Albert Woodfox of the Angola 3 Now Free
Albert Woodfox, a member of the Angola 3, has just been freed from prison. You may not be familiar with this case from Louisiana but three African-American men who organized the Black Panthers in prison were convicted of the 1972 murder of a prison guard with very suspect evidence. They were kept in solitary confinement for 33 years. 33 YEARS!
Here is an NPR story from earlier this year about the case and today's piece from the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Much has emerged over the years that called into question the evidence used in this trial. Unfortunately it has taken a very long time for Mr. Woodfox to receive justice. I have long fought for the truth to come out about this man's struggle and I am pleased to know he is finally free.
Off topic first, In honor of the day.
I am house, cat and cattle sitting while the Bossharts do Palm Springs. So I have net.
Tuesday, I was watiching a line of Brown Pelicans, southbound outside the breakers, thru a Bushnell on a tripod when they overflew a bright yellow object. There are not many bright yellow objects on the ocean that are not man made. There are not many bright yellow objects on the ocean that ARE man made. And most of those are meant to grab your eye. Knowing this, it was more than curiosity that made me stay and look at this.
I centered the Bushnell Spacemaster and screwed it up to 45x and patiently peered thru the slight haze. It seemed to me, after a couple minutes, this was a bundle of perhaps ten crab pot floats, all the same color. A bundle is a stowage, not deployment arraingement, indicating it got away. And it had company. A box like thing. A barrel like thing. A slablike thing. A sheetlike thing. A couple sealions. Some less identifiable stuff, and two bits of flotsam overlaid by an oar in what seemed a very temporary arraingement. All in just a couple acres of water.
In another time or place I would have simply hoped nothing bad had happened and gone blindly on with what came next, come what may. But this is a first class country and consequently everyman has certian capabilities. I was wondering, laid plain, what had happened to the guy who left these toys here. It ocurred to me that I could, pretty easily, find out if something had. And it occured it might be tough to live with me if I didn't.
Phonebook. Blue pages. Coast Guard. Air operations command center. Seven bips on a phone. One ring. A short conversation. Within an hour the area had been looked over very carefully. It was a good job well done quickly all based on the supposition there might be someone clinging to one of those bits of sporting goods.
It turns out, there wasn't. And you could call that a negative result. But I've been sleeping pretty good. And it occures that if you look up the word hero it refers to helping poeple in trouble despite the risk implicit.
I was impressed, and am thankful to live with the folks that live in this country.
FF
PS : Hi y'all, still kickin !
On topic, Angola, Guantanamo, and original sin.
Slavery was outlawed in England in 1811.
It was overthrown in the United States in 1865.
Yet it persists at Angola.
143 years later.
Because, the proponants say, there is a comma out of place in the constitution.
Everyone knows that is bullshit. If it be true or not it is not a reason to permit Angola. Nothing is excused by this. Nothing is swept under the rug. It is endured. By men. Real men. Away from your sight, but not neccessarily forever. You could be sent there.
Terrorism is rule by fear. Angola exists to inspire fear in free men. And it does. And it violates at least the eighth and fourteenth. This means Angola is beyond the powers delegated to the lawful government. Therefor ... the law as written should suffice to permit the executive to do the right thing. The will to do it has always been lacking. Perhaps because of some ... uhhh ... THING, that has now, suddenly, changed.
That is what we voted for.
It occures that Xerxes became aware he had certianly lost when he lost the army in Greece and the navy ASHORE in Asia Minor on the same day, the aniversary of Thermopoly. I suggest it might be a very useful thing to strive to close Guantanamo and Angola at the same press conference.
I would like to say also the "Freemen" of Angola would be very poor choices to be C.O.s or Cops. And you KNOW they are going to WANT to be. Something about that ought to be done, too.
Danziger Bridge.
FF