Reading Is Judgmental

Jenius Friend--a Genius himself--Gabo Pagán sent Me a tweet that asked: Why are there are no decent libraries on the island?

Yes, I'm on Tweet Street, as--what else?--@GilTheJenius.

My tweet in reply was: 1) Racism 2) Climate 3) Peer pressure 4) Economics. But mainly racism: gringos didn't think We'd use them. So We didn't.

Allow Me to elaborate.

1) Racism: When the U.S. of part of A. invaded Puerto Rico and took it over, the overwhelming impression they had of Us was that We were "backward," "slow" and "lazy." Just look it up. We didn't speak English (how uncivilized!) and generally didn't work 7-8 hours a day because We were pretty much starving. It's amazing how a body needs to rest when it's consuming muscle tissue to survive.

In some quarters, We were called "dirty," "ignorant" and even "savages." One could say it was merely the tenor of the times, the "Victorian mentality" and whatnot, but the basic theme remains the same: they saw Us as inferior. Much inferior. And that judgment was racist.

Note that the U.S. of part of A. created the widespread library system. No other nation in the world had taken the concept to such a level. It was such a key and successful program that the U.S. of part of A. routinely touted it as a reason for its educational system's success, its economic growth spurt and resulting dominance on the world stage. But despite a few minor efforts, like the Carnegie Library just outside of Old San Juan, that library system didn't get launched here.

Why? Racism, in the sense that gringos thought We wouldn't take advantage of it, since We were, you know, so stupid and all. And a few other factors as well.


2) Climate: The tropical humidity of the Island wreaks havoc with books. Not to mention having to bring loads of books across the ocean, a recoverable investment when selling them (as European books were sold), but a big expense when it comes to just placing them in libraries. Now many rapacious-business-tycoons-cum-philanthropists couldn't have cared less about spending a couple of thousand dollars more to establish a library (Andrew Carnegie, anyone?), but to do so in "Porto Rico"? Well I should think not! And if you doubt Me, how many of those "guilt-reducing, nation-building" libraries do We have? Uh-huh.


3) Peer pressure: The limits of Twitter's 140 characters stunted this one, but there's two parts to this: the first is that there was a broad base of self-interested business and political leaders for whom libraries were seen as trouble and a general feeling in Our population that libraries--and by extension, reading--were (and still are) wastes of time.

The first is easy to grasp: Plantation owners and imperialist governments don't want educated folks because uneducated folks are easier to control...or confuse. To these power-holders, libraries were simply time bombs aimed at them. But in Our culture, forged under the reality of a daily struggle to survive, libraries were unknown and thus useless, or known and rejected as useless, for what could a book do to put food on the table today? Any of Us investing time in school, or worse a library, past a certain age was seen, by Us, as lazy. Or worse, uppity, as in "Wanting to be like the gringos." A similar peer pressure affects black students who strive to do well in school, where they are often accused of "going white."

Why We still have that general reaction to reading is probably the single most disgusting reality I feel about My Island.


4) Economics: Very similar to point three, what with power-holders wanting to keep the population under control and point two with the expense of book shipping, but centered on a specific point: the U.S. of part of A. saw Us as an economic project, not a social one. Yes, there was plenty of rhetoric about "Americanizing" Us and "bringing democracy to Porto Rico", but look at Our history and ask yourself: Were the major actions taken done so for Our benefit, or theirs? 

-- Between 1898 and 1917, they took over nearly every plantation on the Island and controlled every major revenue stream. Congress chided the Interior Department more than once for failing to make a strong effort to improve living conditions and education in Puerto Rico, which had worsened since the takeover.

-- In 1917, Congress granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans...for the World War I draft. No other "benefit" of citizenship was extended except for the right to die for another country.

-- Skip to 1947 when the U.S of part of A. finally decides to ramp up Puerto Rico's economy because it really had no other choice: World War II left foreign production in shambles, so increased U.S.-based production was a competitive advantage and Uncle Sam's top-of-the-pyramid presence on the world stage was slightly embarrassed by its "Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere" stepchild. Further proof: they used Puerto Rico solely as a "low-wage laboratory," instead of a "business development platform." And they agreed to a commonwealth status in 1952 that preserved their economic  interests in exchange for nothing on the political side that could affect those interests.

Conclusion: theirs. Delve deeper and the conclusion becomes a single truth.

And what does this have to do with libraries? We ain't got very many, that's what. Yes, schools "have" them, but they are to mainland libraries what rat is to Kobe beef. Our two largest community libraries are in Guaynabo and Dorado (fairly high on the local income per capita sclaes, I must point out), and both struggle to stay afloat. It's very likely that the only active library on the Island is at Fort Buchanan...because the U.S. of part of A. made libraries a part of every permanent base. Even in Puerto Rico.

Could there be other reasons why We lack libraries? Of course. U.S. of part of A. books were almost exclusively in English, but libraries were often used in mainland foreign-language communities as "nuclei" for English learning. Why not here? [I have to say this again: We are the only fucking nation on the fucking planet that has English for 12 years in schools and doesn't learn the fucking language. Stop anywhere on My Island, speak English and you'll see how many of Us are "bilingual." We're as bilingual as hair is edible.]

And there are reports of thousands of books arriving in Our ports, primarily for schools, that rotted on the docks or in warehouses. (That darn humidity!) Maybe that was Our fault, but it seems to Me that if libraries were built and stocked in Montana, New Mexico, Guam and the Aleutian Islands, then it was because someone from "up North" (or "down South," in the case of the Aleutian Islands) made sure the damn things got completed. Why not here?

Are libraries important? Yes, historically. Their importance is fading as the Internet pervades every piece of hardware We can carry or relate with. But their role as springboards for reading, for exploration, for discovery and learning, for confronting fear and ignorance and moving beyond, for context and perspective, needs to be recognized and preserved. Once We had to go "there" to be in a library; now We simply have to press a few keys. That it is easier to access a library doesn't mean We "have" it, for not using something is actually worse than not having it all.

To be clear, what I'm saying is: We don't have any excuses anymore. 



The Jenius Has Spoken.

[Update: 17 August 2011: Again from Genius Gabo Pagán, this poster on the value of libraries and librarians. Excellent.]

Moron Fools

[Jenial Thaks once again to Janine Mendes-Franco for making The Jenius visible on Global Voices Online, what with My post on pay-per-performance for Fools, which leads Me to...]

More on Fools. Or My way: Moron Fools.

Yes, it's brilliant. I accept your wild applause.

According to a Rasmussen Reports poll, quoted in Misch's Global Economic Trend Analysis (My pre-dawn chai-sipping read of choice), only 6% of those polled feel Congress is doing a good job.

Six. Per. Cent. SIX. Need I point out that this is a record low?

Think about this for a moment. In what endeavor, process, procedure or system of Our daily lives do We tolerate a 6% "Yeah, We think that's okay" approval? 

There isn't any. Why? Because they are either eliminated as useless or replaced by something that works.

And yet, Congress--emphasis on "con"--keeps sliming along. Replace it? We should, but We don't. Too much money--most of corporate--creating too much inertia. And We can't eliminate it unless We throw outhe whole kit and caboodle, which come to think of it, sucks almost as badly.

So here's an idea, or rather, a series of ideas from Tim Siedell, over at The Huffington Post. Briefly listed, they are:

++ Every president is to be a clone of George Washington.
++ Make the Vice-President a symbolic office with teeth--literally: a T-rex.
++ Give smartphones and apps to every citizen so s/he can vote on every issue. (His corporate slams in this idea are worth the read.)
++ Give $1 million in yearly salary to each congresscritter...and have them wear a webcam 24/7/365.

(Why do I add "365"? To avoid the murderous moron's definition of 24/7 which to him meant working "24 hours a week, 7 months a year.")



Now wait a minute...Tim's on to something here. Cloning? Possible, but George was dull and dull don't cut it on da boob tube. A T-rex as V.P.? Sounds okay, but feeding the brute sounds like a real hassle. Smartphones as daily voting booths? Stupidity and cupidity would rule? Million a year salary? Eliminate the legal bribery called lobbying and I'm okay with it.

But 24/7/365 webcams on congresscritters? Do it. Now. Absolutely. Right to privacy? They aren't called "private servants," are they? National security? Ha! Congresscritters harm Us far more through their corrupt votes and non-votes than any dozen terrorist groups. Too much information? We get barely anything now, and if there's something history has proven, democracies die when information is "spun" all the time (Fox Noise, anyone?) and/or throttled for "security" (Patriot Farts, anyone?).

So let's give Tim a hand and one as well to The Sunlight Network that, back in 2006, challenged Fools at the state and national levels to be totally transparent with their daily agendas. I commented on their Punch Clock Campaign and suggested I'd even help publicize the agendas of local signees of the challenge. None ever did, of course.

But they should. And since they won't do it on their own, I'm suggesting We force them to. Short of the webcam, a daily agenda for transparency. And if they won't go for that, then I'd really push the T-rex idea and teach it to feed on carrion...what congresscritters and Fools are made of, anyway.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

The Jenius' Intellectual Honesty

From The Design Matrix comes this oft-printed list of 10 Signs of Intellectual Honesty. The lesson today, class, is to apply these standards to The Jenius. Of course, in your absence, I'm applying them to Myself, so without further ado, here they are and here's how The Jenius fares.

           

1. Do not overstate the power of your argument. If someone portrays their opponents as being either stupid or dishonest for disagreeing, intellectual dishonesty is probably in play. Intellectual honesty is most often associated with humility, not arrogance.  I can be accused of violating this principle and the criticism is valid. However, most of My "smackdowns" in this area are directed at government officials and other "experts" who are trying to use their positions to push stupid ideas, (there I go again...) so pushing My argument to the max is understandable. (Subtlety is lost on these moron...oops.) I'll give Myself a (B-) on this one rather than a C becasue I spelled "Jenius" with a "J". I'm humble that way.

2. Show a willingness to publicly acknowledge that reasonable alternative viewpoints exist.  Fail. I don't do this often enough simply because most of My arguments are aimed at debunking a position and/or highlighting a separate one, not arguing as if in a debate. My blog, My position. But strictly applied, a failing grade nonetheless: (F)

3. Be willing to publicly acknowledge and question one’s own assumptions and biases.  Not a problem, since I insist on defining My terms and where I stand. And because I'm convinced My readers hang on My every thought and thought process. (A)

4. Be willing to publicly acknowledge where your argument is weak. "Weak"? "Weak"?! Are you kidding Me?! Okay, I get the point. Yes, I do acknowledge weak points in My arguments, but not often enough. Not because My arguments are bullet-proof (they are, but bear with Me here), but because I look to define My position in under 800 words or so. Not an excuse: I do better than most. But there's room for improvement: (B)

5. Be willing to publicly acknowledge when you are wrong.  Not a problem. It doesn't happen often anyway. (A)

6. Demonstrate consistency. A clear sign of intellectual dishonesty is when someone extensively relies on double standards.  Nail this one. On an Island where blue supporters protect pederasts from their side and red supporters protect wife beaters and both protect their own criminal mafias, the fact that I have one standard applied equally makes Me a rarity. (A+)

7. Address the argument instead of attacking the person making the argument. Ad hominem arguments are a clear sign of intellectual dishonesty.  Yes, I use nicknames that often focus on that person's physical traits, (lack of) personality, (extremely limited) intellectual and moral characteristics and whatnot. But those are not My arguments. Calling Pedro Stupid Rosselló a cocksucker is easy: I just did. But proving he is one is (probably) impossible. And yet. I have proven he deserves Stupid. My arguments are against the idea, position, process or action: the nicknames are just My saltiness in the wound. (A)

8. When addressing an argument, do not misrepresent it. A common tactic of the intellectually dishonest is to portray their opponent’s argument in straw man terms. In politics, this is called spin. Typically, such tactics eschew quoting the person in context, but instead rely heavily on out-of-context quotes, paraphrasing and impression. When addressing an argument, one should shows signs of having made a serious effort to first understand the argument and then accurately represent it in its strongest form.  I quoted this one in full because it's central to intellectual honesty. I simplify arguments by removing the spin and placing them in clear contrast. For example, I've written that if Group A uses military might to remove Group B from their legally-owned homes and businesses, Group A is wrong. Now make Group A "Israel" and Group B "Palestinians." The argument is simplified, clarified and the answer DOES NOT change just because now We're discussing "Israel". Our (non)government claims a 93-mile pipeline for natural gas will fix Our energy problems, reduce Our dependence on oil and improve Our infrastructure. All that is spin. The pipeline cuts needlessly through private property, threatens the environment, replaces oil with more volatile (pun intended) gas which does not guarantee savings or better infrastructure. Spin is another word for lie: The Jenius doesn't spin. And if My argument leaves something out, I'm known for going back and taking another look. (A)

9. Show a commitment to critical thinking.   Not in doubt. Maybe heading towards "overboard," but never in doubt. (A+)

10. Be willing to publicly acknowledge when a point or criticism is good.  I've done this several times, even granting the point to people who I believe would do Us a favor by removing themselves from Our lives permanently. (A)

Final grade? Seven As, two Bs and an F, which gives Me a 3.4 GPA, a B in intellectual honesty. (No grading on a curve, people.) That definitely needs improvement.  Let Me at it.

The Jenius Has Spoken.

Pay For Performance: Lawmakers Version

A government think-tank today proposed a controversial new law, “No Politician Left Behind,” which would pay congressmen solely on the basis of performance. 

The law, which was proposed by the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Government, “would make a serious dent in the Federal deficit because few if any congressmen would ever have to be paid,” said the Institute’s director, Davis Logsdon. 

“Right now, congressmen get paid even when they storm out of budget negotiations in a hissy fit,” Mr. Logsdon said. “Under this new law, the rule would be, no budget, no paycheck.” 

The idea of being paid per accomplishment drew howls of protest from lawmakers, many claiming that if the law were enacted it would result in their financial ruin. “If passed, this law would be tantamount to the establishment of ‘Work Panels,’ which would determine whether individual congressmen are accomplishing anything,” said Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA). “I, for one, would be in deep, deep trouble.” 

“I’m fairly sure that this law is unconstitutional,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). “Now, I have never actually read the Constitution, but if this law were passed I would probably be forced to read it or live in a cardboard box.” 

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said that creating performance standards for lawmakers was “an insult to the institution of Congress.” “We have spent millions of dollars, some of it out of our own pockets, to get to Washington,” he said. “We did not come here to be treated like teachers.”

Tongue-in-cheek, from The Borowitz Report.

However, look at the idea closely... Why not? Why not do this? The hell with what legislators think, We own their asses and if We choose to pay them for performance, then We damn sure can make it so that they get paid only for performance. We have that power.

But We don't want to use it. We're lazy that way. And because, not so deep down, We don't want to measure what's going on, with lawmakers or Ourselves. Too much stress. Tons of pressure. Having to live up to standards and all. Better to be willfully blind, conscientiously ignorant. Easier. No need to think, you know?

We're idiots too often to suit My fancy.



The Jenius Has Spoken.

The Forked Estate

A sandwich shop that every 11 minutes smelled of farts. A copy of the day's El Nuevo Día (13 July 2011) adding to the moldy air. Here's a rundown of what the first 52 pages of the rag had as their version of news:

** Canceled contracts in the public health insurance program threaten to leave some 850,000 insured with reduced or no medical services. The current government debt with the insurance providers is deemed to be $60 million.
** Local police brutality, fingered by domestic and international human rights groups, is being discussed in Congress.
** A plan is floated about to clear out the residents of Puerto Rico's oldest ghetto, La Perla, but opposed by 41 community groups. (I used the word "ghetto." It's the right word.)
** An open letter to The Larva, (non)governor Luis Fortuño, concerning beef purchases totaling more than $38 million made in 2010 and 2011 by the School Cafeteria Program, purchases that were made under open violation of state and federal procedures.
** Speculation that senate president Thomas "Mad Dog" Rivera will have to testify concerning his reading in the senate (none don't deserve a capital letter) of a confidential FBI document about the Jorge "Il Castrao" De Castro case. (Me here: Mad Dog's target was not the FBI: it's secretary of state(of chaos) Kenneth "What? Me Guilty?" McClintock.)
** The forced transfer of 100 acres of prime land owned by the University of Puerto Rico in Gurabo is now conditioned to an exchange of about 100 acres of equal-value land. Gurabo mayor what's-his-name wants to build--hahahaha--a school, a hospital, a public housing project, a nursing school and low-cost housing on the UPR land, currently used for agricultural research. HAHAHAHAHAhahahahabullshit.
** An open letter by medical service providers (through their association) that medical services would be provided by their membership while the health insurance lamefest was sorted out. (They didn't say "lamefest.")
** A bill to limit malpractice damages loses one of its authors, senator Lornna "Innsannity Is Hereditary" Soto, as Insurance Commissioner representative Alex Addams (Family) was more idiot than idealogue at the hearing. The cap, suggested by the (non)administration, would be $250,000.
** Housing incentives will be extended to help raise the number of house sales from the current rate of about 340 to 500 a month. But note: there are over 10,700 new houses on the market right now.
** Scotiabank wants to participate in the Private-Public Partnerships (PPP) fund sale, scheduled to reach $1.436 billion. Which is debt. Let Me be blunt: the current hyenas take the cash and We pay the debt. Woo hoo.

Pretty massive mess, I'd say. But Let's look closer at the mess, shall We?

1) Of the 52 pages in the daily, 23 are full-page ads. And the open letters were also full pages, most likely sold as ad space.

2) Of the remaining 27 pages roughly 7.5 were truncated by ads. The total amount of news coverage was 19.5 pages at most, about 38%.

Now I know that a newspaper needs to make money to survive.  But El Nuevo Día also owns Primera Hora, the second-largest daily on My Island. They also print El Vocero, the third-largest daily. So apparently money is either flowing like a river (or a sewer) or stuck in a hole. (I'm sure that given the management talent, it's the latter.) Either way, money is not the sole consideration.

No, the consideration We have to look at is "perspective." Does Puerto Rico have a true Fourth Estate? Or is what We have a "forked estate," as in "Stick a fork in it, it's done," or "One that speaks with a forked tongue"?

I know, for editors at END and PH have told Me, that management of the papers have repeatedly spiked stories that could "discomfit" either the paper owners or their cronies. The papers have a clear business slant, covering certain industries like a jealous lover (of their own wealth) while consistently ignoring economic sectors such as start-ups, agriculture and "new-tech economy." (That END is a powerful member of the so-called """Center for the New Economy""" is like having Glenn Beck be a spokesperson for the Gay Parade.)

Bluntly, Our dailies are the mouthpieces of an old guard dying a slow death. Over the past three decades, they have inexorably choked what little power the Fourth Estate may have had and turned what should be a crusading guardian of the public trust into a sycophantic, spiteful gossipmonger. The papers have long surpassed their utility as a trusted source and force for democracy, with their only usefulness now as ad litter and puppy trainers. 

Look at the list of news again. The average story length was under 450 words. In several articles, most of the "information" presented was disorganized, with clear gaps in the presentation. Most of the stories lacked a sense of context, placement in the overall "map" of meaning. On that basis, the best contextual pieces were the open letters. By far. Makes sense, since they hired people who could actually think and write to do them.

Our media is more than Our newspapers. That should be Our consolation, only Our radio and TV news coverage is barely a little better. The dominant attitude on radio is confrontational and on TV it's sycophancy, both coming from the same basic emotion: fear. A fearful guardian is an oxymoron, like honest politician or Larva leadership. Our news sources are nothing more than comedy acts: the newspapers are ventriloquist dummies with cracked voices that move their lips and Our other news coverage is a herd of Chicken Littles disguised as Daffy Ducks...but dumber.


A forked estate serves only its pathetic handlers: a Fourth Estate can build a nation. Our only option is to make Our own Fourth Estate, to forge links with the disparate resources on Our Island that can brick by brick build a true news platform. It won't happen overnight, but for Our sake, it has to happen. 


The Jenius Has Spoken.


P.S. -- Global Voices Online now has a podcast. The first one has an interview with Firuzeh Shokooh Valle, Puerto Rican with Iranian ancestry, who grew up in Old San Juan, worked in local news coverage and now edits the GVO webpages for the Caribbean, with strong emphasis on Puerto Rico. Check the podcast out and learn more about a true news professional that is one of Our own.

P.P.S. -- The Guardian takes on its own industry to reveal the depths of unethical behavior that ended with the closing of the 168-year old News of the World.

Crime, Punishment

I've called him "the murderous moron" for years. The now ex-president that allowed a known terrorist and his group to kill citizens on Our soil (and by "allowed" I mean "was too incompetent to grasp the threat of"), that then lied Us into a war that had NOTHING to do with the terrorist and his group, that used the terrorist attack on his watch to undermine the very values he swore to uphold and in doing all of these things and more, engaged in criminal behavior that merits severe punishment.

The murderous moron repeatedly authorized the violation of Constitutional rights, the document he once snarked he "wiped his ass with." Through his machinations and that of his rank hyenas, he caused the deaths of thousands of people, deaths he schemed for knowing he was lying.

And yet he has not been brought up on charges. The evidence is astonishingly broad and deep. This is no "mere burglary" in a quasi-swanky hotel. This is murder, plain and simple. Mass murder, no less. And the world outside of the fat jackasses that make up most of the "American public" know this.

The international organization Human Rights Watch just came out with a damning indictment of the murderous moron, his wretched cronies Dick "Richard" Cheney and Donald "Slimer" Rumsfeld...and President Barack Obama. The current President gets rightly tossed into the morass for his failure to act upon the evidence. See for yourself how substantial, how compelling and overwhelming the evidence is. (The same report, in Spanish.)

Letting the murderous moron and his nation-raping crew get away with mass murder is indefensible. The right thing to do is to apply punishment to the crimes. Those who committed the crimes--and We know who they are--are more guilty than those who have the power to apply redress to the situation and don't. But not by a wide margin.

Unless the crimes are brought to justice, there might be an additional target alongside the murderous moron: the indifferent moron.

I hope there won't be a need for a scorecard.



The Jenius Has Spoken.


[Update: 26 October 2011: The murderous moron and his British butt-buddy Blair are to be the targets of a war crimes trial, in Kuala Lampur. Let the avalanche gain momentum.]

(Some) Progress To Report

[Hey! Jenial Thanks to Ms. Mendes-Franco for picking up not one, but two Jenius posts, showcased on Global Voices Online.]

Progress Note One: Those of you who know My predilections know I am a diehard--possibly THE only diehard--Pittsburgh Pirate fan left outside of the Three Rivers area. The fanaticism (where do you think "fan" comes from?) stems from My childhood idolatry of Roberto Clemente. That does nothing, really, to explain sticking with the same team over a record-setting 18 consecutive years of losing records; My only defense is that I'm loyal to a freaking fault. But this year! The Pirates are currently 45-42, competing with the Brewers and Cardinals for the Central Division lead. How significant is this? It is the best performance by any Pirate team this "late" in the season...since 1992, the last year the Pirates had a winning (and playoff) year. Go Bucs!

Progress Note Two: The picture reflects the current state of construction of My street's "drainage project," scheduled to have been completed in March of this year and actually started in April. How's that f0r government efficiency? In any case, contractors on the project tell Me it's about 15-20% completed and won't really be a functional canal until late August or early September. The irony? It could be delayed several weeks...if it rains. During the hurricane season. Which lasts until October.


Progress Note Three...maybe: According to something called the Urban Institute, each death in Our (the U.S. of part of A.'s) "costs" about $3.4 million. To put it another way, each of Us "provides" $3.4 million in value to society. So doing a quick calculation, Our 2010 murder toll of 1,046 dead "cost" Us roughly $3.56 BILLION.  By reducing that murder rate to what it was in "the good old days," when it hovered around 746, would give Us a "gain" of a little over $1 billion. When you consider that Puerto Rico's only abundant natural resource is people, what possible argument can there ever be against saving the lives endangered by Our own societal failures?

The Jenius Has Spoken.

101 Dead...Millions Held Hostage

June 2011: 101 murders; 101 murders in one month in what is the bloodiest year to date in Our recent history.

Want to compare, so you can wrap your mind around that number? The U.S. of part of A. is roughly 80 times Our size in population, so the murder toll in that country--if proportionate to Ours--would be about 8,080. In one month. Between 2006 and 2009, the average number of murders in the U.S. of part of A.--per year--was 16,456.

Our proportionate monthly rate equals almost half the annual U.S. of part of A. rate. At Our rate, the U.S. of part of A. would have averaged 96,960 murders a year.

Fuck.

One hundred and one murders in one month on My Island. Makes it sound like it's My fault...and to some extent, it is. I am a resident here, so it is My problem, too. But Let's be clear: almost all the blame for this lies in a purposely-created system, as most of the murders are related to the drug trade, its sanctimonious "drug war" and widespread political indifference to death so long as prisons are full and more get built.

1) Roughly 68% of the murders in Puerto Rico happen in and around drugs as an ecosystem, either as part of warfare for control of the trade or people trying to get more drugs. When you look at the demographic data of the victims and murderers, you see people that politicians don't give a crap about and most of Us refuse to identify with, even though they are often Our relatives, friends and neighbors.

See, drugs are a daily reality in Our sick society, but We refuse to acknowledge just how real they are. Drugs are "their" problem, where "their" means "the poor," "the black," "the welfare freeloaders," "the caserío trash" and "the police," as in both law enforcers and users/guardians of the drug trade.

But We fail--on purpose--to include the other druggies: professionals, government workers, students, legislators and other elected officials, people "more like Us" who fuel the trade. And the majority of Us who ignore the whole mess make it worse simply by abdicating responsibility.

2) The "drug war" is not aimed at drugs, the physical product: it is aimed at a socioeconomic class for purposes of control. If Poor Man A and Rich Man B are arrested, each with a pound of marihuana in their car, which one will go to jail and which one will walk free? Now answer where Poor Man A is black with no job and Rich Man B is white and works at a stockbroker firm.

Uh-huh. You don't even have to think about it, right? The facts are clear: the number of blacks and Hispanics in jail are disproportionate to the demographics and the crime rates, in other words, there's a higher percentage of both blacks and Hispanics in jail (when compared to whites) and their sentences are harsher and longer as well.

Want to compare, so you can wrap your mind around that number? The U.S. of part of A. is roughly 80 times Our size in population, so the murder toll in that country--if proportionate to Ours--would be about 8,080. In one month. Between 2006 and 2009, the average number of murders in the U.S. of part of A.--per year--was 16,456.

Our proportionate monthly rate equals almost half the annual U.S. of part of A. rate. At Our rate, the U.S. of part of A. would have averaged 96,960 murders a year.

Fuck.

One hundred and one murders in one month on My Island. Makes it sound like it's My fault...and to some extent, it is. I am a resident here, so it is My problem, too. But Let's be clear: almost all the blame for this lies in a purposely-created system, as most of the murders are related to the drug trade, it's sanctimonious "drug war" and widespread political indifference to death so long as prisons are full and more get built.

1) Roughly 68% of the murders in Puerto Rico happen in and around drugs as an ecosystem, either as part of warfare for control of the trade or people trying to get more drugs. When you look at the demographic data of the victims and murderers, you see people that politicians don't give a crap about and most of Us refuse to identify with, even though they are often Our relatives, friends and neighbors.

See, drugs are a daily reality in Our sick society, but We refuse to acknowledge just how real they are. Drugs are "their" problem, where "their" means "the poor," "the black," "the welfare freeloaders," "the caserío trash" and "the police," as in both law enforcers and users/guardians of the drug trade.

But We fail--on purpose--to include the other druggies: professionals, government workers, students, legislators and other elected officials, people "more like Us" who fuel the trade. And the majoroty of Us who ignore the whole mess make it worse simply by abdicating responsibility.

2) The "drug war" is not aimed at drugs, the physical product: it is aimed at a socioeconomic class for purposes of control. If Poor Man A and Rich Man B are arrested, each with a pound of marihuana in their car, which one will go to jail and which one will walk free? Now answer where Poor Man A is black with no job and Rich Man B is white and works at a stockbroker firm.

Uh-huh. You don't even have to think about it, right? The facts are clear: the number of blacks and Hispanics in jail are disproportionate to the demographics and the crime rates, in other words, there's a higher percentage of both blacks and Hispanics in jail (when compared to whites) and their sentences are harsher and longer as well. The "drug war" policy is aimed at the wrong target...but keeps taking prisoners.

Rates of prison sentences, by race & gender

Which leads to point Three:

3) The "drug war" is an economic boon, for drugs and prisons. Drugs are around because (a) large amounts of people want to use them and (b) the demand is high enough to make supplying them very profitable and worth the risk of breaking the law. You can eliminate the whole false need for a "drug war" by (a) reducing the amount of people who want them (and Prohibition isn't the answer to that) and/or (b) reducing the profit margin.

It seems that (a) is being "solved" by locking up some dealers and some users, but that does nothing to reduce the desire for drug use. Education would help, but policies have undermined education to the point of inanity and insanity. The easiest way to reduce drug use is to let users die and scare off the curious. Too radical? Nicotine addiction, through cigarette smoking, dominated a large chunk of the 20th century in the U.S. of part of A. It's legal, taxed to absurd heights and still in use, but with much fewer smokers. Why? The evidence piled up against it...and the profit margin was slashed.

Portugal attacked both (a) and (b) by legalizing certain amounts of drugs (for personal use) and decriminalizing. Some people died from using too much, others from crappy drugs cut with poisons. Over the years, the number of drug users and the crime rate have dropped significantly: the people are no longer curious about drugs, the profit margin is almost gone and those who want to throw their lives away are doing so, like they can with alcohol and tobacco. (You can't fix stupid. Look at Congress.) Side benefit: drug-related AIDS cases dropped 75%. But note: the crime rate in Portugal has gone down. Their murder rate per 100,000 residents was close to 7; it is now 3. 


Ours is 27...and rising. 

Our murder rate is the direct result of a failed "drug war" policy, one aimed at attacking a socioeconomic class rather than a product or its related addiction. As the narcolords point out to U.S. of part of A. officials and media: "You are the source of the problem, since you buy most of the drugs." So, yes, We are the problem. 

We want the drugs. We use them. Instead of smashing the malformed "drug war" system, those of Us who don't benefit from it allow it to continue, indifferent to what it does and how it cuts Our throats, by wasting Our taxes, fostering corruption at every level from cop on the beat to chief executive (through bribes, hush money or "donations"), wrecking non-user lives through crime and hatred and allowing some to prosper at the expense of the rest of Us.

If you think drug dealers and highly-placed law officers are the big winners, check out the private prison companies: they're literally making a killing. The average expenditure per prisoner in the U.S. of part of A. tops $30,000 a year.

The average expenditure per student is around $7,000. No wonder a school superintendent recently asked the governor of his state to turn his school into a prison: the money's better in jails.

And guess which industry advocates with millions and millions of dollars for stronger sentencing laws, harsher terms and more stringent stipulations to throw your ass in jail for minor offenses?

Yup. With over 2 million prisoners in the country, that's a tidy $60 billion plus a year...with every new "client" representing a "sale" of about $30,000 more.

And who takes advantage of these prisoners? Anyone who hires them, in a modern form of slavery.

So the "drug war" kills hundreds every month. Many of those deaths are used to promote more laws that benefit the political power structure, the "drug war" thievery, private prison profits and corporate greed avid for shit-cheap labor that can't go on strike. 

The government sees this as simply another opportunity to extend its powers beyond all reason. The "drug war" system uses this as another opportunity to "request more funding" from lawmakers and lawbreakers alike. Private prisons ramp up the legalized bribery, with dollars as "words" in the most idiotic form of "free speech" ever conceived by disease-addled hyenas and brainless slugs. And your job might be outsourced from the "freedom" of the U.S. of part of A. to the "increasingly jailed" U.S. of part of A.

We're certainly doing Our part to prop up that rape of Our society. One hundred and one dead in June as the cornerstone for continuing to hold millions hostage. Almost four million people here alone, and countless millions in dollars and drugs flowing like cancer cells to every part of Our society.

Happy Independence Day, people. Celebrate while you still think you have it.


The Jenius Has Spoken.


[Update: 6 July 2011: Holland is closing 8 prisons because--what else?--they don't need them. The crime rate has dropped since marihuana and hashish were legalized for personal use (trafficking is still a crime) and the only major step taken since then is to forbid sales to non-residents...because supposedly they were creating problems related to petty crime and traffic jams. Yes, traffic jams.  The move will probably be revoked soon as tourism revenue for the hundreds of legal "coffee shops" drops and the crime rate increases, simply because nothing raises profits for once-legal activities as making them illegal.]

[Update: 7 July 2011: From AlterNet, a headline that smacks you in the rational with an article that gives you rationale:  3 Months in Juvie For a MySpace Joke? How the For-Profit Prison Industry Locks Up More People Each Year.]

[Update: 13 July 2011: Want other profit-makers from the "drug war"? Banks and the rising tide of private militia contractors, basically mercenaries that very often operate against citizens, not criminals. From AmpedStatus.]

[Update: 11 August 2011: "While Americans only represent about 5 percent of the world's population, one-quarter of the entire world's inmates are incarcerated in the United States."  From J.A. Talvi Silja's 2007 book Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the U.S. Prison System. Cited here.]

[Update: 12 August 2011: A walking shitbag of a judge named Mark Ciavarella Jr was sentenced to 28 years in prison for accepting bribes to railroad kids into 2 detention centers. Basically, he ran over the rights of some 4,000 kids, some as young as 10, to stick them in jail. Not content with that, he also blackmailed the owners of the detention centers. But he says he's innocent. I'm going to sugarcoat My final remark: I hope that within a month of his being in jail, Mark "Kids for Cash" Ciavarella Jr. bleeds to death from anal rape.]

[Update: 14 August 2011: 8 Years In Prison for a Harmless Prank? Handcuffed for Doodling? The Increasing Criminalization of Students. Yes, it is an established trend.]

[Update: 28 September 2011: Watch the reactions of these British comedians to the facts about prisons and prisoners in the U.S> of part of A. And note what host Stephen Fry says near the end of the clip: With 5% of the population, the U.S. of part of A, has 25% of the prison population. And yes, the comedians quickly seize on it being a business.]

[Update: 29 October 2011: 85.7% of all prisoners in the U.S of part of A. are there because of "victimless" crimes; 50.7% for possession of drugs and 35% for "public-order" offenses. In other words, 14.3% of all prisoners are there for "major and/or violent crimes." Other stats: the U.S. of part of A. has the highest prison population rate in the world, at 756 of every 100,000; the world average is 145 per 100,000. That gives Us a rate 527% higher than the rest of the nations on the planet. Land of the free...or in California, $47,102 a year per inmate, back in 2009.]

[Update: 9 February 2012: "The accelerating rate of incarceration over the past few decades is just as startling as the number of people jailed: in 1980, there were about two hundred and twenty people incarcerated for every hundred thousand Americans; by 2010, the number had more than tripled, to seven hundred and thirty-one. No other country even approaches that. In the past two decades, the money that states spend on prisons has risen at six times the rate of spending on higher education." (Emphasis Mine.) From "The Caging of America, in The New Yorker.]

[Update: 8 March 2012: Michelle Alexander, with her book The New Jim Crow, is opening eyes across the land about the serious implications of the mass incarceration of blacks. To say that her argument is a devastating indictment of the current judicial system and the "drug war" is to say "water is somewhat damp."] 

[Update: 23 April 2012: Venerable Forbes Magazine weighs in: "Let's Be Blunt: It's Time to End the Drug War." Indeed.] 

[Update: 20 June 2012: In the gooood ol' U.S. of part of A., prison rapes exceeded rapes of women, making the gooood ol' U.S. of part of A. most likely the first country in history where rape is a crime primarily perpetrated on men. Let's hear it for the prison system, where crime stats go to die!]