DarkStar Spouts Off

Quick Note On Shaquanda Cotton Mess

[ Update ] Links have been updated as well as a new link to a comment from a person who claims to be representing Cotton.

On the Shaquanda Cotton mess, I've held off writing anything because something didn't seem right with the initial details that came out. Now, more is coming out and I still don't think enough information.

See P6 for some details. (I'll give links to his specific post later).

See Black Informant for some additional details. He gives the "other" side.

See Cobb for his initial support and then about face. The comment section there is good because of additional information. [ Update ] This link goes directly to a comment from a person stating he is representing Cotton.

I quote:

First, Shaquanda was never offered probation from the DA's office. You don't have to take my word for that, it's in the trial transcript. I filed a motion for new trial as part of the appeal. I called the trial lawyer and asked him if a probation offer had been made. He answered "no." This was never disputed by the DA's office. Later, after trial , I specifically asked if a probation offer had been made. The DA said "no." That ended my enquiry into the plea bargain part of the case, and I filed my appeal with the Texas sixth Court of Appeals. My grounds , among others, are ineffective assistance of counsel and insufficient evidence to remove her from her mother's home to place her in TYC.
One of the things that is disturbing about the release from the DA's office is the apparent lack of knowledge about juvenile law. A juvenile cannot, I repeat, Cannot, be sentenced by a jury. Only the judge can set the punishment.

Some of my thoughts are:

• Who cares whether it's "seven years" or "up to seven years"? Since when has that distinction made a difference?
• She had HADD and was going to the office to take her medication.
• Her mother hasn't released her daughter's information to the public, and I don't blame her for not doing so.
• The mother is said to be "uncooperative" but I want to know what that means in this case.
• The mother is part of a group that sued the school district over the system's "failure to educate Black students." If the child has been written up many times, could some of the write ups be in retaliation?
• [Update] Why haven't local groups gotten involved? Some local groups are involved, but not the ACLU.
• I found out this morning that a member of my wife's Mocha Moms chapter is from that town in Texas and the member said the mother is being targeted for her advocacy and she isn't the only one.

There is more to the story.

PG County Quickies

Some quick tidbits of information about Prince Georges County, Maryland. I heard this information on the radio this week. I did quick searches and cannot find details, but I'll post the information anyway:

• Recent population statistics show that PG County had a net loss of residents. Neighboring Charles County, which is more rural, has more affordable homes, is perceived as having better schools, and has a lower crime rate, is getting the former PG County residents. This is the case even though it increases the commute time by about 1/2 hour to 1 hour.
• Using a recent law, PG County Executive, Jack Johnson, has closed a number of popular clubs in PG County. The law is a beefed up "nuisance law" which gives jurisdictions power to close establishments that have a "track record" of negative behaviors associated with the establishment.

"Gangsta" Mentality

A thought just hit me and I don't know why I haven't really said this before, in this manner.

"Hip hop" isn't the genesis of the gangsta mentality, the resulting "underground economy" arising out of prohibition is the genesis of the gangsta mentality.

Hell, "gangsta" is the slang for gangster.

Employer Crack Down

It appears that ICE is cracking down on employers who use illegal immigrants as workers.

I think this is a good thing, but the cynic in me sees the ulterior motive behind the crackdown.

Employers being who they are, are going to pressure congress to "do something" about the "lost workers doing jobs Americans don't want to do." That "something" will be expanding H1-B visas, enacting a guest worker program that under cuts American employment, or something worse like a defacto open border program.

Only One Thing Could Make This Better

Only one thing could make this better:

After one season as the lead analyst for “Monday Night Football” on ESPN, Joe Theismann will be dismissed and replaced by Ron Jaworski, the network is scheduled to announce today. Theismann is expected to be offered another job at the network.

He had also been ESPN’s analyst on “Sunday Night Football” from 1988 to 2005.

Replacing Theismann with Jaworski, who is known for his ESPN studio work but not for booth analysis, means exchanging one former quarterback with another. Jaworski, 56, played for the Eagles, and Theismann, 57, played for the Redskins.

That would be Tony Kornheiser getting the same! Actually, if they just got rid of Tony K, I would have been satisfied.

More Illegal Alien Stuff

And then(!), to top it all off(!), the Maryland State Assembly wants to give illegal aliens a drivers license!

Now, doesn't that lead to voter fraud?

Yes! I'm PISSED!

Illegal Immigration, II

In the state of Maryland, a person in the military who is not a Maryland resident, but is stationed in the state, CANNOT get in-state tuition rates but an ILLEGAL ALIEN CAN get in-state tuition rates!

SICKENING!!!!!!

Illegal Aliens Get "In-State" Tuition

Illegal aliens in the state of Maryland are going to get in-state tuition rates to attend public colleges and universities in Maryland.

Aren't illegal aliens breaking the law?

Aren't illegal aliens taking part in identity theft?

Federal law prohibits aiding someone you know who is an illegal alien, right?

This is really bad news.

Smoking Ban

The Maryland State Assembly seems close to outlawing smoking in all public buildings in Maryland.

I don't smoke and can't stand the smell. I like eating in restaurants that segregate smokers from non-smokers. Most times, 99.998% I'd say, I choose the non-smoking section. But sometimes, I choose otherwise. Be that as it may, if the State Assembly is going to outlaw smoking in all public buildings, they may as well outlaw smoking, period.

Smoking is not illegal. People are making a choice to smoke or not smoke. People are making a choice to patronize businesses that provide smoking sections or are entirely smoke free. Let people make their own choice. We are not stupid.

Again, the Maryland State Assembly is going too damn far. Next, they will go for smoking in cars and in private residences. Just watch. But they won't make it illegal, because they depend on the tax revenue.

Life Goes On

Unfortunately, I learned early in my life, life goes on.

No matter what happens, the sun rises the next morning.
A kid will get hugged by his mother.
A kid will fall down and hurt himself.
A grandmother will tell her son or daughter's business to someone the son or daughter doesn't know.
Someone will fall in love.
Someone will fall out of love.
Someone will have mind blowing sex.
Someone will have what they think is the worst sex possible.
Someone will daydream of a better life.
Someone will say they never dreamed they could have a life as good as they have now.
Someone will go to work to a job they hate.
Someone will go to work to a job they love.
Someone will get sick.
Someone will get better.
Someone will get fired.
Someone will get hired.
Someone's father will cut a fart so bad it is capable of peeling wall paper.
Someone will drop out of school.
Someone will become an addict.
Someone will start their life of sobriety.
Someone will get married.
Someone will get divorced.
Someone will give birth.

You get the idea.

No matter what, life goes on. If horrible happens in your life, you still have to live.

As such, I have no problem with John Edwards continuing his presidential campaign.

Life goes on.

Maryland Democrat Racism

"No permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent intersts."

Black Democrats in The Land of Queen Mary, Maryland, should take heed to the above quote and read the following quotes from an article by Greg Kane.

Today, Young is a successful talk-show host on WOLB radio. Nine years ago, he was state Sen. Larry Young of Baltimore, expelled from the General Assembly after his colleagues voted him out for alleged ethics violations. Young cried foul. Actually, he did more than that.

Young contended that he was targeted because he was black. Some scoffed at the notion and accused him of playing the race card. Full disclosure requires me to say that I was one of them.

But in an FBI transcript released this week, former Baltimore County state Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell Sr., who voted to expel Young, said, "I found myself voting against this guy because he was black."
...

As part of the federal investigation of Bromwell, FBI agents wired two snitches - er, informants - and had them tape a conversation with the former state senator, who has been indicted on 33 corruption charges. The resulting transcript has Bromwell's comments about his vote against Young, as well as other tidbits that might prove the adage black folks have: that what white folks say about us in private is vastly different from what white folks say about us in public.

Bromwell had comments about black activists Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Bromwell accused Jackson of being a sexist, and Sharpton of being a, well a ... let me just quote from the transcript.

"You know what?" Bromwell says on the tape. "I don't use the N word, but [Sharpton] was an N. He walks in [to a fundraising event], he don't even say hi, how you doing, or anything. He was with this black guy that I - we threw out of the Senate."

That "black guy" was Young. In another part of the transcript, Bromwell says that Young "still likes me and he's still my friend. Very strong - he's still strong in the black - he's like, you know, an Adam Clayton [unintelligible]."

Read the rest of it.

Reminding Me To Discuss

• Crime in cricket
• More subprime loan madness
• My blessings

Hook, Line, and Sinker

The media has done EXACTLY what it wanted to do by making a non-existent issue, "Is Obama Black Enough?" an issue.

Those who played the game got hooked and tangled in the sinker, filleted, corn meal battered, and are now in the frying pan.

Dirt Bikes In B-More, Revisited

This is part of what I wrote earlier:

You have to travel in/live in Baltimore to believe the madness with the dirt bikes and the mini-bikes. (I'll get to the kid and his parents, last).

In all seriousness, those knuckleheads are a MAJOR accident risk. MANY times I've been driving through areas of Baltimore, only to hear the sound of mini-bikes, trail bikes, and ATVs roaring, SOMEWHERE around.

You have to start looking around like you heard an emergency vehicle to find out WHERE these NO HOME TRAINING IDIOTS are coming from!

Popping wheelies on dirt bikes AND ATVs(!) not knowing how to handle the damn things when the front wheel(s) come down!

There are alleys all over Baltimore and they come flying out of the allies and if you are lucky, you don't hit them. If you are not lucky, you hit them and they may come through your side window or windshield.

Last summer or 2 summers ago, a few of the fools were killed as well as a pedestrian hit by the no-riding/no home training/no respect for law having, KNUCKLEHEADS!!

...

His mother said they could have written a citation and/or seized the bike.

True.

But hearing and seeing the mother?

Her trifling ass mouthed off and the cop did the humble routine.

The damn things are illegal in Baltimore and everyone in the City knows it. WTF is it doing outside if they aren't going to a dirt track or coming back from a dirt track?!?!?!?!

The mother and father just taught that kid not to have respect for the law and if you get caught, call the media and make a stink and you will be able to get away with it!

She deserves a pimp smack!!!

Here is what I've learned today:

The cop arrested the boy, took him to lock up, and the boy was "charged" with a crime and given probation. Cops in Baltimore can charge a person, but they can't give probation, so I don't understand how the "probation" is possible. However, the boy claims the cop said if he told anyone what happened, the cop would come back and arrest his parents.

Next, they gave the run around to the parents after the kid was taken away. They told the parents he was at X. They went to X and the cops there said he is at Y. They went to Y and the kid was elsewhere.

Given that, while I still think the mother mouthed off and the cop did what he did to "humble" the mother, and I think the parents were DEAD WRONG, the cop MUST be fired!

You Have To Wonder

You have to wonder how successful the "bank account verification" SPAM scams are since so many emails are sent asking people to verify their bank account information, especially when you are not a member of said bank.

Home Loans

When I was buying my first house, I was offered a 30 year fixed rate loan and an ARM. At the time, in 1988, the interest rate was 10.5% and taking an ARM was too risky since rates were more likely to rise than fall.

When I was buying my second house, I was offered a 30 year fixed rate loan, a 15 year fixed rate loan, an ARM and a 80/20 loan. On the latter loan, 80% of the loan would be financed at one rate, the other 20% would be financed at a higher rate. This would allow me to not pay PMI.

Given my plans, and my aversion to having a rising mortgage, I took the 30 year fixed rate loan.

Later, when my wife and I were high scale house looking, we noticed YOUNG (mid 20s) couples signing papers to buy homes STARTING at $600K+. I wondered and asked Mrs. D.S. how they could afford those homes when WE couldn't afford the homes and our income was GOOD!

I thought they were getting help from mommy and daddy. Little did I know that 80/20 loans had expanded to Zero down, 80/20 or 70/20/10 loans. Little did I know that interest only loans were being made available. Little did I know loans were being made available without having the people being loaned money VERIFY their income!

I would have NEVER taken advantage of those products, just because I think they are foolish and I've LIVED through seeing my home value rise, to only have it fall to less than my loan.

I've said many times that I thought people who NEEDED these types of loans to purchase a home, probably couldn't afford the home. If people got those types of loans because they were speculating that the home value would rise by the time they were ready to sell and interest rates would hold steady or fall, then because they were speculators, they were making an educated guess. If they guessed wrong and failed, that was on them.

However, these past few weeks, I've heard more of people getting these loans and not knowing the details of the loans before they signed. In some cases, the lenders said the interest rate would be fixed at X, and it turned out it was fixed at Y with Y being greater than X, or the fixed rate became an ARM, or something else.

I have worked with people who had the terms of the loan changed at the last minute where they didn't know it was changed until it was time to sign the paper work. In those cases, they raised hell at the table and the deal was halted until things were straightened out.

I know I read the loan paperwork before I signed anything. I was aware of what I was getting into.

I also don't understand how lenders, who are risk adverse, would offer these types of loan vehicles. I had to explain EVERYTHING. I had to account for EVERYTHING. I had to close zero balance revolving accounts to increase my credit score, yet people are offered interest only loans to be able to buy a house EVERYONE knows they can't afford?

Those getting the loans were being irresponsible. Those offering the loans were being irresponsible. The end result is, loans are now going to be much tighter to get because loan companies were irresponsible greedy.

For the companies, I don't understand their thinking, unless it was a herd mentality going on: things are great now and will be great tomorrow.

At any rate, maybe I'll be able to benefit from other's irresponsibility.

I've Said It Before...

I've written it before, I'll write it again: politicians should not be afraid to go into "hostile territory" to get their point across.

The CBC pulling out of debates on Fox, is the same as the Black Republicans who pulled out of The State of Black America hosted by Tavis Smiley. They are punks!

Constrast

What's Wrong With This Picture?

"It's no big deal," I tell myself. I'm sitting on the subway in Manhattan with Caroline, a woman I'm seeing. Her head rests on my shoulder, her auburn hair tangled in my scarf. Though it should be the last thing on my mind, I can't help but wonder what inspires the elderly African American woman across from us to shake her head disapprovingly: the Detroit Tigers cap I'm wearing or the company I'm keeping. After all, my beloved Tigers had recently defeated the New York Yankees in the American League playoffs. Then again, I'm also a young black man sharing an affectionate arm with a white woman.

No, My Son Doesn't 'Act Black.' There's No Such Thing

Sam came home from the overnighter visibly crushed. He curled around his hurt as though he'd been punched in the gut, and he refused to say what had happened. My husband and I fought panic as all the horrible things that might happen to a 14-year-old away from home pounded through our brains. We cajoled and interrogated as he tried to disappear into the living room sofa, until finally, enough of the story emerged to reassure us that our oldest son hadn't been physically injured. But his suffering was still real.

His friends had asked him why he didn't act black.

My husband and I were dumbfounded. We had been challenged ourselves with variations on this same question 30 years ago. But back then, we were being teased by our African American peers, many of whom were growing up in communities where they saw little opportunity for success or achievement and where frustration took root early. Sam's questioners were white suburban teenagers, living college-bound lives of comfort.

Interesting...

Dirt Bikes In B-More

The following has been semi-big news in the greater Baltimore area:

Police arrest 7-year-old on dirt bike

Fri Mar 16, 2:56 PM ET

BALTIMORE - Police arrested a 7-year-old boy, handcuffed him and hauled him down to the station house on a charge of riding a motorized dirt bike on a sidewalk. ADVERTISEMENT Real people. Real success stories. Yahoo! Personals. See Stephanie and Mike's story.

Then, according to his mother, Gerard Mungo Jr. was handcuffed to a bench and interrogated before being released to his parents.

"They scared me," Gerard told The Baltimore Examiner before breaking down in tears.

Mayor Sheila Dixon apologized Friday for the arrest, and police commissioner Leonard Hamm said it would be investigated internally.

The arrest came after an officer saw Gerard riding his dirt bike on the sidewalk in east Baltimore on Tuesday, police spokesman Matt Jablow said. Hamm, citing the internal probe, declined to discuss how the rest of the incident unfolded.

Lakisia Dinkins said her son was sitting on the bike with the motor off on the sidewalk when an officer grabbed him by the collar and pulled him off.

"I told them to let go of my baby," Dinkins said. "Since when do you pull a 7-year-old child by his neck and drag him?"

Dinkins said she called for a police supervisor to intervene, but the confrontation continued to escalate after the supervisor arrived.

"They started yelling at him, 'Do you know what you did wrong, son?'" Dinkins said. "He was so scared he ran upstairs."

Police arrested Gerard and confiscated the bike.

This is what I have to say about the situation:

You have to travel in/live in Baltimore to believe the madness with the dirt bikes and the mini-bikes. (I'll get to the kid and his parents, last).

In all seriousness, those knuckleheads are a MAJOR accident risk. MANY times I've been driving through areas of Baltimore, only to hear the sound of mini-bikes, trail bikes, and ATVs roaring, SOMEWHERE around.

You have to start looking around like you heard an emergency vehicle to find out WHERE these NO HOME TRAINING IDIOTS are coming from!

Popping wheelies on dirt bikes AND ATVs(!) not knowing how to handle the damn things when the front wheel(s) come down!

There are alleys all over Baltimore and they come flying out of the allies and if you are lucky, you don't hit them. If you are not lucky, you hit them and they may come through your side window or windshield.

Last summer or 2 summers ago, a few of the fools were killed as well as a pedestrian hit by the no-riding/no home training/no respect for law having, KNUCKLEHEADS!!

Lastly, some of the mini-bike, trail biker, ATV riders are drug look outs and/or dealers and/or transporters.

On that policeman and kid. 

When I first heard the story, I wondered how a 7 year-old could ride a dirt bike. I thought the cop saw him by the bike or on it because he was playing around and the cop talked to him, his momma started mouthing off, so the cop locked him up to teach him and his loud assed momma a lesson.

Then I saw the news and the dirt bike. It is a mini-bike. Yeah, a 7 year old could ride it. Yeah, the cop probably saw him ride it. Yeah, it was his.

His mother said they could have written a citation and/or seized the bike.

True.

But hearing and seeing the mother? 

Her trifling ass mouthed off and the cop did the humble routine.

The damn things are illegal in Baltimore and everyone in the City knows it. WTF is it doing outside if they aren't going to a dirt track or coming back from a dirt track?!?!?!?!

The mother and father just taught that kid not to have respect for the law and if you get caught, call the media and make a stink and you will be able to get away with it!

She deserves a pimp smack!!!

Yes.
I'm pissed.

Lakisia Dinkins, you have been Drop Squad'ed!

Who Got Slammed?

This is what Chris Rock had to say recently:

LIFE: In the first movie you directed, Head of State, you were president of the United States. Is this country ready for an African American president?
ROCK: It's ready for a retarded president,  why wouldn't it be ready for an African American president?

My question is, who got slammed?
Did he call the president retarded?
Did he say the U.S. would be willing to vote for a retarded president?
Did he say the U.S. is ready for a retarded president so it would be ready for a Black president because the Black president would be equivalent to being retarded?

Drop Squad Trio

I am placing 3 more people into my "Drop Squad" list.

Demetris McCoy and Vanswan Polty:

WATAUGA, Texas (AP) — Two teenagers were arrested after police found a video of them showing two children how to smoke marijuana, authorities said.

Fort Worth Police found the video Feb. 22 while investigating Demetris McCoy, 17, and Vanswan Polty, 18, in connection with some burglaries.

In the video, the children are called "potheads" and a man can be seen placing a marijuana cigarette into a baby's mouth. In another part of the video a boy is seen smoking on his own. The children were also asked if they "have the munchies."

Police said the boys are McCoy's nephews, aged 2 and 5. The children have been placed in foster care, the child protective services said.

Both men have been arrested on felony charges of injury to a child and were being held in jail Sunday. It wasn't immediately known if the two men had attorneys.

Ricky Lackey

Ricky Lackey has six children on the way.

Just don’t call them sextuplets – they’re all with different women.

When Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Melba Marsh asked Lackey during sentencing Friday on a charge of attempted theft how many children he had, the 25-year-old said, “None, but I have six on the way.”

A stunned Marsh tried to clarify. “Are you marrying a woman with six children?” she asked.

“No, I be concubining,” he said. A concubine is a woman who cohabitates with a man to whom she is not married.

These muthas ain't candidates, they are straight up inductees!

Mothers In Charge

Mothers In Charge was founded by Dorothy Johnson-Speight as a community advocacy and support organization for families affected by violence. Dorothy Johnson-Speight's 24 year old son was murdered over a parking space in December 2001.

The mission of Mothers In Charge is violence prevention, education and intervention for youth, young adults, families and community organizations. In addition, Mothers In Charge works with elected officials on legislation to support safe neighborhoods and communities for children and families and collaborates with community and faith based organizations.

Mothers In Charge will advocate for families affected by violence and provide counseling and grief support services for families when a loved one has been murdered. Mothers In Charge is comprised of impassioned mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters who are committed to working towards savings lives. Most of the members have experienced the horror of having a son or daughter or loved one murdered. Because of the death and the life of their loved one, each mother and member is committed to saving lives and preventing another mother from having to experience this terrible tragedy.

Each mother, sister, aunt, or grandmother brings a special gift to this organization and its mission. Their passion and drive comes from within because each one of these brave women has somehow found the strength to attempt to turn a personal tragedy into a medium for change. They realize that positive change cannot happen within communities without addressing the issue of senseless and random violence.

Black Student College Graduation Rates

There is a lot of information available this Journal of Blacks in Higher Education article titled "Black Student College Graduation Rates Inch Higher But a Large Racial Gap Persists".

According to a study by Nellie Mae, the largest nonprofit provider of federal and private education loan funds in this country, 69 percent of African Americans who enrolled in college but did not finish said that they left college because of high student loan debt as opposed to 43 percent of white students who cited the same reason.

There is a lot of information at that link. Now, should this play a part in the affirmative action debate?

Another Data Point Against NCLB

Yet another data point against NCLB:

Pat Ferguson, the chair of the BTU’s school safety committee, told The Examiner earlier this week that at least one teacher is assaulted each day in the city’s public school system. So far this school year, 50 teachers have left anonymous messages on a safety tip line, and a teacher resigned from Waverly Elementary/Middle School two weeks ago following two separate assaults by students.

Some teachers told The Examiner that principals and other high ranking administrators discourage teachers from filing reports so that schools would not be categorized as “persistently dangerous.” All six meeting that criteria under federal law in the state are in Baltimore City. The underreporting is bolstered by the fact that Baltimore City Public Schools reported zero instances of bullying last year, as required by state law. That’s right, zero, in a school system with the only persistently dangerous schools in the state. That makes no sense.

If a school is rated as persistently dangerous for three years in a row, parents may opt to move their children to a different one. That means the school will lose funding — and administrators may lose jobs.

Fudging, just like they did in Texas.

Silly Me

Silly me for thinking media companies would use YouTube to their advantage by making a deal with YouTube to bump their content to the top or give preference to those companies or create high profile channels or something.

Big Media took its first big swing at YouTube Tuesday as Viacom Inc., the owner of MTV, VH1, Comedy Central and other cable networks filed a $1 billion copyright lawsuit against the video-sharing site and corporate owner Google Inc.

The lawsuit marks a sharp escalation of long-simmering tensions between Viacom and YouTube and represents the biggest confrontation to date between a major media company and the hugely popular site, which Google bought in November for $1.76 billion.

Last month Viacom demanded that YouTube remove more than 100,000 unauthorized clips from its site, and since that time the company has uncovered more than 50,000 additional unauthorized clips, Viacom spokesman Jeremy Zweig said.

I guess YouTube couldn't provide enough proof to Viacom that they would go after copyright violators.

Or Viacom really never intended to try to work things out and just wants money to hurt Google. Does Viacom have a deal with another search engine?