tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61982165639928519372024-03-14T04:22:07.483-07:00Passing and other wonders of natureAlina Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00933869473559319905noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6198216563992851937.post-37583935277522937622008-12-15T21:25:00.000-08:002009-12-15T15:20:43.205-08:00<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:13;" >"mixed race people threaten the core of a racist society" -Lani Kaahumanu</span><br /></p> <!--EndFragment-->Alina Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00933869473559319905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6198216563992851937.post-82720200634720511622008-11-12T09:24:00.001-08:002008-11-12T09:29:34.809-08:00Prop 9<div style="text-align: left;"><pre><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.prisonjustice.ca/images/lineout.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 201px;" src="http://www.prisonjustice.ca/images/lineout.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />For more than tw</span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" >o decades, California voters have approved by overwhelming margins<br />pretty much any tough-on-crime initiative put before them. Operating on the mistaken<br />premise that a generation of leniency had made the state a playground for killers,<br />and reacting to the anger of heartbroken families of the latest high-profile crime<br />victims, voters have opted for any ballot measure that would lock up more wrongdoers<br />and throw away the key.One of the results has been penal institutions that are so<br />overcrowded and treat inmates so poorly that they have been found to violate the<br />constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.<br /><br />So it is noteworthy and encouraging that voters in Tuesday's election said no to the<br />latest overreaching criminal justice initiative. Proposition 6, seductively titled<br />the Safe Neighborhoods Act, would have added new spending mandates, locking up yet<br />another chunk of the state budget for programs that appeal to the punitive portion<br />of Californians' nature but do nothing to make people safer.Is this the end? Does<br />the defeat of Proposition 6 demonstrate that voters finally have come of age and<br />will no longer fall for any ballot measure that preys on fear and outrage?Sadly, no.<br />On the same day they rejected Proposition 6, voters embraced Proposition 9, the<br />so-called Victims' Bill of Rights Act of 2008, also known as Marsy's Law. It had all<br />the old ingredients: an emotionally powerful story, a billionaire funder, assertions<br />that the criminal justice system is outrageously tilted toward the defense. It seems<br />not to have made a difference that the rich backer is under criminal indictment.<br />Voters seem to have forgotten that they previously approved a victims' bill of<br />rights, and that the Legislature periodically passes laws under the same heading.<br />The title may make us feel safer -- but the problems lie in the substance.<br />By revoking the chance at a parole hearing for as much as 15 years, Proposition 9<br />invites constitutional challenge. By layering new requirements on prosecutors to<br />notify the families of crime victims at every stage of proceedings, it may create<br />huge new public liability. It replaces a system run by impartial prosecutors, judges<br />and juries with a system that places those with a desire for vengeance in the<br />position of dispensing justice.Resources better spent on prosecuting criminals will<br />instead be devoted to challenging and defending these newly created rights, many of<br />which prosecutors and defense lawyers predict will be found unconstitutional or at<br />least unenforceable in any meaningful way. In an internal report, the Los Angeles<br />district attorney's office predicts "significant litigation on virtually every<br />aspect of this initiative being filed."When will we ever learn?</span><br /></pre></div>Alina Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00933869473559319905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6198216563992851937.post-20300650337098003912008-11-09T20:37:00.000-08:002008-11-09T20:44:01.313-08:00Dinner#1By the way, i love to cook, it makes me happy...kinda like having a Black president<div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFYpnCvAa9BIXJiDgSVwKeBrvl9Ki9o3LSVsUUUEPJJcElsxAGFksDoPz6e0BLZ7Tbt0ZBcezp4hlwXBrEXsk7Q9is7KZalYmFQuCG42LyvKzpEYdbEUDzZ8GPuhlG1qqYoPUQWF7UzGu/s1600-h/shrimpsaffron.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFYpnCvAa9BIXJiDgSVwKeBrvl9Ki9o3LSVsUUUEPJJcElsxAGFksDoPz6e0BLZ7Tbt0ZBcezp4hlwXBrEXsk7Q9is7KZalYmFQuCG42LyvKzpEYdbEUDzZ8GPuhlG1qqYoPUQWF7UzGu/s320/shrimpsaffron.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266884004059619842" /></a><br />what i cooked for dinner .yummy saffron rice and Caribbean inspired shrimp...and salad of course...<div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>oh yes and banana blueberry strawberry nut muffins...</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_deiw-JT4o9sJfItHy9oXkQCgVDlTlbT25MrSCSCYE_zi9ycMlzrOsnkGEb6g_4ICDfLNGHmTxaCkge7Hz_hBZ30WpeVeDz2PDhxW5nEJXJXtrSiCFEnC8qGm-ioHD53oIEO_16lax1en/s320/muffinsyum.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266884501059379282" /></div>Alina Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00933869473559319905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6198216563992851937.post-89522244934594253192008-10-29T12:22:00.000-07:002008-11-09T20:37:15.468-08:00beginningSo i'm giving a go at this blogging thing, mainly because it's the only way I can think of to get writing again, which is way past due. Here it go.<br /><div><br /></div><div>bits and pieces of my thesis have been read by people here and there, so i figure sharing some of what is in there wouldn't hurt too bad. </div><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Mornings in limbo</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">miles traveled through snow</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">latitude lines</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">hotel parking lots with fake mills</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">pumping stale water into ponds</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">filled with pennies people left behind</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">hoping to make wishes come true</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I imagine this</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">to be different</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">your migration was swift</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">hoping not to be seen</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">you moved through the night</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">baby in belly</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">you held everything close</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">tried to stay warm</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">strong</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">alive</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">by the time you reached where you were going</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">things</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">laws</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">had changed</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">and no one came looking for you</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">only while sleeping did you hear</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">the distant barking of dogs</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">your own feat</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">hitting hard on soft ground</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">a deafening heartbeat</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I have these dreams too sometimes</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">the genetic imprint you left</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">passed to me</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">still find myself</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">running</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">searching for someplace</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">safer than this</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">home maybe</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">And why do I remember at times like this</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">always while traveling</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">always by water</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">always in the morning</span></span><span style="font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Alina Brownehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00933869473559319905noreply@blogger.com0