JUSTICE NOT FOR "JUST US" BUT FOR ALL!
On this page, you will find articles, for the most part, which have been published in other publications promoting JUSTICE for everyone everywhere. Your active support for this concept is appreciated by victims of injustice and all those who want a better world for all God's children. He, the Creator of the universe, wants justice for all and will one day implement same. Your support may just help you be a part of that great planet referred to as THE NEW EARTH.
FOREWORD
for the book Ever Rising by Dr. Katie Arnette
by
Clarence E. Hodges
(Former United States Commissioner for the Administration of
Children, Youth, and Families)
If you have picked up this book for a quick evaluation, I wish to assure you that this treatise is for you. When you read it, you will discover that this United States Department of Homeland Security official, this successful parent and one-time happily married spouse who appeared to have everything, this very efficient and effective Dr. Katie A. Arnette, has achieved mega-success, true success and true happiness by climbing up the rough side of the mountain of life. She has overcome some of the problems you have encountered and has excelled in spite of problems and disabilities you will be pleased never came your way.
Yet, the author has not focused on hardships and disabilities, the focus is on victory, triumph, and using undesirable and unfortunate situations as stepping stones to high heights. She gives step-by-step directions on what is really required to extract lemonade from the “lemons of life.” Not willing to remain a victim in complex victimizing circumstances, she has repeatedly risen above those circumstances, acquiring expertise which helped her to deliver her victimizers from their victimization. One must read the book to comprehend her miracles of human relations and her remarkably effective approaches in transforming scars into stairs to the stars.
Dr. Arnette is a woman of courage and faith. She knows her God and she knows how to give problems to Him and receive blessings in return. In her experiences of ups and downs, she has learned to make a difference in the lives of others. It appears as though some of her pain and suffering was allowed in a “master plan” or “Master’s plan” that she may be a blessing to others who are locked in traps of rejection, mistreatment, abuse, neglect, poverty, and hopelessness. There is a key to those traps and Ever Rising can help anyone retrieve the key and escape from the trap. Her living experience with her Lord, her ability to communicate with Him, and her calm assurance, which comes from Him, even before there is evidence of a potential solution, leads her to praise God for rising and then she rises. She senses that there is no power which can keep her down.
There is a special attitude which shines throughout this book. This attitude removes the darkness of anger, evaporates the pool of resentment, burns away the venom of hatred. It causes love to surface in the strangest places which changes hardened hearts.
Ever Rising is a dynamic process. In a world where poverty exceeds affluence, the Ever Rising concept is needed. In families and governments where there is never enough money to cover all the needs, the Ever Rising concept should be proposed by the administration and voted by the legislative body. Where human relationships have deteriorated to destructive levels, the Ever Rising concept can bring peace. Families need it. Political parties need it. And diplomats of the world need to invoke the principles which empower the Ever Rising concept.
While Dr. Arnette has learned some difficult lessons from challenging experiences and from individuals who were not honorable teachers, they do not get the credit for her Ever Rising.
She gives God much praise, glory, and credit as she could do nothing without Him but there is another who made a difference in her life and who taught her to leave the traps, pain, pity, and sorrow behind. That person was her mother. Parents, these mothers have shown that you can do much to save your children. Single moms, teachers in poor school districts, and parents of special needs children, these two mothers give much hope to those who struggle with too many problems and too few solutions. Like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, these two mothers say you and your children can keep on rising, Ever Rising.
ITS TIME TO CLOSE THE GAPS
by
Clarence E. Hodges
Justice and Equality Day
Huntsville-Madison County, Alabama NAACP
C..T. Richards Chapel
Moseley Complex
Oakwood College Campus
Huntsville, Alabama
The President of the United States repeated on several occasions last week his often stated call for “a unity government in Iraq which reflects the diversity represented by the people of that country.”
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished leaders of this campus and this community, students pursuing excellence on campuses of this metropolitan area, I have come here today with a message for the President of the United States, with a message for the people of the United States of America, with a message for the Governor of the great state of Alabama, with a message for the Mayor of the city of Huntsville, with a message for leaders and followers, men and women, boys and girls, individuals of every race and color and every mixture of same. And my message is, it is time to close the gaps in this great freedom-loving country, the justice and equality gaps, the opportunity gaps, the socio-economic gaps, every man-made gap created with instruments of racism, sexism, inequality, and bigotry. Its time to close the gaps!
One very obvious place where the gap is visible even to the blind is in the United States Senate. In the history of that governmental body, we have had only 5 persons of color but even Bill Gates with his computer skills could not guess how many white males have been elected to that powerful club which believes in taxation without representation when it comes to Blacks. We now have one African American out of 100 when we should have at least twelve by the standards we urge for the Iraqi unity and diverse government. Should I mention the almost total absence of blacks on the total list of U.S. presidents and vice presidents and supreme court justices?
What about the 371 billionaires in the United States? We are fortunate to have Oprah on the list as she has shown herself to be the most compassionate member of this group, supporting diverse causes and far more Black causes than any other.
Among those billionaires, there is some new money particularly among the dot com entrepreneurs. However, a lot of that wealth comes from old money and some of that is money earned by black muscle and brains. The farming, manufacturing, and transportation industries owe much of their success to inventions produced by slaves, former slaves, and sons and daughters of slaves. White slave owners received the patents earned by slaves and other inventions by free blacks often, understandably, became the property of whites through a variety of unscrupulous methods. Blacks were inventing so fast by the year 1900, the U.S. Patent Office stopped recording the race of inventors. So when you ask what was invented by blacks, they can say, we don’t know; we don’t have a record of such. But perhaps worse than that, thousands of acres of farm land once owned by black farmers are now owned whites.
In 1920, the year my mother was born, there were approximately 1 million black farmers in the United States and they owned 15 million acres which was 14% of the nation’s farms. Today, we own only 5 million acres. The NAACP has worked with the National Black Farmers Association to help correct this problem. In response to a class action suit in the eighties, the United States Department of Agriculture admitted that our federal government had discriminated against black farmers which led some to lose their businesses, their equipment, and their land. There are thousands of cases where blacks have lost their farms over the past hundred years because they never received tax notices, therefore did not pay county taxes on time, and their farms were auctioned to whites for the unpaid taxes. Yes, our governments, federal and county, have created some of the problems which led to the loss of land and wealth. The U.S. Department of Agriculture can no longer cover these sins and agreed to a 2 billion dollar settlement but never has made the wrongs right. We are still working on this matter to help close this gap and help America stand for justice and equality.
While America has grown, to some extent, beyond segregation, she has not grown beyond discrimination. The Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEOC, is trying to end employment discrimination based on race, age, disability, national origin, pregnancy, religion, retaliation, gender, and sexual harassment. The EEOC Web Site shows that discrimination is increasing and those of you who are opposed to discrimination against religious persons and older persons, look out, there are big problems there and that goes especially for black religious persons and black persons over age 40. Race discrimination is still our worse sin. It is time to close the gap but the gap is getting wider. EEOC gets over 80,000 cases per year and they do not get all the cases. Some victims of employment discrimination go to the NAACP or other city and state agencies or they just get another job. It is time close the employment gap by punishing the individual discrimination perpetrator as well as the employing company.
America, while we seek justice and equality in China, in North Korea, in Russia, in Saudi Arabia, and around the world, don’t forget our own. Lets lead by example, not rhetoric. Lets close the gap here and watch others follow our lead and heed our diplomatic urging.
There are some more gaps which need closing in the name of justice and equality. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor stated if a defendant is poor, he will have a poor defense. And I say if one has a poor defense, the prosecutor will abuse that opportunity to show he is tough on crime so he can get elected to a higher office such as Congress.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is a curse on our system of justice or should I say system of injustice? Justice should not be for sale in the United States of America. Too many persons have been proven innocent by DNA after having served years in prison for crimes they did not commit. They have lost jobs, families, and everything they owned and subjected humiliation, rape, death, and AIDS. If Katie Couric is paid $15 million per year for what she does, these persons should be paid at least $1 million for each innocent year they spent in prison.
We need more education not more incarceration, more schools, not more prisons. One study revealed that 10% of white male high school dropouts are incarcerated before age 30 but for black males, that is 52% who leave the back door of highschool are on a fast track to prison.
On a per capita basis, every time one white male goes through prison doors, seven black men follow and the blacks get longer sentences, fewer home detentions, fewer sentences to country club prisons, less probation, and less parole for similar crimes. Prisons destroy families and destroy hope in little boys who need fathers. Their hope is too often replaced with anger and society pays a price for starting the falling of the dominoes. Justice, fairness, and the NAACP are saying to America, close that gaps.
We must do something about that special that special anti-black quartet. And I’m not talking about the Sounds of Joy or the Four Blind Boys. I’m talking about violence, AIDS, prostate cancer, and smoking. We know what to do and what not to do. Its about self-control, discipline, and planning for yourself and your family. Men, keep the family healthy and happy and you will be healthy and happy. Get those prostate exams every year and when the PSA score starts going up, buy some cancer insurance. Marry the one you love and be faithful to the one you marry. Remember, love produces good results while abuse destroys much of what is good in both the abuser and the abusee whether the victim is a child or adult.
What shall we do to close the gaps and open the doors to opportunity. Individuals must increase their self control by exercising it. Real men must learn to ignore insults. The ability to ignore is more effective and more powerful than violence. You can see that in the way Jesus, the most powerful person to ever walk on the face of the earth, handled insults. He defeated his accusers by ignoring them.
Hardships, obstacles, oppression, discrimination, and injustices are facts of life but should not be used as excuses for failure and low achievement. Faith, persistence, interlocking networks, diligent preparation, and pity for evil doers will overcome the mountains of difficulty erected before you. However, reality is never to be ignored but acknowledged and confronted if America is to become as great as it can become. There is much talk of religion by some who prefer the racial status quo. But if we are to avoid the label of hypocrite, we must keep all God’s commandments, not just some, and obey the whole Bible, even following the Golden Rule, not just some books.
Churches, community organizations, professional associations, Greek letters, and others must give evidence of love to children and families. If your organization needs money, get some from Jim Towey. He is the White House director of faith-based and community-based programs. Tutorial and after-school programs, the foster grandparents concept, programs to develop life management skills, entrepreneurial workshops, business incubator programs, big brothers, mentors, and relief initiatives which give relief to over-worked moms, sick and disabled parents, and others who need help in showing love are needed. And if you have a heart of love, adopt some of these children in foster care who need a loving permanent family. Our government will pay you to do that and God will bless your compassion.
I just learned last week of a new revolutionized math concept which may change math programs and computer programs the world over. Students can be taught a more effective way of doing math and science and a black man has developed the concept. Thats right blacks may lead the world into a new level of achievement with a black man replacing Bill Gates as the world’s wealthiest person. You may be a part of those expanding math centers that will turn even the lives of ex-cons around.
Whether that happens or not, our need is to come together, work together, and join hands to change lives.
STORY OF JOHNNY IN ST. LOUIS
Caring makes a difference. Its time to show that you care by joining the NAACP. And TIME with the NAACP stands for Training, Innovation, Motivation, and Execution.
STORY OF A LOST KITTEN IN FAIRBANKS ALASKA
I am not here to talk about lost and suffering pets or animals. I am interested in human beings. If we, people who claim to value life and love humanity, join hands now, we can save boys and girls, men and women, and perhaps even ourselves. May God give us the courage to stand up for justice and equality.
NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION
General Conference
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600
301-680-6455
Eric W. Treene
Special Counsel for Religious Discrimination
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
Civil Rights Division
Room 3336
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
202.353.8622
202.307.2572 (fax)
Dear Mr. Treene:
I appreciate your offer of some months ago to work in the interest of religious freedom and accommodation within the Department of Justice.
As you probably know, on May 21 of this year, the Washington Post carried a front page article on a study by the Sentencing Project which indicates 625,000 inmates will be released this year to our streets and neighborhoods. I believe that to be good as individuals have earned their freedom and can now become self sufficient, contributing to society instead of being totally supported by same. However, there will be challenges and difficulties for many to secure employment and housing and rebuild their family relationships. It is therefore most important that these inmates be prepared for life in a free society.
Religion has been a contributing factor for the success of many who have transitioned from prison to freedom. The various ministries which have been allowed to serve in our prisons have made a difference. I am often told, though, their services are not appreciated or respected in many institutions. But the officials who do not look with favor on religious activities have become skilled in minimizing the appearance so that it can be presented as though their actions are unusual, justified, and based on extenuating circumstances.
Corrections officers are, at times, not accommodating for religious days and services. Inmates may be denied attendance to some religious services. They may be assigned laundry or work days which conflict with their days of worship. Some requiring special diets for religious reasons have not been accommodated. The extenuating circumstance may be used as an excuse. Rather than seek to resolve every problem on an individual basis while time passes and with suffering during interim periods, we are requesting that simple regulations or policy statements regarding religious accommodation be adopted so that most of these situations can be prevented with the truly extenuating situations being reserved for individual resolutions. Even for state institutions, model regulations or policies could be recommended for implementation in the interest of the institutions, the inmates, those who take programs in from the outside, and society in general. Model guidelines and practices could help all institutions to solve these problems with some degree of consistency and thereby enhance the positive impact of religion on inmates and corrections officers. We also see some problems with some chaplains who have denominational or clergy preferences. Professional development programs should help these chaplains be identified more with the solutions for inmates’ attitudes and less with the negatives. Evaluation programs or surveys could help improve the professionalism and fairness of chaplains so that they facilitate the ministries of all who wish to serve and not just a few favored ones.
Your consideration of these issues and concerns is most appreciated. We are supportive of your efforts and wish you much success in all your endeavors.
Sincerely,
Clarence E. Hodges
Vice President
Director of Public Affairs & Religious Liberty
THE CONCERNS ADDRESSED IN THIS LETTER TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS JUST AS RELEVANT TODAY AS THEY WERE IN 2003. IF YOU ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN JUSTICE, PLEASE SUPPORT THESE CONCERNS WHEREVER YOU THINK APPROPRIATE.
CEH
THE CRIME THAT JESUS COMMITTED
by
Clarence E. Hodges
Huntsville, Alabama
Jesus and eleven of His disciples left the Upper Room after the Last Supper and went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Well, Jesus went there to pray but it appears the others went there to take a nap. After much prayer by Jesus, He awakened the others and as they were leaving, Judas and a band of officers, soldiers, and priests came to arrest Jesus.
Judas had planned this as a big set-up and a bigger let-down. He knew Jesus had eluded these officials on other occasions when they had tried to arrest and execute Him. He warned them to “hold Him fast.” He suspected Jesus would get away again and if He did, they could only blame themselves because he (Judas) was keeping those thirty pieces of silver. He thought he could set Jesus up to proclaim His kingdom and let the Jewish leaders down when he (Judas) became a ruler under King Jesus.
As Judas was kissing and kissing up to Jesus, Peter drew his sword sought to remove the head of one of those officials. But only the right ear was removed. In spite of those big strong soldiers holding on to the arms of Jesus as Judas had instructed, Jesus shook them off and picked up the ear lying on the ground. He then, took the fearless or near earless official by the chin, telling him to hold still as the Master Physician reattached his right ear. Some thought the ear would only fall off again but when they tugged on it, they only got screams of pain from Malchus, the servant of the high priest. As many of us know from experience, Jesus does not “half heal.” That ear was on with a lifetime guarantee.
Later, that servant, that official encountered Peter in the palace of the high priest. He quickly identified Peter as a follower of Jesus. This gave Peter his third opportunity to deny that He knew Christ before the rooster crowed. Peter looked the official in the eye and denied with cursing that he knew Jesus. The servant could not have been mistaken. He would never forget the one who sliced off his right ear.
Peter should have been arrested instead of Jesus for assault, battery, and attempted murder. There were many witnesses who could confirm Peter’s crime. And now, that servant of the high priest could have Peter arrested and thrown into the “slammer” for that crime which almost cost Malchus his life. But Peter was a free man. He would remain free. He had no fear of being arrested because Jesus had reattached the ear. None of those crooks wanted to tell the governor how the amputated ear got back on Malchus’s head. How could they condemn Jesus to death if He performed such miracles?
Jesus had tampered with the evidence. The ear was back in place and Peter was “Scott free.” Tampering with evidence is a crime. And Jesus has committed that crime over and over and over again. My sins were stretched out before the universe and Jesus washed them away with His blood. For you and me and the world of believers, each time Satan says we are guilty and not worthy, he discovers Someone has tampered with the evidence. Our sins are washed away and we are covered with the righteousness of Jesus. And that is the biggest cover-up in the history of criminal justice. My sins and yours are covered up, covered by His righteousness. The universe sees us as though we have never sinned. We are seen as righteous. As prosecutor, Satan would love to prosecute Jesus for tampering with evidence and for covering up the sins of the faithful. But he cannot prosecute because what Jesus has done and does is constitutional. It is within the Constitution of Heaven. Jesus is the Word, therefore, He is the Constitution and is in agreement with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. The Word of God, says if we confess and forsake our sins and claim His grace, He will forgive. He will cleanse (1 John 1:9). He will toss our sins to the bottom of the sea (Micah 7:19) and will remember them no more (Jeremiah 31:34). Praise His name. These are crimes only in the courts of mankind. The court of all courts, the Heavenly, conditionally overrules and we are guiltless with our perfect Lord and Savior.
PUBLISHED IN MESSAGE MAGAZINE
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