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For the past 25 years many have repeatedly asked why did I transition my successful taxpractice into a civil rights practice.(I now attribute the decision "in the genes'' after learning my great grandfather fought during the Civil War, my father fought during the D-Day invasion and a cousin -- who was one of seven top black athletes -- openly supported Muhammad Ali's decision to not join the Army.)

The revolt of the last ninedays explain it sufficiently:

If lawyers and the courts fail to protect and enforce those rights of the people secured to the people by theConstitution, then the people would be forced to take the law into their own hands!

Dr. Martin Luther King made clear that nothing is more American than revolting against laws and practices which are unjust.'' Consider the Boston Tea Party and its destruction of $1.7 million of tea, protesting taxation without representation!''

Though not recognized as founding fathers, America owes its very existence to actions of protesters and looters, sometimes referred to as thugs.''

Americas Constitution grants the people with the right to bear arms and raise a militia just in case the majority or government or police become abusive.(God even cautioned Moses they would incur his wrath if they oppressed the minority among them!)

So why was it necessary for thepeople to take to the streets?

Becausetoo many judges who with their right hand on the Bible took an oathto uphold the Constitution,including the protection against unreasonable searches and seizures afterwards instead chose to BACK THE BADGE.''

The phrase Back the Badge,stripped to its core, means the following:

In exchange for the valuable and needed services which not anyone else provides, the people should show their gratitude by putting up with obvious violations.

This is same rationale made by sexually abusive employers, supervisors, coaches, parents and priests, thinking they have earned the right to be abusive.

Lest one say these are the words of a disgruntled disbarred lawyer, read the May 30, 2020 editorial in the New York Times.

Entitled, How the Supreme Court lets cops get away with murder,''it effectively labels the judicial branch a co-conspirator with law enforcement, observing that the courts protected police abuses for years before George Floyds death! It further acknowledges:

...But it is the Supreme Court that has enabled a culture of violence and abuse ...The badge has become a get-out-of-jail-free card in far too many instances.

After trying over 85% of police wrongful death cases in local federal courts from 1997 to2007, I did not need the New York Times to inform me that courts have reneged on their oath to protect the people.

After I had won several verdicts against police officers, the Louisiana Supreme Court filed ethical charges against me because I reportedly asked the mother of Emanuel Frazier, to meet with me about police officers killing our unarmed black men without cause.Emmanuel was an unarmed black man shot multiple times in the back by a white Bossier police officer.

I learned firsthand the extent to which courts were willing to go to assure police a get- out-of-jail-free card.

Though some considered me naive in believing local judges would side with clients over the police, as an officer ofthe court I always thought at least they would side with the Constitution.

For perhaps different reasons, some local judges have reduced themselves to being co-conspirators to the bastardly deeds of local police. It is well known that at least two are members of local Confederacy groups and openly display books about the Confederacy in their taxpayer-funded offices! One is even a graduate of the military school founded by officers of the Confederacy, who boasts among its alumni one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan.

(The public was never told why the suit filed by the Daughters of the Confederacy seeking to block removal of local confederate monument was transferred to Monroe, making it difficult for local citizens to participate.)

This linkage between the ideals of the Confederacy and the death of unarmed black men by rogue white police officers is evidenced by the voluntary removal of Confederate Monuments occurring since Floyds death, monuments once considered untouchable.''

Indeed, Floyds death removed all doubt that America has C.O.P.D.: Criminals On Police Departments!

Unlike the courts, professional law enforcement officers, and there are many, do not hesitate to distance themselves from such criminal misconduct.''

In a case in Alexandria wherein at least five white officers were shot -- two fatal while executing a no-knock search warrant,granted solely on the word of a known crackhead, the commanding officer testified that he personally did not believe he had probable cause to raid the decedents house.

Another officer also participating in the raid testified that, if police raided his house without announcing they were police, he would grab his gun and shoot them, too.(His logic was obvious: police shouldnt act like criminals.) Perhaps that is why a former Alexandria police chief, also father to one of the fallen officers, hugged the mother of the deceased black assailant at a prayer vigil, stating Your son didnt kill my son.I blame his chief.''

All are white.

Once a white Shreveport detective stalked me down, and told me the following: Attorney Jones, I know you think all police are against you. But you are wrong. We applaud what you doing. You are getting fired the very officers we are complaining about.But they dont get fired until you sue them.''

Ccile Coudriou, who is the president of the French branch of Amnesty International, explained the revolt in Paris as follows:

"The outrage, the anger and sometimes violence...is then fueled by systematic rejection of any allegation...(by French authorities) ...

She noted the more authorities refuse to talk about police violence, "the worse it gets," because people lose confidence in the people meant to protect them!

Thus, our world is witnessing the actions of We the people, exercising the very fail safe mechanism envisioned by the founding fathers when they lose confidence.

And all the proponents of Back the Badge should come forward and take a bow...or ...a knee.or just step down!

America cant breathe!

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Hersy Jones: Back the badge vs. back the Constitution - Shreveport Times

I want to turn away. Stop watching.

I cannot. I see stealing, nose-to-nose screaming, billy clubs and shields, fires, anger, damage and the anguish.

At first I watched eyes wide saying, Who are these people? Why are they burning and stealing?

I dont want to see this because now I hear myself wondering, Who am I?

Here I am again. An observer.

I did the same in the 60s during Vietnam protests and racial strife. As a reporter its easier to watch and take notes. Thats the job.

Our paper took a stand against the war. But I never marched in the streets.

Of course, I judge. Did then and do now. Thats easy. But I struggle with understanding.

Who am I?

I am really wondering, What would I do if I was there? In their shoes? Their world?

Theres no denying the chemistry of fear and anger.

Mix them under pressure and the results are predictable. History tells me so.

Take a moment, as I did, and look at history. Look at that event this country loves to elevate and teach our youth.

The Boston Tea Party.

We are so proud of this rebellion. We puff up and proclaim, This is who we are. Dont tread on me.

I called up a good summary online. To find more than what we remember from history lessons.

Let me share some quick footnotes. (Thank you history.com.)

Disguised as Native Americans, a large group of men boarded three ships loaded with tea from China. The ships belonged to the British East India Co. The ships were built in America and owned by Americans.

To protest a British tax on tea, they threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor, which took nearly three hours. That was about 45 tons of tea, worth nearly $1 million today.

Most participants were under the age of 40 and 16 were teens. They hid their identities fearing civil or criminal charges and condemnation from elites for destroying private property.

Those elites included George Washington, who privately said Bostonians were mad. And Benjamin Franklin who wanted the East India Co. reimbursed and offered to pay himself.

To douse such rebellion King George III and British Parliament passed the Coercive or Intolerable Acts that in part created martial law in Massachusetts and ended free elections of town officials.

In turn colonies bonded against the British. In fact about three months later a second tea party put more tea into the harbor. This sparked similar acts in three other states.

This led to colonies uniting for a Continental Congress. There was a growing drum beat for independence and resistance. The Revolutionary War soon followed.

Clearly, our history celebrates protest. Violent protest. For the right cause, of course.

I guess that cause would be freedom, right?

What were those words we sent to the country that had its knee on our throats?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But theres more

That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government to effect their safety and happiness.

Lets not be shocked by what we are seeing.

Like I said, theres no denying the chemistry of fear and anger.

Mix them under pressure and the results are predictable.

History tells me so.

LONNY CAIN, of Ottawa, is the retired managing editor of The Times. Email to lonnyjcain@gmail.com or mail The Times, 110 W. Jefferson St., Ottawa, IL 61350.

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PAPERWORK: I was shocked by what I saw, but then - MyWebTimes.com

TERRE HAUTE More than 150 people gathered in socially distanced groups on blankets and lawn chairs near the arch in Terre Hautes Fairbanks Park for a Community Talkback session on Thursday night in light of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the protests that have swept the country since.

Rev. Terry Clark added historical context for the current events going on in the country during Thursdays Community Talk Back at Fairbanks Park.

Dominique Morefield, one of the organizers, said the goal is real tangible change to build on the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement that is happening across the country right now. We want to effect real policy (change) in our community because policies that help the black community help the whole community.

A few minutes before the event got started around 7 p.m., Morefield and fellow organizer Isaac Wonderlin said they were very happy with the turnout, as they with the help of Emma Crossen, Tess Brooks Stephens and others got word out mainly through word of mouth and social media.

Featured speaker the Rev. Terry Clark, a Baptist minister and instructor in African American Studies at Indiana State University, kicked off the event.

Protests and that awful R word (riot) may frighten some, but Clark sought to put those terms in the context of American history, noting the country was born from protest and even at least one very famous riot the Boston Tea Party.

They looted those ships and threw chests of tea into the harbor, Clark said.

Clark also dispelled the narrative that riots are or were a black-on-white phenomena, discussing well-documented white-on-black rioting and lynchings over false rape allegations and even over disputes between white and black grocers.

The pastor and teacher was not encouraging violence and noted the lessons from the 1960 Woolworths lunch counter sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina, in which four young African American men held their ground without striking back despite being verbally and physically assaulted.

They took their seats knowing what was to come and prepared to not meet violence with violence. Though they were cursed, insulted and attacked, they could not be moved, Clark said.

Dissent and protest often does precede change, Clark said, and the country again finds itself at a pivotal moment because the 8 minutes and 46 seconds that Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd have changed America.

People are taking to the streets, Clark said, because black lives matter, and one cannot say all lives matter without acknowledging that black lives matter.

Making jokes about his own age, Clark aimed much of his talk at young people in the audience, because you deserve to be heard. And, he said, There are people, believe it or not, who are beginning to listen.

But the struggle is not new and the effort will be neither brief nor easy, Clark said. He referred to the late 1960s, when the Kerner Commission a presidential panel on civil disorders reported that riots were stemming from black Americans frustration with a lack of economic opportunity.

That commission famously warned Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white separate and unequal.

The Black Lives Matter movement again brought to the forefront of the nations attention must continue, Clark said, because being heard isnt enough.

Whether it takes demonstrations, boycotts, protests, sit-ins or sitdowns, African Americans and their allies must continue to push until they are not only listened to from the outside, but invited inside to begin reform and to change law, Clark said.

After Clark, some of the protesters arrested near the Vigo County Courthouse on Third Street in Terre Haute early Monday, had a chance to talk to the crowd, and others would be invited to share with the audience experiences they have had with police, prosecutors and judges.

Media, however, was asked to leave or to not record the speakers whod been arrested.

Before he turned over the microphone, the Rev. Clark did tell the crowd the movements goals should not include ending policing, only bad policing.

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Being heard isn't enough: Speaker reminds Terre Haute audience reform is the goal - The Herald Bulletin

Jean Paul Marat, one of the key leaders of the French Revolution, once mocked the notion that liberty could be established by his fellow revolutionaries since, apart from a few tragic scenes, the revolution has been nothing but a web of farcical scenes.

Welcome to the modern French Revolution. The tragic killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis resulted in an important focus on race relations and justice in this country. However, it is being lost to an emerging radicalism that challenges people to prove their faith by endorsing farce. Across the country, political leaders and commentators are outdoing each other to demonstrate fealty to this new order, attacking core institutions and values. A growing radical element is fighting to out-shout each other as leaders of a careening movement, with politicians joining calls to defund the police and commentators calling for censorship. Moderate voices seem to be fading with the escalating demands that leaders denounce the values that define them.

Take those calls to defund the police. Once the mantra of only the most extreme elements in society, it has been picked up by elected leaders. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) has said that defunding all police should not be brushed aside. Brian Fallon, former public affairs director at the Justice Department and Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign press secretary, has declared support for the movement.

Said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who represents part of Minneapolis: The Minneapolis Police Department has proven themselves beyond reform. Its time to disband them and reimagine public safety in Minneapolis. Thank you to @MplsWard3 for your leadership on this!

Other politicians have joined pledges to go after police budgets or entire departments, even as their officers continue to maintain order and stop looting. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared that, despite the huge cost of the riots, he will refuse to expand the police budget. Instead, he said his administration has identified $250 million in cuts and pledged to give as much as $150 million from the police budget to the black community as well as communities of color, and women and people who have been left behind.

In Minneapolis, city council member Jeremiah Ellison assured the public that We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. And when were done, were not simply gonna glue it back together. Others, including Council President Lisa Bender, agreed. During the protests and rioting there, Ellison publicly proclaimed support for antifa, a violent and vehemently anti-free speech movement. In 2018, his father, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, supported the antifa movement as deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, tweeting that it would strike fear in the heart of @realDonaldTrump.

Many politicians seem eager not to be left alone in the ideological center amid this rapid shift to the far left. Democratic socialist and New York state senator Julia Salazar expressed her delight: To see legislators who arent even necessarily on the left supporting [defunding or decreasing the police budget] ... feels a little bit surreal.

That surreal feeling is likely even more pronounced among looting victims whose stores are left unprotected while politicians and experts excuse such crimes entirely. Socialist Seattle council member Tammy Morales dismissed concerns about looting, insisting that what I dont want to hear is for our constituents to be told to be civil, not to be reactionary, to be told looting doesnt solve anything. New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah Jones said that Destroying property, which can be replaced, is not violence while, on CNN, Clifford Stott, a professor of social psychology at Keele University in England, said looting is expression.

Northwestern University journalism professor Steven Thrasher declared: The destruction of a police precinct is not only a tactically reasonable response to the crisis of policing, it is a quintessentially American response ... Property destruction for social change is as American as the Boston Tea Party. Of course, the patriots in Boston did not keep the tea for themselves, unlike the looters running out of Target stores with flat-screen TVs.

As politicians rallied around defunding police or defending looting, the media had its own storming of the Bastille this week. Some journalists at the New York Times denounced the newspaper for publishing an opinion column by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on the use of troops to quell riots. Despite the outcry and calls for editors to resign, Times editorial page editor James Bennet and publisher A.G. Sulzberger gave full-throated defenses to using the opinion section to hear all sides of such national controversies.

That was a highpoint in journalistic ethics. It did not last. Hours later, Times editors confessed they had sinned in allowing a ranking U.S. senator to express a conservative viewpoint on the newspapers pages; they promised an investigation and a reduction in the number of opinions. The only thing we were spared was the appearance of Bennet and Sulzberger being rolled down the street in a French oxcart for public judgment in Place de la Concorde.

Even art and creative work apparently must be censored or erased in this new orthodoxy. In Dallas, the well-known statue of a Texas Ranger has been removed because an article in D Magazine referred to racist history connected to the rangers. USA Today reported on the possibility that TV cop shows, from Dragnet to NYPD Blue to Law & Order, must be taken off the air now, so as not to glorify police work.

History suggests, however, that such demonstrations may not be enough. As proven by the French Revolution, todays revolutionaries are tomorrows reactionaries or victims. Pierre Robespierre led that revolutions Reign of Terror until he was guillotined as one of its last victims, and Marats farcical scenes ended with his own stabbing in a bathtub in retaliation for his bloody excesses. It is a cycle repeated in revolutions throughout history: When the music stops, fewer and fewer chairs can be found by those who readily embraced extreme measures.

That is why many of our leaders should consider the words of Abbe Sieyes, a Catholic clergyman and author of the French Revolutions manifesto, What Is The Third Estate? When asked what he had done during the revolution, he simply responded, I survived.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. You can find his updates online @JonathanTurley.

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Can this American version of the French Revolution bring change? | TheHill - The Hill

Support Ayrshire Hospice by hosting your own virtual Tea at 3 party for friends, family or work colleagues.

Why not hold a Royal Ascot party, Queens birthday parade party, mad hatters tea party, garden party or even a G&T or Prosecco party - whatever takes your fancy.

There are lots of different online platforms that you can use to hold your party like Zoom, Microsoft teams and WhatsApp to name but a few.

Everyone who holds a tea party and raises money for the hospice, will be entered into a prize draw to win either a prosecco afternoon tea for 2 or a deluxe afternoon Tea for 2 delivered to your door.

Funds raised through this appeal will go directly towards helping the hospice to continue to provide specialist care and support to people affected by life limiting illnesses within our community.

Go to http://www.ayrshirehospice.org/appeal/tea-at-3-20 for more details.

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Support Ayrshire Hospice with a virtual tea party - Largs and Millport Weekly News