Category: Uncategorized

A Texas Civil Rights Review Editorial

Terms like ignorance, indignation, hatred, divisiveness, and racism surely apply to the typhoon that swirls around the sound bites of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. You can tell by how nobody pays any attention to Rev. Wright’s insistence that he be judged by theological standards.

For his own part, the right Reverend couldn’t have been more clear about it. When he was invited onto Fox News March 1, he begged for a conversation that would be literate in the works of black liberation theology. But this is the conversation that was denied to him. Instead, the Fox News interrogator smirked about Wright’s “black church” and asked a hateful question about why there can be no “white churches”.

Perhaps Fox News should break the ice and name itself White News, if that would satisfy their juvenile sense of fair and balanced branding.

Rev. Wright is a preacher, a pastor, and a theologian of accomplishment and distinction who has now been relegated to a whipping boy of ugly white backlash. It is quite hateful and divisive what has been done to the man, and a bolder crop of presidential candidates might be calling on so many grown men to apologize for their disrespectful treatment of the Reverend.

Returning to the juvenile question of why there is such a thing as Black Entertainment Television, but not White Entertainment Television as such, or a proud black church but not a proud white church as such, one only has to know the basic facts of American history. Pretending that one does not know these basic facts while at the same time drawing a salary as a professional journalist is stark evidence of racist malice aforethought.

In ten days, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is scheduled to be honored in Texas; therefore, Texas has the opportunity to honor him properly as a distinguished theologian and pastor.

Here’s all the Governor has to say as he hands Rev. Wright the first James Farmer, Sr. award for unflinching courage to speak truth to power:

Rev. Jeremiah Wright, I am not a theologian, I am a Governor. You and I have chosen lines of work which have long traditions of close relations. There has hardly been a time when your profession and mine have not rubbed close together. Thank goodness the ancient Hebrew people had the strength of character to treasure the words of their prophets, even when the words must have been scathing to hear. We are here to say that today, we commit to the courage it takes to hear a prophet, and to the justice required to honor the prophet’s voice as an indispensable public good. This is a free state in a free country, and we have the audacity to hope that you to will enjoy your stay.

Note: we have found one item on the internet that pays Rev. Wright the respect that he requested from Fox News: to be treated as a man of the cloth. Please see “Race and Religion in Context” by Daniel Pulliam at getreligion.org.

See also Mary Mitchell, ” Wright caught in undeserved political glare: Whites don’t get it, blacks do — and it’s time to move on” (March 20, 2008) Chicago Sun-Times.

Oops! Posse gets wrong man. See Fox News’ effort to curb ‘excesses’ of the great media riot of ’08.

The following correspondence from Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez raises important issues about the contradictions of federal immigration power in border-state communities. The occasion for the letter is a recent “process” decision by Sheriff Greg Hamilton to give working space to federal immigration officials at county offices.–gm

To all:

I am sending out this email to provide additional information regarding, what I consider to be, a process shift at the county jail that is having a dramatic affect on our community. This change has resulted in an increase of immigration detainments/deportations. Prior to the change there were only a handful of cases per month resulting in detainments (4 to 5). That number has now risen to approximately 111 for December and over 110 for the first 2 weeks of February alone.

Let me be very clear: my public comments and position relating to the process shift have absolutely nothing to do with telling Sheriff Hamilton how to do his job. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Sheriff Hamilton and men and women of the Travis County Sheriff’s department, and was proud to support Greg in being elected as our Sheriff. I believe we absolutely should enforce our laws and maintain public safety. Folks who are convicted via the judicial system should be held accountable for their actions.

My position and comments relate to our tax dollars (city and county) providing and enabling a federal agency unfettered and internal access to a facility and to equipment that was and is being paid for by local taxpayers. These funds are derived from property taxes, fines, fees and sales taxes (ALL OF WHICH ARE PAID BY EVERYONE – including undocumented residents).

ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) has the absolute right and duty to enforce all immigration laws. I also believe our local law enforcement should have a working relationship with all law enforcement agencies within our area, including ICE. Again, this is not the issue at hand and those that believe otherwise are simply avoiding true, open and honest public dialogue leading to positive outcomes for our entire community.

The city of Austin is the largest external resource provider of funding to the county jail system through an interlocal agreement signed and ratified by the Travis County Commissioners Court and the Austin City Council. The city of Austin provides about $4.6 Million per year to the county for the services and facilities we utilize. At a minimum, it is my belief we should do everything within our policy making abilities to ensure that resources expended via our interlocal agreement be prioritized to reflect our values, stated policies and adopted council resolutions (For example, Resolution 970130-33 Establishing Austin as an Immigrant Safety Zone).

As an example, I would submit that psychological/mental health screening and even general health screening would be a much higher priority for our [tax payer funded] facilities and equipment if they are available. These two intake procedures alone would also have a dramatic and positive affect on our community.

Lastly, I believe, immigration reform (or lack there of) is what is truly causing this issue to become divisive, disrespectful (by some) and devastating to our community. By simply increasing the amount of undocumented residents being deported and doing nothing to affect true immigration reform with a legal and achievable path to citizenship, we will never resolve this issue. The detainees simply get to their country of origin and do whatever is necessary to return to the United Sates to their families, jobs and lives. But they come back with a greater distrust of government, the judicial system and especially law enforcement. And the situation only gets worse.

Please join me in discussing this very difficult issue and in making policy decisions that improve our city and make Austin the best city in the world for ALL to enjoy.

Thanks for your time,
Mike Martinez

We are crying for joy over this email from John Wheat Gibson, and, dear reader, we thank you so much for your witness to the spirit of civil rights in Texas–gm

Feb. 29, 2008, 6:33 p.m. CST

To whom it may concern:

I spoke to Rrustem Neza on the telephone a little while ago. He is at home with his family.

John Wheat Gibson, P.C.

Dallas, Texas

(March 20, 2008) The attorney for Albanian refugee Rrustem Neza reports that US immigration authorities have resumed questioning his client directly, in violation of procedures that require them to notify legal counsel.

On the same day that attorney John Wheat Gibson expressed his concern in writing, he received an order from the federal district court of Abilene closing the case that sought to dope and deport Mr. Neza.

“I would appreciate it if you would explain to your client that it is unethical to communicate directly with an adverse party who is represented by counsel without obtaining the consent of counsel,” wrote Gibson to Assistant US Attorney E. Scott Frost of Lubbock. “In this case, your client did not even notify me of his intent to communicate directly with my client.”

Gibson explained that immigration authorities have asked Mr. Neza, to fill out a questionnaire with information that they already have.

After sending the letter, Gibson received a copy of the federal court order, dated March 20, closing the case that had attempted to get court permission to dope Mr. Neza for the purpose of deporting him in a submissive posture. Efforts to place Mr. Neza on a commercial airplane in 2007 were turned back because of his loud protests.

Mr. Neza has been seeking asylum since two of his cousins were killed in the aftermath of the assassination of Albanian Democrat Azem Hajdari. Mr. Neza fears that the same faction that killed his cousins and Hajdari will kill him, too.

Mr. Neza’s efforts to remain in the USA took a turn for the better when he was recently released from a year’s imprisonment at Haskell following a US House of Representatives Subcommittee Hearing that ordered a report on his case.

“It is clear that your client’s attempt to communicate [with] my client is nothing but a charade, so that the Bureau of Customs and Immigration Enforcement can tell the Congress that it conducted an ‘investigation,’ when, in reality, it has no intention of investigating anything, but only intends to rubber stamp the refusal of other bureaucrats to allow Mr. Neza to present his case for asylum to an immigration judge,” wrote Gibson in his letter to the US Attorney’s office of Lubbock.

The House Subcommittee on Immigration ordered the report in connection with a special bill filed in Mr. Neza’s behalf by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Nacogdoches).

For more information on Mr. Neza’s case and Rep. Gohmert’s efforts to help him, please see the Texas Civil Rights Review index of documents, “Saving Rrustem Neza.”–gm

If this Court grants the Plaintiff’s request for authorization to drug Rrustem Neza so Plaintiff can deport him without his protest, then the deportation will deprive the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and the BIA of jurisdiction of the actions now pending before them to prevent the deportation of the Defendant. As the Appendix demonstrates undeniably, “If Rrustem Neza is returned to Albania, he very likely will be killed on account of his political activities related to the Hajdari assassination.” Affidavit of James Pettifer, Exhibit 6 to the Appendix to Amended Motion to Reopen on Account of Changed Circumstances, which is Appendix 1 to the Appendix to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss, Motion for More Definite Statement, and Reply to Motion for Preliminary Injunction.

Excerpt from Rrustem Neza’s Oct. 22, 2007 reply to continuing legal efforts to dope and deport him to Albania.

See also: Oct. 1, 2007 motion by USA immigration authorities to dope and deport Rrustem Neza to Albania.