OneWorld Progressive Institute, Inc. Blog » Public Good

OneWorld Progressive Institute, Inc Seeks to Enrich the Broader Community.

N'Zinga Shäni — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:29:04 +0000

Visit our OneWorld’s website @ www.oneworldpi.org
Learn about our flagship TV program “21st Century Conversations” on your PEG Access stations in CT. We are on AT&T U-Verse, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox & MetroCast. If you cannot find us, ask your public access station to get & air “21st CC.

We focus on Health Literacy, Education-at-every-level and on Civic Engagement. We are about enriching our communities on every level. We profile organizations; we engage students positively, and we provide constructive information. Join us in these efforts. Find “21st Century Conversations” on your PEG access station in CT. Watch as retired school principal, Marc Palmieri, discuss team-building with parents and teachers from various school districts. When you visit our site visit each section; browse our very informative and educational video programs. Watch clips from student participants. Join us as we seek to engage residents in positive ways; learn about their issues of concern and the things they want to see changed in this the 21st century. Meet students from Hamden, New Haven, West Haven and North Haven.

Learn what are the educational concerns parents in Bpt, NH, Hamden and WH have; they are the same concerns you have. OneWorld is about building a more positive community from infancy to old age. Let us stand together so we can ALL be stronger. Join us. Please send us an email; go to the Contact Us page. Peace & grace.

REAL DEMOCRACY IS ABOUT CITIZEN PARTICIPATION. Demand Answers

N'Zinga Shäni — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:51:49 +0000

It might be a worn out phrase; it is nonetheless true and particularly significant today. A true democracy demands participation by the citizens. We do not have a legitimate complaint about the outcome in our political process, in our justice system, and in the standards practiced in our communities if we sit on the sidelines and complain. We need to actively participate; our political leaders NEED to hear from us and know what it is that we care about. The hypocrisy of the Republican leadership should be challenged. Hold Boehner, Brady & McConnell accountable.

There are those in our communities who have gotten away with carrying out all kinds of atrocities against the less powerful because they could count on the fact that the rest of us would sit by and let it happen. They count on our silent collusion against the oppressed. “ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO THRIVE IS FOR PEOPLE OF GOODWILL TO DO NOTHING.”

Liars get away with telling lies because no one calls them on it. Sometimes, in trying to keep the peace we facilitate the perpetuation of lies and deceit. Democracy is about standing up for what we believe in, and for the principles to which we subscribe as individuals, as communities, and as a society.

A democracy only functions as such when everyone can have a reasonable expectation of fairness, and when there are rules adhered to that ensure that such fairness is practiced.

Some of those given a little power abuse it a little and get away with it; when they abuse it more siginificantly and are not challenged, they go on to becoming despots. There are too many despots in our communities.

Politicians get away with deceptious behavior because they are often not challenged. Interestingly, some of the things the media invest time in (such as what is going on in people’s private lives and that do not affect their public performance) are not the things that voters/ citizens who need help care about. Journalism has become too gossipy. Too much time is being invested in Mel Gibson’s private life. If the tapes being broadcast repeatedly are authentic, Mr. Gibson clearly has a problem; however, whether his career is over or not is not going to affect the price we pay at the pump, or whether the Republicans regain control of the House. Those are the real issues that will affect the pocketbooks and lives of average Americans.

In the 8 years during which president Bush and the Republicans ran the American economy into the ground, I did not see the majority of the media asking detailed questions. Recently we learned that the economy needs 22 mil jobs. Republican leaders are condemning President Obama for not fixing in 18 months what they destroyed in 8 years. These 22 million jobs were not lost in the 18 months since President Obama took office! Where were the media pundits then? It seems that in the second term of the Bush presidency much of the media became their partners rather than the servant of the people providing accurate information.

Republicans held up the unemployment extended benefts for weeks, and they are now concerned about economic issues so that they will be able to use it as a weapon in the mid-term elections! That is shear hypocrisy and blatant lying. Where were John Boehner, Kevin Brady and Mitch Mcconnell when Mr. Bush and his cronies were destroying the economy and while their very rich friends got richer? How many of us were paying attention? Where were the investigative journalists then? What about the tax cuts for the rich? Why did those keep going even when average Americans were in dire economic stress? What did the Republicans do for the average American?

Do not be impressed by the noisy, hysterical politics, media Obama-bashing wagon. Get informed; ask questions of your political representatives and don’t accept the media’s word. Except on PBS, The Nation and a few other outlets with integrity, the news is all about ratings and advertising dollars. Real democracy is about all of us citizens trying to get the facts and holding our representatives accountable. Local, state, and national politicians, and all those who claim positions of leadership are to be held accountable to we the people. Real Democracy Is About Citizen Participation. The politicians are supposed to be working for the people

Remember to VOTE in the primary elections in August and in the mid-term elections this November. Think about who you are voting for and why. Do NOT be influenced by endorsements made by popular leaders or politicians; most such endorsements are about bargains made and deals cut. Invest the time to learn about each person for whom you vote. Look at someone’s track record. The fact that someone was a successful business person does not make him or her a successful political leader.

How many of us remember and voted for Lowell Weicker? Thanks to him, we have a state income tax in CT. What do we have to show for it? How many of us believed that Lowell Weicker was a different kind of Republican politician? Real Democracy Is About Citizen Participation. Please remember to VOTE during the primaries and at the mid-term.

Battered Woman Scheduled for Execution In TN

N'Zinga Shäni — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:15:12 +0000

Battered Woman Scheduled To Be Executed in Tennessee. FROM THE NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE IN DEFENSE OF BATTERED WOMEN:

Dear People of Conscience and Goodwill:
The state of Tennessee is scheduled to execute Gaile Owens on September 28th, 2010 unless we can convince Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen to commute her death sentence to life in prison. PLEASE Take a few minutes to read the information below. We NEED to SEND A MESSAGE that District Attorneys should NOT be allowed to play fast and loose with people’s lives because they have made an uninformed judgement about someone’s behavior.

Gaile Owens is in prison for hiring a man to kill her abusive husband in 1985. She was offered a plea to life in prison — and she accepted that plea — but the D.A. rescinded their offer when her co-defendant refused to accept the plea. Gaile should NOT be punished for the behavior of her co-defendant. The attorneys working on her case believe that no other prisoner on death row in the U.S. has received a death sentence after accepting the offer of a guilty plea in exchange for a life sentence.

Below is more information about Ms. Owens’ case. The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women has been working with Ms. Owens’ attorneys since last summer to block her execution.

Gaile Owens NEEDS more support – and needs it now. At a minimum, please sign the petition AND forward this message to all of your coworkers, colleagues, friends, and family. Time is short. We need to act NOW.

Please ACT NOW to STOP this Horrific Injustice to an Abused Woman Who is Set to BE EXECUTED. Gaile Owens, a 54-year-old woman from Tennessee, whose life was filled with abuse, and whose legal case has been dominated by an appalling series of grave injustices, is scheduled to be executed on September 28.

Please ACT NOW to STOP THIS EXECUTION. Ms. Owens is seeking to have her death sentence commuted to a sentence of life in prison and only Governor Bredesen has the power to do this. The National Clearing House for Battered Women needs your help in urging Governor Bredesen to commute Gaile Owens’ death sentence to life in prison.

What are asking you to:

Sign the on-line petition in support of clemency for Ms. Owens. As of May 2, the petition had almost 5,000 signatures. We want to double that amount and get over 10,000 signatures. We can only do this with your help.
We need you to sign the petition now. It will take less than a minute of your time. Go to the Friends of Gaile website and sign the petition at:
http://www.friendsofgaile.com/phpPETITION/index.php
Abused Woman Set To Be Executed. PLEASE send a letter to Governor Bredesen in Tennessee urging them to spare Gaile Owens’ life by commuting her sentence.
We believe that letters sent via US mail will be the most persuasive. Please take a CIVIC STAND by sending a letter to the Governor and to his legal counsel. The address is:
The Honorable Phil Bredesen
Governor’s Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001

If you can’t send a letter via US mail, please send a message to the Governor via e-mail. Phil.Bredesen@tn.gov .

PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY!

CALL the Governor’s office; write a letter to the editor; submit an editorial, and/or join as a Friend of Gaile Owens on Facebook. For more information about these ideas, see the Friends of Gaile website under the “Learn More” tab by visiting this link below; share this info. http://www.friendsofgaile.com/about.htm

Let Us Recognize Smart Responsible Students

N'Zinga Shäni — Wed, 05 May 2010 03:28:59 +0000

We at OneWorld are taking the liberty of copying and reposting the comment below which was posted to the New Haven Independent web site to an article about our most recent TV program titled “Kids Get Their Say.” The article is written by Zak Stone. It is a story about six wonderful high school students from Wilbur Cross , Hamden and West Haven High schools. These are smart, responsible students. We would really appreciate hearing what you think about them. They are all college bound. In the 6th grade Caitlin Morrisey started a recycling program in her school. That program has now been replicated in all schools in West Haven. Jamarr plans to become a law enforcement officer; he is also a product of Wilbur Cross High School.

We thank Andrew for his wise comment. We would appreciaite hearing what you think. Please go to The Kids Get Their Say BY ZAK STONE | APR 28, 2010, at the NHI site at the link below. Click onto Schools and scroll until you see the title. Then go to the other story http://www.newhavenindependent.org See Schools

titled: ”Police: Girl Stole School Bus, Hit Cop Car.” Please read Andrew’s comment.

“Hey all—I can’t help but notice an unfortunate disparity. On one hand, you get this great forum w/some excellent public school students taken on tough issues and making a lot of sense. One of the students, Jamarr Daniels, is from the much-maligned Wilbur Cross High School. My comment will be the 13th one on this story.

On the other hand, the May 3rd issue of the Independent has a story about another Wilbur Cross student who goes for a destructive “joy ride” on a bus. THAT story attracts 29 comments.

6 kids making us proud - 13 comments.

1 kid being impulsive and stupid – 29 comments (and counting).

Jamarr, Caitlin, Eric, Brandon, Khadijah and Linette – please keep making sense and doing what you’re doing. This reader and community member wishes you the very best.” Our question is — What do we value? How do we communicate that to our children?

Justice Subverted, Judge Reverses Murder Convictions! Justice Now on Hold!

N'Zinga Shäni — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:51:30 +0000

Outraged Judge Reverses Murder Convictions

by Melissa Bailey | Mar 18, 2010 12:48 pm | Comments (23) Posted to: Legal Writes

The article listed above is in the New Haven Independent and was posted there on March 18. It would be helpful to read that post to better understand this BLOG.

There is a COST to all of us as a society when justice is subverted. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Bishop Desmond Tutu

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” Elie Wiesel

Some of us just cannot help ourselves when it comes to issues of injustice. Yes, there are far too many of our citizens who engage in criminal behavior. As a society we are better off without them, but the reality is—they are a part of us, and too often some of their behavior is a consequence of their societal imposed or facilitated circumstance.

Unfortunately, there are those who benefit greatly from an expanding prison industrial complex and who have a vested interest in growing the criminal population. There is also ample evidence that certain groups have been targeted to feed the prison industrial complex, and that serves the financial and political ambitions of many; sadly it might also serve some even more twisted interests.

Additionally, in far too many aspects of our society we are very short-sighted. Too many politicians, and some who have taken on the mantle of community leadership do not see or appreciate the benefits of early investments in education, positive image and skill building, and self-improvement strategies for our young, and in particular those who are born into deprived circumstances. We need to look at the BIG picture from day one. As a society we are only as strong as our weakest links.

It is a great investment to educate all, and to create circumstances that encourage and make it possible for all capable citizens to be the best that they can be. If they cannot realize their potential, at least make it possible for them to acquire skills that make them fully functional. It is possible and it might cost us less than prison costs us now.

On the issue of criminal justice, the question is: when the police and prosecutors maliciously put someone away for 16 years, and then refuse to correct their mistake just because they are too arrogant to do so, what are the benefits to society? Isn’t crime and punishment supposed to benefit the larger society? Or is it? How does society benefit when we wrongly imprison people?

When the behaviors of law enforcement only serve to further the animosity which already exists in our society, who exactly benefits? What is gained? How often do we see white men, or those with adequate financial resources locked away for decades for crimes they did not commit, but also for being sentenced without any real evidence? How long after the “error/s?” have been discovered does it usually take to remedy those errors? And yes, we know that sincere errors do occur without anyone deliberately creating them. Given the reported evidence in this case, and what the “convicting witness said, can anyone say what happened here was an error?

Like most law-abiding citizens, I detest criminal behavior. However, my greatest scorn is reserved for those in our judiciary system who are supposed to uphold the law, and who seem to consciously and deliberately subvert justice either out of shear malice and bigotry, or only to further their careers. The American system of justice is not served, and as a society we are all damaged by it. How can we teach our children to be respectful of the law when those who are charged with upholding it and setting positive examples are so flagrant in their disregard for justice?

Every day that these men remain in prison the law is being further subverted.