men, women and adolescents in jails, prisons and detention centers in the United States, and an astonishing 70-80% of all inmates released from incarceration returning to jail or prison within the first year after their release, it is clear that communities and individuals are not taking the extra meaningful steps toward understanding the true nature of criminal behavior, and addressing its causes rather than reacting to its effects. 

Most determined and highly-motivated former offenders fight a nearly impossible battle for acceptance and respectability in returning to their communities.  The simplest things most people take for granted are often formidable obstacles for the newly-released prisoner; a place to sleep, food to eat, clothes to wear, a job, transportation, and even deposits required for a place to live.  Often lacking the self-confidence, required social skills and personal resources, released prisoners face nearly impossible odds in their attempts at re-entry into society.  

Don has struggled trying to assist ex-offenders for fifteen years and now his day may have come.  Hollywood took much longer than the Feds to catch up with Don in the person of Academy Award winner, Michael Blake, who is best known for his screenplay and novel, "Dances with Wolves".  Blake has completed the first draft for the screenplay for Don's outstanding story, "A Matter of Time".  He will also direct.  This should make a blockbuster of a movie.  I can't wait.

Congrats, old friend.

 Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved

America: a Prison Nation

Some people are concerned about a network of internment camps and private prisons that appears to being built at great expense around the nation. What's more shocking is that right now the US has more people behind bars than any country on earth including Russia and China. It's as American as apple pie.

In fact, one of of every four human beings on earth who is imprisoned is in a US facility. Look it up. That's a horror show taking place right now and it barely merits comment.

Amazingly, a vast network of legalized slave labor based on imprisoning blacks for petty and made up crimes existed in broad daylight in the South up until 1945, the reality of which is only just now coming to light.










Copyright @ 1998-2009
All Rights Reserved

Incarceration: Changing Our Thinking

Incarceration: Changing Our Thinking

Incarceration is a term with which most Americans are well familiar by now. Enough movies, books and television and news programs have us all well informed by now about all the dark, evil and brutal aspects of being locked up. True, it’s scary and sinister stuff. It’s the darker side of the human experience, and for most people it is evil and even brutal. But it’s our stuff, meaning that collectively it belongs to us. We, as a society, created it and we sustain it by what we believe about it and how we allow others to run it, just like everything else in the political and economic worlds.

In order to do anything about it that makes any difference, we need to recognize it for what it is, and how it functions with our collective acquiescence and indifference…and our ignoring what goes on inside the walls and fences. That includes what goes on in the minds of the people who manage and administer jails and prisons, many (if not most) of whom do so with a sense of vengeance and coldness that only enflames the problems and reinforces behavior patterns on the part of “criminals” that typically make them worse.

I am not a cynic, nor do I have anything against “the system,” such as it is. In fact, I work with that system, in that I counsel and teach both inmates and correctional officers how to recognize behavior patterns that are destructive and counterproductive, and to change those behavior patterns for the better. It’s amazing how small a change in thinking toward others will positively affect their behavior no matter how “brutal” or vengeful they might be.

How do I know this? I was one of them. I was a federal prisoner for 2 1/2 years, which very nearly became 25 years, with no chance of parole. I survived the experience in the face of brutish resistance and hostility toward me because I looked like everything most inmates and criminals have learned to dislike and distrust. But as I made consistent efforts to help them with simple things like reading and writing, their behavior changed for the better, not only toward me but toward everyone else––including correctional officers. What seemed destined to be a 25-year sentence became far less, primarily because of the good that was evidenced as a result of my work inside. Nearly everyone's attitudes toward one another began to change, and with that came near-miraculous developments that enabled me to not only still be alive, but thriving outside the walls as a useful, contributing member of society.

In order to change anything that has such a huge collective emotional charge such as the criminal justice system, we have to get outside of our own personal issues and pre-conceived notions about crime and criminals, and be willing to change our thinking…if only a little bit at a time. Just being willing to understand is a major step forward. One needn’t agree with or condone criminal or negative behavior, but only be willing to see behind the masks and the negative images we see in the movies and on television. If enough of us do that (and thank God that there is a groundswell of people on both sides now doing exactly that), we can change the way “incarceration” works, and make it work far more effectively.

Don Kirchner
June 9, 2009
www.ReturnToHonor.org





















Copyright @ 1998-2009
All Rights Reserved

Montana Town Wants Gitmo Prisoners

The tiny town of Hardin, Montana, is offering an answer to a very thorny question: Where should the nation put terror detainees if the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is shut down by the end of the year as President Obama has pledged?

Hardin, population 3,400, sits in the southeast corner of Montana, in the state's poorest county. Its small downtown is almost deserted at midday. The Dollar Store is going out of business. The Hardin Mini Mall is already shut. The town needs jobs -- and fast.

Hardin borrowed $27 million through bonds to build the Two Rivers Regional Correctional Facility in hopes of creating new employment opportunities. The jail was ready for prisoners two years ago, but has yet to house a single prisoner.

Read complete article: CNN




















Copyright @ 1998-2009
All Rights Reserved

A Response to Obama on Legalizing Marijuana

Webb Will Fight to End Insane Drug Policy

Mr. Obama's joking response to a serious question posed by thousands of his supporters was discomforting enough for us to post yesterday's remarks which we entitled, THE PRESIDENT MADE A BIG MISTAKE. His comments and attitude has spurred other reactions as well. Here is one:

"Despite the president's flippant comments today, the grievous harms of marijuana prohibition are no laughing matter," said Jack Cole, a former undercover narcotics officer and founding member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, in a statement to RAW STORY. "Certainly, the 800,000 people arrested last year on marijuana charges find nothing funny about it, nor do the millions of Americans struggling in this sluggish economy. It would be an enormous economic stimulus if we stopped wasting so much money arresting and locking people up for nonviolent drug offenses and instead brought in new tax revenue from legal sales, just as we did when ended alcohol prohibition 75 years ago during the Great Depression."

Better yet, Senator Jim Webb of Virginia was quietly preparing to introduce major legislation which has the potential to dramatically alter US drug laws. Calling the US criminal justice system "a national disgrace," two US senators called for a top-to-bottom review with an eye on reforms aimed at reducing America's vast prison population.

Senator Webb, backed by Republican Senator Arlen Specter, introduced legislation to create a blue-ribbon panel that would conduct an 18-month assessment and offer concrete recommendations for reform. Sen. Webb's legislation enjoys not just bipartisan support, but "quiet encouragement from President Barack Obama," reported The Virginian-Pilot.

"America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace," Webb said, noting that the United States has five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the world's prisoners.

According to a document released by Sen. Webb's office, "Its task will be to propose concrete, wide-ranging reforms to responsibly reduce the overall incarceration rate; improve federal and local responses to international and domestic gang violence; restructure our approach to drug policy; improve the treatment of mental illness; improve prison administration, and establish a system for reintegrating ex-offenders."

The Virginia lawmaker noted soaring numbers of drug offenders in prison, and charged that four times more mentally ill people are incarcerated than are in mental health hospitals. "We are doing something drastically wrong," said Webb, whose plan also aims to improve the US response to armed gangs, especially drug-related groups, as it seeks to bring the prison population down from about 2.4 million people.

"The high-level commission created by the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 legislation will be comprised of experts in fields including criminal justice, law enforcement, public heath, national security, prison administration, social services, prisoner reentry, and victims' rights," read a statement from Webb's office. "It will be led by a chairperson to be appointed by the President. The Majority and Minority Leaders in the House and Senate, and the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations will appoint the remaining members of the commission."

About five million people are on probation or parole.

"We are not protecting our citizens from the increasing danger of criminals who perpetrate violence and intimidation as a way of life, and we are locking up too many people who do not belong in jail," said Webb.

source: RAW STORY



We agree with you, Senator Webb, and encourage everyone to forward our article supporting the legalization of marijuana to the White House.

Here is the link: THE PRESIDENT MAKES A BIG MISTAKE.

















Copyright @ 1998-2009
All Rights Reserved

Blacks Pulled Over and Robbed by Texas Cops

Tehana, Texas

This is really one for the books. 

March 11, 2009

Reporting from Tenaha, Texas -- You can drive into this dusty fleck of a town near the Texas-Louisiana state line if you're African American, but you might not be able to drive out of it -- at least not with your car, your cash, your jewelry or other valuables. That's because the police here allegedly have found a way to strip motorists, many of them black, of their property without ever charging them with a crime. Instead they offer out-of-towners a grim choice: Sign over your belongings to the town, or face felony charges of money laundering or other serious crimes.

More than 140 people reluctantly accepted that deal from June 2006 to June 2008, according to court records. Among them were a black grandmother from Akron, Ohio, who surrendered $4,000 in cash after Tenaha police pulled her over, and an interracial couple from Houston, who gave up more than $6,000 after police threatened to seize their children and put them into foster care, the court documents show. Neither the grandmother nor the couple were charged with or convicted of any crime.

Officials in Tenaha, along a heavily traveled state highway connecting Houston with several popular gambling destinations in Louisiana, say they are engaged in a battle against drug trafficking, and they call the search-and-seizure practice a legitimate use of the state's asset-forfeiture law. That law permits local police agencies to keep drug money and other property used in the commission of a crime and add the proceeds to their budgets. But civil rights lawyers call Tenaha's practice something else: highway robbery. The attorneys have filed a federal class-action lawsuit seeking unspecified damages and a halt to what they contend is an unconstitutional perversion of the law's intent, used primarily against African Americans who have done nothing wrong. Tenaha officials "have developed an illegal 'stop and seize' practice of targeting, stopping, detaining, searching, and often seizing property from apparently nonwhite citizens and those traveling with nonwhite citizens," asserts the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas.

Partial to Minorities

David Guillory, an attorney in nearby Nacogdoches who filed the federal lawsuit, said he combed through Shelby County court records from 2006 to 2008 and discovered nearly 200 cases in which Tenaha police seized cash and property from motorists. In about 50 of the cases, suspects were charged with drug possession. But in 147 others, Guillory said the court records showed, the police seized cash, jewelry, cellphones and sometimes even automobiles from motorists but never found any contraband or charged them with any crime. Of those, Guillory said he managed to contact 40 of the motorists directly -- and discovered that all but one of them were black.

SOURCE: LA TIMES
By Howard Witt




















Copyright @ 1998-2009
All Rights Reserved

Bush Must be Prosecuted for War Crimes

A Detainee at Guantanamo

In a press conference on October 5, 2007, President Bush states: "This government does not torture people. We stick to international law".



President Bush later talks with Larry King about the aftermath of 9/11 and criticisms of his administration. When confronted with the issue of torture, Bush again states: "WE DON'T TORTURE".




It is obvious from his statements, that Bush was very aware of international law and that torture is against the Geneva Convention and that he was lying. He must also have been aware that violating the Geneva Convention exposes our troops to similar treatment when and if they are captured.  In other words, Bush's "Macho Man" routine not only endangered our troops, but cast a dark shadow on the integrity and reputation of the United States abroad.  

Now we have evidence that we not only tortured captives, but in some cases they were tortured to death. Three major human rights organizations have declared the Department of Defense was running secret prisons at Bagram and in Iraq, actively sought ways around the terms of the Geneva conventions and cooperated with the CIA's "ghost detention" program which saw prisoners hidden from Red Cross oversight.

The arrival of the documents comes on the same day the ACLU published two unredacted pages of a government report which reveals detainees in US custody were tortured to death. In a Raw Story article, the following was revealed:

"These newly released documents confirm our suspicion that the tentacles of the CIA’s abusive program reached across agency lines," said Margaret Satterthwaite, Director of the NYU International Human Rights Clinic, in a Thursday advisory. "In fact, it is increasingly obvious that defense officials engaged in legal gymnastics to find ways to cooperate with the CIA’s activities. A full accounting of all agencies must now take place to ensure that future abuses don’t continue under a different guise."

The papers, part of a volley of responses to Freedom of Information Act requests, were released by Amnesty International USA, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. The entire package, which encompasses hundreds of pages, was boiled down to several key points by the CCR in a report by Mother Jones writer Steve Aquino.

"One heavily redacted page mentions (page 34) an 'undisclosed detention facility' at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan," he noted.

"Another, dated May 2004, highlights (page 17) how the Geneva Conventions can be interpreted to allow the CIA and the DoD to ghost detainees' identities so they can be denied a visit from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"This was done, according to a memo from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to 'maximize intelligence collection efforts.' In other words, give them more time to interrogate inmates." And perhaps most outrageous, a Feb. 2006 e-mail disclosed by the groups highlights an effort to limit bad press by delaying the release of a detainee "for 45 days or so until things cool down."

"It is astonishing that the government may have delayed releasing men from Guantбnamo in order to avoid bad press," said CCR attorney Gitanjali Gutierrez, who represents many of the men held in Guantбnamo, in an Amnesty International release. "Proposing to hold men for a month and a half after they were deemed releasable is inexcusable. The Obama Administration should avoid repeating this injustice and release the innocent individuals with all due haste."

CLICK TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE

President Obama and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, have expressed a hesitancy to look back at the Bush administration and a desire to look toward the future.  That future will always have a dark cloud hanging over it unless we hold President Bush and his cohorts accountable for their illegal and murderous conduct.  As we used to say in the 60's,

THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING

Copyright @ 1998-2009
All Rights Reserved

Obama Issues Order to Close Guantanamo

Bush promised to close it. McCain promised to close it. The Supreme Court wants it closed. Experienced military prosecutors have resigned in protest over the out-of-control abuses and violations of the rule of law there. Now the right wing psychopaths who nearly succeeded in destroying the country by supporting a criminal in the White House are howling because Obama is doing what needs to be done.

Crimes Performed in the Name of America

GARY MIALOCQ & ASSOCIATES
Copyright @ 1998-2008
All Rights Reserved

A Plea from Willie Nelson for the Family Farmers of America

NOW IS THE TIME! THE PLANET NEEDS HELP!

In 1991, Willie Nelson issued a plea to America to come to its senses and legalize Industrial Hemp, a product that was mandatory for the farmers of the Colonies, and for which the United States Government made a movie entitled, "Hemp for Victory". Why is it illegal? To protect the financial corporate interests of the textile, petrochemical, and lumber (paper) industries. How long will America stand for corporate America sticking it to the little guy?

I would like to see this younger generation, the same one that elected Barack Obama, to get off its collective apathetic duff and turn its incredible talent to the legalization of hemp in this country for food, fuel, paper, etc. This will create a whole new industry and many jobs at a time when we need boosts of all kinds. At the same time, decriminalization of marijuana would release the over 750,000 people who are imprisoned each year for mere possession of this food of the Gods. The only thing criminal is keeping those people in jail any longer. Let's return them to their jobs and families and let them live on their own, freeing the taxpayers from the additional burden. IT HAS BEEN 18 YEARS . . . WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

Why Is Hemp So Important?

Hemp Nutritional Information

The Nutritional Composition of a Hemp Seed is Exceptional

Whole hemp seeds contain approximately 25% protein, 31% fat (in the form of a nutritious oil), and 34% carbohydrates, in addition to an interesting array of vitamins and minerals.

Hemp Seed Protein

Proteins serve a variety of functions in the human body such as acting as enzymes, antibodies, and the structural components of tissues, hormones and blood protein. The main function of dietary protein is to supply amino acids for the growth and maintenance of body tissue. Digestion disassembles proteins into their basic building blocks - the amino acids.

Hemp protein contains all 20 known amino acids including the 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce. Proteins are considered complete when they contain all 9 essential amino acids in a sufficient quantity and ratio to meet the body's needs. Hemp seeds contain an adequate supply of these high quality proteins (EAAs) for a well balanced diet.

Hemp protein is free of the tryspin inhibitors which block protein absorption andfree of oligosaccharides found in soy, which cause stomach upset and gas.

Approximately 65% of the protein in hemp seeds is made up of the globulin protein Edestin and is found only in hemp seed. Edestin aids digestion, is relatively phosphorus-free and considered the backbone of the cell's DNA. The other one third of hemp seed protein is Albumin, another high quality globulin protein similar to that found in egg whites.

Hemp Seed Oil

The oil contained in the hemp seed is 75-80% polyunsaturated fatty acids (the good fats) and only 9-11% of the lesser desired saturated fatty acids. Hemp seed oil is reputed to be the most unsaturated oil derived from the plant kingdom. The essential fatty acids (EFAs) contained in hemp seed oil are required in our diet more than any other vitamin, yet our bodies do not naturally produce them. They must be obtained from external sources in the food we eat. EFAs are involved with producing life's energy throughout the human body and without them, life is not possible. In general, North Americans have a high dietary deficiency in EFAs due to our high intake of animal fats versus plant fats, caused by our high consumption of processed foods and meats versus natural organic foods.

Hemp seed oil has been dubbed "Nature's most perfectly balanced oil", due to the fact that it contains the perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of Omega 6 (linoleic/ LA) to Omega 3 (alpha-linolenic/ LNA) essential fatty acids, determined to be the optimum requirement for long-term healthy human nutrition. In addition, it also contains smaller amounts of 3 other polyunsaturated fatty acids in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), oleic acid and stearidonic acid. This EFA combination is unique among edible oil seeds.

Extensive studies have demonstrated that many common illnesses are related to deficiencies or imbalances of specific fatty acids in the body. Symptoms are often related to a lack of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids and their derivatives, the postaglandins. Most people eating a healthful diet, one that includes a balanced ratio of essential fatty acids, also have healthy skin and a strong immune system. Yet some individuals may experience shortages in specific fatty acids or their metabolites due to dysfunctional enzyme systems or other inhibitions in their metabolic pathways caused by genetic, immune-system-related, or even environmental factors. It has been proven in several clinical studies that dietary supplementation with EFAs or their metabolites (such as GLA) will often prevent or even cure these illnesses. Since hemp seed oil contains both EFAs in a desirable balance while also providing two of the EFA metabolites, it is a good resource for the prevention and treatment of certain illnesses.

Hemp seed oil also provides an adequate supply of antioxidants (Vitamin E), carotenephytosterols, phospholipids and a number of minerals including calcium, magnesium, sulfur, potassium, phosphorus, along with modest amounts of ironzinc. Hemp seed oil also provides a good source of chlorophyll.

The daily recommended allowance of hemp seed oil is 14-28 ml (1 to 2 tablespoons). This allowance provides between 8 and 16 grams of Omega 6 (LA) and between 3 and 6 grams of Omega 3 (LNA). (precursor to Vitamin A), and lastly, unlike other Omega-rich alternatives (flax, evening primrose, borage or fish oils) that are sold mainly as a vitamin supplement, hemp seed, hemp oil and hulled hemp seed all have a flavorful "nutty" taste that will create consumer demand and can easily be added into most any recipe to obtain a balanced diet!

Benefits of Consuming Hemp Seed and Oil

• Excellent source of essential fatty acids including Omega 3, 6 and GLA
• Lower blood LDL cholesterol levels
• Lower blood pressure
• Improve cardiovascular circulation & function
• Improve organ function
• Improve immunity levels
• Increased energy levels & metabolic rate
• Reduce symptoms of PMS & menstrual cramps
• Reduce inflammation and the symptoms of arthritis
• Improve recovery of muscles after exercise
• Reduce & treat dry skin and hair conditions
• Reduction of many degenerative diseases through preventative measures
• Hemp products are GMO-Free, Gluten-free, Herbicide & Pesticide free, peanut free, Vegetarian approved, Kosher certified, No THC and Tryspin inhibitor free
• Hemp products have a wonderful nutty flavor that can easily be incorporated into your diet while providing a powerful daily supplement.

These are just the benefits derived from legalizing industrial hemp for food. It is just as outstanding as a paper, textile, biofuel, etc.

Hemp History: The first and second drafts of the constitution were written on Hemp paper as were all books and bibles. Betsy Ross made our American Flag, Old Glory, from cannabis fibers. Canvas is the Dutch pronunciation of the Greek Word Cannabis. Cannabis covered wagons went west. Cannabis outfitted ships... the sails, ropes, paints and varnishes, sealents, lamp oils and 50,000 other clean products. Henry Ford ran 40,000 vehicles on hemp fuel from only 10,000 acres. The emissions are what you exhale, and next year’s crop is reconverting it back to oxygen. That’s a natural cycle fuel! Best of all... the money stays home.

California's #1 Crop

NOW IS THE TIME.

Video source: Willie Nelson called me one day and asked if he could appear as a guest in our Time 4 Hemp Studios. To discuss how hemp can help the family farm. On 6/6/91 we taped live. I later went on the 91'hemp tour and we were able to get all ten shows into 99 cities in 44 states. Check out my other hemp related videos and music at www.digitalHemp.com/ Time 4 Hemp cable access ©1991michaelm producer 13.2mb 5:52