Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.
- Pueblo Blessing
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Tuesday, Jun. 07, 2005 - 2:08 a.m.
WARNING!!!! if you know me personally, you may read my diary, but if you do, you take the chance of hearing things you don't want to know, misunderstanding what I've written and being hurt by it. If you are unsure if it is ok to read, save yourself and me the grief and heartache, and ask first!!! Please note that this is a DIARY, ie my subjective feelings, hearsay, suppositions, and outpourings of ranting of the moment. It does not represent objective news, the whole of what I think of a topic or someone, or even a thought-out representation of any of the above. Keep that in mind. Thanks. * Here is a Diary Etiquette Read Me.
Racism? It went out in the 60's of course!!
"Although blacks and Latinos are ninety percent of persons incarcerated nationally for drugs, they represent only twenty-three percent of drug users, according to the most recent federal data. Meanwhile, whites, who are between seventy percent and three-fourths of users, comprise less than ten percent of those incarcerated for drugs.In all, black drug users are nearly twenty times more likely than anyone else to spend time in prison for their use, and in fifteen states, the rate of black incarceration for drug offenses is anywhere from 20-57 times greater than for whites, despite equal or greater rates of drug law violations by whites. Amazingly, when all other factors surrounding an arrest are the same, black cocaine offenders are twice as likely to be sent to prison and will serve, on average, forty months more than white offenders."
Boggling.
Not surprising. But absolutely boggling.
Read the rest of this article by Tim Wise about racial bias in criminal justice here.
Read also Part 1:How the Right Rationalizes Racial Inequality in America and Part 3:on Housing and Mortages.
Interestingly I was at an adoption meeting tonight. There was a gay man who is part of a gay couple. He and his lover adopted here in the province... through what they call the "banque mixte"... which is the mixed bank of children who are in fostercare with an eye to adoption... ie they have been taken from their parents, and they are in sort of limbo... will their parents get their act together and get them back?? Or will they not even visit the kids and thus give up their parental rights? hmmm...
Well, this couple were doing emergency fostering on weekends of a little boy, and then they got a call "hello, would you like a little boy who can be adopted very soon? The courts have ruled that we are not doing our best to find a permanent home for him... he is only 8 months old and has 4 foster homes which is against his best interest. His mother hasn't bothered to visit".
So yes they would like the child. It took only a year and a half from the first time they made a call to the public agency here, til they had this little baby boy whom they adopted just recently. How did they end up so lucky to get a young child so quickly, when the adoption waiting list is often very long? Apparently two or three couples before them, nice white straight couples, passed him up because he was a 1) boy and 2) half black. Apparently white girls come first, then white boys, then chinese girls, boys, black girls, and at the end black boys. Jeesh.
Yay for racism here... the very nice male couple got a wonderful baby and are very very happy.
cheers!
Wenchie
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previous meanderings - future past
Goodbye Michael. May your next life be kinder to you. - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Taking Care of Your Cows - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Saint Joseph robs the cradle and eats spaghetti - Sunday, Jun. 14, 2009
sticky notes and broken irises - Friday, Jun. 12, 2009
The FOODCOMMANDER - Monday, Jun. 08, 2009
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