LAWT-12-09-2010

W E E K E N D E R

L.A. Watts Times Vol. XXX, No. 1209

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

FEATURE STORY

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HOROSCOPES A

RIES ~ Listen carefully and follow good advice that will come from someone you’ve often regarded as foolish. You run into difficulties with one of your projects; don’t worry, it’s only temporary. How you manage your mind will affect the eventual outcome.

AURUS ~ Your new ideas combine well with your will and skill. You get a lot done at work this week. Be soft and forceful. Make time for family life this week. Your rewards come from those who are related to you by blood.

EMINI ~ If there is someone or something that you’re avoiding don’t panic if you find you must confront what you’ve been hiding from. Wait for things to work themselves out. Don’t force the issue. Time solves more problems than you ever can.

ANCER ~ Be flexible. Yes, you. There are many ways to be right and your lover or friend will have come up with one that is different from yours. You’ll be asked to compromise this week or you just have to give in. Remember you sometimes have to give a little to get a little.

EO ~ Center yourself at every opportunity during this busy week and keep your quest for emotional and spiritual balance in the forefront. Make an effort to take your time; that way you’ll recognize opportunity from impulse-control problems immediately.

IRGO ~ Happiness arrives and sits on your shoulder like a bright butterfly this week. A relationship can make significant

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DECEMBER 9 - 15 progress if you stay open to love. Keep your evening free for romance in a social setting.

IBRA ~ Take charge of a project at work and get it finished up. It’s been languishing on someone else’s shoulders and desk for way too long. A sensible outlook will get you far this week. Forget about all grudges and move forward in love.

CORPIO ~ You may find yourself faced with many distractions this week but you’ll sail through and accomplish much if you stay focused on each task and take them one at a time. You know you can do it this evening.

AGITTARIUS ~ Creativity is favored and yours is especially favored with some project that you’ve been working especially hard on. For the next few days watch for a romance that will bring special gifts.

APRICORN ~ Before you spend your money check the quality of the goods.

This rule applies to intangible goods as well.

Make the first move with your honey this week. Be sweetly aggressive.

QUARIUS ~ Let your creative juices flow. Advice from a child has a reward in it. On the job, coworkers will help you expand your sense of accomplishment. Only you can stand in your way. Never under estimate the power of silence.

ISCES ~ Opportunity knocks this week, be ready and waiting. An old love resurfaces. This week is good for you financially.

Look for a special opportunity at work.

Families matters, spend time with yours.

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Comics

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER Published Weekly – Updates 3800 S. Crenshaw Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008 Administration – Sales – Graphics – Editorial 323.299.3800 - office 323.291.6804 - fax Beverly Cook – Publisher, Managing Editor 1976 – 1993 Charles Cook – Publisher, 1976 – 1998 Melanie Polk – Publisher 1998 – 2010

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Kobe Bryant

ANSWERS FROM 12-2-10 19.8%

Michael Jordan could beat both of them at the same time!

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Hackers strike back to support WikiLeaks founder

BY RAPHAEL G. SATTER AND JILL LAWLESS ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON — WikiLeaks supporters struck back Wednesday at perceived enemies of the site and its jailed founder Julian Assange, launching hacker attacks against MasterCard, Swedish prosecutors, a Swedish lawyer and a Swiss group that froze Assange’s bank account.

So-called “hacktivists” operating under the label “Operation Payback” claimed responsibility in a Twitter message for causing technological problems at MasterCard, which pulled the plug on its relationship with WikiLeaks on Tuesday.

MasterCard said it was “experiencing heavy traffic,” but spokesman James Issokson told The Associated Press the company would not confirm whether WikiLeaks was involved. Issokson said MasterCard was trying to restore service Wednesday but was not sure how long that would take. The website’s technical problems have no impact on consumers using credit cards, he added.

MasterCard is the latest in a

string of U.S.-based Internet companies — including Visa, Amazon.com, PayPal Inc. and EveryDNS — to cut ties to WikiLeaks in recent days amid intense U.S. government pressure.

Visa said it was having no problems Wednesday.

The online attacks are part of a wave of support for WikiLeaks that is sweeping the Internet. Twitter was choked with messages of solidarity for the group, while the site’s Facebook page hit 1 million fans.

Offline, the organization is under pressure on many fronts.

Assange is in a British prison fighting extradition to Sweden over a sex crimes case. Moves by Swiss Postfinance, MasterCard, PayPal and others that cut ways to send donations to the group have impaired its ability to raise money.

Undeterred, WikiLeaks released more confidential U.S. cables overnight.

The pro-WikiLeaks vengeance campaign appeared to be taking the form of denial of service attacks in which computers are harnessed — sometimes surreptitiously — to jam target sites with mountains of re-

quests for data, knocking them out of commission.

PayPal’s vice president of platform, Osama Bedier, said the company froze WikiLeaks’ account after seeing a letter from the U.S. State Department to WikiLeaks saying that “WikiLeaks activities were deemed illegal in the United States.”

“It’s honestly just pretty straightforward from our perspective,” he said, speaking at a web conference in Paris.

Neither WikiLeaks nor Assange has been charged with any offense in the U.S., but the U.S. government is investigating whether Assange can be prosecuted for espionage or other offenses. Assange has not been charged with any offenses in Sweden either, but authorities there want to question him about the allegations of sex crimes.

Per Hellqvist, a security specialist with the firm Symantec, said a network of web activists called Anonymous appeared to be behind many of the attacks. The group, which has previously focused on the See HACKERS, page 14

w w w . l a w a t t s t i m e s . c o m

AP Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth

Members of the media gather around a demonstrator near Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was denied bail after appearing on an extradition warrant. Assange surrendered to London police as part of a Swedish sexcrimes investigation, the latest blow to an organization that faces legal, financial and technological challenges after releasing hundreds of secret U.S. diplomatic cables.

NEWS IN AFRICA Mugabe, Mandela and Others Named in Wikileaks Secret Cables

ernment.

Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua said: “We do not know the details of the leaked cables, but if what is reported is true then it is totally malicious and a total misrepresentation of our country and our leaders … We are surprised and shocked by these revelations.”

Mutua said the United States’ Africa envoy, Johnny Carson, had called Prime Minister Raila Odinga recently to apologize for the expected leaks.

Finally, the secret cables revealed that former President Nelson Mandela was resolutely against the Iraq war, and that he believed President George W. Bush ignored calls by the United Nations for restraint because the U.N.’s then-General Secretary, Kofi Annan, is Black.

SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORKS The publication of confidential diplomatic cables on the website Wikileaks gave ammunition to some African leaders who have complained, without previous proof, of U.S. interference in their country.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, for example, learned from the cables that the United States is leading efforts to remove him from power.

In the leaked memos, former U.S. ambassador Christopher Dell wrote that the United States was taking a leading role to bring Mugabe down and that former colonizer Britain could not do the job because it was hamstrung by its colonial past.

“Thus it falls to the U.S., once again, to take the lead, to say and do the hard things and to set the agenda,” Dell said in a cable posted on the Wikileaks site.

As to Kenya, classified U.S. diplomatic messages called Nairobi “a swamp of flourishing corruption” and had little good to say about the Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe current coalition gov-

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

It’s not just taxes: Obama defends his credibility WASHINGTON (AP) — His political credibility on the line, President Barack Obama testily defended his willingness to choose compromise over combat with Republicans on Tuesday, lecturing fellow Democrats not to be “sanctimonious” purists.

Sensitive to charges of caving on bedrock principles, he said he welcomed fights with the GOP ahead of his 2012 re-election bid.

“I will be happy to see the Republicans test whether or not I’m itching for a fight on a whole range of issue,” Obama said. “I suspect they will find I am. And I think the American people will be on my side.”

The subject was taxes, who would or wouldn’t keep Bush-era reductions come Jan. 1. But for Obama, barely a month after disastrous congressional losses to the Republicans, there was a lot more to it.

What emerged Tuesday was a portrait of a president determined to show he’s not a weak, irrelevant capitulator — the kind of image that, if it becomes part of a lasting narrative, could derail his presidency and re-election bid.

In the past few days, Obama has tried to recover from the midterm elections by showing deference to his opponents, angering allies in the process.

The key moment came Monday, when he announced a deal with Republicans that would extend tax cuts to all taxpayers for two years, after long insisting that upper-income Americans did not need the help and the nation couldn’t afford it.

Though he won a number of concessions from Republicans, congressional Democrats were left bristling.

Besides the tax deal, he also disappointed labor by calling last week for a freeze on federal wages. And he has insisted that the Senate take up a nuclear arms treaty ahead of other Democratic priorities.

It’s a template for a new Washington relationship after two years of relying on Democratic muscle to pass the health care overhaul and other of his signature initiatives.

For Obama, this political pirouette could be both risky and unruly, causing chaos within his own party while requiring the support of Repub-

licans who are openly seeking to make him a one-term president.

“The president is confronted with a very difficult situation,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday, describing the bitterness many Democrats voiced against the tax deal.

Obama’s news conference was meant not just to lobby for the agreement he made with Republicans but to lobby for himself as a leader who hasn’t lost sight of what he called the north star: “What is helping the American people live out their lives?”

Pressed on why he wasn’t able to keep from getting so boxed in, Obama called out Republicans for ideological rigidity on tax cuts for the rich (“This is their holy grail”) and Democratic lawmakers for not acting earlier (“I would have liked to have seen a vote before the election”).

Obama was so determined to show his toughness, in fact, that he compared Republicans on Tuesday to hostage-takers willing to do serious harm. To Americans.

In an echo of his 2008 campaign, Obama sought to define him-

AP Photo by J. Scott Applewhite

President Barack Obama makes statement in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, part of the White House complex, in Washington, Monday, Dec. 6, 2010, after meeting with Democratic congressional leaders on a year-end bipartisan agreement to extend expiring tax cuts. self as a doer, not a partisan fighter.

And he signaled a more incremental governing style, recalling the birth of Social Security and Medicare as far more modest proposals than they are now.

He argued that some of his critics on the left would prefer to “have the satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the American people.”

“That can’t be the measure of what it means to be a Democrat,” he

said.

For Obama, the nation’s first black president and one who isn’t quick to bring up his race, his final defense of dealmaking was his most eye-opening.

“This country was founded on compromise,” he said. “I couldn’t go though the front door at this country’s founding.”

Obama insisted Tuesday that he still has plenty of fight left to confront See OBAMA, page 11

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

SPORTS BEAT B

AP Photo by Bill Kostroun

This photo taken Aug. 14, 2009 shows the New York Jets’ Keith Fitzhugh before an NFL football preseason game against the St. Louis Rams at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Fitzhugh chose operating trains over a shot at a Super Bowl. The free-agent safety turned down an offer to join the New York Jets to remain a conductor with Norfolk Southern Railroad and stay on track financially while helping support his parents in Atlanta.

Fitzhugh turns down Jets to keep job as conductor

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chose operating trains over a shot at a Super Bowl.

The free-agent safety turned down an offer to join the New York Jets to remain a conductor with Norfolk Southern Railroad and stay on track financially while helping support his parents in Atlanta. “I’ve got something now where I know every two weeks I’m getting a paycheck,� Fitzhugh told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday night. “That’s what helps out the most right now. I don’t knock the Jets at all. I highly appreciate them.�

Jets coach Rex Ryan said the team was looking to sign a safety after Jim Leonhard was lost for the season last week with a broken shin and James Ihedigbo suffered a leg injury in New York’s 45-3 loss to New England on Monday night. New York has only two safeties — Eric Smith and Brodney Pool — listed on its roster.

The 24-year-old Fitzhugh, who had stints in camp with the Jets the past two years, was contacted by the team but declined New York’s offer to return. “You don’t hear this too often and some people might think it’s not a good idea,� Fitzhugh said. “Some people might think it is. I don’t know.

I just have to look out for what’s best for me and my family.�

Fitzhugh’s decision was first reported by The Star-Ledger of Newark. “To sacrifice what he did for his family is the most unselfish thing I've heard by a player in sports,� said Daniel Rose, Fitzhugh’s agent. “It’s really impressive.�

Fitzhugh’s father, Keith Sr., is disabled and unable to work, while his mother, Meltonia, has been struggling to make ends meet.

See FITZHUGH, page 11

Notes, quotes and things picked up on the run from coast-to-coast and all the stops in between and beyond.

After scoring six touchdowns in the 56-17 slaughter of South Carolina last Saturday — a career high thus far —Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton undoubtedly put a lock on the 2010 Heisman Trophy.

Newton passed for a careerhigh 335 yards.

If Newton isn’t a unanimous Heisman Trophy winner in New York City this Saturday, then, as the song goes, grits ain’t groceries and Mona Lisa was a man.

Newton and his team will face Oregon in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 10 in Arizona.

UCLA’s Bruins lost against the USC Trojans on Saturday, 2814, at the Rose Bowl stadium.

Senior Allen Bradford didn’t get many chances to carry the ball, but he went out in a blaze of glory as he scored two touchdowns and

Y BRAD PYE JR.

AP Photo by Dave Martin

Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton (2) gets hoisted by teammates Mike Berry (66) and Byron Isom (57) at the end of the Southeastern Conference Championship NCAA college football game against South Carolina at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010. Auburn won 56-17. rushed for a career high of 212 yards.

In high school football, Crenshaw’s Cougars will battle it out against the Carson Colts on Saturday at the Coliseum, 1 p.m.

Crenshaw recently rolled over Venice, 63-12, in a semifinal game.

Carson was a 40-21 winner over Taft High.

On Friday, wide receiver Blair Holliday and the rest of Oaks Christian High School’s football team will play against Westlake in the CIF Northern Division Championship game on Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

See SPORTS BEAT, page 15

Blair Holliday, Oaks Christian High School.

Redskins suspend Haynesworth 4 games without pay

BY JOSEPH WHITE AP SPORTS WRITER WASHINGTON — Simmering

all year, the antagonism between Albert Haynesworth and Mike Shanahan finally reached the boiling

AP Photo by Mark Humphrey

Washington Redskins defensive tackle and former Tennessee Titans player Albert Haynesworth (92) waves to fans as he leaves the field after the Redskins defeated the Titans 19-16 in overtime of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010, in Nashville, Tenn.

point Tuesday when the two-time All-Pro defensive lineman was suspended by the Washington Redskins coach without pay for the rest of the season.

Citing a litany of acts that essentially add up to season-long insubordination, the Redskins suspended Haynesworth for “conduct detrimental to the club� and told him he's not welcome for the team’s final four games — and making it extremely unlikely he will play for the club again. “Despite the club’s numerous attempts to persuade Albert Haynesworth to abide by the terms of his contract, he has repeatedly refused to cooperate with our coaching staff in a variety of ways over an extended period of time,� Shanahan said in statement released by the team. “Among other things, he has consistently indicated to our defensive coaches that he refuses to play in our base defense or on first-down or second-down nickel situations. He has See HAYNESWORTH, page 15

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Review: Kanye’s great ‘Fantasy’ only lacks fun

BY JESSE WASHINGTON AP NATIONAL WRITER

Norris Pimpton Jr.

Watts-bred author releases ‘Diaries,’ his debut book Norris Pimpton Jr. reflects on his childhood years in the Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects

BY MICHAEL BROWN CONTRIBUTING WRITER New author Norris Pimpton Jr. didn’t have to look far for inspiration to motivate him to write his first memoir.

Two watershed moments last year moved him to stop contemplating, and to act on his desire to write.

“The Project Diaries” is Pimpton’s recount of some of the experiences he lived through while growing up in Watts, as a youth, mostly in the Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects.

With the early 1980s serving as a backdrop, Pimpton describes, in unflinching and raw details, the events, people and circumstances he encountered while trying to make sense of a world where poverty and violence were pervasive.

The “Diaries” largely wasn’t a

planned project, but was a byproduct of the passing of two people featured throughout the book, which was released in September.

Pimpton’s younger brother, Thomas Pimpton, who passed away last year, nudged Norris to begin planning the book while the two siblings exchanged ideas. However, it wasn’t until Mother’s Day of last year that Norris felt compelled to write.

“I posted a poem dedicated to my deceased mother on Facebook and it got a very positive response from people,” Pimpton said. “The (sentiments) that people expressed pushed me to immediately write the first two pages.

When I think of my mother, a painful experience was the first thing that came to mind.”

The experience Pimpton makes See PIMPTON, page 15

Kanye West, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (Roc-A-Fella Records) We knew well before “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” that Kanye West is a tortured genius.

He had made enough headlines and leaked enough music to make that clear. The main question left for his fifth album was, what’s in it for us?

A lot — if you like reality TV, celebrity tabloids and car crashes. As a producer, Kanye’s immense gifts have reached a new peak, and his lyrics remain double-edged blades of young black pathos.

The only thing missing from this “Fantasy” is a good time.

Kanye’s previous album, “808s & Heartbreak,” also was a bleak experience, but “Fantasy” delves into an uglier place.

There’s no happiness, vicarious thrills or funny stories, no touching odes to his mentor or his mother, just a man torn apart by the world and himself. You get women, ego, fame, evil, power, pain, even sex and religion as unholy bedfellows — all delivered in defiant rhymes laden with multiple meanings and punch lines.

This dysfunction still sounds incredible, though, because West lays down his torment on beds of sound that reveal new beauties with each listen.

Some of his musical compositions are made for the stadium, like “All of the Lights” and its red carpet of 14 vocalists ranging from Elton John to Charlie Wilson to Rihanna. Some are destined for European discos, like “Lost in the World” and its bipolar declarations: “You’re my questions, you’re my proof / You’re my stress, and you’re my masseuse.”

But this is emphatically a hip-hop album, so the boom-bap is never far.

“So Appalled” sounds like newmillenium Mobb Deep; “Monster” is a throbbing menace where Jay-Z psy-

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choanalyzes Kanye and millions of other scary black men to a T: “Everybody wanna know what my Achilles heel is / Love! I don’t get enough of it ...”

Love does seem to be the root of Kanye’s issues, which he deconstructs on the simply brilliant “Runaway,” bravely discarding the Auto-Tune and building a single piano note into a glistening monument to his problems.

As great as the song is, though, it’s tough to Kanye West party or bounce to, unless you’re one of the “scumbags” he’s toasting.

That goes for most of the album — we can gawk at Kanye’s troubles, but few would want to live them.

It makes you wish Kanye could

finally find the woman or the award he yearns for, so he could escape from his own head and give us another hilarious “Gold Digger” or redemptive “Jesus Walks.” Until then, he’s like a Picasso who only paints self-portraits.

ANTHONY MACKIE

KERRY WASHINGTON

AP Photo by Jeff Christensen

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L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

Commentary

Last August, the Los Angeles Sentinel headlined a story asking the question, is there racial profiling in Congress? The events surrounding the censure of Congressman Rangel may have answered that question.

BY YUSSUF J. SIMMONDS Co-Managing Editor For 40 years, Congressman Charles Rangel has served the people of Harlem. He was recently re-elected to his 21st term in Congress with about 80 percent of the votes.

Those are statistics that begs the question: Is he serving his constituents — doing the work they have continuously sent him to do for 20 terms? They obviously are satisfied with the quality of his representation, for the 80-yearold Democrat remains a political leader in New York’s Harlem.

In speaking before his colleagues in the House before the censure vote, Rangel contritely said, “I brought it on to myself … ,” The Associated Press reported. He appealed for fairness,

and some of his supporters argued for a lesser reprimand, The AP said.

In the end, their appeals failed; the vote to censure him was 333 to 79 for an array ethics violations for which he did not receive any financial gain. Others with more egregious violations were not subjected to such a harsh penalty. (It was tantamount to using a hammer to swat an ant).

As a co-founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Rangel has served his constituents in a way that reflected the CBC’s mantle as “the conscience of the U.S. Congress.”

And after the vote, he added,“… at no time has it ever entered my mind to enrich myself or to do violence to the honesty that’s expected of all of us in this House.”

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who is Rangel’s

colleague and chair of the CBC, echoed these sentiments:“Today’s vote by the House of Representatives to censure Congressman Rangel was an overly harsh sanction, especially considering that after a 2-year investigation the Committee found no evidence of corruption or personal financial gain. Under House precedents, a reprimand would have been a fairer sanction for the lapses that he has long since admitted and corrected.”

When evaluating the violations leveled against Rangel against those of the last two House members who were censured, the picture becomes clear. According to the congressional record, the last two congressmen to be censured were in violation of sexual misconduct with House pages. That is a far cry from anything from the Rangel allegations.

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Furthermore, Lee added, “The censure sanction is a departure from the customary sanctions in other cases that have been adjudicated over the years. According to the Committee’s counsel, Congressman Rangel’s misconduct resulted from overzealousness and sloppiness, not corruption.”

It is important to report Rangel’s statement to the House following the vote to censure him: “I fully recognize that constitutionally this body has the full jurisdiction to determine the conduct of one of its members. My predecessor suffered because they didn’t allow him to be a member before they decided that he should be expelled. But notwithstanding that, we do know that we are a political body and even though it is painful to accept this vote, I am fully aware that this vote reflects perhaps the thinking not just of the members but the political side and the constituency of this body.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Having said that and having my opportunity to do what I wanted to do initially and that is to make certain that this body and this country would know that at no time has it ever entered my mind to enrich myself or to do violence to the honesty that’s expected of all of us in this House. I think that has been proven and that has been what I’ve been asking for and that’s why I’ve admitted to mistakes and was prepared to do what I’ve done.

“I understand that this is a new criteria and a breakthrough in order to teach somebody a higher lesson than those that in the past have done far more harm to the reputation of this body than I. But I just would want all of you to know that in my heart I truly feel good. It’s not all the commitments that are made to God in 1950. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I know in my heart that I’m not going to be judged by this Congress but I’m going to be

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judged by my life, my activities, my contributions to society and I just apologize for the awkward position that some of you are in. But at the end of the day, as I started off saying, compared to where I’ve been, I haven’t had a bad day since.”

And speaking on behalf of her colleagues, Lee concluded in her statement that the “action in no way diminishes Congressman Rangel’s distinguished 50-year history of service to his country and constituents who again overwhelmingly returned him to office in November. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are proud to call Congressman Rangel our colleague and friend.”

After Rangel returned to his district, he let his constituents know that, “Charles Rangel is not guilty of corruption or self-enrichment.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Introducing ‘The Peacemakers: L.A. Gang Wars’ Much has been said and done about the prevalence and destruction that gangs have wrought in Los Angeles and throughout the country. Here is a different take from Malik Spellman.

b o a r d

BY YUSSUF J. SIMMONDS SENTINEL MANAGING EDITOR Much of the work that Malik Spellman has been doing in the com-

munity has been unnoticed because, for the most part, it is not glorifying; it is risky, but rewarding — not financially, but personally. There are dan-

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(323) 756-3755

gers involved ... but then so too are many other endeavors; and it takes a high level of commitment.

Spellman works to reduce gang violence; to prevent children from becoming involved in neighborhood gangs and to redirect young (and old) from the gang life. It is a tedious job and he is committed to make a difference. His latest endeavor has resulted in a reality television show: “The Peacemakers, L.A. Gang Wars” from executive producer, Ice-T (himself a former gang member, who is now one of the co-stars of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”), and it will debut on A&E (Arts and Entertainment) as a new real life series hit, on

Malik Spellman with youngsters.

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Spellman sat down with the Los Angeles Sentinel and explained the when, why and how of his new venture and some of his future plans.

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL (LAS): Tell us why you did this and how it came about — the Peacemakers?

MALIK SPELLMAN (MS): First of all, I’m honored to be here at the Sentinel; I think that this is one of the greatest papers in the world that helped me get to where I am, and I can honestly say that I got to be in The Peacemakers with the assistance of Mr. (Danny) Bakewell (the Sentinel’s executive publisher) and others like Noel (Foucher) and editors, like yourself, and people here who believed in my writings and efforts that we, as (gang) interventionists are doing in the community.

I really started out in 1992, telling my friends like Tony Bogard and a bunch of other people in the housing projects in Watts when we came together with a gang truce that was not known on the streets; but I had done gang truces in prison in Old Folsom back in ’83, ’84 and ’85. And I came to the streets and have been trying to stop gang murders ever since.

LAS: What is your actual role in “The Peacemakers, L.A. Gang Wars.”

I see here (looking at the promotional card) executive producer, Ice-T; what is your actual role in making this?

MS: I am the Peacemaker and that show is based on my life being a peacemaker for several years here in California. I came out here in 1980 and was dropped off in a South Los

Angeles community. Consequently it was a petri dish of gang violence; I became a person who knew both sides. So in this particular piece of (the) ‘Peacemaker’ reality show that I have here today, A&E is basically about my life as a peacemaker. Ice-T is the executive producer and double O.G. (Old Gangster, a term of endearment), and A&E is the proprietor and the producers of the show.

LAS: Is there any significance interwoven into the picture that reflects from all the writing and other things that you have been doing with the people in the penitentiary?

MS: Yes. There are moments within the show that allows me to correspond with people in prison to get their support for what I am trying to do about stopping the killing that reflect prison life as well as people on the streets who are subject to high levels of violence, and high levels of crime here in the city of Los Angeles.

LAS: It says here on the card “New Real Life Series;” is this going to be a series or a one shot piece?

MS: It’s a reality show, that’s a series and A&E is in it for the long haul. It’s not a one-shot piece or a flyby-night documentary, it’s a real show based on real life, and the things that people do every day trying to make themselves safe in the community. So it’s a show based on my life and what I’ve been doing for the last 20-plus years.

LAS: Since it’s going to be a series, is there going to be one episode of Malik and one episode of another brother and so on; and is that how it’s going to continue? Or are you going to have a part in every episode?

MS: I am the show; I am the peacemaker. So they have to have me in the show ... follow me around and see what I do. But additional casts will be on the show. I’ll take three members from each rival gang and bring them on to discuss their discrepancies.

I get one that’s with the peace and one that’s against the peace, and I get one that doesn’t give a damn about either side. So I try to get three people from either side with level heads and bring them to the table — especially the agitators. I think it’s important that we bring the agitators to the table.

Because oftentimes, they are overlooked during peace initiatives and sometimes peace efforts are interrupted by people who are agitators.

So in this show, you’ll see me throughout every show. I’m going into season two, God willing in January.

It’s season one for A&E; they’re very excited about it and I think it’s time to show America there are other civil wars.

The interview covered many other areas relative to places/communities where the show will focus and Spellman’s future plans. He plans to take the show on the road throughout the country and possibly overseas, to write a book or some books and approach teaching institutions to do lectures and also lecture tours.

Spellman sees this as another way to keep the community informed as to the dangers and thereby help the people to be safer via knowledge, education and information.

Spellman’s overall goal is, as he put it, “to recycle the brother on the street,” to become a person who advocates for peace on behalf of those who do not have a voice.

www.lawattstimes.com 11

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Immanuel: God our Savior

BY EVANGELIST LEANDRA FLUCKER When it comes to Christmas, I was never sentimental. As a child I could take or leave the decorations — the lights, wreaths, and even some of the Christmas movies.

However, I did enjoy the Christmas music. In my opinion, the season was too commercialized; it marked the time when adults would become rampant competitive consumers. But now that I’m the parent of a freshman in college, I just can’t help myself: I like Christmas, complete with all the trimmings.

But this year, the season of Advent seems to be working against our total commitment toward the celebration of Jesus’ arrival over 2,000 years ago. Life for many is difficult — financially, emotionally and socially.

As we anticipate the Christmas

season, we must admit that our emotions can thrust us into a mental

fairytale storyline. A fairytale that keeps our Messiah lying in a manger, cute and cuddly, unable to neither meet our needs and heal our bodies, nor comfort us in time of mental distress. For some, hearing Merry Christmas won’t fix the problems they have faced all year long.

We must remember that the season of Advent is a time when we celebrate the birth of Christ and await His return.

We must not allow our present circumstances to dictate our anticipation of Christmas. God is gracious and worthy to be praised. Our present situations should not deter us from anticipating His return, living a life holy and acceptable.

As we wait for Christ to return we must remember that He’s not dead.

He’s alive! God is real and He is our Savior.

During his news conference, Obama’s bring-it-on defiance to all skeptics brought a smile from his spokesman, Robert Gibbs, who sat a few feet away from his boss. The Obama White House almost relishes the moment when people count them as down, if not out.

The president’s fiercest words came for members of his own party.

He shot back at those concerned he was compromising too much. He compared the situation to the health care debate, when liberal Democrats complained that he caved in by failing to include a government-run insurance plan. He said they still miss the bigger picture.

“If that’s the standard by which we are measuring success or core

principles, then let’s face it, we will never get anything done,” he said.

“People will have the satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the American people. And will be able to feel good about ourselves and sanctimonious about how pure our intentions are. ...

That can’t be the measure of what it means to be a Democrat.”

And finally came a dare to fellow Democrats.

“Take a tally. Look at what I promised during the campaign.

There’s not a single thing that I’ve said that I would do that I have not either done or tried to do. ... To my Democratic friends, what I’d suggest is, let’s make sure that we understand this is a long game.”

Evangelist Leandra Flucker

OBAMA

Continued from page 5 Republicans and defend Democratic principles. The tax cut deal, he said, was essential to prevent a tax increase on all taxpayers and it bought him time to fight Republicans later on extending tax cuts to the wealthy.

“I’m as opposed to the high-end tax cuts today as I’ve been for years,” he said. “When they expire in two years I will fight to end them.”

Three days into his presidency in 2009, Obama told Republicans pushing their own ideas that there were consequences to the 2008 election.

“At the end of the day, I won,” he said.

For two years, that motivated Obama’s decision making.

The Nov. 2 elections, however, put the House in Republicans’ hands starting in January and trimmed the Democratic majority in the Senate.

Obama’s new approach echoes that of President Bill Clinton, who saw Democrats lose control of the House two years into his first term in 1994. Clinton, too, provoked Democrats by reaching agreements with Republicans, most notably on an overhaul of welfare laws that left liberals seething.

Eager to avoid a wholesale revolt, Obama has voiced support for top Democratic initiatives that his allies want to complete this year before Congress adjourns. But as he pressed for a tax agreement and a Senate vote on the START nuclear treaty, the likelihood of action on immigration and don’t ask, don’t tell are slipping away.

“There’s no question he has made a pivot,” said Matt Bennett, a former Clinton aide and a vice president at the think tank Third Way. “He lives in a world profoundly different than he did before Nov. 2.”

FITZHUGH Continued from page 6

“I know the Jets have a great opportunity of making the Super Bowl, and that’s one dream that every child has is to play sports and make it to the Super Bowl or get to the World Series,” Fitzhugh said. “But, there’s a time when you have to think, ‘Hey, you’ve only got one Mom and Dad.’ They won’t be here forever, and while they’re here, you’ve got to cherish that time.”

Fitzhugh went undrafted after an outstanding career at Mississippi State and signed last year with the Jets as a free agent. He was later cut and signed to the practice squad before Baltimore signed him last December. He re-signed with the Jets in the offseason.

“I was released three times.

That’s a lot,” he said. “I just don’t want to give up what I have now and say that I’m there for a couple of weeks and then I’m released again.

Then, what am I going to do? It’s

really tough. It’s the nature of the business.”

Fitzhugh, who keeps in touch with a few former Jets teammates, has been working for Norfolk Southern Railroad for three months.

“I don't want to let them down or run from them because I got a shot for a couple of weeks,” he said. “I just feel that that’s not right at the moment. I’m looking more long-term in life right now than the short-term.”

Fitzhugh said he has been blessed to work with his two childhood passions: football and trains.

He also keeps close watch on his former team, to see if he still recognizes the defensive schemes Ryan is running.

“It’s tough because I would love to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to go out there and get it again,’ but it's about a risk,” he said. “Is it the end of my NFL career forever? I don’t know. This is what I need to do right now.”

Person of the Week

To fight with courage...

J.P. ‘Jay’ Powe gave cancer the fight of a lifetime and left spiritual inspiration for us all

BY BRIAN W. CARTER SENTINEL STAFF WRITER When a loved one becomes sick with a disease like cancer, the whole world changes around you. You start to question things you probably never questioned before. You begin to search for the meanings and reasons behind the tribulation in your life. Kenneth P. Powe is walking that road now.

On Friday, Oct. 22, Powe lost his beloved wife, Jerryl P. Powe, aka J.P. “Jay” Powe, to cancer. They had been married for 42 years and have two daughters, Anissa and Shana.

The Powe family are members of the First Church of God. J.P. was a spiritual woman determined to fight the “challenge” within her body.

J.P., one the first of seven children, was born J.P. “Jay” Jerryl P. Powe Carter on July 29, 1950, to Patricia Margaret Butler and Jerry Carter Sr. in Los Angeles. She had a strong character and was a big sister. She accepted her “High Priest, Jesus,” at the age of 11 and trusted Him throughout her life.

She attended several elementary schools including Edison Junior High School and would later graduate from John C. Fremont High School in 1968.

J.P. was a “Pathfinder” at Fremont High and was crowned as a Cotton Day Princess. She stayed in touch with her fellow classmates until recently.

J.P. went to work for the City of Los Angeles and worked in several departments over the years. She has worked in Scientific Investigations and Crime Lab, to name a few. J.P. ended up working for the Department of Water and Power (DWP) and retired in 2006. She acquired many lifelong friends while working for the city.

At 18, J.P. met the man that would become her husband, Kenneth P. Powe.

He was a proud Marine and after his honorable discharge at the age of 22, he married J.P. Carter on Oct. 11, 1968, three months after Jay’s 18th birthday.

As time went on, the Powes moved from an upscale apartment on the Westside to Inglewood. They were very involved with their community as watch commander leaders, block club party organizers and city council influentials.

J.P. took her health seriously and made sure she had mammogram checks. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning of 2006. Her cancer was in stage 3 and at that point was considered deadly. J.P. under went chemotherapy and a mastectomy.

“She used to get a mammogram every year,” said Powe. After one examination, there were signs that J.P. could have malignancy in her breast.

“They removed her breast and a bunch of lymph nodes under her arm. We were fine for a while.”

The cancer returned and metastasized in her body. J.P. continued with her chemo treatments and a strong spiritual conviction that she would be well. “My wife was really positive and a really good Christian,” said Powe. “We never actually used the word ‘cancer’ in the house. We always called it a ‘challenge.’ ” J.P. continued to live her life in spite of the cancer. She did all that was required of her with keeping appointments, medicine and added spiritual strength. “It never got us down, we never dwelled on it. It was there, but we never gave it credit,” said Powe. “We stayed positive, did everything we were supposed to do.”

The spiritual strength that was given to her by the Lord, the loving support of her husband and her family would serve as a soft transition to glory.

J.P. succumbed to her fight with cancer slipping into a coma. With a heavy heart, Powe continues ahead with the same strength J.P. had in life. He had encouraging words for those who may be going through the same thing.

“Keep right on going, doing everything you’re going to do,” is Powe’s advice to cancer patients and their families. He recommended staying positive, surrounding yourself with family and keeping the faith no matter what.

Despite her passing, Powe still has hope and maintains his faith.

J.P. leaves behind her husband; her two daughters, Anissa and Shana; her mother, Patricia Margaret; her grandchildren, Maya and Madison; her sisters, Marylin and Theresa; her brothers, Jerry Jr., Eugene, Eric and LaVal Sr.; her sister-in-law Trish; brother-in-law Keith; nieces and nephews, Shelley, Steven Jr., Kendra, Rochelle, Vaughn, LaTasha, Melissa, LaVal Jr. and Eric Jr.; her cousins, Tony, Darnell, Clint, Curtis, Poncho, Henry, Maurice, Velma and LaVerne; her uncle Clyde; her aunt Hattie; stepfather Oscar; and a slew of other relatives, family, friends and neighbors.

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Rangel got what he had coming, but others in Congress won’t

BY EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON NEW AMERICA MEDIA Politics does, indeed, make strange bedfellows.

How else to characterize one of Congress’ most outspoken ultraconservatives, Rep. Peter King of New York, protesting the House vote to censure Harlem congressman Charles Rangel, an African American, a Democrat, and a longtime paragon of liberalism?

Of course, King’s defense of Rangel had nothing to do with political affection, identification, outrage over his treatment, or even fear that the censure vote could set a dangerous precedent.

No, the point was to ensure that the corruption spotlight shone brightly on the Democrats.

That’s exactly what’s happened.

On the one hand, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for Rangel.

He didn’t just flaunt the rules — he mocked them.

As a longtime member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and for the last four years its chairman, Rangel enjoys enormous power over tax policy issues. Yet he blatantly failed to pay taxes on his own property for several years.

In his half-hearted pleas for mercy, even Rangel repeatedly acknowledged that he had made “serious mistakes.” After the imbroglio broke, speculation was rampant about what might happen to him. Rangel refused a deal.

He won re-election to a 21st term, so there was not much chance that he’d be expelled. When the House Ethics Committee found him guilty, by a 9-1 vote, of 11 violations of House rules, censure became a virtual certainty. And in fact, last week he became the first member of Congress to be censured in more than a quarter century.

Now Rangel and, to a lesser extent, California Rep. Maxine Waters are firmly imprinted in the media and public mind as the poster pair for congressional corruption.

They’re black, high-profile, high-ranking Democrats. And they’re outspoken. This instantly made them inviting targets. Yet the media crucifixion of Rangel also absolves Congress from taking any

real action against other of its worst offenders.

There are dozens of other lawmakers who are just as deserving, if not more so, of being thrust onto the political hot seat.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson In October 2009, for example, 27 other members of Congress were named as being under investigation for possible ethics violations. When a congressional staffer leaked a summary of the Ethics Committee’s preliminary report, the panel made it clear that the investigations were merely preliminary and the suspected violators had not been formally charged.

But the checklist of allegations was far from petty: sweetheart arrangements with lobbyists, illicit campaign and finance dealings, questionable receipt of gifts, failure to disclose said gifts and other property, and questions about the reporting of taxes.

Beyond the seriousness of Rangel’s offenses, there are two glaring reasons why the other congressmen and women supposedly under investigation have escaped the same level of scrutiny. Most of the other suspected violators aren’t as well known as Rangel. And they

lack his seniority and power.

Only a handful on the list are Republicans, so House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic leadership couldn’t use their names to stoke public fury about alleged GOP misdeeds, whereas the other Democrats under suspicion lack Rangel’s visibility, so going after them offered the party little advantage on the PR front.

Making an example of Rangel, on the other hand, allows Pelosi and the Ethics Committee to self-righteously claim that the ethics rules work, that the committee is doing its job, and that House Democrats can police their own.

California Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the Democrat who chaired the House Ethics Committee (and a close friend of Pelosi’s), boasted that censuring Rangel proves that Congress will keep its promise to hold its members to a higher standard of ethics.

Those are noble words. But the rule of thumb in Congress has long been that you do the deals, take the money, and bend and twist the rules — just not in a way that is so flagrant and outrageous that it draws media and public attention. And most definitely not when elections are looming and Republicans can use charges of corruption to hammer Democrats or — as what happened in 2006 — vice versa.

Rangel has been brought low.

The same may happen to Waters, who faces an even more hostile, GOP-controlled Congress, when she returns to face the music next year.

But don’t expect to see any others on the congressional rogue’s list being held to task. Unless, of course, their comeuppance carries major political benefits.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He hosts nationally broadcast political affairs radio talk shows on Pacifica and KTYM Radio Los Angeles.

Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson and on thehutchinsonreportnews.com.

Some want jobs for Christmas

BY JULIANNE MALVEAUX NNPA COLUMNIST In the weeks since the “shellacking” of the Nov. 2 election, there has been much talk that the economy will turn around and, indeed, is on the mend. Both pundits and expert economists are saying the economic indicators are better.

The recession is over, according to these indicators, and it is unlikely that we have a double dip recession.

The stock market has done well this year. So why is the unemployment rate so high?

The November unemployment numbers went up, not down.

Now at 9.8 percent, we are only two-tenths of a percentage point lower than this time a year ago. No wonder voters rejected Democrats at the polls in November. If there is progress, it has come far too slowly, and all Americans are taking it in the pocketbook.

What does 9.8 percent unemployment translate into? It translates into a whole heck of a lot of human misery. It translates into 15.1 million people who want jobs but can’t find them, 6.3 million who haven’t worked for at least half a year. It means that the marginal attachment to the labor force is rising, with 2.5 million now part of that group. It means that the traditionally reported black unemployment rate is now 16 percent. And Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says we might have to live with unemployment rates this high for another few years, and that unemployment rates might not return to the “normal” 5 or 6 percent until 2015.

Of course, the 9.8 percent that is reported totally understates the reality of the situation. Including discouraged workers and others, the unemployment rate is closer to 16.3 percent. The enormity of this problem in the African-American community is staggering and gives one the sense that the Senate and Congress are fiddling, figuratively, as Rome burns, and much less figuratively, in the African-American community.

Extending unemployment benefits has become a political football.

And there has been little attention focused on the possibility of job creation. If Bernanke is saying that we can expect to live with high unemployment rates for quite some time, then it is irresponsible for Congress to ignore joblessness because they want to balance budgets. Meanwhile, many are gearing up to celebrate the

season, while others simply want to work, but the jobs aren’t there. To be sure, there will be a few new jobs this month in the retail sector as retailers desperately attempt to stimulate consumer sales. “Black Friday,” the traditional big day for shopping, seems

Julianne Malveaux to have gone over with a thud; there will be new data out in mid December. So far, preliminary data say that Black Friday sales were up by about 2 percent, but prices have been dropped so significantly that profits have been hurt. But profits haven’t been as hurt as employment.

People are hurting, and they aren’t getting the results they need from those policy makers who could alleviate their pain.

There will be people caroling and crooning through the New Year, celebrating the joy of a season that must be celebrated. We manage our lives around these rituals, these mysteries of faith, this time of the year when life grinds to a halt and we recognize humanity, human values, the birth of the Christ child, and the coming of winter solstice. And yet, while some croon, others will struggle to celebrate, scraping pennies together to come up with some semblance of celebration because they have children so barraged by commercialism that they equate the end of the year with gifts and goodies.

So on one hand we have people pricing what the 12 days of Christmas would cost today and others are poring through the pricey Neiman Marcus catalog; some folks just want jobs for Christmas. Maybe this Congress will manage things so that more than a few are granted their wish.

www.lawattstimes.com 13

Thursday, December 9, 2010

EVENT 12-09-10 YEAR IN REVIEW (RADICAL WOMEN) — A feminist year in review will take place Dec. 9, 7 p.m. At the event, attendees will have the opportunity to analyze what some see as the victories and challenges of the 2010 battles against budget cuts, as well as what some argue are attacks on immigrants and workers, and on women’s rights. They will also have the opportunity to learn how Radical Women trains and chooses its leadership and decides its political priorities. A winter supper, with a vegetarian option, will be served at 6:30 p.m. for an $8 donation. The event will take place at Solidarity Hall, 2170 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles.

Information: (323) 732-6416, radicalwomenla@earthlink.net, www.radicalwomen.org.

12-10-10 PLAY (STEVE MOYER PR) — In observance of Human Rights Day, a staged reading of Stacey Martino’s play, “The Gift of Peace,” will take

LISTINGS

music groups, food, karaoke, interactive games, raffle prizes and giveaways and children’s crafts. Guests of the Christmas party are encouraged to bring clean, gently used coats and jackets as part of the One Warm Coat community service project. Newsong LA is a third-culture church with a multicultural worship service, relevant message and a community that’s involved in local and global concerns of justice, advocacy and the poor. The event is free. More information: http://la.newsong.net/; sherea.riley@newsongla.net; Sherea, (424) 903-9352.

MURAL DEDICATION (SoCal Library) — The Southern California Library will dedicate its new mural, “They Claim I’m a Criminal,” on this year’s Human Rights Day, Dec. 10. The library worked with L.A. artist Man One, with input from a community group of scholars, activists and neighborhood youth, to design and create the mural, which highlights the work of Mothers Reclaiming Our Children (Mothers ROC) and the Coalition Against Police Abuse (CAPA), and its co-founder Michael Zinzun. The event will take place at 11 a.m. at the Southern California Library, 6120 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. Information: (323) 759-6063.

PERFORMANCE IN LEIMERT — Phil Ranelin & Friends will be at The World Stage Performance Gallery in Leimert Park on Dec. 10 to perform music that will be a tribute to Ranelin’s mother, who recently passed away. There will be two shows: one at 8:30 p.m., the other at 10:30. The World Stage is at 4344 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles.

Parking is free after 8 p.m., and attendees must give a $10 donation at the door. More information: (323) 293-2451, www.trombone-usa.com/ranelin_phil.htm, www.myspace.com/philranelinmusic.

ent Photo Courtesy of CoActive Cont

Tony Sanders

12-11-10

place Dec. 10, 8 p.m., at 474 South Raymond Ave., Pasadena. “The Gift of Peace” has toured around the country.

Under the direction of Valentino Ferreira, the cast of this presentation of the play will include Tony Sanders (artistic director and founder of SHINE! L.A.’s Youth Theatre); Caryn Ward (“The Game,” “Lincoln Heights,”); and several others. The staged reading will be followed by a panel discussion focusing on nonviolent conflict resolution, which will be moderated by KPCC reporter Brian Watt. In addition to the reading and discussion, a brief movie trailer of “Change Is Gonna Come,” about the journey of strangers traveling on a cross-country journey to establish a U.S. Department of Peace, will be shown. Admission to this event is free, but reservations are required.

Seating is limited and on a first-come, firstserved basis. Reservations: Jenny Smith, (626) 583-5232; www.scpr.org/events/forum.

TOWN HALL — “Resistance & Liberation in a Time of Economic Crisis,” a town hall, will take place Dec. 11 at Union Hall SEIU Local 721, 500 S. Virgil Ave., Los Angeles.

The free event will feature guests Cynthia McKinney and Miguel Tinker Salas, and will be from noon to 3 p.m. Information: Reza Pour (323) 660-1553.

PARTY (FULLCALENDAR.COM) — Newsong LA will have its Christmas Party & Coat Drive on Dec. 10, 6 to 10 p.m. The event will take place at Playa Vista Community Center, 6200 Playa Vista Drive, Los Angeles, in the Great Hall. In addition to comedian and entertainer Glenn Bennick, the event will feature entertainment by local

COLORS OF CHRISTMAS (CITY OF CERRITOS) — For 17 seasons, the Colors of Christmas extravaganza has taken place at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) with holiday melodies and pop music. This yearly celebration returns with

Peabo Bryson

12/2010

happening this month

displayed as part of his latest “Nostalgic Pastimes” showcase through Dec. 11. His work is being showcased at the FrameStore gallery, 8692 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Clements was on the scene four years ago with fine arts drawings of dilapidated houses. His artwork will be on display from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekend. Information: (310) 837-4531.

Stephanie Mills twotime Grammy winner Peabo Bryson again headlining an array of entertainers that include James Ingram, gospel great Oleta Adams, and Grammy winner Stephanie Mills. Backed by a full orchestra and a gospel choir, Bryson, Ingram, Adams and Mills individually and collectively deliver greatest hits and yuletide favorites in the Colors of Christmas. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Dec. 11 and 3 p.m. on Dec. 12.

Tickets can be purchased at the CCPA Ticket Office, at www.cerritoscenter.com, or by calling (562) 467-8818. The center is at 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. More ticket or event information: (562) 467-8818, to www.cerritoscenter.com.

12-18-10 HOLIDAY TOAST (RADICAL WOMEN L.A.) — The L.A. March 4th Committee to Defend Public Education and Social Services will throw a holiday party for all partisans in what some see as the battle to tax corporations and the wealthy to save California’s public wealth from the Sacramento budget ax. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Dec. 18 at Solidarity Hall, 2170 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. More information: (323) 3696343, (323) 428-5711 (Español).

ONGOING ART SHOWCASE (JEFF CLEMENTS) — Dr. Jeffery A. Clements’ artwork is being

PLAY (DC PUBLICITY) — “Much Ado About Nothing” will continue its run until Dec. 19 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. This production of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” will be the first full-scale, indoor production presented by the Shakespeare Center.

The performing company of 17 actors and musicians will include Chris Butler, Helen Hunt, Anthony Manough, Sara Watkins and others. The choreographer is Julie Arenal.

Director Ben Donenberg has set this production on a California vineyard. In a press release, he is quoted as saying, “We are thrilled about Helen Hunt and Tom Irwin playing Beatrice and Benedick – they are both picture perfect to play these parts because they can so beautifully explore how two people with a rocky unresolved past can drop their defenses and pretenses, rediscover each other, and find a new way to love.” Ticket cost $35 to $70, and premium tickets are also available. Ticket information: (213) 628-2772, centertheatregroup.org/muchado. The Kirk Douglas Theatre is at 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. More information: www.shakespearecenter.org, www.facebook.com/shakescenter.

The deadline for receipt of calendar listings is Friday, noon, at least two weeks prior to activity.

Fax to: (323) 299-3896, e-mail us at lawattsnus@aol.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3800 Crenshaw Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90008.

All calendar items are received from various senders and are subject to being edited.

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Trustee Sale # CA0940891-2 Loan# 1008814582 Order # 090258980 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 11/03/2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 12/28/2010 at 01:00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 11/15/2006 as Document No. 20062523411 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, AMELIA TRIGUEROS, AN UNMARRIED WOMAN, as Trustor, LOANEX FUNDING, as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state).

AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 6088-019-009 AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 833 WEST 118TH, LOS ANGELES, CA 90044 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $402,983.74 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. See Exhibit "A" attached hereto and made a part hereof.

Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1.

Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 12/02/2010 MTC FINANCIAL INC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee By: CLARISA GASTELUM, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICER TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 RPRequests@trusteecorps.com Ad #7555 2010-12-02 2010-12-09 2010-12-16 Trustee Sale # CA0949538-1 Loan# 1009024173 Order # 090476437 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 12/21/2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 12/27/2010 at 01:00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 12/28/2006 as Document No. 06 2881056 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, JOSE REYES, A SINGLE MAN, as Trustor, INDYMAC BANK, F.S.B., A FEDERALLY CHARTERED SAVINGS BANK, as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 5484-001-026 AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 5740 MERIDIAN STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90042 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein.

Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $401,379.19 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. See Exhibit "A" attached hereto and made a part hereof. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 12/02/2010 MTC FINANCIAL INC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee

Thursday, December 9, 2010 By: CLARISA GASTELUM, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICER TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 RPRequests@trusteecorps.com Ad #7623 2010-12-02 2010-12-09 2010-12-16 Trustee Sale # CA0950429-2 Loan# 1009971134 Order # 090498915 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 05/16/2007. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 12/30/2010 at 01:00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 05/23/2007 as Document No. 20071249730 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, JULIO LOPEZ, A MARRIED MAN AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY, as Trustor, MILLE MORTGAGE INC, as Beneficiary, WILL SELLAT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 5115-027-016 AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 1191A 1191B 1193 EAST 42ND PL, LOS ANGELES, CA 90011 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $498,953.55 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. See Exhibit "A" attached hereto and made a part hereof. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 12/09/2010 MTC FINANCIAL INC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee By: CLARISA GASTELUM, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICER TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 RPRequests@trusteecorps.com Ad #7743 2010-12-09 2010-12-16 2010-12-23

HACKERS

Continued from page 4 Church of Scientology and the music industry, is knocking offline websites seen as hostile to WikiLeaks.

“While we don’t have much of an affiliation with WikiLeaks, we fight for the same reasons,” the group said in a statement. “We want transparency and we counter censorship ... we intend to utilize our resources to raise awareness, attack those against and support those who are helping lead our world to freedom and democracy.”

The website for Swedish lawyer Claes Borgstrom, who represents the two women at the center of Assange’s sex crimes case, was unreachable Wednesday.

The Swiss postal system’s financial arm, Postfinance, which shut down Assange’s bank account on Monday, was also having trouble.

Spokesman Alex Josty said the website buckled under a barrage of traffic.

“Yesterday it was very, very difficult, then things improved overnight,” he told The AP. “But it’s still not entirely back to normal.”

Ironically, the microblogging site Twitter — home of much Wiki-

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Leaks support — could become the next target. Operation Payback posted a statement claiming “Twitter you’re next for censoring Wikileaks discussion.”

Some WikiLeaks supporters accuse Twitter of preventing the term “WikiLeaks” from appearing as one of its popular “trending topics.”

Twitter denies censorship, saying the topics are determined by an algorithm.

Meanhwhile, the French government's effort to stop a company from hosting WikiLeaks has failed — at least for now.

The Web services company OVH, which says a client hosts the wikileaks.ch website, sought a ruling by two courts about the legality of hosting WikiLeaks in France. The judges said they couldn’t decide right away on the highly technical case.

WikiLeaks angered the U.S. government earlier this year when it posted a video showing U.S. troops gunning down two unarmed Reuters journalists. Since then, the organization has leaked some 400,000 classified U.S. war files from Iraq and 76,000 from Afghanistan that U.S. military officials say contained information that could put people’s lives at risk.

The latest leaks involve private U.S. diplomatic cables that included frank U.S. assessments of foreign nations and their leaders.

Those cables have embarrassing U.S. allies, angered rivals, and reopened old wounds across the world. U.S. State and Defense

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department officials say foreign powers have curtailed their dealings with the U.S. government since the documents hit the Internet.

U.S. officials have directed their ire at Assange but even American allies have begun to ask whether Washington shares some of the blame.

“The core of all this lies with the failure of the government of the United States to properly protect its own diplomatic communications,” Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said Wednesday. “To have several million people on their distribution list for a quarter of a million cables — that’s where the problem lies.”

The latest batch of cables released Wednesday showed that the British government feared a furious Libyan reaction if the convicted Lockerbie bomber wasn't set free and expressed relief when they learned he would be released in 2009 on compassionate grounds.

Meanwhile, Assange faces a

new extradition hearing in London next week, in which his lawyers say they will reapply for bail. The 39year-old Australian denies two women’s allegations in Sweden of rape, molestation and unlawful coercion, and is fighting his extradition to Sweden.

In a Twitter message Wednesday, WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson shrugged off the challenges and noted that the site is mirrored in over 500 locations by supporters.

“We will not be gagged, either by judicial action or corporate censorship ... WikiLeaks is still online,” Hrafnsson said.

Malin Rising in Stockholm, Frank Jordans in Geneva, Jamey Keaten in Paris and Cassandra Vinograd in London, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem, Michelle Chapman in New York and Anne Flaherty in Washington contributed to this report.

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in

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o u r

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HAYNESWORTH Continued from page 6

also refused to follow the instructions of our coaches both during weekly practices and during actual games as well.

“Yesterday, when Albert was at Redskin Park, he told our general manager Bruce Allen that he (Haynesworth) would no longer speak with me. Although suspending any player is not a decision that a head coach enters into lightly, I believe the situation has reached the point where the club clearly has no alternative.”

Allen informed Haynesworth of the suspension, the maximum permitted under the league's collective bargaining agreement. Haynesworth’s agent, Chad Speck, said his client will appeal. Speck chided the Redskins for not giving any prior formal notice that Haynesworth’s behavior was in question.

“The accusations made by coach Shanahan and Bruce Allen are vague and without merit,” Speck said in a written statement. “Since training camp began, today’s notice was the first that Albert received informing him that his conduct was not consistent with the ‘terms of his contract’ as coach Shanahan claims. Bruce confirmed to me today, that there have been no other letters or formal notices of any kind sent to Albert during the regular season suggesting that he was engaging in conduct detrimental to the team.”

George Atallah, spokesman for the NFL players’ union, said on Twitter: “All I can say at this time is that the NFLPA is reviewing the details.”

It wasn’t hard to see this coming.

Haynesworth and Shanahan have been going at it almost from the day the hard-nosed coach who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos was hired by the Redskins in January.

Haynesworth skipped offseason workouts because he didn’t want to play nose tackle in the 3-4 defense the new coaches were installing, preferring instead to play in a scheme that would showcase his talent and help achieve his goal of becoming “the best defense tackle to ever play this game.” Shanahan told Haynesworth

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to go find another team, contingent upon giving up a $21 million contract bonus due on April 1.

Haynesworth didn’t want to give up that much money, so he stayed on the roster and remained disgruntled.

He boycotted a mandatory minicamp, drawing a $10,000 fine and searing comments about being “selfish” from defensive captain London Fletcher.

He became a league-wide punch line when he needed 10 days to pass a conditioning test at the start of training camp.

He complained about playing with the backups in preseason games.

He received sympathetic words and support from Shanahan and the rest of the team when he missed a regular season game following the death of his half brother in a motorcycle accident, but he waited so long to return that the coach made him inactive for the following game as well.

Then, last week, Haynesworth had a lackluster practice on Thursday, was late for a meeting on Friday and was also limited at Friday’s practice because of an unspecified illness.

Haynesworth denied a television report that he appeared “hung over” at practice, saying he had gone out the night before and went home early because he “wasn't feeling good.”

Shanahan made Haynesworth inactive for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, waiting until

the morning of the game to announce the decision. Haynesworth likely wouldn’t have made much difference in the 31-7 loss because he had become a marginal role-player, coming into the game mostly on passing downs because of his resistance to playing nose tackle in the 3-4.

Still, Haynesworth’s teammates were getting fed up.

Defensive lineman Phillip Daniels called out Haynesworth on Monday, citing Haynesworth’s lack of willingness to buy into the concept of team and the multiple practices Haynesworth has missed while others kept showing up despite illnesses and injuries.

“Unfortunately, Albert’s behavior has his credibility in question,” defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday said. “This is my first year with Albert. Some of these guys are in their second year. For them, there’s certainly a credibility issue. How many times can you cry wolf?”

Haynesworth played in only eight games this season and didn’t start any of them, totaling just 16 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks. Holliday said he thought Haynesworth felt a “tremendous amount of pressure” to live up to the big contract and reach Hall of Fame level. Nevertheless, Holliday felt Haynesworth would eventually warm to defensive coordinator Jim Haslett’s scheme, but it never happened.

recently had his team off and running with an 11-3 report card in its first 14 games. Chris Paul and David West have been the leaders of the band for the Hornets.

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is on shaky ground, though.

Dwyane Wade, one-third of the Heat’s great trio, reportedly said: “… I’m not going to say he’s my guy, but he’s our coach, you know.”

Yes, Spoelstra is on shaky ground.

By the way, LeBron James

returned to Cleveland for the first time Dec. 2 since he joined the Heat. James put on an all-star 38point performance.

And the beat continues…

Tiger Woods was back in the groove in the first three rounds of the Chevron World Challenge with a 7-under 65.

But ultimately Graeme McDowell won the Chevron World Challenge.

And the beat ends.

Brad Pye, Jr. can be reached at Switchreel@aol.com

SPORTS BEAT Continued from page 6

Both teams will battle it out at Oaks Christian High.

And the beat continues…

Andrew Bynum could be the Lakers’ pre-Christmas present, according to the L.A. Times.

It’s possible he will return to the Lakers’ lineup by at least Dec. 19 against the Toronto Raptors.

Bynum has yet to play one second with the back-to-back champion Lakers.

Monty Williams has been doing a good job with the New Orleans Hornets: At one point, he

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PIMPTON Continued from page 7 reference to is contained in the book’s opening chapter, Blood and Bone. It’s a recollection by Pimpton — a child at the time — witnessing his mother Kathryn Taylor being beaten by his father, Norris Pimpton Sr., who was fueled by a drunken rage.

Pimpton explained why he decided to share such an emotionally charged episode in his life.

“This book was therapeutic for me,” he said. “I just needed to get these feelings out there so that I could move on. I planned another book as my first release, but my brother’s death and the poem had a big influence on me.”

Pimpton’s “Diaries” features descriptive writing throughout, helping the reader conjure up images to go along with the text. Pimpton said he has a wide range of influences, and admires writers such as Eric Jerome Dickey and Stephen King for their vivid portrayals.

So far, Pimpton has received a lot of positive feedback from friends and family about the book’s content.

Although he is happy that the book is available, Pimpton yearns for a wider audience to be exposed to his work, and is still shopping it to publishers with the goal of receiving broader promotion and distribution.

Currently, Pimpton promotes the book through social networking and word of mouth with the help of his wife. He described the beginning stages of self-publishing as difficult, and said that he sent samples to various publishers, but received no response.

What Pimpton lacks in industry recognition, he seems to more than make up for in perseverance.

When Pimpton was told by doubters that he couldn’t write a book, he believed them at first, convincing himself that his material didn’t measure up. But then, he changed his outlook.

“I started to write for myself more than trying to please everybody else,” Pimpton said. “An influential person in my life told me to keep writing and

release something online as much as possible. From there, I just kept at it and gained confidence.”

As Pimpton built up confidence, he shelved what he intended to be his first project, and began to exorcise his memory, resulting in plenty of anecdotes and subject matter for the book.

Pimpton said his work stands out, compared to much of the urban fiction/drama genre, which has found a niche audience through the years.

“What I’m presenting is a real story,” he said. “My writing is all based on passion. I don’t just put words on a blank page. My soul and heart are in every line.”

The author’s penchant for writing began at an early age. Pimpton said his interest in writing was inspired by a teacher who would help write short stories he dictated. Pimpton’s teacher would show him his stories. Afterward, Pimpton — a fan of horror stories — began writing his own narratives.

About one year ago, Pimpton decided to move from Los Angeles with his wife and three kids to a place he was very familiar with: Texas. In 1982, Pimpton’s parents decided to move away from Watts and relocate to Texas, where his father had relatives.

Pimpton works at a mortgage company in Dallas, and in his spare time, works diligently on his next book, “Hotel 23,” tentatively scheduled for a spring 2011 release.

Pimpton said that his book wasn’t written to be inspirational, but he hoped his story would help young people from environments such as Watts know that anything is possible.

“Never give up,” he emphatically said in a phone interview. “Don’t be a follower and always be an individual.

That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t go down the wrong path, despite the situations going on around me.”

For more information, book excerpts and ordering, visit www.norrispimpton.com.

16

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, December 9, 2010

California Congresswoman Waters calls for bipartisan task force to investigate house ethics committee

BY TOM RISEN NNPA Washington, D.C. — After being charged with unethical connection to a government bank bailout, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has charged mishandling of her case and is requesting a rare bipartisan task force to investigate why the House Ethics Committee has delayed her trial.

Waters introduced the resolution for a task force on the House floor Tuesday evening to investigate the seemingly unprecedented move of why her trial was delayed the same day Ethics Committee attorneys were placed on suspended leave.

The Ethics Committee accused Waters, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, and Mikael Moore, her grandson and chief of staff, of three House rules violations by taking action to help an association of minority-owned banks, including a bank in which her husband had investments, during the financial crisis in 2008. Specifically, the charges are for dispensing a favor, not acting “in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House,” and for using her influence for personal benefit. Waters’ husband, Sidney Willams, had served on the board of directors of OneUnited and had invested $350,000 to $750,000 in the minority-owned bank, which received $12 million in TARP bailout funds.

Like recently censured Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) Rep. Waters sought an open trial before an eightmember “adjudicatory subcommittee” of the Ethics Committee to defend herself and Moore. Last month, the committee delayed the trial the same day it suspended Cindy Morgan Kim, the deputy chief counsel/lead attorney, and Stacy Sovereign, a Committee attorney assisting on the case.

The committee has kept mum about its actions, but Committee Chair Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Ranking Member Rep. Jo Bonner (RAL) released a statement contending the delay was “due to materials discovered” that could allow them to reassess the charges against Waters, who is painting the unprecedented move as a failure of her due process rights.

“From the beginning, I have been concerned with the Committee’s unsupported conclusions, often contradictory arguments, and unfounded negative inferences,” Waters said in a prepared statement. “It now seems that these concerns were justified, as the Committee’s sanctioning of its own attorneys is an acknowledgement of flaws and failures in the Committee’s processes and handling of my case.”

Rob Walker, a former counsel to the House Ethics Committee and the Senate Ethics Committee, said it is “unlikely” that Speaker Nancy Pelosi

(D-CA) and her Republican successor Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) would choose a 10-person Ethics Task Force during this lame duck session.

“There would be some fairly complicated factual findings and witness interviews and I don’t see it being doable during this month,” said Walker, now an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP. “There isn’t must precedent here.

Given that these two things happened on the same day it seems reasonable that Waters and her counsel seek answers to how they might be related. It might affect them positively or negatively and I’m not sure whether this Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., walks past a media stakeout for Rep. Charlis Rangel, D-N.Y., is the best way to get on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010. The House ethics trial for Waters is scheduled to begin on Nov. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) those answers.”

Melanie Sloan, executive director for the nonprofit ferent parties from spinning the situa- for a small problem. It seems unlikely that Pelosi and Boehner are going Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics tion.

“The public needs confidence in to appoint members to a committee in Washington, called for the House Ethics Committee to break its silence the House Ethics Committee, and this until they know what the problem is, on the suspension of the attorneys doesn’t help,” said Sloane. “The since task forces are usually for speand debunk any mystery to keep dif- bipartisan commission is a big thing cific problems.”

Obama signs landmark legislation to compensate black farmers for decades of discrimination

BY TOM RISEN NNPA REPORTER Washington, D.C. — After dec-

ades of fighting the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in court, Black farmers finally saw jus-

tice when President Barack Obama signed landmark legislation that will pay $4.6 billion to Black and Indian

Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

farmers for decades of discrimination in securing farm loans.

After signing the historic “Claims Resolution Act of 2010,” Obama, in a statement, said, “This Act, among other things, provides funding and statutory authorities for the settlement agreements reached in the Cobell lawsuit, brought by Native Americans; (and) the Pigford II lawsuit … While I am pleased that this Act reflects important progress, much work remains to be done to address other claims of past discrimination made by women and Hispanic farmers against the Department of Agriculture as well as to address needs of tribal communities.”

Fourth-generation Virginia farmer John Boyd Jr. has been a tireless voice for Black farmers since the early 1980s, when he protested discrimination that he experienced when applying for a USDA farm loan.

“It’s a bittersweet victory since many of the farmers who fought for it didn’t live to see it,” said Boyd, founder of the National Black Farmers Association. “Many of the farmers I’ve spoken to will use the

money for harvest season, which won’t get some farmers back on top of business, but it will help us move forward with our lives.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (DTX) called the legislation the end to “a long and tedious journey” for Black farmers.

“The Claims Resolution Act of 2010 represents an overdue conclusion to the battle for equality and justice,” Lee said in a statement.

“This represents a historical first step toward righting the wrongs that were borne by a generation of minority farmers. It is not a 100% relief, but it is a relief that warrants our celebration.”

The act will uphold the 1997 Pigford vs. Glickman class-action lawsuit against the USDA. The presiding judge upheld the class-action lawsuit filed by thousands of Black farmers, who claimed racial bias delayed or prevented them from receiving farm loans between 1983 and 1997.

In 1999, the judge awarded $50,000 in compensation to each qualified farmer. About 72,000 Black farmers have applied to be compensated.