Stranger Fruit

Kentucky State Police Captain Rudzinski

The death of a census worker, who appeared to have been hanged and possibly martyred as a “fed,” was determined to have been a suicide according to Kentucky State Police last week.

I wrote about this earlier on in the investigation after the discovery of Bill Sparkman’s body hanging naked from a tree, bound with duct tape with the word “fed” scrawled in red marker on his chest.  The assumption of the family who found him first and some local law enforcement representatives and journalists was that he had been murdered because of his part-time census work or for stumbling upon illegal drug activities not uncommon to the heavily-wooded region of Clay County Kentucky.

The suicide is presumed to have been due to financial distress.  Sparkman had insurance policies with his only son Josh as benificiary. He had also supposedly survived a battle with cancer.

The scene of his death had the appearance of a garish murder, as a suicide it is no less awful and just as puzzling.

I reacted to the suggestions and circumstances around Sparkman’s death and voiced some suspicion that the investigators and law enforcement were dragging their heels.

Kentucky State Police presented the facts and results of the investigation carefully. Given the misleading, staged death scene, a sensitive and thorough investigation was neccesary. I am grateful for this reminder to forestall judgement when I don’t have all the facts. I am also grateful for the work of police investigators, bringing the truth to light.

My concern about violence ending Sparkman’s life has morphed to a sad contemplation of his final fears and desperation.

Noble Laureate Obama

Obama accepts Nobel Peace Prize in a speech from the White House rose garden, Oct. 9.

This crown of laurels may be a heavy burden to the new president.

Sixty-one percent of Americans believed that President Barack Obama did not deserve to win the Nobel Peace Prize according to a USA Today/Gallup poll taken one week after the award was announced October 9. When asked if they were personally glad he had won the Nobel, almost even numbers, 46 versus 47, said yes and no respectively.

When I heard the news of the prize that Friday morning on the radio I was surprised but when the political commentary commenced, I was not surprised at the questioning reaction.

“Why?” is the valid question. 

 “To Barack Obama for his efforts to strengthen cooperation between peoples to meet global challenges,” is the official statement of the Nobel committee in answer.

While there are no measurable foreign-policy achievements from Obama’s efforts in his first nine months in office, the ideals of global, peaceful coexistence are being served by the vision he is pursuing. The committee has been accused of representing a world view that is anti-American.  Obama’s international policy vision since his campaign for president is seen by his opponents as being flawed for his willingness to negotiate with some leaders and countries who are enemies of the U.S. 

The Gallup poll results, released Oct. 23, predictably show that political party affiliations were directly related to the reactions to the prize.  Only 10 percent of Republicans said it was deserved, 27 percent of independents and 59 percent of Democrats.  Notably, even those inclined favorably toward Obama and his policies were not completely in agreement that the peace prize was appropriate now.

The Nobel committee’s statements defend their selection; they maintain that they have followed the spirit and letter of Alfred Nobel’s directives.  His will dictates, “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses,” in the previous year shall be awarded the prize.

Since the first year of awards in 1901, 97 individuals and 20 organizations have won. Two previous U.S. presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize while in office, Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919; Jimmy Carter won in 2002 after his term.

The Nobel Peace committee of five members, selected by the Norwegian Storting, or parliament, invites nominations and its deliberation process is kept secret for 50 years, so we’ll have to wait to find out who the other candidates were. By then, Obama’s legacy will be a chapter in history books.

From what I can see now, the vote of confidence from the Nobel committee is good reason to say thank you and accept the Nobel Prize graciously as a nation. Obama set the tone in his speech that Friday morning, humbled and acknowledging the legacy of former laureates and the encouragement for U.S. efforts to build consensus and rebuild multi-lateral approaches to world problems.

The Nobel committee expressed a hope for cooperation among world leaders, aided and guided by the leader of the free world, our president. 

My surprise has settled into gladness because the Nobel Peace Prize stands for ideals we can all hope to realize and support and there’s no downside in that.

If the Nobel Peace Prize can be turned into a liability by cynics and detractors what else should we hope for?

 

This article also printed  in Puma Press for PVCC  Oct. 28, 2009

Strange Fruit

Hoskins Cemetery, Clay County, Kentucky

Almost three weeks ago, a U. S. census worker was found dead, hanging in a tree in a heavily-wooded area of Appalachian Kentucky. The word “fed” was written on his chest in red felt-tip marker and he was naked, bound with duct tape near a cemetery.

Stories of moonshiners outsmarting revenuers during prohibition in this region come to mind with images of fiercely independent, anti-government folks and tightly-knit clans.

Another image and melody that comes to mind is Billie Holiday singing “Strange Fruit.” The plaintive song tells of lynchings in the South that terrorized African-Americans in an effort to maintain segregation.

Clay County Kentucky, the site of Bill Sparkman’s death, is a rural area that now hosts marijuana crops and meth labs. Local journalists and a few law enforcement representatives have speculated that he may have been murdered for stumbling upon these illicit activities.

I used the term murder – but I spoke out of turn. His death is under investigation with no homicide yet determined. The Kentucky State Police are not releasing much information to the public, presumably to protect the investigation of a garish crime scene and death.

Bill Sparkman, subsitute teacher

I am intermittantly haunted by the manner and situation of Bill Sparkman’s death. He was an Eagle Scout, working for the Boy Scouts and also a substitute teacher who got his college degree later in life. The census job was another part-time endeavor for the 51-year-old single father. He was a cancer survivor.

The family who discovered his body don’t doubt he was murdered and anyone willing to speak off the record agrees, but his son and mother will have to wait for official answers.

Investigators just released Sparkman’s body to his son Josh Sparkman. According to a blog set up to raise financial support for Josh, http://www.wikio.com/themes/Bill+Sparkman,  a memorial march was held Sunday, October 11, in London, Kentucky where Bill Sparkman lived.

I didn’t believe census work for our government could be hazzardous duty, it seems an innocent job, inquiring for household factoids to create federal statistics. I know plenty of people don’t believe the government’s work is so innocent, collecting personal information for potentially “Big Brother” activities, but Sparkman and his fellow census workers are not doing espionage, they don’t get paid enough.

Any routine activity can put any of us in harm’s way. But a violent death with a cryptic message is strange fruit to bear.

Pseudo-apology

CSI: Late Show

I missed Letterman’s apology. Well, actually I watched him Thursday night, after the ten-o’-clock news which precedes his show blared the expose’ as the top story. I just didn’t catch the apology part.

His post-monologue story delivery was so subtle as to be disassociated from David Letterman, show host. Praised as a masterful stroke of public relations, the disclosure was a diffusion of facts and events. Letterman’s downplay of his actions and his “what’s a guy to do?” demeanor has been widely remarked.

Hypocricy is not the issue as with some politicians who make hay with “family values” rhetoric, but the facts are not attractive. We still value faithfulness and monogamy in our society. Workplace protections are expected of enlightened management.

So, what was he thinking? That he was well-protected and wouldn’t get caught. That it was easy, his due. He felt flattered, attractive and powerful…

And is it anybody’s business anyway? I’m not a fan and I don’t feel disappointed or disillusioned. But as a celebrity with lots of followers, Letterman’s got to be hurt by the seamy aspect of his sexploitations made public and the negative tinge on his career. I don’t blame him for trying to control the message and save his dignity.

Letterman made light enough of his revelations that his studio audience laughed at several of his statements and clapped when he concluded. It is good to applaud a man for acknowledging wrong-doing and comedians mine humor from misfortune, usually after the injured parties have had a chance to heal. Who was hurt by his actions? His wife, surely, and their marriage; the women staffers who were a party to his dalliances, perhaps.

We admire celebrity, giving them a pass on their hedonism that we don’t always extend to a co-worker or family member who strays. I think we all see the double standard in our culture; not just betweeen celebrities and the rest of us mere mortals. Maybe we have “goal” morals, what we say we want, and “operating” morals or standards, what we live with.

I don’t care what Letterman or any other adult does with another adult consensually. The trouble I see is in the pattern of powerful boss, or star, or politician manipulating their underlings for sex or other favors.

It is a human pitfall, power corrupts.

Charmed, I’m Sure

Rude? Honest? Disrespectful? Political? Emotional? Boorish?

The outburst of “You lie!” by Joe Wilson, the representative from South Carolina, surprised President Obama in the midst of his speech to the members of Congress.

Watching it live on TV, I observed the cameras panning for the source of the disruption. News commentators repeated the words in astonishment and Obama resumed his address without ceding any momentum in stating his case for healthcare reform.

After the first surprise had passed I found myself wondering if there would be further outbursts or confrontation. I felt sad for the personal slur to our President and his Office. I also experienced a little jolt of excitement at the challenge those words presented and realized with a bit of a stab how divisive the issue of healthcare changes had become.

Wilson apologized; his Republican colleagues denounced his words and action when interviewed but in conservative venues and circles, Wilson is a hero.

The Democratic-lead House formally rebuked Wilson for his lapse of judgement.

I have read and heard that the English Parliament traditionally takes a no-holds-barred approach in their debates. It seems odd that British reserve and decorum would lend itself to melees in its law-making body. Verbal sparring and political invective are pretty much bedrock in American society though not often during a televised address. Most of us learned from a young age that the rules of engagement for a disagreement exclude personal attacks. In true debate they don’t do much to clarify the issue or support a point of view. They are lightening rods for angry reactions.

Wilson’s past fuels speculation about his motivations in shouting at Obama. In his home state, he was an aide and political colleague of the late U. S. Senator Strom Thurmond, a man who unapologetically battled against desegregation in the 50s and 60s. I wouldn’t think it possible, at this point in our country’s history, for a member of the U.S. Congress to harbor racist beliefs. Unknown to most in the national political scene, Wilson is touted by his friends to be a polite, considerate man. He says he wants to chalk this incident up to emotional sponteneity.

Obama is undamaged by the accusation. The statement that made Wilson froth, Obama’s denouncement of inclusion for illegal aliens in his healthcare plan, has been substantiated independently. Wilson may have shot himself in the foot; back home a challenger for his House seat received a boost in campaign contributions after the outburst.

It appears to me Joe Wilson was responding to more than the issue at hand in a spontaneous moment. I can’t attribute racist views to Wilson, I don’t know him. Perhaps hide-bound opposition or showing off for his supporters was the prompt. But how unmindful can a guy be in the midst of the entire United States Congress, listening to the President, being televised nation and even worldwide?

Of course it’s right to speak your mind without fear or undue formality, but civility matters. It keeps the issue in focus so a meaningful debate can occur – then maybe a solution.

Charm school is an old-fashioned notion; civil discourse may be out of style as well.

If It Looks Like an Assault Rifle…

In one of my classes, we just reviewed and discussed the first amendment to the U.S constitution and its guarantees of  freedom of the press and free speech.     

It’s been a few weeks since a protester, visibly armed with a pistol and semi-automatic rifle, was photographed outside the downtown Phoenix Convention Center during an appearance by President Obama.  The images and the reactions have been splashed across the media ever since.  The point was clear: he and the 11 other armed  protesters have a right to keep and bear arms – amendment number two.

The image was jarring, though the protest was peaceful and surveillance by secret service was thorough.   Ultimately, it was reported that the peacock-show was a publicity stunt and a sort of exercise of the freedom of speech.

Because it happened in Arizona, our wild-west image has been resurrected.  As a native of Phoenix, I used to cringe at this stereotype because it seemed no more fitting to this growing urban state capitol than the image of pilgrims in breeches and buckle shoes defines Massachusettes today.  High-profile travel advisories and tongue-clucking aside, the image and the action of carrying a gun are chilling to many, including me. 

Guns are threatening and their potential is violence.  Our police are armed to counter violent threats.  Armed private citizens can be a puzzle; are they prepared for self-defense or preparing to act above or outside the law?  Was the message of  this and other recent protests by armed citizenry to threaten or simply a show-and-tell?  The protest and the reaction are like checks and balances in the exercise of  rights which our constitution enumerates. 

The wild west notion will drift back to its grave on Boot Hill.  Come winter, the fifth largest city in the U.S. will renew its luster as a business and vacation destination.  Phoenix can boast of diminishing crime rates in recent years despite the open-carry gun laws.

The constitution, bill of rights and later amendments carry the weight of a lot of history and  debate about the intention of the founders and subsequent lawmakers of the United States.  It’s ponderous and thrilling to me to imagine the experiences and angst that shaped their thinking.

Studying  journalism, I’ve been reminded that the right of freedom of the press comes with a responsibility to write and report ethically.  The right of assembly and protest as well as to bear arms, all rights, are laden with responsibilities also.

I believe we need to really consider and anticipate the impact of our excercise of our rights – we are responsible for the message.

Validate my blog

     Blogging feels like journaling; self-conscious, venting, personal, opinionated.  I love to write and I’m working at being a journalist, but I want the published piece to be well-reasoned and original.

     Opinions, though I hold many dear to my own heart, are like aspects of our anatomy; everyone’s got one.  This thought is always associated for me with a friend years ago who wittily and sometimes brilliantly heated up many conversations with his own opinions, usually dashing the argument, as if with cold water, by grinning broadly and making the above observation with a more specific reference.

     What makes any one blog worth my time or your time to read and consider?  Mostly, I’m pretty sure, we don’t consider.  We’re velcroed to like-minded opinions and viewpoints, unless we work consciously to resist the gravity-like pull that keeps us orbiting in just one solar system.  We generally want to be validated in our opinions, not challenged.  We know the source of our sunshine.  Or maybe we can’t see the forest for the velcro loops.

Taking the blog challenge

     Being in school provides an opportunity to be validated and challenged.  Validated for mastery, comprehension, completion; challenged to find a new subject or discipline, dig into a favorite area of study and hear and be changed by different points of view from instructors and classmates.

     Seeking challenge as well as validation may be like many other aspects of human nature; hopefully it becomes easier with repetition. 

     So if I can’t be utterly original and meaningful, I will be open to the challenge.  Perhaps blogging will become easier with repetition.

Palm Sunday

As a culture we are doubting Thomases… unless we are born again.   So many labels, so little common ground.

I sing in a choir at the Casa, or Franciscan Renewal Center.  Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week for Christians, and the end of Lent.

Palm Sunday celebrates the beginning of the end of Jesus’ life.  He enters Jerusalem at the conclusion of his teaching years- triumphant among his followers - on a road strewn with palms and olive branches.  Gospels tell us he knew the end of his life on this earth was at hand.

Song helps me practice my faith.  Music burnishes the words of the liturgy and brings the Casa community and congregation together in one voice.

Music is magic to human hearts and minds.  There are psychological and physiological reasons for this but fortunately that doesn’t diminish the effect.

So this Palm Sunday we had glorious weather for a celebration outside  in the valley between Camelback and Mummy Mountains.  Birds sang incessantly; a choir with a different agenda… or maybe not.

That feels like common ground.

Fate or Consequences

I was headed down a street near my home, where the Colter St. onramp enters Hwy 51. On the radio, on NPR, was a story about the rising influence and demand for fortune tellers, tarot and astrology readers and palm readers. It seems in uncertain times, when the economic outlook is bleak for most businesses, fortunes are made telling fortunes.

Sitting at a traffic light, waiting to get on the freeway, I notice a new, neon sign in the window of a office that used to house a realtor: Palm Readings, open for business.

I still don’t know what was more ironic, the timing of the NPR story or the exchange of a palm reader’s business for a realtor’s former digs.

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doctor in the in-box

A new word to read,  speak aloud, savor and smile at, arrives as an email each day.  Dr Dictionary has joined the simple pleasures that start  the day; the first cup of coffee and retrieving the newspaper from the rose bushes.

Tome, sounded in my mind, becomes alliterative; and sadly, too much like tomb.  Aestival, misprize and synecdoche puzzled and surprised me, an admitted vocab snob.  Cupidity doesn’t fit in a valentine, mazy is maze-like and chthonic gave me Welsh-language anxiety.

Sesquipedalian excess is a concern for a journalist. But for this tatterdemalian writer the daily dose of Dr. dictionary is good juju.