Florida Courier, April 27, 2012, #17

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APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2012

VOLUME 20 NO. 17

FREE – AND HIDING

what it said was an exclusive photo taken three minutes after Zimmerman shot Trayvon, showing the back of Zimmerman’s head with blood trickling down.

Questions remain about who took the picture, when it was taken, whether it is authentic, why it was just released, and who released it.

Here’s an update on the George Zimmerman trial as of the Florida Courier’s press time on Wednesday night. Check www.flcourier.com for the latest news about the aftermath of Trayvon Martin’s killing.

Zimmerman out George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed teen, Trayvon Martin, was released from the Sanford Jail on a $150,000 bond about midnight Sunday. Zimmerman had to post 10 percent, or $15,000, to make bail.

Zimmerman must wear an electronic tracking device, although he may be allowed to leave the state.

He cannot have any contact with Martin’s family, carry firearms or consume alcohol or illegal drugs.

He must abide by a curfew between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. and check in with authorities every three days. He surrendered his passport at the beginning of last week’s hearing.

His attorney, Mark O’Mara, said that Zimmerman would probably continue to live in hiding while awaiting his trial date, as he had done for weeks leading up to his April 11 arrest on second-degree murder charges.

Zimmerman faces a possible life sentence. His self-defense claim that may have been bolstered last week when ABC News published

Police chief retained A decision by the Sanford City Commission on Monday to reject the resignation of embattled Police Chief Bill Lee – just a month after it voted “no confidence” in him – left critics of the police department’s handling of the Martin homicide investigation disappointed and angry.

Lee offered his resignation to City Manager Norton Bonaparte just hours before a City Commission meeting Monday afternoon.

Bonaparte told commissioners See TRAYVON, Page A2

GARY W. GREEN / ORLANDO SENTINEL

George Zimmerman was locked up for only a few days before being released on bond.

States settle with MetLife over burial insurance

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA / CAMPAIGN 2012

Obama’s eyes and ears

COMPILED FROM STAFF REPORTS

CHUCK LIDDY/RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER/MCT

Metropolitan Life insurance companies will pay nearly $500 million in benefits on small-value life insurance policies – often sold door-to-door in Black communities around America – under an agreement reached between Florida and 29 other states.

MetLife is the latest insurer to come to agreement over the sale of industrial policies, often referred to as “burial insurance,” which targeted low-income customers who would often pay weekly or monthly for policies worth less than $1,000.

The coalition of states, led by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, is continuing to investigate at least eight additional insurers that also sold industrial policies. Prudential Insurance Co. of America and John Hancock Life Insurance Co. had already reached similar agreements.

Secret Service agents surrounded President Obama as he visited the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Tuesday.

Read Florida Courier columnist Anthony Hall’s analysis of the unfolding Secret Service scandal on Page A5.

See METLIFE, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS

Carroll leads diverse ‘Stand Your Ground’ group COMPILED FROM STAFF REPORTS

Last week, Gov. Rick Scott named the members of a task force – including prosecutors and defense attorneys, women and men, Blacks, Whites and Hispanics, and gun control opponents and advocates – formed to look at the state’s self-defense law in the wake of Trayvon Martin’s shooting death on Feb. 26.

Last month, as national outrage grew over the lack of an arrest in the case, Scott announced the Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection, and tapped Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll to chair it.

But he said at the time he would not name the panel members or schedule their first meeting until the criminal investigation was complete.

After special prosecutor Angela Corey’s announcement that the acknowledged killer, George

Zimmerman, would face second-degree murder charges – and after State Sen. Chris Smith, a Democrat, aggressively attacked the governor for delaying the task force’s start – Scott set a May 1 initial meeting date.

The panels’ other Black members include its vice chair, the Rev. R.B. Holmes, Jr., pastor of Tallahassee’s Bethel Missionary Baptist Church; Derek E. Bruce, of Orlando, an attorney with Edge Public Affairs; and State Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando.

Smith excluded Smith, a Fort Lauderdale attorney who is the incoming Senate Democratic Leader and who started his own task force to look at the law when Scott didn’t move quickly enough for him, was excluded from Scott’s task force. Smith’s task force, composed of South Floridians, is set

to issue its report this week.

Carroll said Smith didn’t apply for the governor’s task force.

Smith said he’d made his interest clear “immediately” to Senate President Mike Haridopolos and incoming Senate President Don Gaetz, since members were to be recommended by legislative leaders.

Among Scott’s task force members is Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala and House sponsor of the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law that may end up being central to Zimmerman’s contention that he killed Martin in self-defense.

Didn’t know about Carroll Scott said he wasn’t aware if the task force includes any members of the National Rifle Association, which opposes efforts to repeal or amend the law. Ev-

idently, Scott did not know that Carroll is a life member of the NRA, which aggressively pushes pro-gun laws. As a state legislator, Carroll voted for both the Stand Your Ground law and what some refer to as the “Take Your Gun to Work” law that allows guns to be legally concealed in cars at work.

Carroll called the task force “racially, regionally Lt. Gov. and professionJennifer ally diverse.” She Carroll said it would hold public hearings, collect data with the help of the University of Florida and make its recommendations to Scott and the state legislature before next year’s session. She also said the task force, See GROUP, Page A2

DIASPORA | A3

African scholars: Too much focus on continent’s crises FLORIDA | A6

Gulf regions rebound two years after BP oil spill

ENTERTAINMENT | B4

Fantastic Voyage 2012, Day 5 FINEST | B5

Meet Vicki from the Joyner cruise

ALSO COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 INSIDE COMMENTARY: ANTHONY L. HALL: NO SECRET SERVICE SCANDAL IF SUPERVISOR WAS A MAN | A5

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april 27 - may 3, 2012

Why ‘Negroes’ should get guns Liberals have leapt on the shooting death of Trayvon Martin to push for the repeal of “Stand Your Ground” laws and to demand tighter gun control.

(MSNBC’S Karen Finney blamed “the same people who stymied gun regulation at every point.”)

This would be like demanding more funding for the General Services Administration after seeing how its employees blew taxpayer money on a party weekend in Las Vegas.

We don’t know the facts yet, but let’s assume the conclusion MSNBC is leaping to is accurate: George Zimmerman stalked a small Black child and murdered him in cold blood, just because he was Black.

If that were true, every Black person in America should get a gun and join the National Rifle Association, America’s oldest and most august civil rights organization.

Apparently this has occurred to no one because our excellent public education system ensures that no American under the age of 60 has the slightest notion of this country’s history.

Kept Blacks unarmed Gun control laws were originally promulgated by Democrats to keep guns out of the hands of Blacks.

This allowed the Demo-

ANN COULTER GUEST COLUMNIST

cratic policy of slavery to proceed with fewer bumps and, after the Civil War, allowed the Democratic Ku Klux Klan to menace and murder Black Americans with little resistance.

(Contrary to what illiterates believe, the KKK was an outgrowth of the Democratic Party, with overlapping membership rolls.

The Klan was to the Democrats what the American Civil Liberties Union is today: Not every Democrat is an ACLU’er, but every ACLU’er is a Democrat.

Same with the Klan.)

In 1640, the very first gun control law ever enacted on these shores was passed in Virginia. It provided that Blacks – even freedmen – could not own guns.

Chief Justice Roger Taney’s infamous opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford circularly argued that Blacks could not be citizens because if they were citizens, they would have the right to own guns: “[I] t would give them the full liberty,” he said, “to keep and carry arms wherever they went.”

With logic like that, Republicans eventually had

METLIFE from A1 Millions to be paid out Without admitting guilt, MetLife entered an agreement with the states to settle claims that the company sold policies to customers who often paid more in premiums than the policy was worth or who died without receiving the benefits they were promised.

In all, state officials estimate the company will pay up to $467 million to policyholders. If beneficiaries can’t be found, the money would be remitted to unclaimed property agencies in each of the states that are part of the agreement.

In all, roughly 708,000 such policies were sold, said Joel Haber, an Illinois Department of Insurance examiner. The company expects to pay out about $188 million during the first year and pay off addition claims over the next 17 years.

‘Fearful process’ Former St. Petersburg Times newspaper columnist Bill Maxwell wrote about burial insurance in 2001.

Ex-Marine Robert Williams, shown here with his wife, Mable, became one of the most feared Black men in America when he advocated fighting the Ku Klux Klan’s violence with violence. to fight a Civil War to get the Democrats to give up slavery. Alas, they were Democrats, so they cheated.

After the war, Democratic legislatures enacted “Black Codes,” denying Black Americans the right of citizenship – such as the rather crucial one of bearing arms – while other Democrats (sometimes the same Democrats) founded the Ku Klux Klan.

Advocating self-defense For more than a hundred years, Republicans have aggressively supported arming Blacks, so they could defend themselves against Democrats.

The original draft of the Anti-Klan Act of 1871 –

passed at the urging of Republican president Ulysses S. Grant – made it a federal felony to “deprive any citizen of the United States of any arms or weapons he may have in his house or possession for the defense of his person, family, or property.” This section was deleted from the final bill only because it was deemed both beyond Congress’ authority and superfluous, inasmuch as the rights of citizenship included the right to bear arms.

Under authority of the Anti-Klan Act, President Grant deployed the U.S. military to destroy the Klan, and pretty nearly completed the job. But the Klan had a few resurgences in the early and mid-20th

“For older African-Americans, the funeral always has been the most important rite of passage,” Maxwell wrote. “Buying burial insurance, therefore, became essential to Black families...The process began with fear, fear that if you or a relative died, the family could be humiliated by not having money ‘to put you away nicely,’ as the saying goes.

“Blacks were not the only ones aware of this fear. Since the early 1900s, greedy corporations and their salesmen exploited this fear by selling bad burial policies to millions of financially unsophisticated African-Americans. The policies gave less coverage at higher cost than the policies sold to Whites,” Maxwell explained.

Nearly 15,000 Floridians purchased industrial insurance policies worth $9 million.

Practices changed MetLife also agreed to improve its ability to properly compensate policyholders or their heirs. The changes included more frequent searches to determine policyholder deaths and a more concerted effort to find policyholders who took out insurance years ago and who were

Defended themselves A World War II Marine veteran, Williams returned home to Monroe, N.C., to find the Klan riding high – beating, lynching and murdering Blacks at will. No one would join the NAACP for fear of Klan reprisals.

Williams became president of the local chapter and increased membership from six to more than 200.

But it was not until he got a charter from the NRA in 1957 and founded the Black Armed Guard that the Klan got their comeuppance in Monroe.

Williams’ repeated thwart-

DAVID PIERINI/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT

For decades, large insurance companies, including MetLife, ripped off Black Americans buying “burial insurance.” never paid a benefit.

Along with the payouts, MetLife agreed to reimburse states nearly $40 million to offset costs incurred investigating the charges.

The company is also expected pay up to $200 million to policy-

TRAYVON

holders of non-industrial life insurance and annuities.

Easy money Maxwell wrote in 2001 that the insurance companies had lower premiums for Whites.

Ground, victims and their families impacted by its application need to be heard,” said John Page, NBA’s presidentelect. “We give voice to their concerns by examining the effects of this law, particularly the increasing justified homicide claims in its wake.”

from A1 that the resignation of the chief, who last month stepped aside temporarily, would help the city “move forward” after weeks of racial tension and heated rallies.

Bonaparte told commissioners that he heavily weighed the commission’s no-confidence vote and felt there would be “no healing” unless Lee resigned.

He said that he and Lee agreed to a separation agreement of up to four months’ severance pay, subject to the commission’s approval. Lee was hired as police chief in April 2011 at a salary of $102,000 and remains on paid leave.

But by a 3-2 vote, the commission decided not to accept Lee’s resignation, which would have included severance pay.

Mayor Jeff Triplett, who in March had voted with the majority in expressing “no confidence” in Lee, said he wanted to wait for the city to complete an internal review of the way the police department investigated the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old Martin.

The city said Capt. Darren Scott, who was appointed acting chief after Lee stepped aside, will remain in his current role while Sanford searches for an interim chief. Bonaparte told commissioners Monday that he expects to hire an interim chief from outside the de-

century. Curiously, wherever the Klan became a political force, gun control laws would suddenly appear on the books.

This will give you an idea of how gun control laws worked. Following the firebombing of his house in 1956, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was, among other things, a Christian minister, applied for a gun permit, but the Alabama authorities found him unsuitable. A decade later, he won a Nobel Peace Prize.

How’s that “may issue” gun permit policy working for you?

The NRA opposed these discretionary gun permit laws and proceeded to grant NRA charters to Blacks who sought to defend themselves from Klan violence – including the great civil rights hero Robert F. Williams.

Floridians divided

DEMORRIS LEE / FLORIDA COURIER

Trayvon’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, were in Tampa last week for a town hall meeting sponsored by Black lawyers. partment by next week.

Tampa town hall Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton sat in the front row at Beulah Baptist Institutional Church in Tampa the afternoon of April 19 and listened as legal experts and supporters explained the battle ahead for them as they try to pursue justice for the death of their son Trayvon.

About 300 people attended the town hall meeting sponsored by the National Bar Association. It was dubbed “Standing Our Ground for Justice,” and focused on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law.

“You are the unsung heroes who have made this march to

justice so incredible,” said Ben Crump, the Martin family attorney. “...The grieving process gives time for self-reflection but the (Martin family) didn’t get time to grieve because they have been fighting for justice.”

Neither Martin nor Fulton spoke at the panel discussion.

The panel consisted of Clinton Paris of the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs, Carolyn Collins of the NAACP-Hillsborough County, Tanya ClayHouse, an attorney and NBA’s Civil Rights Law Section Chair, and Aramis Donell Ayala, an Orlando public defender.

“As lawyers from around the country converge here at ground zero of Stand Your

A new poll highlights a series of racial, partisan and gender divisions over the decision to charge Zimmerman and whether the state should continue the Stand Your Ground law.

The survey, by N.C.-based Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, shows 49 percent of Florida voters agree with the decision to charge Zimmerman, while 25 percent disagree.

Democrats and independents overwhelmingly support the decision, while Republicans narrowly oppose it.

Meanwhile, a plurality of 42 percent of Florida voters support Stand Your Ground, while 32 percent oppose it. Much of that support comes from Republicans, who support the law by a 60-13 margin, Whites (47-28) and men (53-31). Half of Democrats and 51 percent of Blacks oppose the law.

Demorris Lee of the Florida Courier; Martin E. Comas, Jeff Weiner and Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel; Audra D.S. Burch of McClatchy Newspapers; and Richard Fausset of the Los Angeles Times (MCT) all contributed to this report.

ing of violent Klan attacks is described in his stirring book, “Negroes With Guns.” In one crucial battle, the Klan sieged the home of a Black physician and his wife, but Williams and his Black Armed Guard stood sentry and repelled the larger, cowardly force. And that was the end of it. As the Klan found out, it’s not so much fun when the rabbit’s got the gun.

The NRA’s proud history of fighting the Klan has been airbrushed out of the record by those who were complicit with the KKK, Jim Crow and racial terror, to wit: the Democrats.

In the preface to “Negroes With Guns,” Williams writes: “I have asserted the right of Negroes to meet the violence of the Ku Klux Klan by armed self-defense – and have acted on it. It has always been an accepted right of Americans, as the history of our Western states proves, that where the law is unable, or unwilling, to enforce order, the citizens can, and must act in self-defense against lawless violence.”

Contrary to MSNBC hosts, I do not believe the shooting in Florida is evidence of a resurgent KKK. But wherever the truth lies in that case, gun control is always a scheme of the powerful to deprive the powerless of the right to self-defense.

Ann Coulter is a political commentator and author. This column originally appeared on www. anncoulter.com.

“In addition to two rates of premiums, the companies charged selected occupations, such as bootblack or Pullman porter, much more,” Maxwell wrote.

“Salesmen were penalized with smaller commissions if they sold good policies to Blacks... Many of the purchasers were illiterate Southern field hands. Others, though, were middle class who thought they were buying security.

“Doubtless, holders of burial policies were bamboozled. Over a lifetime, some victims paid the face value of their policies several times over. Burying money in a coffee can would have been a shrewder investment,” Maxwell concluded.

The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators has set up a free website, http://www.missingmoney. com, where you can search for unclaimed burial policies. The search will be successful only if has been deemed unclaimed and transferred to a state.

Michael Peltier of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

GROUP from A1 which will define its mission at its first meeting, may look into the issue of racial profiling as well.

Reporters asked Carroll whether she regretted voting for “Stand Your Ground” as a legislator.

“We’ll find out,” she replied.

Other members Other task force members include Sheriff Larry Ashley of Shalimar, with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office; former Florida Supreme Court Justice Kenneth B. Bell of Pensacola, now a lawyer with Clark Partington Hart Larry Bond and Stackhouse; State Rep. Jason Brodeur of Sanford; Joseph A. Caimano Jr., of Tampa, a criminal defense attorney; Edna Canino of Miami, president of the Florida Embassy of League of United Latin American Citizens, Council 7220; and Gretchen Lorenzo of Fort Myers, a neighborhood watch coordinator for the Fort Myers Police Department.

Also on the panel are Judge Krista Marx of West Palm Beach, a judge in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida; Maria Newman of Melbourne, a neighborhood watch volunteer with the City of Melbourne; Katherine Fernandez Rundle of Miami, state attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit; Stacy A. Scott of Gainesville, an assistant public defender with the Eighth Judicial Circuit; Mark Seiden of Miami, a self-employed attorney; and State Sen. David Simmons of Altamonte Springs.

Margie Menzel of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

DIASPORA

APRIL 27 - may 3, 2012

A3

Above: 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai Joseph Rao Kony, head of the Lord’s Resistance Army, is depicted in the “Kony 2012’’ video.

SHASHANK BENGALI/MCT

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, shown in 2006, was the first elected female president of an African nation. Coverage about Johnson-Sirleaf’s election was praised.

African scholars: Too much focus on continent’s crises Western journalists accused of rarely reporting on uplifting stories

BY NADRA KAREEM NITTLE SPECIAL TO THE NNPA

The media coverage of Africa: Impoverished. Corrupt. Helpless.

That’s how Western mainstream media often portray nations of Africa.

Rarely do broadcast and print news agencies report uplifting stories, instead favoring sensational tales that frequently depict Afri-

ca as a continent in ruins.

Rather than show Africans working to improve their villages, cities and countries, African scholars say, Western journalists usually report on outsiders’ efforts to improve living conditions there.

This reporting perpetuates the idea that the continent needs rescue by others.

The quality of reporting on Africa could be vastly improved, experts say, if

the media consulted and interviewed more African activists and organizations.

Broader reporting would add needed depth to coverage of African issues and help to avoid clichés about the continent.

“I think there’s a longstanding theme about ongoing famine and starvation, of chronic misgovernance, of Africa as a continent that needs to be saved,” says Ethan Zuckerman, cofounder of Global Voices, an international community of citizen bloggers.

“I’m not saying that every portrayal plays with those particular themes, but those are fairly common. Those clichés aren’t just sloppy writing. They’re sloppy thinking. They reflect Africa as helpless, Africa as a place where nothing good happens.”

Example of trend: ‘Kony 2012’ video TMS Ruge, cofounder of Project Diaspora, a Uganda-based development organization, said via e-mail that his major concern with U.S. media coverage of the African continent is the emphasis on “a central heroic Western figure” trying to save nations there from crisis.

“The more dire the situation, the more likely that [New York Times columnist] Nicholas Kristof, [CNN’s] Anderson Cooper, will be deployed in their brown khaki pants.”

The video “Kony 2012”

by Invisible Children, a nonprofit group with offices in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is about Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and exemplifies this trend. It features the crusade of Invisible Children’s co-founder, a White American named Jason Russell, to stop Kony from kidnapping children and, among other crimes, enlisting them as child soldiers.

Critics have said the video misrepresents the situation in Uganda, but its focus on a bloodthirsty warlord preying on the innocent may well have led to it becoming the most popular video in YouTube history upon release in March. A follow-up by Invisible Children has been postponed.

‘Another side to the story’

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Ruge says sensational stories about Africa have skewed the public’s views and led to generalizations about countries there.

“That single perennial thread is so synonymous with the continent that it is hard for people to accept that there’s another side to the story,” he says. “If a coup breaks out in West Africa and I am going to East Africa, I get cautionary emails from colleagues telling me to be careful.

That story has shrunk Africa to one country full of every piece of bad news the mind can think of.”

Zuckerman says mainstream news stories of the military coup in Mali in March have suggested that coups are typical in the region. Actually, he says, political upheavals of that nature are out of the ordinary for Mali.

Semhar Araia, founder and executive director of Diaspora African Women’s Network (DAWN) in Washington, says mainstream media outlets can improve coverage of Africa by featuring perspectives of Africans themselves.

“The biggest hurdle for media is representing African countries through the lens of Africans on the continent and abroad,” Araia says. “It’s always hard to find that quote and the sound bite in the right time, but there’s a wealth of African journalists and organizations on the continent who are available.”

Responsibility to improve coverage Zuckerman shares this concern. He says journalists may overlook Africans as sources because they haven’t researched who the experts on a particular country are. The fact that they’re often on tight deadlines adds to the problem.

Ruge says the list of African experts is endless, and he singles out the work of Ugandan Okello Sam, founder of Hope North in Northern Uganda, which rehabilitates former child soldiers; Kenyan Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, a girl’s education advocate; and Ethiopian Solome Lemma, who concentrates on philanthropy in the Horn of Africa.

While dissatisfied with Western media portrayals of Africa, Araia says Africans also have a responsibility to improve the coverage. Although African journalists may not reach as wide an audience as CNN, for instance, they can use social networking sites or viral videos such as Kony 2012 to raise awareness about issues.

Talking and commenting about issues, for example, Global Voices’ blogging network highlights people on the ground.

Reporting on The Elders lauded Despite criticism that Kony 2012 oversimplified the situation in Uganda, Ruge says concerns about it marked a turning point in Western mainstream media coverage of Africa.

“For the first time, we as Africans were courted for our voice in Western media to counter the Kony 2012 video.” Ruge says. “There were Ugandans on BBC, New York Times, CNN and Al Jazeera. There were Eritreans and Ethiopians on NPR and the Guardian. It was a massive sea change that I hope was not a fluke, but hopefully a newly emerging trend. I think Western media got it right here in covering the whole saga.”

What else has the Western media done correctly in its coverage of Africa?

Araia says she most appreciates stories that have focused on Africans working to improve conditions on the continent. She cites reporting on The Elders, a group of international leaders focused on peace building and human rights brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007 and chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Praise for stories on Maathai, Sirleaf Araia also praised coverage of the late Kenyan Wangari Maathai, who won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for what the Nobel committee called “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace,” and of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who took office as modern Africa’s first female elected president in 2006.

These stories, of course, highlight the good occurring in Africa. But there is far too little emphasis on positive developments on the continent, say experts consulted by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.

“Each one of our countries has a rich thread of positive stories – economic, personal, cultural and inspirational,” Ruge says.

“All of these are worth telling because they balance out the negative, expected themes. . . . We have to grab the microphone and begin the hard work of reversing the single narrative.

“This is easier said than done. It is going to be a really long struggle first to be able to get the microphone.”

This story is special to the NNPA from the Maynard Media Center on Structural Inequality.

EDITORIAL

A4

APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2012

Cool gold or fool’s gold?

After my daughter’s first wedding, I asked her how it was going. She said she and her husband Lucius abided by “The Golden Rule – whoever brings in the gold rules!”

Gantt My daughter had a good job THE GANTT REPORT and her first husband did not. The first husband is history. The second husband can contribute to the other rapper’s gold chain. Well, household as his wife expects. three guys tried to get the chain in a home invasion, but they were In the news all shot when the chain owner deGold is very much in the news fended himself.

That incident was nothing comtoday. Commodity gold prices have skyrocketed in recent years pared to what happened to Libyan and the price of gold is nearing leader Muammar Gaddafi when Gaddafi suggested Libya would $2,000 an ounce.

Gold discussions can make you begin to seek payments for its oil a hero, or talk of gold can get you only in gold. Gaddafi was also enkilled. I once heard a story about couraging other nations in Afrihow a rapper offered $10,000 to ca to sell their minerals, resources anyone that would bring him an- and commodities for gold. Not too

long afterwards, insurgents armed and financed by the United States and other Western nations that were controlled by international beast bankers killed Gaddafi.

They won’t stop Today, there is talk about implementing a gold standard in the United States. In terms that Gantt Report readers can understand, the gold standard means linking the value of the dollar to the value of gold and insuring that the amount of gold a country owns limits the amount of money that country can print.

Now, how do you think the Republican Party, the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve and the nation’s beast bankers feel about that? Well, Repub-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: BP OIL SPILL, TWO YEARS LATER

ting what’s rightfully theirs. Cheating, stealing and double dealing as they exploit the people’s fears.

Now, Dow Jones owns the people’s homes and all the surrounding land, buying and selling our humble dwellings in the name of the master plan.

“Paper money is like a bee without honey, with no stinger to back it up, and those who stole the people’s gold are definitely corrupt.

Credit cards, Master Charge, legacies of will, real estate, stocks and bonds on coupon paper bills. The U.S. Mint on paper prints millions every day, and use the eagle as their Well-said symbol because it’s a bird of prey!”

As far as the beast bank trickIf you didn’t know, the dollar is eration, the recording group “The dead. If I had your money, I would Last Poets” said it best about 30 or buy me some gold!

40 years ago: “Selfish desires are burning like Contact Lucius at www.allfires among those who hoard the worldconsultants.net. “Like” The gold, as they continue to keep the Gantt Report page on Facebook. people asleep and the truth from Click on this story at www.flcoubeing told. Racism and greed rier.com to write your own rekeep the people in need from get- sponse. lican Presidential candidate Ron Paul has advocated a role for gold in monetary policy, but he won’t be elected president. Beast bankers will never stop their paper money trickeration techniques!

The U.S. once tied the value of the dollar to the price of gold until Richard Nixon dismantled the gold standard for good in 1971.

But the U.S. effectively ended the gold standard earlier in 1933 when the government decided citizens could no longer redeem the dollars they possessed for gold.

Obama withholds foreclosure aid to hardest hit The Obama administration’s indifference to the plight of foreclosed homeowners, and total subservience to the banks, is once again on public display.

According to a report by the special inspector general of the TARP program, the administration has spent only a tiny fraction of the money it was allocated to help those most negatively impacted by the housing collapse. In two years, only a little over 30,000 households have been helped, at a cost of $217 million.

That’s only 3 percent of the $7.6 billion TARP is authorized to spend through its Hardest Hit Fund.

JEFF PARKER, FLORIDA TODAY AND THE FORT MYERS NEWS-PRESS

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 138 ‘Stand Your Ground’ panel – If you don’t think Rick Scott has morphed from businessman to politician, think again. I’m seeing reports about how he “loves this job” and expects to keep it without spending $75 million of his own cash during the 2014 election. Polls indicate that Florida is split on Stand Your Ground, so Scott puts Jennifer Carroll out front after keeping her generally under wraps since their inauguration. She now has to handle one of the hottest, most racially tinged issues in recent Florida political history. If the panel looks like a whitewash (no pun intended) that concludes everything is fine, no changes needed in the law, Trayvon’s killing was just a tragic accident, blah, blah, it’s Carroll that takes the hit from Democrats, progressives, Blacks and Hispanics.

If Carroll suggests anything more than a legal ‘tweak’ to the law, expect a Tea Party backlash that makes her seem like she sold her conservative soul. Either way, Scott stays above the controversy...

‘Stand Your Ground law’ – With the mysterious picture of a bleeding George Zimmerman, expect the narrative to change. Trayvon will be characterized as an aggressive thug who jumped Zimmerman while he was returning to his vehicle, then beat him damn near to death. The

quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

National Rifle Association and our fearful, gun-crazed fellow citizens will then say that Trayvon’s death is just what Stand Your Ground was designed to accomplish, and that self-defense laws should be relaxed even more...

Obama vs. Romney – There may be a dime’s worth of difference on the issues between them. Both of them are really moderate Republicans. Neither cares much about Black people. Both are elitists: Romney/financial; Obama/educational. They are “brothers from another father,” since both of their mothers were White, and Barack Obama, Sr. is the only “chocolate drop” in that group of parents...

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccherry2.

Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

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GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

as much as $24 trillion – approaching twice the size of the gross domestic product of the United States. More than seven trillion of that was to come out of TARP and other Treasury Department programs. That’s more than a thousand times more money than the $7.6 billion set aside for the hardest hit homeowners – but Geithner couldn’t even bring himself to spend that paltry sum on TARP’s HardMoney for est Hit Fund, so almost all homeowners of the money has been sitNo wonder most people ting there, doing nothing think TARP – the Troubled for anybody, for the last two Asset Relief Fund – is only years. concerned with bailing out the banks. The Obama ad- ‘He didn’t know’ ministration has treated it Obama apologists will that way, even though Con- probably claim the presigress intended a portion of dent didn’t know that his that money to help hom- Treasury secretary was eowners recover from the withholding billions of doldamage the banks had done. lars in aid to the worst hit From the day he was victims of the housing crisis sworn in – and even before – which means they’ll bethat, on the campaign trail lieve anything.

– Obama has behaved as if The reason Geithner the welfare of the banks is didn’t spend the Hardest all that matters. Tim GeithHit Fund money is because ner, the man he appointed he, like other bankers, beto head the Treasury Department, which in turn lieves that helping homeruns the TARP program, is owners in crisis amounts to a former president of the tampering with “the marFederal Reserve Bank of ket” – a euphemism for Wall Street. Obama thinks that New York.

A previous inspector gen- way, too.

alone, among the three Democratic presidential candidates in the running, rejected out of hand proposals for a moratorium on home foreclosures.

He didn’t want to put a cap on mortgage rates, either. Candidates John Edwards and Hillary Clinton supported mandatory or voluntary moratoriums, respectively – but not Obama.

He had already made his deal with Wall Street – and he’s kept his promises to the super-rich. Treasury Secretary Geithner sat on the homeowners’ relief money for two years, because his boss wanted it that way.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) begged Obama to target foreclosure relief funds to areas that were hurt worst by the meltdown – which overlaps with the geography of Black America. That’s what the $7.6 billion in the Hardest Hit Fund was supposed to do.

The First Black President shamelessly betrayed the CBC. The homes of hundreds of thousands of their constituents could have been saved, but the Obama team outright refused to spend money lying right there in the accounts.

What will the CBC do?

Pretend that it never happened.

Glen Ford is executive editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. E-mail him at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this story at www.flcourieral of TARP reported, back er.com to write your own in the summer of 2009, that Made his deal In early 2008, Obama response. the bank bailout might cost

Racially profiling Black businesses The positive demonstrations of support for the family of Trayvon Martin following his tragic death, and the nationwide evidence of unified response (hoodies everywhere!) and the call for justice are inspiring signs of a renewed spirit among African-Americans and others committed to correcting the obvious inequities exposed in the wake of this travesty.

Clearly, nothing we encounter in the world of business can be equated to the senseless slaying of this young man. And as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” “...injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We are clear there is no way the shock, hurt and grief Trayvon’s family endures because of the absolutely inhuman conduct of one misguided individual can be compared to the struggles of businessmen and women.

We can’t help, however, but draw parallels to the inequity Black business owners must contend with each and every day.

to provide equal opportunity...Well, you get the picture.

As a class, the businesses we work hard to represent face odds no other group faces in this country. And just as there are incredulous voices that somehow defend the series of bad decisions that resulted in the senseless snuffing out of a young life, there are those who believe there is nothing wrong with a marketplace that delivers fractional percentage points of opportunity to Black-owned businesses.

You’ve seen the numbers in this space before. According to the Census Bureau, there are 1.9 million privately held Black-owned businesses across every industry sector in the United States. We employ more than 921,000 people and generate $137.5 billion in annual revenue.

Rigged game

Huge economy

The deck is stacked against you. When the courts rule against you...when financial institutions refuse to extend credit to you...when even governments you support through your tax dollars can’t bring themselves

According to a report by the Nielsen Company, African-Americans spend more than a trillion hard-earned dollars in the U.S. economy. Tragically, even this spending does not translate to reciprocity in the form

RON BUSBY NNPA COLUMNIST

of contracting/vendor relationships from the corporations that benefit from our dollars. Tragically, the giant loopholes in regulations guiding federal, state and local utilization of ethnic minority suppliers allow for interpretations that boggle the mind – and devastate our businesses and their hope for a brighter future.

It is beyond unfortunate it takes the senseless slaying of a future businessman, a future lawyer, a future elected official, a future husband and father to cause us to take stock of all the inequity around us. But it is the reawakened sense of outrage that will fuel our commitment to correct the wrongs we see around us.

And though our commitment to improving opportunities for Black-owned businesses across this country is solid and sincere, the outpouring of support for justice in Florida fortifies us and strengthens our resolve to stay on the battlefield.

There is no doubt the same energy that awakened so many of us to Trayvon’s murder is the same energy that will drive our achieving economic parity in America’s marketplace.

Ron Busby is president of the U.S. Black Chamber, Inc. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2012

No Secret Service scandal if supervisor was a man It’s an indication of the metastasizing nature of the Secret Service prostitution scandal in Columbia that the Washington Post ran a front-page story on Paula Reid, the new Black female Secret Service supervisor for the South American region whose snap decision turned a petty argument between one prostitute and one agent into an institutional and international crisis.

The scandal has completely overshadowed and undermined President Obama’s reason for being in Columbia at that Summit of the Americas, which was to reassert America’s sphere of influence in this hemisphere.

But it’s also an indication of the reflexive, myopic and opportunistic rhetoric that passes for political opinion today that some of the most influential politicians in Washington are referring to this as the worst scandal in the history of the Secret Service.

Not the worst Really? What about the agency’s failure to prevent hapless drifter Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating JFK? Hell, even the more recent scandal of the Salahis crashing a state dinner at the White House is worse.

(I was puzzled by the apparent concern so many Republicans were expressing for Obama’s safety until I heard Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) declare that this scandal is just another manifestation of this president’s failure of

ANTHONY L. HALL, ESQ. FLORIDA COURIER COLUMNIST

leadership, just as Syria’s massacre of democratic protesters, China’s trade surplus, and even April snow in Texas all are.)

During an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” former Secret Service Director Ralph Basham insisted, “This is an aberration.

This is not the character of the men and women who serve every day in the Secret Service...Certainly, this incident is an extremely embarrassing incident, but it is an incident.”

Got that? It’s just an “incident,” folks! Yet the fallout from this implosion has already seen six agents (including two supervisors) removed from duty. And Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee that has oversight authority over the agency, has been all over TV in recent days pledging, with scoutmaster indignation, that “more heads will roll.”

Meanwhile, former director Basham only hinted at the undeniable truth that, if Reid had been one of the good ol’ boys instead of a newly appointed woman, this incident would have been handled just like all others had been – with the supervisor slapping the primary agent involved

EDITORIAL

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GUNS IN AMERICA

on the wrist and fellow agents ribbing him as a knucklehead and admonishing him to just pay up next time.

Not the first time The corollary is that, since nobody believes this was their first group assignation with prostitutes, Secret Service agents clearly know how to deal with them without compromising the president’s safety. And but for Reid, the extracurricular secrets of the agents would have been kept, none of them would have lost their jobs (and possibly their marriages), and the nation would have been spared all of the sanctimonious carping about the performance of an agency whose public record and reputation are the envy of the world.

Supervisor Reid simply overreacted. Lest you think my judgment here is clouded by bad old-fashioned male chauvinism, please bear in mind that I have written many commentaries with titles like, “Women Make Better Politicians than Men,” in which I proudly extol the virtues and effectiveness of women assuming positions of power traditionally held by men.

But for Reid’s hysterical reaction, there would be no scandal; the critical esprit de corps within the agency would still be firmly intact (reports are that the agents are now turning on each other to save their own hides and some are even threatening to sue the

BILL DAY, CAGLE CARTOONS

agency); and most importantly, there would be no greater concern about the agency’s ability to protect the president today than there was on the day he was inaugurated.

Instead, not since a bunch of self-righteous Republicans attempted to impeach former President Bill Clinton, has a little bit of harmless sex triggered such a selfinflicted institutional crisis on the one hand, and a hypocritical political witch hunt on the other.

Good conscience and common sense dictate that a little more deference should be accorded these agents who take a vow to take a bullet for the president.

‘Black spinster’ I’d hate to be in Reid’s position.

Even though grandstanding politicians are hailing her as a latterday Miss Goody Two-Shoes, the “Mad Men” inside the agency undoubtedly deplore and resent her

trigger-happy officiousness. She may not see it now, but she just placed a glass ceiling over her own head as far as her career in the Secret Service is concerned.

Given that she’s a 46-year-old Black spinster to boot, just imagine the backlash (to say nothing of the racial jokes about a Black woman swooping in to clean up the mess; never mind that she made it herself ).

Note that this incident went down in an area of Columbia where prostitution is legal. I’m on record declaring that prostitution should be legal everywhere.

Anthony L. Hall is a Bahamian native with an international law practice in Washington, D.C. Read his columns and daily weblog at www.theipinionsjournal.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

‘Scandalous’ sizzle or fizzle?

Thursday nights have gotten hot. Thursday is when viewers can tune into ABC’s new drama, “Scandal.” The show revolves around the life and work of a powerful and professional crisis manager who left the White House to create her own successful, takeno-prisoners image consulting firm.

Even if you weren’t one of the 1.8 million African-Americans (out of a total of 7.3 million total viewers) who tuned in to “Scandal’s” premiere on April 5, surely you’ve heard the buzz about it.

ABC heavily invested in a fullcourt press of broadcast (radio and TV), print and online promotion. And for African-Americans in particular, the concept of the program has many Blacks puffed up with pride and pleased to welcome the program to the nighttime drama lineup for several reasons.

• “Scandal” was created by an African-American woman, Shonda Rhimes, who is also the creator of the long-running, award-winning ABC hits “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice.”

CHERYL PEARSONMCNEIL NNPA COLUMNIST

• It stars an African-American woman, Kerry Washington, as Olivia Pope.

• The program is inspired by the life of a real-life former White House aide, Washington PR powerhouse and image-fixer, Judy Smith, who is also African-American.

This was a historic triple-win for Blacks. I’ll bet you’re just dying to know how the ratings shaped up.

More than 7.3 million viewers watched the show. The 1.88 million Black viewers who tuned in placed it firmly in second place as Black viewers’ choice for all shows that aired on network and cable the week of April 2 – April 8. It placed ahead of “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC), which had 1.82 million Black viewers, “The Game” (BET) with 1.79 million Blacks watching, “American Idol”

(FOX) with 1.57 million Blacks and “Let’s Stay Together” (BET) with 1.49 million.

The only program “Scandal” didn’t beat out was the “NCAA Basketball Championship” (CBS), which had 2.85 million Black viewers.

Sisters rule

Since the show centers on an African-American woman lead, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that of the 1.82 million Black viewers 1.3 million of them were women. As “The State of the African-American Consumer Report” notes, African-American women make up 64 percent of the U.S. labor force compared with 60 percent of other women, and Black women tend to be the primary decision makers for most household purchasing decisions. This is relevant because marketers like to know that they’ll attract a consumer demographic segment if they directly appeal to that segment.

“Scandal” is, according to Support this show!

It’s been 37 YEARS since an AfRhimes, a show for women. According to press reports, Rhimes, rican-American woman has held Washington and Smith all felt “a a starring role in an hour-long

Wisdom from our ancestors As election year 2012 moves rapidly along, it is very useful for us to pay heed to some observations made by three of our ancestors – in this case Frederick Douglass, Williams Sanders Scarborough, a former president of Wilberforce University, Ohio and Zora Neale Hurston.

Douglass, in an “Address to the People of the United States” delivered on September 25, 1883 at a Convention of Colored Men in Louisville, Ky., said, “Though the colored man is no longer subject to barter and sale, he is surrounded by an adverse settlement which fetters all his movements. In his downward course he meets with no resistance, but his course upward is resented and resisted at every step of his progress.

‘Resented as impudence’ “If he comes in ignorance, rags and wretchedness he conforms to the popular belief of his character, and in that character he is welcome; but if he shall come as a gentleman, a scholar and a statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to the national faith concerning his race, and his coming is resented as impudence. In one case he

A. Peter Bailey TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

tremendous responsibility to offer characters that differ from the regular negative portrayals of African-American women, particularly on reality television shows.”

“Scandal” beat out standard favorites and reality shows the first week. But what about week two?

Well, not so much. Black viewers tuned in higher numbers for “The Game” (2.01 million), followed by “Dancing with the Stars” (1.99) and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” (1.87), with “Scandal” dropping to 1.74 million Black viewers.

African-Americans watch 40 percent more television than any other group and prefer live programming with sports, drama and reality shows being the most popular. These numbers reflect that trend. But the second week’s lower “Scandal” numbers don’t coincide with the outcry I often hear from Blacks about the need for “quality programming with positive images.”

and above all, the men of the most profound integrity and uprightness, must take the helm or retrogression will be the inevitable result. Politics followed as an end has been the curse of our race. Under it problems have multiplied, and under it the masses have remained longer than they should in the lower stage of development. Only in the hands of men of noble mold, and used only as a means to an end, can politics accomplish the highest good for all the race.”

Zora Neale Hurston, in a 1928 essay, “How It Feels To Be Colored,” declared “I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it...No, I do not weep at the world – I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.”

may provoke contempt and derision, but in the other he is an affront to pride and provokes malice.”

Scarborough, in an address on February 11, 1899 at a Lincoln Day banquet in Dayton, Ohio, warned, "I would be false to the race and my own convictions did I not pause to give the warning that, after all, neither parties nor politics alone can save the Negro.

He needs to make a new start in his civil and political career. He must pay less attention to politics and more to business, to industry, to education, to the building up of a strong and sturdy manhood everywhere – to the assimilation generally of all that goes to demand the world’s respect and consideration. He must lop off, as so many incubi, the professional Negro office-holder, and the Negro politician who aspires to lead the race, for the reveContact A. Peter Bailey nue that is in it. at apeterb@verizon.net, or 202-716-4560. Click on ‘Take the helm’ this story at www.flcouri“The best men, the wis- er.com to write your own est, the most unselfish, response.

primetime network dramatic series. Not since 1974, when ABC starred Teresa Graves in “Get Christie Love,” has a Black woman held that honor. So, if ABC and Rhimes are bold enough to give Blacks what we “say” we want, wouldn’t one expect that the number of Black viewers to increase and not decrease each week?

Consider carefully how you use your consumer power. Advertisers, marketers, and broadcasters make their decisions based on it.

Prove you want – through your actions, spending patterns and viewing habits. If you don’t support quality shows, they could disappear for another 37 years.

That truly would be scandalous.

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is the senior vice president of public affairs and government relations for The Nielsen Company, a global information and measurement company. For more information and studies, go to www.nielsenwire.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: As I sit at the computer trying to complete my 2011 federal tax forms, I find myself getting more and more angry.

I realize that in order to limit the amount of taxes I owe in the future I will have to increase my withholding amount. As a 68-year-old retired grandmother, raising two teenage grandchildren, I am outraged. How can it possibly be legal, appropriate, and fair for hedge fund operators and financial speculators to pay only 15 percent on their earnings when I must pay a 30 percent rate on my fixed retirement income?

I support myself and my grandchildren on my monthly income and rarely, if ever, have anything left at the end of the month. I never made the kind of money that corporate CEO’s make, that is, $20 million or more per year.

While I was working, most would consider me to have been a solid middle class, well-educated American success story. I paid for my daughter to go to college with very little help from anyone.

(She is now very ill and unable to take care of her two younger children.) My

oldest grandchild is a senior in high school. She will not be as fortunate to graduate college without overwhelming personal debt. She will go to college, but it will be a very different and very stressful experience.

Back in the ‘60s, you had to pass Civics class to graduate from high school. I was taught to appreciate the role of good government and to understand the concept of “the greatest good for the greatest number.” In the ‘70s, we were advised to adapt to an attitude of “benign neglect” toward the underclass and disabled.

Today “benign neglect” has become “malicious indifference.” Wall Street speculators, corporate kings, and right-wing extremists have no appreciation or understanding for the imperative of investing in the most important assets of a nation, i.e., its young people, its old people, and its local and national infrastructure.

It has been said that behind every great fortune is a great crime. One of the crimes that the 1 percent parlayed is the duplicitous lobbying that secured the removal of Glass/Steagall regulation (a rule that prohibited banks from spec-

ulating with depositors’ money) and the 15 percent taxing of financial speculation income. These congressional actions laid the framework for the recent accumulation of massive wealth by the 1 percent.

Unfortunately there are no Carnegies, Fords or Rockefellers in this new breed. They appear to have no big picture view of their part in the overall wellbeing of their home base – the United States of America. They may make a profit by sending American jobs to China and pay less than their share in supporting their country, but they are unwittingly destroying the matrix of American life that gives them a safe, secure base to come home to.

Again, the upending of the hardworking middle class must stop. If a 68 year old retiree has reached the point of “MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE,” the 1 percent had better put away the “malicious indifferent” way of being and get in tune with “the greatest good for the greatest number.”

– Claire E. Gemtry (From the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint newspaper)

TOj A6

FLORIDA

APRIL 27 – may 3, 2012

Gulf regions rebound two years after spill BP settlement estimated to cost company $7.8 billion

BY MICHAEL PELTIER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Two years after an explosion killed 11 workers and sent oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, BP has paid nearly $2.7 billion in claims to Florida businesses and individuals for damages caused by the worst spill in U.S. history.

Florida regions economically devastated by the spill that began April 20, 2010, have generally rebounded, as tourists have returned to the beaches. Florida’s coast was largely spared the brunt of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which flooded the Gulf with 4.9 million barrels of oil and nearly 2 million gallons of chemical dispersants, but wreaked most of its havoc on the open Gulf itself and the coastal areas of Louisiana, and to some degree Mississippi and Alabama.

While Florida beaches weren’t fouled to the extent of those in neighboring states, the tourists didn’t make the distinction and many Florida destinations lost a year or more of income.

Along with payments to individuals and businesses totaling more than $6.3 billion to date, BP has spent millions more to reimburse local and state governments from Louisiana to Florida on an array of fronts from helping market Florida seafood to restoring sand dunes and building parks in the Pensacola area.

But despite the dollars spent, critics say the long-range effects of the spill may take years to ascertain, while the issue slips from the collective memory of state and federal officials charged with making sure BP pays to clean up the mess.

Settlement reached,| projects approved Last week, the company announced a settlement in a lawsuit

EMILY MICHOT/MIAMI HERALD/MCT

Tim Morris casts his net from a pier in Pensacola on June 30, 2011 in what he called a good fishing spot before the oil spill but was more “wish fishing’’ last year.” brought by more than 100,000 individual and business plaintiffs.

The settlement, estimated by BP officials to cost the company $7.8 billion, does not have a cap and expected to be one of the largest class action settlements in history.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans is expected to consider the request April 25.

Before the April 18 announcement, BP had paid more than $8.1 billion to individuals, businesses and governments and another $14 billion on operational response. The company has taken a $37.2 billion charge on

its financial books, a figure that includes $20 billion placed in a trust fund administered by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

In addition, the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council has earmarked $60 million for eight projects, including two in Florida.

“Florida’s focus on early restoration has been to ensure environmental impacts are addressed as well as to make up for the loss of access to our natural resources by residents and visitors alike,” said Florida trustee representative Mimi A. Drew in a

Recession forces violence shelters to turn victims away

BY MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – A perfect storm of slashed funding, strapped donors, underwater mortgages and high unemployment is causing battered women’s shelters to turn victims away at a time when the need may is greater than usual.

Domestic violence has risen during the economic downturn, and services are eroding.

According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, 92 percent of victim service providers have seen an increased demand in the last year, while 84 percent reported that cutbacks in funding were directly affecting their work.

Need has outgrown money coming in In Florida, the state’s 42 domestic violence shelters had to turn away 3,352 women in the last fiscal year, said Leisa Wiseman, director of communications and government affairs for the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV).

“The need continues to grow,” said Wiseman. “Sad as it is, there are times when survivors have to be turned away from domestic violence shelters…[It] is a key issue in homelessness.”

Florida’s domestic violence shelter funding is figured by formula and has remained largely constant throughout the downturn. An additional $1 million for services was provided in recurring general revenue in the budget Gov. Rick Scott signed last week. But the need has outgrown the incoming money.

Children and Families’ role limited Also last week, Scott signed into law another measure (HB 7093), which limits the role of the Department of Children and Families in certifying do-

mestic violence shelters, transferring some of those responsibilities to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence. It also names the organization specifically as the state’s partner in coordinating and administering the prevention of domestic violence.

But Scott also noted that he while he was signing the bill, the FCADV might not have that privilege forever.

“I believe it is inappropriate to designate in statute a specific private entity as the recipient of state funds. Such a practice restricts the competitive procurement process,” Scott wrote in a message about the bill signing. Scott said he plans to ask the 2013 Legislature to replace FCADV in the statute with “a general reference to a nonprofit organization.”Women staying longer in shelters Meanwhile, women who do secure a shelter bed are finding it harder to move on and give up their beds to others in danger.

“The women in the shelter are staying longer because they can’t get jobs and they can’t find affordable housing,” said Linda Osmundson, director of Community Action Stops Abuse the shelter in St. Petersburg. With just 30 beds in an urban area, that shelter has turned away 2,000 women in the last two fiscal years, Osmundson said.

What’s more, said Wiseman, housing for abuse victims must be safe as well as affordable – which tends to increase the expense. And given that abusers tend to keep tight control of the family finances, battered women rarely have much credit or job history with which to pay a deposit on rent or utilities. That makes it all the harder for them to find housing.

“What may be affordable may not be safe,” said Wiseman.

Not enough funding, staff Additionally,

the

housing

statement.

Independent audit released Though acknowledging that tourists have returned to the state, Carol Dover, president of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said the group will also continue to monitor the repayment progress.

“We remain optimistic, yet vigilant, that claims will continue to be paid through the GCCF to industry members and that Florida’s state and national elected officials will maintain the ban on

the amount of money they were funding in the community,” she said. “Corporations started to horde their cash during the recession. And individuals, of course, didn’t have enough money, so individual donors weren’t able to give as much money.”

Reduction in contributors, grants

The women in the shelter are staying longer because they can’t get jobs and they can’t find affordable housing.

Linda Osmundson Community Action Stops Abuse (CASA), St. Petersburg has forced more couples who might have separated to stay together in a violent relationship, said Rita Smith, director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Florida is ranked third nationwide in foreclosures.

Meanwhile, providers say funding from the federal government to their local city and county governments is drying up. Last September, when Florida shelters participated in the 2011 National Census of Domestic Violence Services, 45 percent reported insufficient funding for needed programs, 31 percent reported no available beds or funding for hotels, and 29 percent reported not enough staff.

That’s a nationwide trend as well, said Smith.

“During the recession, foundations that get their money from stock market profits saw a decrease in the money they were earning there, so they cut

Osmundson, the St. Petersburg shelter’s director for 23 years, said her budget has gone from being 75 percent grantfunded to 55 percent during the downturn. “So that’s that much more we have to raise,” she said, noting that Florida ranks 48th nationally in charitable giving, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

“You’re not seeing as many contributors or, frankly, as many grant-making opportunities,” Wiseman said.

Since September 2008, three of four domestic violence shelters report an increase in women seeking help with an abuser, and 73 percent attribute the increase to “financial issues” in those relationships.

The long-term consequences of a spike in domestic violence are also likely to cost taxpayers.

In the last fiscal year, for instance, 47 percent of the residents of Florida domestic violence shelters were children.

Studies show that children who witness spouse abuse are at greater risk for mental health and substance abuse problems, suicide and involvement with the criminal justice system – to say nothing of future roles as batterers or victims.

Problem will increase without more funding Last year Florida’s domestic violence shelters helped victims prepare 82,000 safety plans in case they found the opportunity to leave.

Smith of the national coalition said if the economy doesn’t turn around, and money for shelters doesn’t increase, the problem will worsen.

“Programs have already cut back on services to try to get through this downturn,” Smith said. “And if we continue to cut their funds, then they’re not going to be cutting services, they’re going to be closing their doors.”

oil drilling off our shores,” Dover said.

An independent audit of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, requested by members of Congress, was released last week and said some 7,300 claimants will get more money than they originally were allotted.

“We heard from a number of people who felt they were shortchanged,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida. “I’m glad now many of these folks in Florida and the other Gulf Coast states will be more fully compensated.

Florida House drops Amendment 6 challenge The House will not appeal a federal court decision upholding new state standards for drawing congressional districts, a spokeswoman for Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, confirmed last week.

The lawsuit, started by Republican Congressman Mario DiazBalart and Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown, had argued that the state constitution could not tie lawmakers' authority under the U.S. Constitution to redraw congressional seats.

A federal judge in Miami and a three-judge panel in Atlanta had both rejected that theory. The antigerrymandering Amendment 6 was adopted by voters in a November 2010 referendum; the map drawn by the Legislature earlier this year is being challenged under the standards in state court.

Governor signs lottery vending machine bill Gov. Rick Scott has signed legislation (HB 843) authorizing the Department of Lottery to lease vending machines that will dispense online lottery tickets, instant tickets or both. Backers said the bill would increase sales – and could bring in $8.1 million in additional revenue next year, and possibly $21 million in additional income for education in the following year. Another (HB 945) would require the state to reapply for federal stimulus money to help with expanding broadband coverage. Scott also signed several budget conforming bills.

–News Service of Florida

HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD April 27 - May 3, 2012

IFE/FAITH

Upcoming events include ‘Evening in Africa’ See page B5

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA www.flcourier.com

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Some fresh twists on potato classics See page B6

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SECTION

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Strength

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE TIMS FAMILY

Above: Pastor Riva Tims is shown preaching at Majestic Life Ministries, the church she started in 2009.

Left: Pastor Riva Tims (center) is shown with her four children – Zoelle, Zion, Zachery III and Zahria.

The

to carry on

In an exclusive interview with the Florida Courier, Orlando Pastor Riva Tims discusses her children, her ministry and new book that deals with her life after the death of her ex-husband, Pastor Zachery Tims.

‘Even

BY RHETTA PEOPLES SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

though you go through the hardships and the pain, His strength covers you.”

Pastor Riva Tims not only says this with passion, she is a living testimony of someone who has dealt with life’s struggles and is fighting to help others reap the rewards of what she believes God has to offer.

Tims, the ex wife of Pastor Zachery Tims and the mother of his four children, is determined to pick up the pieces of her life and move forward in her own ministry.

The Tims were the cofounders of New Living Destiny Church of Apopka, which has a predominantly Black congregation and is one of Central Florida’s largest congregations. Pastor Zachery Tims was found dead in a New York hotel room on Aug. 12, 2011.

Mom’s request granted This month, a New York City appeals court granted the request of Zachery Tims’ mother to keep the city’s medical examiner’s office from revealing what killed the pastor.

Madeline Tims has told the court that disclosing her son’s cause of death would be an embarrasment to her, his children, and the New Destiny congregation.

Also this month, Riva Tims organized a short memorial gathering on April 18 to remember her ex husband on what would have been his 43rd birthday. The program was attended by her children, supporters and friends who gathered at the pastor’s burial site at Woodlawn Memorial Park near Orlando.

Tims children ‘moving forward’ After 15 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2009. The union produced four children – Zoelle, 17; Zachery Tims III, 16; Zahria, 14; and Zion, the youngest at age 12.

“The girls are doing really well. The

boys, because they are the ones that spent more time with their dad they are still grieving, but they are moving forward,” Riva Tims said. “Being that we were already divorced at the time of his death, it wasn’t a drastic change as far as our household is concerned. But as far as the times they would visit, being that they aren’t able to do that, that is hard for them.”

Tims says she also continues to grieve for their loss.

“We had just spent time with him in Puerto Rico and he looked great. He looked strong. I didn’t know. I didn’t know. It’s been rough. I grieve. I grieve what could have been, I grieve the man that I married, I grieve him not seeing his kids grow up, the kids not experiencing him walking them down the aisle. I look at his picture and I find myself going through that process. The last six months have not been easy, but it is becoming a healthy place.’

In March, Riva Tims released a new book, “When It All Falls Apart: Find Healing, Joy and Victory Through the Pain’’ published by Charisma House.

In the book, she shares her testimony on surviving a broken marriage, her ex-husband’s death and the controversy that ensued over the battle for leadership of New Destiny. She calls it the “road map’’ God gave her to reach a place of healing and wholeness.

Book called ‘great ministry tool’ Her book is doing well. It’s already in reprint after only being released one month.

“It is a great ministry tool and that speaks to the impact that it’s having across the board. Men, women, widowers, people who have lost anything – they get empowered,” Tims explained.

“People can expect to laugh, they can expect to cry, they can expect to say ‘go ‘head girl, do your thing.’ I don’t hold back. I share everything that I went through. It will tell you how to deal with divorce, the loss of a loved one, any kind of loss.”

Riva Tims explains that she met Zachery when they both were very young.

“We met in Baltimore, Md. I was attending a church there in Baltimore and he started attending as well. He actually introduced himself to me while I was working in the youth ministry and history is from there,” she told the Florida Courier.

They moved to Central Florida and founded New Destiny in 1995. The ministry eventually grew to 8,000 members.

No input on new pastor Shortly after Zachery Tims’ death last year, Paula White, the pastor of Without Walls International Church in Tampa and popular televangelist, was selected to lead New Destiny.

Riva Tims opposed the appointment, noting that the decision to choose White deprived her children of their lawful inheritance. She also had called the selection process “negligent and illegal” as well as “deceptive.”

To the current and former members of New Destiny, Tims has this to say, “Make sure your focus is on the Lord and not on man, not on circumstance, not on the personality. Go through the full and total grieving process.

“Sometimes we take and say we have faith and fake it ‘till we make it, but there’s a lot of hurt that never gets dealt with. It was a tragic loss. The Bible says when the shepherd is smitten, then the sheep scatter so not only did they lose their shepherd but they lost family members of the church that have gathered other places. It is very traumatic and they must take the time to really get a full healing before they try to move forward strong in ministry.”

Tims admitted that she would have wanted to be part of helping the church she founded get back on track.

“I would have liked to have had the role of helping bring healing there. I would have liked to have been able to be a part of the selection process. If they had asked me to do that, I would have gladly obliged, but it wasn’t something that I went after.”

Never wanted to be senior pastor Tims said she never envisioned hav-

ing her own church before starting Majestic Life Ministries.

“I still have the same vision as I had when New Destiny was birthed. That never left. But we also have what we call a team-based ministry, where it’s not one person that is glorified or considered the celebrity of the church. It’s not based on a personality but is truly based on the word. The team-based ministry is unique in that it helps to keep things balanced.

Tims adds, “Every department has a team so that everything continues to move forward and everyone is learning and mastering their God-given balance.

Most people are enjoying that aspect of our church.”

It will be three years in October since the start of Majestic Life Ministries and the ministry is growing. Today, there are about 400 members and Tims attributes that to blessings from God. “When I started Majestic Life, I never wanted to be a senior pastor. I just wanted to evangelize, outreach, and it kind of turned into a church. The Lord told me ‘Don’t grow the church, grow See STRENGTH, Page B2

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CALENDAR

B2

APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2012

‘Abolitionist Imagination’ provides perspective on 19th-century activists

BY DR. GLENN C. ALTSHULER SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Advocates of the abolition of slavery may well have been the most successful radicals in American history. A tiny fraction of the population, they forced many of their fellow citizens, including political leaders, to confront what they regarded as the nation’s original sin. They deserve considerable credit for ending bondage for four million Black people.

And yet, abolitionists were – and often are – regarded as unreasonable, impatient fanatics who longed for a conflagration in which sin and sinners would be consumed – and helped bring on a Civil War that left 600,000 Americans dead.

“The Abolitionist Imag-

ination’’ provides some perspective on 19th-century abolitionists and on the more general phenomenon of a determined minority, motivated by religious conviction, that demands an immediate purifying social transformation.

The slim volume includes a lecture, delivered at Harvard by Andrew Delbanco, a professor of American Studies at Columbia University, responses by four literary scholars and historians, and a rejoinder by Delbanco.

Exploring nation’s ‘vital center’ Lively and informative, the exchanges invite us to think hard about radicalism, America’s “vital center,” what we would (or should) have done in the 1840s and ‘50s, and what relationship, if any, the

movement to abolish slavery has to contemporary movements, including opposition to abortion, that invoke a higher law standard and a “more expansive” view of what qualifies as a human life.

Acknowledging the “vindicated righteousness” of abolitionism, Delbanco believes it still “compels us to ask what is, alas, a perennial question: How much blood for how much good?” Uncomfortable with a “heroes versus villains narrative,” a morality tale, which is alltoo-easy to embrace in retrospect, Delbanco takes issue with anyone who dismisses neutrality, indifference and collusion “as the same thing.”

Searching for a ‘middle way’ The men and women of the antebellum era, he re-

S

BOOK REVIEW

“The Abolitionist Imagination’’ by Andrew Delbanco, Harvard University Press, 224 pages, $24.95 minds us, could not see into the future. Some of them, including Nathaniel Hawthorne (much to the consternation of Delbanco’s interlocutors in this book, he deems him a “politically unclassifiable writer”), he insists, were “people of conscience,” who preferred ambiguity to ardent simplicity, and tried, “desperately to find a middle way.”

The respondents help supply the context in which abolitionists should be assessed. By seeking to nationalize slavery in the Fugitive Slave Law, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott decision, John Stauffer, a professor of English and African-American Studies at Harvard, points out, southerners (not abolitionists) obliterated the “vital center” of American politics.

Abolitionists did not start a war, adds Manisha Sinha, professor of AfroAmerican Studies and History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; they sought to end the permanent war of southern slaveholders against Black people. Sinha notes as well that those who wring their hands about the carnage in the Civil War do not condemn supporters of American intervention in World War II, which defeated the Nazis.

Lesson about ‘alliances’ The abolitionists, according to Wilfred McClay, a professor of history at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, could not

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Miami: The Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade will host four days of Perinatal Loss Professional Development Seminars. Sessions will provide physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors and hospital chaplains working in the field of maternal and infant health with tools to help families bereaving the death of a baby. The free classes will take place May 16-19 at Homewood Suites: 5500 Blue Lagoon Drive. More information and to register, visit hscmd.org, call 305-541-0210 or email training@hscmd.org.

Fort Lauderdale: Author Nicole Arnoux will talk about her book “In the Mind of an Inmate’s Wife” noon on May 5 at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. More information: 954357-2810 or www.facebook. com/authoressarnoux.

Coral Gables: The Coral Gables Museum invites the public to submit a personal

Jeffrey Osborne, Millie Jackson, Ken Boothe and more will be at the Miramar Regional Park in Miramar July 8 for a 3 p.m. show.

Miami: The Best of The Best concert will be held Memorial Day weekend May 27 at Bicentennial Park. Featured artists include Shaggy, Mavado, DJ Khaled, John Holt and Marcia Griffiths. Information: Bestofthebestconcert.com.

IVORY CLUB’S ‘EVENING IN AFRICA’

The Ivory Club of Tampa will host its eighth “Evening in Africa” on May 5 at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel. The group of professional African men will welcome nearly 200 guests for an experience of African culture. This is the major fundraiser for the organization’s programs and outreach efforts, including the Boys and Girls Club, Liberian Orphanage, and the University of South Florida scholarships and lecture series. Tickets are $60 per person. A reception is at 6, followed by a 7:30 p.m. dinner/dance. Tickets: www.ivoryclubtampa.eventbrite.com.

Miami: Miami’s religious clerics, priests, rabbis and diverse community leaders will stand together with local leaders, students and community groups to raise awareness to “The Awakening to Oneness,” taking place at Tobacco Road, April 29 at 4 p.m. The gathering will conclude at sunset with

special performances and a candlelighting ceremony.

More information: theawakeningtooneness.yolasite.com.

Palm Beach: The ninth annual Jerk and Caribbean Culture Festival celebrating Jamaica’ 50th year of independence will be held May 28 from 2 p.m. - 10 p.m. at

Dr. Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University.

highlights for April to include prearranged group tours available during library hours at 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. More information: 954-357-5950.

Free homework help is also available for students grades K through 12 at 3 p.m. More information: 954-357-6157.

JEFFREY OSBORNE

photograph of “The City Beautiful” for a chance to exhibit at the museum and win exciting prizes. This skillbased photography contest is open to all ages. Awards will be determined by a professional jury and a public vote. For contest rules and to submit your photo entry, visit www.coralgablesmueum.org.

“traffic in irony,” like Hawthorne and Melville, “because their cause was too all-consuming.”

But it’s also worth remembering that even as abolitionists stretched the contours of what was possible, their actions would have been futile if not for Abraham Lincoln, whose moral heroism “resided in his willingness to wait on the very same history that they tried to hasten.” Their “tense and fractious alliances” supplies a lesson – for their time and for ours.

There is a lesson as well in McClay’s conclusion that anyone who uses the abolitionist “master narrative” as a model must address not only the manner in which the ends will be pursued but must define them – and make a compelling case that they are the best means available to enhance freedom and justice.

Miami: Betty Wright joins R&B singer Monica at the James L. Knight Center on May 13 for a Mother’s Day Special show at 7 p.m. the Meyer Amphitheater, 104 Datura St. Children 12 and under free. Adults $15 presale, $25 at the gate. More information: www.pbjerkfestival.com or 561-8568478.

Fort Lauderdale: Broward County Library presents the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center

Tampa: The Fresh Music Festival featuring Guy, SWV, K-Ci & Jo-Jo, Keith Sweat and more will be at the USF Sun Dome July 7 for an 8 p.m. show.

Coral Gables: R&B group New Edition will be at the BankUnited Center May 5 for an 8 p.m. show.

STRENGTH from B1 the sheep.’ I never advertised; I never did anything but grow the church,’’ she remarked.

Sister: Family’s even closer now Tims also has a twin, Rena Jones, who is very active in her sister’s ministry and works at Majestic Life Ministries as the Executive Director of Administration.

Jones said, “Although we are twins, God has given us different giftings and assignments in the Kingdom. We always say ‘I can’t do what she does and she can’t do what I do.’

Administration is my passion.

I am honored and overjoyed to be able to do something that I love everyday.

“Even though we are sisters, we both understand the office of a pastor. It is easy for me to respond to her as Pastor and know when to respond to her as sister.”

Jones continued, “Because my sister and I have known each other literally our entire existence, we pretty much know everything about one another. I have walked with her through the toughest times of our lives, and I have personally seen the mighty hand of God move in her life. I have also seen my sister stand on the Word of God when nothing made sense, and I have literally seen miracles come to past. This whole ordeal has drawn our entire family closer to each other and the Lord.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE TIMS FAMILY

A talented family: Zion blows his horn while Zoelle sings at church. Shown above are Pastor Zachery Tims along with Zahria, Pastor Riva, Zion, Zoelle and Zachery III.

Plea: Remember good, not mistakes Jones also had fond words about her brother-in-law.

“Dr. Zachery Tims was my brother and I loved him as a brother. The whole situation with the divorce and his death was devastating to me and to my family. My husband and I have three children and they too grieved the death of Uncle Zach. I have gone through grief counseling to help me to process the pain of his death.

My prayer is that the Body of Christ will remember him for all the good that he did and to learn from his mistakes and not to repeat them.”

On the Trayvon Martin

shooting, Riva Tims said her ex husband certainly would have taken a lead role in the movement for justice. She said, “I think he would have been a rallier for justice. He probably would have had a big crusade so to speak and I’m sure he would have made a TV presence. Zach was very vocal. And when it came to a fight he always ran to the fight.”

Remarriage a possibility Love is not out of the question for Tims and she prays that she will one day enjoy married life again.

When asked if she will re-

marry, she giggled and asked, “Do you know anybody single?”

But her primary focus is her children and the ministry.

Even in an interview, she is eager to invite one to know God. She says people often get caught up with trying to clean themselves up before giving their lives to God. “Messed up, jacked up... come as you are. He does the rest. He just needs you to make that step to come to Him,’’ the pastor remarked.

“You can be dealt a bad hand and life is unfair but...we serve a just God.” For more information about the book, visit www.rivatimsbook.com.

STOJ

APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2012

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Allan Pinkerton, left, served as head of the Union Intelligence Service, forerunner of the U.S. Secret Service, and guardian of President Abraham Lincoln.

Secret Service member Olive H. Doyle in 1920.

Women have played a part in the agency since 1906.

Agents must be ready for anything. A 1950 volleyball game between members of President Harry S. Truman’s team in Key West, Fla., players included a naval admiral, a naval commander and Secret Service agents.

HISTORY

B3

Library of Congress

A 1963 photo of President John F. Kennedy protected by Secret Service agents while greeting a group of tourists.

THE REAGAN LIBRARY ARCHIVES

Agents help the wounded, James Brady and officer Thomas Delahanty, during the chaos after the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

Protecting the president

A look inside the Secret Service

By James Janega Chicago Tribune

he Secret Service is often in the shadows, silently standing guard behind public officials. But suddenly the agency finds itself in the spotlight in the wake of a scandal involving prostitutes and other misconduct overseas. Here we shed some light on the agency itself and the men and women who serve.

Ted Richardson/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are surrounded by Secret Service agents as they walk down Pennsylvania Avenue en route to the White House on Inauguration Day.

History • Though the Secret Service is widely known today for protecting public officials and their families, it was founded in 1865 to protect an asset even more important than the president — money.

One-third to one-half of all U.S. currency during the Civil War was counterfeit.

President Abraham Lincoln established a commission to stop the problem and created the United States Secret Service to carry out the commission’s recommendations. Tracking down counterfeit operations remains a central goal of the Secret Service.

• The first 25 presidents had no formal protection. That changed after President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Now, protection is more thorough than ever — informed by attempts on officials’ lives, both successful and not, publicized and not.

Who gets protection?

About 30 people get full-time protection in the United States (more in an election year). Included are: • Presidents and vice presidents and their spouses, up to 10 years after leaving office, and their children up to age 16 unless otherwise ordered. Anyone can decline, in writing, protection after leaving office. Richard Nixon did.

• Candidates for president and vice president, their spouses and children (at a cost of $500,000 a month for 30-plus agents).

• The secretary of state, national security adviser and others (exact list is classified). In addition, the Secret Service usually protects 80 to 200 visiting foreign dignitaries annually.

Getting around PROTOCOL • Armored limousines are used that can withstand a missile or rocket-propelled grenade.

• Entering and exiting are never done on a street.

• Exact itinerary is kept secret.

• Bulletproof lecterns are used.

• The Oval Office is equipped with trick locks.

AGENTS’ TASKS • Teach the president how to wave and move.

an attack can be suppressed before its objective has been reached, and (b) Even if the president escapes unharmed, the cost in other lives, injuries or property damage is usually very great before the attacker is subdued.”

— Secret Service Training Manual Training

FIVE-MONTH PROGRAM • Nine weeks in the Criminal Investigation Training Program, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, Ga. • Eleven weeks at the Secret Service Training Academy, Beltsville, Md.

Jim Barcus/MCT

Charles Green, a Secret Service agent in Kansas City, Mo., displays a stack of counterfeit money. From October 2007 to August 2008, the agency removed more than $103 million in counterfeit U.S. currency from circulation.

• Test his food for poison.

• Use frequencies reserved for police and Secret Service.

• Operate X-ray checks before allowing entry to secure areas, and search bags and cases.

• Review lists of hundreds of people known to be dangerous.

• Keep files on thousands of people who have made even vague threats, categorized under “mental” or “non-mental” cases.

• Be part of countersniper teams.

Following the president The Secret Service would not say exactly how intrusively agents might follow a protectee. The short answer: They go everywhere. Whether the person is at work, at play or at home, agents are never far behind — sometimes holding on to a belt loop, just in case.

Goal is prevention “Every practical precaution and safeguard should be taken to prevent the actual perpetration of an attack, because: (a) There is seldom any assurance that

SUBJECTS • Counterfeit investigation • Criminal procedure • Subduing and arrest • Abnormal psychology and the psychology of interviewing suspects • Profiling • Screening films of assassinations and assassination attempts SPECIAL SKILLS • Dog handling • Bomb detection and disposal • First aid • Water survival • Evasive driving • Falling from a moving limousine without getting hurt • Karate, wrestling, boxing • Counterterrorism tactics • Firearms — shooting in the dark, shooting moving and stationary targets from a moving limousine, shooting a person running through a crowd, firing submachine guns and shotguns • Surveillance and countersurveillance • Knowing what to watch for in crowds • Gathering protective intelligence

REQUIREMENTS FOR AGENTS • Must be age 21 to 37 and a citizen • Must have good eyesight • Must be in excellent physical condition • Must have a bachelor’s degree IF YOU’RE ACCEPTED • Starting annual pay is as low as $29,656

Secret Service trivia • President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated the same day he established the Secret Service.

• William Wood was the first chief of the Secret Service. In his first year, he closed more than 200 counterfeiting plants.

• In 1902, the Secret Service assumed full-time responsibility for protecting the president with only two operatives assigned full-time to the White House detail.

• Barbara Riggs became the first woman deputy director in the agency’s history, in 2004.

• Secret Service protection for presidential candidate Barack Obama began in May 2007 — the earliest initiation of protection for any candidate in history.

SOURCES: Tribune reporting, “The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency” by Philip H. Melanson, www.secretservice.gov

Have what it takes?

TO APPLY Prospective applicants are advised that the job potentially demands risk of life.

If you’re OK with that, then you would: • Fill out 15 pages of forms, waivers and detailed questionnaires (prospective Cabinet members fill out seven pages) • Write eight mini-essays on topics that include your experience and ability, dealing with people, using firearms and accepting responsibility •Undergo background and financial credit checks that often take months

U.S. Secret Service

Chuck Kennedy/MCT

Secret Service watches over The South Lawn of the White House.

The armored presidential limousine made its debut as part of the 56th presidential inauguration. Nicknamed “The Beast,” the Cadillac limo appears to be a mix of car, truck and tank. The body is armored-plated with steel, aluminum, titanium and ultra-strength ceramics; the windows are up to 5-inch-thick bulletproof glass; and the interior is completely sealed with an executive compartment including a mobile office.

ENTERTAINMENT

TOj B4

STOJ

APRIL 27 – MAY 3, 2012

Sisters weren't playing; there were serious '70s costumes, big makeup, and wigs.

LISA ROGERS-CHERRY/ FLORIDA COURIER

'Yo, what's happenin', blood?'

Day 5 of the Fantastic Voyage includes a stop in the Bahamas, a Drink Tank, a ’70 party and Funk Show

BY JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN FLORIDA COURIER

H

Hours on Day 5 of the Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage were simply whiled away gazing at Paradise – Island, that is.

A breathtaking view awaited us after we left the Navigator of the Seas cruise ship during a stop in Nassau, Bahamas. My colleague and cabin mate Lisa Rogers-Cherry and I only had a few hours to spend in Nassau and we tried to soak up as much shopping, sightseeing and ambience as time allowed.

We had two things on our mind – see the famous Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island and find some conch fritters.

While on a ferry, we met Faith Green and Anna Cheers of Delaware, two fun sisters who were on a different cruise ship.

Faith, who was celebrating a milestone birthday, had tried to get on the Joyner cruise but said it was sold out.

After getting all touristy and snapping photos of ourselves inside Atlantis, Lisa and I soon were ready for the fritters. After a taxi ride and a short walk, we made it to the Conch Fritters Bar and Grill.

Teeming with tourists, we were as excited to see that there was free Wi-FI as we were about the food. I was indeed in paradise when the waitress brought me a "Bahama Mama" drink and I delighted in it while Lisa logged our adventure on Twitter and Facebook. Because we had to be back on the ship at 4:30 p.m., we ended up wolfing down our tasty fritters and rushing back to the cruise pier.

p

Cruisers packed the "DrInk Tank" session to hear questions directed to the professional comedians. Photos by DELROY COLE/FLORIDA COURIER

The Drink Tank We had missed one of the day’s main events on the ship – the Korto Momolu Fashion Show. The “Project Runway’’ runner-up and internationally acclaimed clothing designer was again in charge of the poolside extravaganza.

But there was still time for the hilarious Drink Tank hosted by J. Anthony Brown.

During the Drink Tank, a panel of comedians respond to questions from brave audience members. The idea for the Drink Tank came about when Tavis Smiley was still part of the “Tom Joyner Morning Crew’’ and would organize cruise Think Tank workshops on various social topics.

This year’s Drink Tank included comedians Marvin Dixon, Melanie Comarcho, Guy Torry, Reginald “Bruh-Man’’ Ballard, Rodney Perry, Huggy Lowdown, Lady T., Chris Thomas, Dominique, RodZ, Khalil Mack, Myra J and Damon Williams.

Some of the questions asked by the audience were serious – from the availability of the comedians for gigs for nonprofit organizations to lower pay for female comedians to playing in predominantly White clubs. It didn’t take long

ed by Ford on Deck 3. She’s known for songs like “Chanté’s Got a Man’’ and “You Don’t Have to Cry’’ (with ex Kenny Lattimore). The show wasn’t memorable even though she was stunning in a skimpy black number. Some folks began walking out. Perhaps not just because the show dragged a little, but maybe because they wanted to get a good spot for the ‘70s Night parade.

As with Day 4’s Mardi Gras, the ‘70s party was to kick off at midnight. But before the clock struck 12, I had lost count of all the pimps strutting toward the Promenade Deck.

It seems a bunch of the male cruisers had seen too many blaxploitation films.

Were they channeling Ron O’Neal in “Super Fly?” Flashy, shiny, satiny suits, some with a stitch of zebra or fur. Lots of Mack Daddy swagger. I wondered if a few had stumbled upon www.pimpdaddy.com.

Not all of the fellas went pimp. Others donned their daishiki tops, threw up a "Black Power" sign and stepped on out toward the “Soul Train’ line.

Never to be outdone, many of the sisters had pulled on overblown “Get, Christy Love’’ afros and squeezed into catsuits of psychedelic and/or flowery prints. The ’70s Teresa Graves or even Pam Grier had nothing on these brick houses.

As the late Don Cornelius would say, it was “a stone gas, honey,” as the “Soul Train’’ cruisers danced, pranced and Bumped their way down the Promenade Deck.

We even met a sister who recreated the “Soul Train” Scramble Board as a part of her ’70s outfit, which included at least 20 pieces of PVC pipe. I started to wonder how many suitcases some of these people brought along.

Time to ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’

p

Top: Janice Marie Johnson makes it funky on the bass.

Above: Chante Moore serenaded one lucky brother. before the barbs were flying, the comedians were giving off-color remarks and the packed house of cruisers was bowling over with laughter.

Who says there’s no such thing as a dumb question? Some of the questions were thrown out because J. Anthony Brown thought they were just too dumb!

It seemed that a few people who asked questions had a few drinks too many and got heckled by the comedians. One woman asked that each of the comedians give their funniest one-liners. The comedians all agreed that our home-

p

A model struts down the pool deck turned runway.

boy, Miami’s own Marvin Dixon, had the best one-liner on the cruise – something about rapper TI’s wife Tiny and a GEICO commercial. (You had to be there.)

But more guffaws and belly laughs from cruisers were to come later when ‘70s Night got under way.

From Chante to ‘Soul Train’ Before the old-school party got started on the Promenade Deck, the sultry Chante Moore gave a concert present-

Still trying to hang, we headed to the 2 a.m. ‘70s Funk Show featuring Yarbrough & Peoples, Taste of Honey featuring Janice Marie Johnson and Rose Royce in Studio B. Cavin Yarbrough and Alisa Peoples had the crowd up on their feet as they sang their hits, including “Don’t Stop the Music.”

Then came Taste of Honey, who excited cruisers with “Boogie Oogie Oogie.”

A Rose Royce trio ended the night with their legendary songs, including “I’m Going Down’’ and “Car Wash.’’

Cruisers were stumbling out of Studio B still singing “whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, car wash” as they headed to their cabins or to The Dungeon, the spot for latenight mixing and mingling.

Next: “Lightskinded vs. darkskinded” clash and Pajama Night

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APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2012

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

E-mail your high-resolution digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier.com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.

More than 4,000 cruisers joined nationally syndicated radio talk show host Tom Joyner on the 13th annual Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage 2012 aboard Royal Caribbean’s “Navigator of the Seas,” one of the world’s largest cruise ships. The Florida Courier spotlights some of the best-looking people on board.

Vicki, a native of Charlotte, N.C., was on her both on her fourth Tom Joyner cruise.

Miguel Baidy of Atlanta was on his first Tom Joyner cruise.

DELROY COLE / FLORIDA COURIER

vicki miquel

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FOOD

TOj B6

Fresh ways to enjoy potato classics FROM Family Features

Potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, but a few twists on classic side dishes like mashed potatoes, salads and casseroles can take potatoes to a whole new level.

Here’s what you need to know about the seven different potato types to help you start experimenting with different colors, textures, cooking methods and flavor additions: Fingerlings — These small, slender “finger-sized” potatoes range from two to four inches in length. They come in a wide range of skin and flesh colors and most possess a firm, waxy texture, which makes them ideal for potato salads. Pan-frying enhances their robust flavor and showcases their wonderful nutty or buttery tastes.

Petites — Petites share the same flavor and texture as their full-sized cousins, but their flavors are actually more concentrated, and they cook more quickly.

Petites can be found in red, white, yellow, brown and purple, and make delicious roasted potatoes and potato salads.

Purples/Blues — Purple/blue potatoes have a deep purple skin with flesh that ranges from purple to almost white.

The moist, firm flesh retains its shape and adds rich colors and a mild, yet Spinach and Artichoke Heart Two Potato Casserole Makes 8 servings Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes 1 pound red potatoes 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth or stock 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon garlic salt 4 ounces Neufchatel (1/3-less fat) cream cheese 4 ounces fat-free cream cheese 1 7.5-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup sliced green onions

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APRIL 27 – MAY 3, 2012

distinctly nutty flavor to tossed salads.

They are also sensational roasted.

Reds — Reds are widely known for their rosy red skin and white flesh. The moist, waxy flesh stays firm and flavorful through­out cooking, making it ideal for roasting. The slightly sweet, alwaystender texture comple­ments any dish, and the vibrant red skin adds appealing color and pizzazz to potato salad, soups and stews.

Russets — Russets are characterized by a brown, netted skin and white flesh.

The delicate potato flavor and grainy texture of a baked russet creates light and fluffy mashed potatoes and crispy pan-fried potatoes.

Whites — This all-purpose potato has a white flesh and white (sometimes light tan) skin. They are slightly dense and creamy, with a subtly sweet flavor.

Their delicate, thin skins add just the right amount of texture to mashed potatoes without the need for peeling. Grilling whites brings out a more full-bodied flavor; or use them in soups and stews.

Yellows — This type boasts golden skin and golden flesh. Grilling gives them a crispy skin, which enhances the dense and buttery texture, and gives them a slightly sweet, caramelized flavor. Their naturally smooth texture also lends itself well to lighter versions of baked or roasted potatoes.

To get more healthy potato recipes and to sign up for the US Potato Board’s weekly recipe email, visit www.potatogoodness.com.

Preheat oven to 425°F and coat a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on a board and slice very thinly.

Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Heat broth, Parmesan, garlic salt, cheeses and artichoke hearts in a medium saucepan until cheeses are melted.

Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.

Stir mixture into potatoes with green onions, mixing well to coat potatoes as evenly as possible.

Spread in prepared dish and bake for 30 min­utes. Cover loosely with foil and reduce tempera­ture to 375°F; cook for 1 hour more or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Quick Tip: To shave an hour off the cook time, boil potatoes for 5 minutes or until tender, then drain well. Prepare as directed above then bake at 425°F for 30 minutes.

Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes Makes 4 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 to 13 minutes 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (best for light and fluffy mashed potatoes), or 1 1/4 pounds white or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (best for creamier mashed potatoes) 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt 1/2 cup fat-free milk 1 1/2 tablespoons heart-healthy buttery spread 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt) 1/2 cup reduced-fat Italian blend shredded cheese 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil 2 green onions, sliced 1 2.2-ounce can sliced ripe olives, drained Freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until tender; drain well.

Transfer back to pot and mash well, then stir in yogurt, milk, buttery spread and salt. Gently stir in remaining ingredients and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more to heat through.

Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad with Lemon and Thyme Recipe created by Laura Bashar, Family Spice, www.familyspice. com Makes 6 servings Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes Cool time: At least 10 minutes Salad 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes (mixed colors), cut into 1/2-inch circles 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes (do not separate layers)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Dressing 1/4 cup light or olive oil based mayonnaise 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes start to brown.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together all dressing ingredients in a medium bowl; toss with cooled vegetables.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

It’s Publix, and the savings are easy.

Every week we publish our hundreds of sales items in the newspaper insert and also online, so you can take advantage of all our special offers. Our easy–to–spot shelf signs point out the deals and your register receipt will tally up your savings for you. Go to publix.com/save right now to make plans to save this week.

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FOOD

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APRIL 27 – MAY 3, 2012

Fresh ways to enjoy potato classics FROM Family Features

Spinach and Artichoke Heart Two Potato Casserole Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes Makes 4 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 to 13 minutes 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (best for light and fluffy mashed potatoes), or 1 1/4 pounds white or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (best for creamier mashed potatoes) 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt 1/2 cup fat-free milk 1 1/2 tablespoons heart-healthy buttery spread 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt) 1/2 cup reduced-fat Italian blend shredded cheese 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil 2 green onions, sliced 1 2.2-ounce can sliced ripe olives, drained Freshly ground pepper to taste Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Add potatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until tender; drain well. Transfer back to pot and mash well, then stir in yogurt, milk, buttery spread and salt. Gently stir in remaining ingredients and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more to heat through.

Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad with Lemon and Thyme Recipe created by Laura Bashar, Family Spice, www.familyspice.com Makes 6 servings Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes Cool time: At least 10 minutes Salad 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes (mixed colors), cut into 1/2-inch circles 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes (do not separate layers) 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Dressing 1/4 cup light or olive oil based mayonnaise 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes start to brown.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together all dressing ingredients in a medium bowl; toss with cooled vegetables. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad with Lemon and Thyme

Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, but a few twists on classic side dishes like mashed potatoes, salads and casseroles can take potatoes to a whole new level. With so many delicious types available year-round, it’s easy to create exciting and nutritious side dishes that can be the highlight of any meal.

Here’s what you need to know about the seven different potato types to help you start experimenting with different colors, textures, cooking methods and flavor additions: Fingerlings — These small, slender “finger-sized” potatoes range from two to four inches in length. They come in a wide range of skin and flesh colors and most possess a firm, waxy texture, which makes them ideal for potato salads. Panfrying enhances their robust flavor and showcases their wonderful nutty or buttery tastes.

Petites — Petites share the same flavor and texture as their full-sized cousins, but their flavors are actually more concentrated, and they cook more quickly. Petites can be found in red, white, yellow, brown and purple, and make delicious roasted potatoes and potato salads.

Purples/Blues — Purple/blue potatoes have a deep purple skin with flesh that ranges from purple to almost white.

The moist, firm flesh retains its shape and adds rich colors and a mild, yet distinctly nutty flavor to tossed salads. They are also sensational roasted.

Reds — Reds are widely known for their rosy red skin and white flesh. The moist, waxy flesh stays firm and flavorful through­out cooking, making it ideal for roasting. The slightly sweet, alwaystender texture comple­ments any dish, and the vibrant red skin adds appealing color and pizzazz to potato salad, soups and stews.

Russets — Russets are characterized by a brown, netted skin and white flesh.

The delicate potato flavor and grainy texture of a baked russet creates light and fluffy mashed potatoes and crispy panfried potatoes.

Whites — This all-purpose potato has a white flesh and white (sometimes light tan) skin. They are slightly dense and creamy, with a subtly sweet flavor.

Their delicate, thin skins add just the right amount of texture to mashed potatoes without the need for peeling. Grilling whites brings out a more full-bodied flavor; or use them in soups and stews.

Yellows — This type boasts golden skin and golden flesh. Grilling gives them a crispy skin, which enhances the dense and buttery texture, and gives them a slightly sweet, caramelized flavor. Their naturally smooth texture also lends itself well to lighter versions of baked or roasted potatoes.

To get more healthy potato recipes and to sign up for the US Potato Board’s weekly recipe email, visit www.potatogoodness.com. You can also “like” the USPB on Facebook at www.facebook. com/potatoestatersandspuds to enter contests, sign up for sweepstakes and get new recipes with a community of potato lovers.

Spinach and Artichoke Heart Two Potato Casserole Makes 8 servings Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes 1 pound red potatoes 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth or stock 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon garlic salt 4 ounces Neufchatel (1/3-less fat) cream cheese 4 ounces fat-free cream cheese 1 7.5-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup sliced green onions Preheat oven to 425°F and coat a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on a board and slice very thinly.

Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Heat broth, Parmesan, garlic salt, cheeses and artichoke hearts in a medium saucepan until cheeses are melted.

Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.

Stir mixture into potatoes with green onions, mixing well to coat potatoes as evenly as possible.

Spread in prepared dish and bake for 30 min­utes. Cover loosely with foil and reduce tempera­ture to 375°F; cook for 1 hour more or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Quick Tip: To shave an hour off the cook time, boil potatoes for 5 minutes or until tender, then drain well. Prepare as directed above then bake at 425°F for 30 minutes.