Malcolm X

The black activist was murdered in 1965 in Manhattan. Three men-Thomas Hagan, Norman 3X Butler, Thomas 15X Johnson-were all convicted of first degree murder in 1966. It seems Hagan was the shooter while the other two claimed they were innocent. Butler and Johnson were released from prison 20 years ago. Hagan was just granted parole. He had been "locked up two days a week for 22 years. The other five days, he's been allowed to work and live with his family".

(Source: "Malcolm X killer granted parole after years of prison weekends" by Mary Esch of The AP. In The Virginian Pilot on 3/20/10)

Charles Moore

Charles Moore photographed the civil rights movement of the 1960's in the US. He died recently. He worked first for the Montgomery Advertiser and later for Life Magazine. He was a native Alabamian who "recogonized the significance of the civil rights movement". He was the only photographer when Martin Luther King was arrested in Montgomery in 1958; his photo showed two white police officers "hustling away King, whose right arm was wrenched behind his back". His photos covered the riots at U of Mississippi when James Meredith tried to register and in 1963 he got pictures of black children and teens marching in Birmingham. "They were met by police with snarling dogs and firefighters who pounded them with streams of water". In 1965 in Selma his pictures showed state troopers in gas masks "tear-gassing voting rights marchers" during what was known as "Bloody Sunday".

(Source: "News photographer documented civil rights movement" by Jay Reeves of The AP. In The Virginian Pilot on 3/16/10).

Student Search

In February the NJ state supreme court ruled that school officials have the right to "search student car's on school property". The officials must "suspect them of illegal activity". This ruling "expanded the standard of 'reasonable suspicion' to student's vehicles. The case comes from Egg Harbor Township and involved an 18 year old found with "a bottle of pills and marijuana in (his) car". The student got a three year sentence. NJ school officials can already "look through student backpacks, purses and lockers" but till now had said nothing about student cars.

(Source: "Court lets NJ schools search student's cars" by Mary Fuchs of The Record on 2/4/10).

Update: The chain of events went as follows. Student gives principal a green pill he says another sold him. Suspect student (TB) called to office of principal and asked about the pill. TB denies any wrongdoing. P searches him and finds 3 white pills but no green ones. P searches TB locker; nothing found. P searches TB car that is parked on school property. P finds a "liquid-filled syringe" a bottle of pills belonging to a woman, a bag of marjuana and a bag of "powderly substance and a vial". Police are called and TB is arrested. P had "reasonable cause", did not need "probable cause".

(source: "press of Atlantic City.com" article from 2/4/100.

US Financial Crisis

The following is the opinion of The Washington Spectator-a liberal source I would guess. They report "...most economists agree that the current crisis would not have occurred but for the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act". This law "...dismantled the restrictions imposed on banks by the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 (for those teaching the New Deal you might want to note this. I never really understood what it was all about so I only mentioned it briefly). This law was pushed by republican senator Phil Gramm of Florida and signed into law by democrat Bill Clinton (looks like both parties are to blame). The Gramm law "...eliminated the structural restraints that had prohibited commercial banks from the speculation that last year brought the country perilously close to a major depression".

(Source: "Talking Financial Reform to Death" by Lou Dubose of The Washington Spectator March 1, 2010).

History Requirement

Recently in Charleston, SC I inquired at the College of Charleston book store about the books used to teach US History to undergrads. I was told that the college did not require a traditional survey course in American History. There were US history courses taught, but they dealt with different eras or aspects of US history. On a web site for the college were listed the requirements for history for the general population, and it seems those majoring in US history. The requirements were 6 credits in any of the following courses. Hist 101 Rise of European Civilization, Hist 103 World History to 1500, JWST 210 Jewish Hist I, Hons 120 Honors Western Civ. Second year courses were; Hist 102 Modern Europe, Hist 104 World Hist since 1500, JWST Jewish Hist II, Hons 130 Honors Western Civ. These were all 3 credit courses. (This might to one way to avoid mentioning the fact that the north won the Civil War. Pardon my opinion).

McDonald v. Chicago

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on another gun rights case. This one will follow on the Dictrict of Columbia v. Heller case of two years ago where the Court ruled that the individual has a right to have a gun in his home. That case applied only to Federal law and DC being a federal city, the Heller case did not apply to other US cities. This case will expand the Heller ruling to all other cities and towns in the US. The source I am using is saying that the court will more than likely rule against the city. Chicago and its suburb of Oak Park are the only local governments with a "total ban on handguns". Many other cities have regulations on guns but not total bans. The Chicago law has been in place for 28 years. A decision is expected by late June. (As I understand it the Heller ruling did not say regulation of guns were unconstitutional, only a flat out ban on them was. The McDonald case will be a similiar ruling).

(Source: "High court poised to say all of America has right to firearms" from wire reports. The Virginian Pilot on 3/3/10).

Hiroshima Book

In my last post-2/21/10-I reported on the controversy over a book by Charles Pellegrino, and now it appears that the publisher of that book has withdrawn the book from publication. The movie director of "Avatar"-James Cameron-is still defending the author and book. Two sources the author used are now in doubt. One has "falsely claimed" to be on a plane the day of the bombing and another can not be located. The author also claimes to have a doctorate from a university in New Zealand but they have no record of his attendance there.

(Source: "Publisher halts book about bombing" by Hillel Italie of the AP. In The Virginian Pilot on 3/3/10).