R. W. Nutjob

Pilotsfor911truth.org: Home Run

2011-12-15T23:54:00.000-05:00

While the evidence is overwhelming that 9/11 involved controlled demolition, pitlotsfor911truth.org has put the final nail in the coffin that the September 11,2001 attack on the United States was a false flag operation.

As you read the below information, ponder the depths of evil running our government. In addition to the premeditated murder of those in WTC 1 and 2, plus the destruction of WTC-7 , this information means that the aircraft that were alleged to be hijacked were flown to a location, the passengers and crew were executed and the aircraft destroyed. Pure EVIL.

(PilotsFor911Truth.org) - Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) is a device used to send messages to and from an aircraft. Very similar to text messages and email we use today, Air Traffic Control, the airline itself, and other airplanes can communicate with each other via this "texting" system. ACARS was developed in 1978 and is still used today. Similar to cell phone networks, the ACARS network has remote ground stations installed around the world to route messages from ATC, the airline, etc, to the aircraft depending on it's location and vice versa. ACARS Messages have been provided through the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) which demonstrate that the aircraft received messages through ground stations located in Harrisburg, PA, and then later routed through a ground station in Pittsburgh, 20 minutes after the aircraft allegedly impacted the South Tower in New York. How can messages be routed through such remote locations if the aircraft was in NY, not to mention how can messages be routed to an aircraft which allegedly crashed 20 minutes earlier? Pilots For 9/11 Truth have briefly touched on this subject in 9/11: Intercepted through the excellent research of "Woody Box", who initially discovered such alarming information in the released FOIA documents(1). We now have further information which confirms the aircraft was not in the vicinity of New York City when the attacks occurred.

These are the 'text' (ACARS) messages in question -

The format for these messages is pretty straight forward. To limit the technical details, we will explain the most important parts of the messages, however, for full Message Block Format Code standards, click here. The remote ground station (MDT in the message below) used to route the message to the aircraft, the time and date in which the message is sent (111259, meaning the 11th of Sept, at 1259Z or 0859 Eastern), the flight number (UA175), and the tail number of the airplane in which the message is intended (N612UA), are all highlighted in red. The underlined date and time is when the message was received by the airplane.

This message was sent on Sept 11, at 1259Z (8:59AM Eastern) to United Flight 175, tail number N612UA, routed through the MDT remote ground station (Harrisburg International Airport, also known as Middleton).
DDLXCXA SFOLM CHI58R SFOFRSAM
.SFOLMUA 111259/JER
CMD
AN N612UA/GL MDT
- QUSFOLMUA 1UA175 BOSLAX
I HEARD OF A REPORTED INCIDENT ABOARD YOUR ACFT. PLZ VERIFY ALL
IS NORMAL....THX 777SAM
SFOLM JERRY TSEN

;09111259 108575 0543

This message was sent on Sept 11, at 1303Z (9:03AM Eastern, the time of the crash) to United Flight 175, tail number N612UA, routed through the MDT remote ground station (Harrisburg International Airport, also known as Middleton).
DDLXCXA CHIAK CH158R
.CHIAKUA 111303/ED
CMD
AN N612UA/GL MDT
- QUCHIYRUA 1UA175 BOSLAX
- MESSAGE FROM CHIDD -
HOW IS THE RIDE. ANY THING DISPATCH CAN DO FOR YOU...
CHIDD ED BALLINGER

;09111303 108575 0545

This message was also sent on Sept 11, at 1303Z (9:03AM Eastern, the time of the crash) to United Flight 175, tail number N612UA, routed through the MDT remote ground station (Harrisburg International Airport, also known as Middleton).
DDLXCXA CHIYR CH158R
.CHIYRUA 111303/AD
CMD
AN N612UA/GL MDT
- QUCHIYRUA 1UA175 BOSLAX
- MESSAGE FROM CHIDD -
NY APROACH LOOKIN FOR YA ON 127.4
CHIDD AD ROGERS

;09111303 108575 0546

This message was sent on Sept 11, at 1323Z (9:23AM Eastern, 20 minutes after the time of the crash) to United Flight 175, tail number N612UA, routed through the PIT remote ground station (Pittsburgh International Airport).
DDLXCXA CHIAK CH158R
.CHIAKUA DA 111323/ED
CMD
AN N612UA/GL PIT
- QUCHIYRUA 1UA175 BOSLAX
- MESSAGE FROM CHIDD -
/BEWARE ANY COCKPIT INTROUSION: TWO AIRCAFT IN NY . HIT TRADE C
NTER BUILDS...
CHIDD ED BALLINGER

;09111323 108575 0574

If one references the standard message block codes linked above, you will notice that a "Technical Acknowledgement" section should be present in ACARS messages. What this means, is that the ACARS system can confirm if the sent 'text' messages have been received or not without requiring any crew input to manually acknowledge the message was received. Similar to an email which may have bounced back, or your cell phone telling you that your text message failed to send, this automatic technical acknowledgement would let the reader know the message failed receipt, or if it were received. An ACK or NAK should be present denoting received or failed, respectively, according to standard message formats. Unfortunately, these standard codes are not available in the above messages. However, according to a Memorandum For The Record(2) quoting United Dispatcher Ed Ballinger, the second time stamp on the bottom of the message, at United Airlines, is the "Technical Acknowledgement" from the airplane that the message has been received -

Mr. Ballinger stated that the ACARS messages have two times listed: the time sent and the time received. He stated that once he sends the message it is delivered to the addressed aircraft through AIRINC immediately. He is not aware of any delay in the aircraft receiving the message after he sends it.

According to the above statement made by Mr. Ballinger, all of the above messages were received by the aircraft.

The 9/11 Commission has claimed which messages have been received by the aircraft. According to a another Memorandum For The Record (MFR), four ACARS messages were sent between 8:59AM and 9:03AM on the morning of Sept 11, to United Flight 175. The MFR reads as follows(3) -

1259:19Z A dispatcher-initiated message that reached the plane but not crew acknowledged stating "I heard of a reported incident."
1259:29 Additional dispatcher-initiated message
1259:30 Additional dispatcher-initiated message
1303:17 Rogers-initiated message not received by the aircraft

The first message at 1259:19Z, as stated, was received by the aircraft, but not crew acknowledged, which is not required as technical acknowledgements are automatic. This is referring to the message noted above sent through MDT by Jerry TSEN (First coded ACARS message at top). The second (1259:29Z) and third messages (1259:30Z) referenced in the MFR were not provided through the FOIA. The last message (1303:17Z) referenced in the MFR is claimed to not have been received by the aircraft according to the 9/11 Commission. However, all we have is their word, which contradicts the statement made by Ballinger and the Technical Acknowledgement time stamp. The coded Rogers initiated ACARS message is included above, third from the top. Of course, the 9/11 Commission cannot admit if the last message was received by the airplane as that would immediately indicate to anyone that the airplane did not crash into the South Tower at 09:03am.

It is interesting to note that the Commission ignores the 9:03am ACARS message sent by Ed Ballinger routed through MDT (second ACARS message printed above), yet claims the 9:03am message sent by Rogers as not being received. Based on sequential numbers of the messages themselves, it is clear Ballinger's 9:03 message was sent before the Rogers message (0545 for Ballinger message, 0546 for Rogers, printed on bottom of the message), yet the Commission ignores Ballinger's message. Why would they ignore Ballinger's message, yet acknowledge Rogers? Is it because Ballinger's message was received by the airplane and they realized that an aircraft cannot receive an ACARS message at that distance and such low altitude? This message is more evidence the aircraft was in the vicinity of Harrisburg, and not NY. At least 3 ACARS messages were routed through MDT between 8:59 and 9:03am, and received by the airplane, according to the technical acknowledgement time stamps at the bottom of the messages.

The last message sent at 9:23AM, routed through Pittsburgh, has been completely ignored by the 9/11 Commission as well. Although important to know whether the messages were received, it is equally if not more important to understand how they are routed, received or not.

ACARS Networks are based on ARINC Standards for communications in the United States. ARINC is a provider of the communication protocol for ACARS networking. As ACARS networks are to Cell Phones, think of ARINC as perhaps a Verizon or AT&T. When a message is sent from the aircraft, or the ground, the message needs to be routed through remote ground stations as described above. Many remote ground stations (RGS) are located throughout the world. Here is a diagram of some of the stations located in the Northeast USA.

Click To Enlarge

Comprehensive List Of ACARS Remote Ground Stations Worldwide - scribd source link - Page 100

If you get on an airplane in say Chicago, headed for NY, you turn off your cell phone and off you go. When you arrive in NY, you turn on your cell phone and see you have a message waiting. Was this message routed through a cell tower in Chicago? No, you would never receive it, nor be alerted that you have a message waiting. It is routed through a cell tower in NY. How does the cell network know where you are?

Although not exactly the same, but similar to how cell phones track your phone based on location, choosing the best cell towers to route messages to your phone, ACARS networks track the aircraft in flight and know where the aircraft is in order to route messages to the aircraft (or vice versa) through the best remote stations on the ground. When a message is sent from the ground or in flight, it is routed through a Central Processing System. This system determines the best routing to a ground station based on the aircraft location. Two types of flight tracking (or flight following) protocols are used for this process. Category A and B(5).

First is Category A. This type of flight following uses Flight Tracking messages automatically sent from the aircraft, typically every 10 minutes. These messages are a data link and do not contain any text, therefore the customer airline does not receive these messages, they are used for Flight Tracking purposes only. When the Flight Tracking message is sent, the Central Processing System (CPS) recognizes which stations it has been sent through and picks the three best stations for routing messages to and from the aircraft. After roughly 10 minutes, another Flight Tracking message is sent from the aircraft, through a new set of ground stations in the vicinity of it's new location, and the Central Processing System dumps the old stations and replaces it with new stations better for routing messages to the aircraft. This process continues throughout the flight automatically.

The second type of Flight Tracking, Category B, is a bit more simple. The aircraft continuously monitors all stations as it travels on it's course. The Central Processing System continuously chooses the best station for routing purposes while the aircraft is in flight. If the flight plan route is amended in flight, and a diversion is necessary, the Central Processing System chooses a new remote ground station along the diverted flight path based on this flight tracking protocol, tracking the aircraft.

The reason for this type of flight tracking, Category A and B, is due to the fact aircraft divert from their flight plans all the time, daily. Some have argued that MDT and PIT were chosen for ground station routing due to the original planned route of flight, BOS to LAX. However, if ACARS routing was based on original flight planned route, aircraft diverting from their original route of flight would not be able to communicate via ACARS as they would quickly leave the areas in which remote ground stations have been chosen, rendering the network useless for the airline, and most importantly, the aircraft. On 9/11 especially, many aircraft were diverted from their original flight plans. If the ACARS network was solely based on flight planned route, 100's if not thousands of aircraft, would not have been able to communicate with their company and/or ATC via ACARS. Chaos would have ensued as ACARS communication is a valuable asset to facilitate aircraft operations and flight safety, and the skies would never have been cleared as quickly as reported.

Some have further gone on to speculate that United Airlines Dispatchers routed the messages themselves based on flight planned route. Flight Tracking protocol as described renders this argument moot as the Dispatcher does not have control over ARINC routing of ACARS messages through remote ground stations. This type of premise is the equivalent of saying that when you call someone from your cell phone, you have the capability to choose which cell tower around the world you want your call to be routed. It's absurd. But for the sake of argument, we will explore this hypothesis.

Dispatch Operations Centers monitor flight tracking of the aircraft in near real time on an Airspace Situational Display (ASD). The United Airlines ASD is refreshed every 60 seconds according to another Memorandum For The Record released by the 9/11 Commission(4)

When asked about the technical capabilities of the ASD (airspace situational display) program used by the dispatchers on their monitors to track planes, all United representatives conferred that the program's display refreshes every 60 seconds.
.....
McCurdy recollected that at the time of the crash into tower 2, the display on Ballenger's monitor still showed UAL 175 at 31,000 ft, having just deviated from the normal flight plan and heading into a big turn back east.

The reason Dispatchers have an ASD is due to the fact the aircraft across the globe deviate from their cleared flight plans daily due to weather, traffic, etc. With an ASD, Dispatchers can keep track of their flights and alert for weather (or other adverse conditions) along the route. Even if Dispatchers had the capability to choose which specific ground station to route a message, why would they choose MDT and then later PIT if the aircraft is diverting back to the east on their monitors? The answer is, they wouldn't. The hypothesis that Remote Ground Station routing is based on original flight plan is completely absurd and usually attempted by only those who obviously are not interested in the facts, instead need to speculate to hold onto their beliefs. As described, the Central Processing System routes messages through remote ground stations based on Flight Tracking Protocol(5).

These are the ACARS remote ground station locations as compared with the flight path of United 175, including the diversion from the flight planned route due to the alleged "hijacking". An overlay of the RADES Radar data, also provided through FOIA, has been included to show the location of the Target Aircraft (TA) for the time when the first message was sent through Harrisburg. PA (MDT) and received by the aircraft, at 08:59:AM.

"Converged with Target Aircraft" radar track showing where the tracks actually converge with "UA175" can be viewed in 9/11 Intercepted, or here based on the RADES Radar Data provided through FOIA
(Click Image To Enlarge)

Distances from the Target Aircraft to the relative Remote Ground Stations (RGS) are included.

As you can see, there are many stations surrounding the Target Aircraft which are much closer to the aircraft than MDT out in Harrisburg, PA. Twelve stations to be exact,

1. ABE
2. EWR
3. MMU
4. JFK
5. LGA
6. TEB
7. PHL
8. HPN
9. ISP
10. ILG
11. ACY
12. AVP

All of which are nearly half the distance to the Target Aircraft than MDT is presently at 08:59 AM.

There is no possible reason for the Central Processing System (CPS) to have chosen MDT for routing purposes based on Flight Tracking protocol described above, if this Target Aircraft truly were United Flight 175, N612UA. The twelve other stations would have had to been skipped over, and for some reason the CPS chose MDT way out in Pennsylvania. Another argument (read: speculation) is that all those other stations were "congested" at the time which is why the CPS chose MDT. First, in order for this to be true, all those stations would have to be "congested" at least four times over. As demonstrated by the MFR referenced above, as many as 4 messages were routed through MDT. What are the odds that all 12 ground stations were "congested" each and every time? This argument, if not absurd, is moot as when the CPS determines the best ground station based on flight tracking protocol, the message is placed into a queue routed through the best station and then sent in the order it was received. ACARS messages are not very large in terms of bytes. Multiple messages can be sent in less than a second. It is logical to queue the messages at a remote ground station which is closer to the aircraft than to route a message through a ground station much further away in which the aircraft may not receive based on distance and altitude. Ground stations can send messages up to 200 miles, but this is only guaranteed if the aircraft is above 29,000 feet, as stated in the MFR sourced above.

When asked how the ACARS network chooses a Remote Ground Station for routing messages to an aircraft, FDR, Radar, ACARS Expert and Electrical Engineer Dennis Cimino had this to say,

The aircraft are constantly in contact with whatever ground station is nearest to it, more or less in 'data link' mode, sending acknowledgements back and forth. In cases where multiple stations on the ground are within range, the dropped packet numbers decide which ground station gets the priority. not as sophisticated as N.T.D.S. (naval tactical data systems) but pretty close to that.
On a more 'system' level, the ground stations are more or less in spread spectrum constant transmit mode like cell phones now use, so they won't step on each other continually. when an aircraft receiver's MDS (minimum discernible signal) sensitivity is achieved or reached out of the 'tangential' noise floor level, the aircraft's receiver then begins to try to data frame sync with the ground. then once that happens and two way 'ping pong' as data link persons refer to it, happens, then any queued messages get shipped to the receiving system and data relative to the aircraft's flight get sent back down to the ground.

This corroborates the Flight Tracking Protocol as outlined above based on a July 2002 Newsletter published by ARINC titled The Global Link(5).

Now that it is understood there were many ground stations which should have been chosen by the CPS before routing messages through MDT, why would the Central Processing System ever choose PIT as the next ground station for routing purposes if the aircraft was being tracked by the ACARS network to NYC? The answer is, it wouldn't.

It is possible all messages can be fabricated, but that would attract multiple felony charges as well considering the information was provided through the Freedom Of Information Act and used as evidence to support the claims made by the 9/11 Commission. Pilots For 9/11 Truth encourage readers to contact an ARINC Specialist in your area to confirm or refute the above evidence offered. Contact information for an ARINC office near you can be located through a simple google search. Feel free to direct them to this site and article.

Based on Flight Tracking protocol, the only reason the Central Processing System would choose to route messages through the ground stations located at MDT, then later PIT, over the numerous ground stations much closer and surrounding NYC, is due to the aircraft being in the vicinity of MDT, and then later, PIT. This means that the aircraft observed to strike the south tower, was not United 175.

"Converging Aircraft " radar tracks showing the targets converging can be viewed in
9/11 Intercepted, or here based on the RADES Radar Data provided through FOIA
(Click Image To Enlarge)

All aircraft converging above can be viewed in the RADES Data or 9/11: Intercepted

This evidence strengthens previous evidence uncovered by Pilots For 9/11 Truth that a standard 767 cannot remain in control, stable or hold together at the speeds reported by the NTSB for the South Tower aircraft(6). So, if UA175 was somewhere out in Pennsylvania when an aircraft was observed to strike the south tower, and a standard 767 cannot perform at such excessive speeds as reported, then where did the airplane come from which was observed to strike the South Tower? That is a great question and the reason we are still here after 10 years attempting to get answers for the day that changed our world, and will never go away until those questions are answered.

Send this evidence to your Congress Representative, your Senators, Judges, Lawyers, print it out and hand it to your pilots when boarding a flight (Pilots love reading material while in cruise). Call into talk shows, tell them about this evidence. Grab our DVD's and make copies, hand them to friends, family, co-workers, etc. Demand a new investigation into the events of 9/11. The 9/11 Families, The 9/11 Victims, The American People, The World, deserves to know Truth about what happened on September, 11, 2001.

Founded in August 2006, Pilots For 9/11 Truth is a growing organization of aviation professionals from around the globe. The organization has analyzed Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for the Pentagon Attack, the events in Shanksville, PA and the World Trade Center Attack along with other information provided by several government agencies through the Freedom Of Information Act. The data does not support what we have been told. Government Agencies refuse to comment. Pilots For 9/11 Truth do not offer theory or point blame at this point in time. However, there is a growing mountain of conflicting information and data in which government agencies and officials refuse to acknowledge. Pilots For 9/11 Truth continues to grow and exist only through your continued support. We thank you!

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/core.html for full member list.

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/join to join.

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/store to help support Pilots For 9/11 Truth continued operations and research.

Read Part Two of this article here.

(1) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/Team7_Box13_UAL_ACARS.pdf - 12.9mb pdf
(2) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/t-0148-911MFR-01090.pdf (bottom of page 6) - 1.3mb pdf
(3) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/Miles_Kara_MFR.pdf - 681kb pdf
(4) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/mfr-dispatch-track-asd.pdf - 900kb pdf
(5) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/GLOBAL_LINK.pdf - Use Of Tracker Messages In Category A ACARS Networks, page 6, 174kb pdf
(6) 9/11: Speeds Reported For World Trade Center Attack Aircraft Analyzed - http://pilotsfor911truth.org/wtc_speed

PilotsFor911Truth.org) - More information has surfaced which conclusively demonstrates the aircraft reportedly used on 9/11, were airborne well after their alleged crashes. This article supplements our last, "ACARS CONFIRMED - 9/11 AIRCRAFT AIRBORNE LONG AFTER CRASH" in which the ACARS system is explained as well as how to determine if a message were received by the aircraft, along with how ground stations are selected through Flight Tracking Protocol based on messages routed to United 175, N612UA. We now have further evidence which places United 93, N591UA, in the vicinity of Champaign, IL, 500+ miles away from the alleged crash site in Shanksville, PA. This information is further corroborated by a (now former) United Airlines Manager of Flight Dispatch Michael J. Winter.

On January 28, 2002, Mr. Winter gave an interview to the FBI at United Headquarters near Chicago, IL(1). During this interview, Mr. Winter reviewed a list of ACARS messages explaining the contents and which messages were received or rejected. The messages provided below are the most significant and fatal to what we have been told by the 9/11 Commission. Two messages were routed through the Fort Wayne, Indiana remote ground stations (FWA), followed by two more messages which were routed through Champaign, IL (CMI).

The remote ground station used to route the message to the aircraft (FWA or CMI), the time and date in which the message is sent (eg. 111351, meaning the 11th of Sept, at 1351Z or 0951am Eastern), the flight number (UA93), and the tail number of the airplane in which the message is intended (N591UA), are all highlighted in red. The underlined date and time is when the message was received by the airplane. Although the first two appear to be identical, the message number denotes that they are in fact two separate messages, which is highlighted in blue. The messages are as follows -

DDLXCXA CHIAK CHI68R
.CHIAKUA 111351/ED
AGM
AN N591UA/GL FWA
- UA93 EWRSFO
- MESSAGE FROM CHIDD -
LAND ASP AT NEAREST --NEAREST AIRPORT.ASP .ASP ON GROND.ANYWERE.
CHIDD ED BALLINGER

;09111351 108575 0669

DDLXCXA CHIAK CHI68R
.CHIAKUA 111351/ED
AGM
AN N591UA/GL FWA
- UA93 EWRSFO
- MESSAGE FROM CHIDD -
LAND ASP AT NEAREST --NEAREST AIRPORT.ASP .ASP ON GROND.ANYWERE.
CHIDD ED BALLINGER

;09111351 108575 0676

DDLXCXA CHIAK CHI68R
.CHIAKUA 111410/ED
CMD
AN N591UA/GL CMI
- QUCHIAKUA 1UA93 EWRSFO
- MESSAGE FROM CHIDD -
DO NOT DIVERT TO DC AREA
CHIDD ED BALLINGER

;09111410 108575 0706

DDLXCXA CHIAK CHI68R
.CHIAKUA 111410/ED
CMD
AN N591UA/GL CMI
- QUCHIAKUA 1UA93 EWRSFO
- MESSAGE FROM CHIDD -
DO NOT DIVERT TO DC AREA
CHIDD ED BALLINGER

;09111411 108575 0707

As described in our first article on this topic based on Category A and B flight tracking(3), this aircraft would not have had messages routed through the above remote ground stations if it were enroute to crash in Shanksville, PA. Many other stations are much closer if in fact United 93 crashed in Shanksville. In order to follow the messages based on remote ground stations, we have included the Google Earth File used to construct the various stations and associated messages, with an overlay of the United 93 Flight path according to the National Transportation Safety Board(2).

Click Image To Enlarge

There are 10 remote ground stations closer to the flight path than FWA, even more if including CMI ground station in Champaign, IL which is nearly 500 miles from the Shanksville crater. However, according to Mr. Winter, United 93 received messages from CMI remote ground station in Champaign, IL more than 7 minutes after the alleged crash(1). Mr. Winter explains -

"Printer" and "Screen" indicate the printer on the flight deck and the flight management computer screen, respectively, as is described in the sourced documentation(1). Based on Category A and B flight tracking(3), it can be determined that TOL and FWA are not the best stations for routing messages, however routing through CMI is completely absurd if the aircraft in fact crashed in Shanksville. Furthermore, according to the NTSB animation reconstruction, the aircraft allegedly crashed in Shanksville at 10:03am(4). How can the aircraft possibly receive a message activating an audible signal in the airplane at 1410 (10:10am Eastern)? It can't if it crashed in Shanksville, it can if were in the vicinity of CMI. Finally, there is no possible way that an aircraft can receive a message from a remote ground station which is 500+ miles away. The range for remote ground stations is 200 miles, and that is only guaranteed above 29,000 feet(5).

We now have several levels of corroboration demonstrating the aircraft were still airborne after their alleged crashes -

- From our first article, the logs themselves showing time sent and received based on statements made by Ed Ballinger,
- Ground station routing based on flight tracking protocols,
- Expert statements,
- And now, messages that were received well out of range from Shanksville, PA after the time of the alleged crash.

It is conclusive, the 9/11 Aircraft were airborne long after their alleged crashes.

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/core.html for full member list.

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/join to join.

http://pilotsfor911truth.org/store to help support Pilots For 9/11 Truth continued operations and research.

(1) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/Team7_Box11_FBI302s_ACARS.pdf - page 55-57, 2.4mb pdf
(2) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/UA93_RGS_messages_wNTSB_overlay.kmz - Google Earth File, 27kb
(3) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/GLOBAL_LINK.pdf - Use Of Tracker Messages In Category A ACARS Networks, page 6, 174kb pdf
(4) http://pilotsfor911truth.org/acars/NTSB_Animation_UA93_100307.jpg - Image from NTSB Animation Reconstruction based on Flight Data Recorder
(5) Google Search For "acars 200 mile range" - Click

ET phone home.

2011-11-16T07:30:00.001-05:00

In response to a recent petition, the White House issued a statement indicating that there was no evidence of extraterrestial life.

"The White House made the unusual declaration in response to a feature on its website that allows people to submit petitions that administration officials must respond to if enough people sign on.

In this case, more than 5,000 people signed a petition demanding that the White House disclose the government's knowledge of extraterrestrial beings, and more than 12,000 signed another petition seeking formal acknowledgement of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race.

In response, Phil Larson of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wrote that the U.S. government has no evidence that life exists outside Earth, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted any member of the human race.

"In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public's eye," Larson wrote."

Gee, that's interesting since the NSA, responding to a FOIA request, released the following document: http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/ufo/key_to_et_messages.pdf

This document states : "Dr. Campaigne presented a series of 29 messages from outer space in "Extraterrestrial Intelligence" NSA Technical Journal, Vol. XI, No.2 pp. 101 ff and in the Special Mathematics and Engineering Issue of the Journal, pp. 117 ff."

Further in the article: " Recently a series of radio messages was heard coming from outer space. The transmission was not continuous, but cut by pauses into pieces which could be taken as units, for they were repeated over and over again."

And.........The concepts used here are the basic ones of number, sets, and physical constants which any cultures must share.....any civilizations capable of sending a message across space must have many things in common."

Most of the alien transmissions were able to be deciphered.

Just more Obama lies and deception.

Stick a fork in America, we're done.

2011-10-20T15:36:00.001-04:00

Anyone "up" on U.S. and world economics is aware that, from a financial standpoint, we have been toast for some time now. Human nature being what it is though, we tend to think that in the face of overwhelming evidence that we will soon be in ruin, something will happen to fix the problem.

Enter Bank of America Corp. Hit by a recent credit downgrade, (Bank of America’s rating is now four grades below the one Mood& Co. (JPM), the biggest U.S. bank by deposits at midyear, and a level below the rating given to Citigroup Inc. (C), the third-biggest. Bank of America is the only U.S. lender that lacks a rating of A3 or higher among the five firms listed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as having the biggest derivatives books.) BAC decided to shift 75 TRILLION dollars of it's European derivatives from it's Merrill Lynch banking unit over to its insured banking unit.

American taxpayers are now on the hook for 75 trillion bucks worth of European debt.( I find this especially annoying in light of the fact that we spent two thirds of our gold reserves rebuilding Europe under the Marshall Plan--a lot good that ended up doing us.)

More bad news: "Bank of America didn't get regulatory approval to do this, they just did it at the request of frightened counterparties.

This is a direct transfer of risk to the taxpayer done by the bank without approval by regulators and without public input. You will also read below that JP Morgan is apparently doing the same thing with $79 trillion of notional derivatives guaranteed by the FDIC and Federal Reserve."

This deal puts us past the point of no return. (For those who have an interest in such things, Google "Illumanati.org" and then hit Ctrl A)

"What this means for you is that when Europe finally implodes and banks fail, U.S. taxpayers will hold the bag for trillions in CDS insurance contracts sold by Bank of America and JP Morgan. Even worse, the total exposure is unknown because Wall Street successfully lobbied during Dodd-Frank passage so that no central exchange would exist keeping track of net derivative exposure.

This is a recipe for Armageddon. Bernanke is absolutely insane. No wonder Geithner has been hopping all over Europe begging and cajoling leaders to put together a massive bailout of troubled banks. His worst nightmare is Eurozone bank defaults leading to the collapse of the large U.S. banks who have been happily selling default insurance on European banks since the crisis began."

More BAC background:

"Guest post by William K. Black

Bob Ivry, Hugh Son and Christine Harper have written an article that needs to be read by everyone interested in the financial crisis. The article (available here) is entitled: BofA Said to Split Regulators Over Moving Merrill Derivatives to Bank Unit. The thrust of their story is that Bank of America’s holding company, BAC, has directed the transfer of a large number of troubled financial derivatives from its Merrill Lynch subsidiary to the federally insured bank Bank of America (BofA). The story reports that the Federal Reserve supported the transfer and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) opposed it. Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism has written an appropriately blistering attack on this outrageous action, which puts the public at substantially increased risk of loss.

I write to add some context, point out additional areas of inappropriate actions, and add a regulatory perspective gained from dealing with analogous efforts by holding companies to foist dangerous affiliate transactions on insured depositories. I’ll begin by adding some historical context to explain how B of A got into this maze of affiliate conflicts.

Ken Lewis’ “Scorched Earth” Campaign against B of A’s Shareholders

Acquiring Countrywide: the High Cost of CEO Adolescence

During this crisis, Ken Lewis went on a buying spree designed to allow him to brag that his was not simply bigger, but the biggest. Bank of America’s holding company – BAC – became the acquirer of last resort. Lewis began his war on BAC’s shareholders by ordering an artillery salvo on BAC’s own position. What better way was there to destroy shareholder value than purchasing the most notorious lender in the world – Countrywide. Countrywide was in the midst of a death spiral. The FDIC would soon have been forced to pay an acquirer tens of billions of dollars to induce it to take on Countrywide’s nearly limitless contingent liabilities and toxic assets. Even an FDIC-assisted acquisition would have been a grave mistake. Acquiring thousands of Countrywide employees whose primary mission was to make fraudulent and toxic loans was an inelegant form of financial suicide. It also revealed the negligible value Lewis placed on ethics and reputation.

But Lewis did not wait to acquire Countrywide with FDIC assistance. He feared that a rival would acquire it first and win the CEO bragging contest about who had the biggest, baddest bank. His acquisition of Countrywide destroyed hundreds of billions of dollars of shareholder value and led to massive foreclosure fraud by what were now B of A employees.

But there are two truly scary parts of the story of B of A’s acquisition of Countrywide that have received far too little attention. B of A claims that it conducted extensive due diligence before acquiring Countrywide and discovered only minor problems. If that claim is true, then B of A has been doomed for years regardless of whether it acquired Countrywide. The proposed acquisition of Countrywide was huge and exceptionally controversial even within B of A. Countrywide was notorious for its fraudulent loans. There were numerous lawsuits and former employees explaining how these frauds worked.

B of A is really “Nations Bank” (formerly named NCNB). When Nations Bank acquired B of A (the San Francisco based bank), the North Carolina management took complete control. The North Carolina management decided that “Bank of America” was the better brand name, so it adopted that name. The key point to understand is that Nations/NCNB was created through a large series of aggressive mergers, so the bank had exceptional experience in conducting due diligence of targets for acquisition and it would have sent its top team to investigate Countrywide given its size and notoriety. The acquisition of Countrywide did not have to be consummated exceptionally quickly. Indeed, the deal had an “out” that allowed B of A to back out of the deal if conditions changed in an adverse manner (which they obviously did). If B of A employees conducted extensive due diligence of Countrywide and could not discover its obvious, endemic frauds, abuses, and subverted systems then they are incompetent. Indeed, that word is too bloodless a term to describe how worthless the due diligence team would have had to have been. Given the many acquisitions the due diligence team vetted, B of A would have been doomed because it would have routinely been taken to the cleaners in those earlier deals.

That scenario, the one B of A presents, is not credible. It is far more likely that B of A’s senior management made it clear to the head of the due diligence review that the deal was going to be done and that his or her report should support that conclusion. This alternative explanation fits well with B of A’s actual decision-making. Countrywide’s (and B of A’s)reported financial condition fell sharply after the deal was signed. Lewis certainly knew that B of A’s actual financial condition was much worse than its reported financial condition and had every reason to believe that this difference would be even worse at Countrywide given its reputation for making fraudulent loans. B of A could have exercised its option to withdraw from the deal and saved vast amounts of money. Lewis, however, refused to do so. CEOs do not care only about money. Ego is a powerful driver of conduct, and CEOs can be obsessed with status, hierarchy, and power. Of course, Lewis knew he could walk away wealthy after becoming a engine of mass destruction of B of A shareholder value, so he could indulge his ego in a manner common to adolescent males.

Acquiring Merrill Lynch: the Lure of Liar’s Loans

Merrill Lynch is the quintessential example of why it was common for the investment banks to hold in portfolio large amounts of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). Some observers have jumped to the naïve assumption that this indicates that the senior managers thought the CDOs were safe investments. The “recipe” for an investor maximizing reported income differs only slightly from the recipe for lenders.

Grow rapidly by
Holding poor quality assets that provide a premium nominal yield while
Employing extreme leverage, and
Providing only grossly inadequate allowances for future losses on the poor quality assets

Investment banks that followed this recipe (and most large U.S. investment banks did), were guaranteed to report record (albeit fictional) short-term income. That income was certain to produce extreme compensation for the controlling officers. The strategy was also certain to produce extensive losses in the longer term – unless the investment bank could sell its losing position to another entity that would then bear the loss.

The optimal means of committing this form of accounting control fraud was with the AAA-rated top tranche of CDOs. Investment banks frequently purport to base compensation on risk-adjusted return. If they really did so investment bankers would receive far less compensation. The art, of course, is to vastly understate the risk one is taking and attribute short-term reported gains to the officer’s brilliance in achieving supra-normal returns that are not attributable to increased risk (“alpha”). Some of the authors of Guaranteed to Fail call this process manufacturing “fake alpha.”

The authors are largely correct about “fake alpha.” The phrase and phenomenon are correct, but the mechanism they hypothesize for manufacturing fake alpha has no basis in reality. They posit honest gambles on “extreme tail” events likely to occur only in rare circumstances. They provide no real world examples. If risk that the top tranche of a CDO would suffer a material loss of market values was, in reality, extremely rare then it would be impossible to achieve a substantial premium yield. The strategy would diminish alpha rather than maximizing false alpha. The risk that the top tranche of a CDO would suffer a material loss in market value was highly probable. It was not a tail event, much less an “extreme tail” event. CDOs were commonly backed by liar’s loans and the incidence of fraud in liar’s loans was in the 90% range. The top tranches of CDOs were virtually certain to suffer severe losses as soon as the bubble stalled and refinancing was no longer readily available to delay the wave of defaults. Because liar’s loans were primarily made to borrowers who were not creditworthy and financially unsophisticated, the lenders had the negotiating leverage to charge premium yields. The officers controlling the rating agencies and the investment banks were complicit in creating a corrupt system for rating CDOs that maximized their financial interests by routinely providing AAA ratings to the top tranche of CDOs “backed” largely by fraudulent loans. The combination of the fake AAA rating and premium yield on the top tranche of fraudulently constructed (and sold) CDOs maximized “fake alpha” and made it the “sure thing” that is one of the characteristics of accounting control fraud (see Akerlof & Romer 1993; Black 2005). This is why many of the investment banks (and, eventually, Fannie and Freddie) held substantial amounts of the top tranches of CDOs. (A similar dynamic existed for lower tranches, but investment banks also found it much more difficult to sell the lowest tranches.)

Merrill Lynch was known for the particularly large CDO positions it retained in portfolio. These CDO positions doomed Merrill Lynch. B of A knew that Merrill Lynch had tremendous losses in its derivatives positions when it chose to acquire Merrill Lynch.

Given this context, only the Fed, and BAC, could favor the derivatives deal

Lewis and his successor, Brian Moynihan, have destroyed nearly one-half trillion dollars in BAC shareholder value. (See my prior post on the “Divine Right of Bank Profits…”) BAC continues to deteriorate and the credit rating agencies have been downgrading it because of its bad assets, particularly its derivatives. BAC’s answer is to “transfer” the bad derivatives to the insured bank – transforming (ala Ireland) a private debt into a public debt.

Banking regulators have known for well over a century about the acute dangers of conflicts of interest. Two related conflicts have generated special rules designed to protect the bank and the insurance fund. One restricts transactions with senior insiders and the other restricts transactions with affiliates. The scam is always the same when it comes to abusive deals with affiliates – they transfer bad (or overpriced) assets or liabilities to the insured institution. As S&L regulators, we recurrently faced this problem. For example, Ford Motor Company attempted to structure an affiliate transaction that was harmful to the insured S&L (First Nationwide). The bank, because of federal deposit insurance, typically has a higher credit rating than its affiliate corporations.

BAC’s request to transfer the problem derivatives to B of A was a no brainer – unfortunately, it was apparently addressed to officials at the Fed who meet that description. Any competent regulator would have said: “No, Hell NO!” Indeed, any competent regulator would have developed two related, acute concerns immediately upon receiving the request. First, the holding company’s controlling managers are a severe problem because they are seeking to exploit the insured institution. Second, the senior managers of B of A acceded to the transfer, apparently without protest, even though the transfer poses a severe threat to B of A’s survival. Their failure to act to prevent the transfer contravenes both their fiduciary duties of loyalty and care and should lead to their resignations.

Now here’s the really bad news. First, this transfer is a superb “natural experiment” that tests one of the most important questions central to the health of our financial system. Does the Fed represent and vigorously protect the interests of the people or the systemically dangerous institutions (SDIs) – the largest 20 banks? We have run a real world test. The sad fact is that very few Americans will be surprised that the Fed represented the interests of the SDIs even though they were directly contrary to the interests of the nation. The Fed’s constant demands for (and celebration of) “independence” from democratic government, combined with slavish dependence on and service to the CEOs of the SDIs has gone beyond scandal to the point of farce. I suggest organized “laugh ins” whenever Fed spokespersons prate about their “independence.”

Second, I would bet large amounts of money that I do not have that neither B of A’s CEO nor the Fed even thought about whether the transfer was consistent with the CEO’s fiduciary duties to B of A (v. BAC). We took depositions during the S&L debacle in which senior officials of Lincoln Savings and its affiliates were shocked when we asked “whose interests were you representing – the S&L or the affiliate?” They had obviously never even considered their fiduciary duties or identified their actual client. We blocked a transaction that would have caused grave injury to the insured S&L by taking the holding company (Pinnnacle West) off the hook for its obligations to the S&L. That transaction would have passed routinely, but we flew to the board of directors meeting of the S&L and reminded them that their fiduciary duty was to the S&L, that the transaction was clearly detrimental to the S&L and to the benefit of the holding company, and that we would sue them and take the most vigorous possible enforcement actions against them personally if they violated their fiduciary duties. That caused them to refuse to approve the transaction – which resulted in a $450 million payment from the holding company to the S&L. (I know, $450 million sounds quaint now in light of the scale of the ongoing crisis, but back then it paid for our salaries in perpetuity.)

Third, reread the Bloomberg column and wrap your mind around the size of Merrill Lynch’s derivatives positions. Next, consider that Merrill is only one, shrinking player in derivatives. Finally, reread Yves’ column in Naked Capitalism where she explains (correctly) that many derivatives cannot be used safely. Add to that my point about how they can be used to create a “sure thing” of record fictional profits, record compensation, and catastrophic losses. This is particularly true about credit default swaps (CDS) because of the grotesque accounting treatment that typically involves no allowances for future losses. (FASB: you must fix this urgently or you will allow a “perfect crime.”). It is insane that we did not pass a one sentence law repealing the Commodities Futures Modernization Act of 2000. Between the SDIs, the massive, sometimes inherently unsafe and largely opaque financial derivatives, the appointment, retention, and promotion of failed anti-regulators, and the continuing ability of elite control frauds to loot with impunity we are inviting recurrent, intensifying crises.

I’ll close with a suggestion and request to reporters. Please find out who within the Fed approved this deal and the exact composition of the assets and liabilities that were transferred."

Sickening History: The Radium Girls

2011-10-15T12:11:00.000-04:00

So, America--Land of the free and home of the brave. We've had it pounded into our heads that the United States has always been the land of opportunity. If you are willing to work you can make something of yourself.

If we look at the actual history of the U.S., we see a few examples of those who have made it big, but they did so by exploiting the millions of ignorant folks who came to America looking for the land of milk and honey.

The Occupy Wall Street movement that is currently sweeping the U.S. is refocusing our attention on the effects of corporations run by the ultra greedy and ultral selfish. As long as THEIR bank accounts are full, then screw everyone else. There have been countless examples of worker exploitation, but one of the better known is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and resultant fire.

Lesser known is the story of the Radium Girls. Radium was one of two elements that were discovered by Marie Curie. (If you have the chance, read up on Marie Curie--her history is interesting.) Radium is an element that glows as a result of it's radioactivity. Although the general public was not made aware of it's dangerous effects, the defense industry had a need for glowing dials on aircraft and for use in other applications. It's commercial uses were many, but lets not let public or worker safety stand in the way of making a buck.

Enter the U.S. Radium Corporation.

"From 1917 to 1926, U.S. Radium Corporation, originally called the Radium Luminous Material Corporation, was engaged in the extraction and purification of radium from carnotite ore to produce luminous paints, which were marketed under the brand name 'Undark'. As a defense contractor, U.S. Radium was a major supplier of radioluminescent watches to the military. Their plant in New Jersey employed over a hundred workers, mainly women, to paint radium-lit watch faces and instruments, believing it to be safe.

The U.S. Radium Corporation hired some 70 women to perform various tasks including the handling of radium, while the owners and the scientists familiar with the effects of radium carefully avoided any exposure to it themselves; chemists at the plant used lead screens, masks and tongs. US Radium had even distributed literature to the medical community describing the “injurious effects” of radium. The owners and scientists at US Radium, familiar with the real hazards of radioactivity, naturally took extensive precautions to protect themselves.

An estimated 4,000 workers were hired by corporations in the U.S. and Canada to paint watch faces with radium. They mixed glue, water and radium powder, and then used camel hair brushes to apply the glowing paint onto dials. The then-current rate of pay, for painting 250 dials a day, was about a penny and a half per dial. The brushes would lose shape after a few strokes, so the U.S. Radium supervisors encouraged their workers to point the brushes with their lips, or use their tongues to keep them sharp. For fun, the Radium Girls painted their nails, teeth and faces with the deadly paint produced at the factory Many of the workers became sick. It is unknown how many died from exposure to radiation. The factory sites became Superfund cleanup sites.

Many of the women later began to suffer from anemia, bone fractures and necrosis of the jaw, a condition now known as radium jaw. It is thought that the X-ray machines used by the medical investigators may have contributed to some of the sickened workers' ill-health by subjecting them to additional radiation. It turned out at least one of the examinations was a ruse, part of a campaign of disinformation started by the defense contractor.

U.S. Radium and other watch-dial companies rejected claims that the afflicted workers were suffering from exposure to radium. For some time, doctors, dentists, and researchers complied with requests from the companies not to release their data. At the urging of the companies, worker deaths were attributed by medical professionals to other causes; syphilis was often cited in attempts to smear the reputations of the women. One of the workers, Peg Loone, died from radiation poisoning at the age of 24.

The story of the abuse perpetrated against the workers is distinguished from most such cases by the fact that the ensuing litigation was covered widely by the media. Plant worker Grace Fryer decided to sue, but it took two years for her to find a lawyer willing to take on U.S. Radium. A total of five factory workers, dubbed the Radium Girls, joined the suit. The litigation and media sensation surrounding the case established legal precedents and triggered the enactment of regulations governing labor safety standards, including a baseline of 'provable suffering'.

The Radium Girls saga holds an important place in the history of both the field of health physics and the labor rights movement. The right of individual workers to sue for damages from corporations due to labor abuse was established as a result of the Radium Girls case. In the wake of the case, industrial safety standards were demonstrably enhanced for many decades.

The case was settled in the fall of 1928, before the trial was deliberated by the jury, and the settlement for each of the Radium Girls was $10,000 (the equivalent of $128,000 in 2010 dollars) and a $600 per year annuity while they lived, and all medical and legal expenses incurred would also be paid by the company.

The lawsuit and resulting publicity was a factor in the establishment of occupational disease labor lawRadium dial painters were instructed in proper safety precautions and provided with protective gear; in particular, they no longer shaped paint brushes by lip, and avoided ingesting or breathing the paint. Radium paint was still used in dials as late as the 1960s, but there were no further injuries to dial painters. This served to highlight that the injuries suffered by the Radium Girls were completely preventable."

For most of my life I have favored a capitalist system and the fact is that socialism and communism have failed as practiced, but something needs to change. We desperately need an alternative to what we now have in the U.S.

I hope the OWS protests produce some good results--interpret that as you will.

The frustration level is rising.

2011-10-12T13:45:00.000-04:00

Things just seem to get better every day:

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The Obama Nation or White People are Chumps

2011-08-29T22:07:00.000-04:00

An EBT card is a food stamp debit/credit card.

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De truff about dem colored folks.

2011-07-22T08:09:00.003-04:00

First, we have this bit of inconvenient truth: http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t733304/

How Africans may differ from Westerners by Gedaliah Braun

"I am an American who taught philosophy in several African universities from 1976 to 1988, and have lived since that time in South Africa. When I first came to Africa, I knew virtually nothing about the continent or its people, but I began learning quickly. I noticed, for example, that Africans rarely kept promises and saw no need to apologize when they broke them. It was as if they were unaware they had done anything that called for an apology.

It took many years for me to understand why Africans behaved this way but I think I can now explain this and other behavior that characterizes Africa. I believe that morality requires abstract thinking—as does planning for the future—and that a relative deficiency in abstract thinking may explain many things that are typically African.

What follow are not scientific findings. There could be alternative explanations for what I have observed, but my conclusions are drawn from more than 30 years of living among Africans.

My first inklings about what may be a deficiency in abstract thinking came from what I began to learn about African languages. In a conversation with students in Nigeria I asked how you would say that a coconut is about halfway up the tree in their local language. “You can’t say that,” they explained. “All you can say is that it is ‘up’.” “How about right at the top?” “Nope; just ‘up’.” In other words, there appeared to be no way to express gradations.

A few years later, in Nairobi, I learned something else about African languages when two women expressed surprise at my English dictionary. “Isn’t English your language?” they asked. “Yes,” I said. “It’s my only language.” “Then why do you need a dictionary?”

They were puzzled that I needed a dictionary, and I was puzzled by their puzzlement. I explained that there are times when you hear a word you’re not sure about and so you look it up. “But if English is your language,” they asked, “how can there be words you don’t know?” “What?” I said. “No one knows all the words of his language.”

I have concluded that a relative deficiency in abstract thinking may explain many things that are typically African.

“But we know all the words of Kikuyu; every Kikuyu does,” they replied. I was even more surprised, but gradually it dawned on me that since their language is entirely oral, it exists only in the minds of Kikuyu speakers. Since there is a limit to what the human brain can retain, the overall size of the language remains more or less constant. A written language, on the other hand, existing as it does partly in the millions of pages of the written word, grows far beyond the capacity of anyone to know it in its entirety. But if the size of a language is limited, it follows that the number of concepts it contains will also be limited and hence that both language and thinking will be impoverished.

African languages were, of necessity, sufficient in their pre-colonial context. They are impoverished only by contrast to Western languages and in an Africa trying to emulate the West. While numerous dictionaries have been compiled between European and African languages, there are few dictionaries within a single African language, precisely because native speakers have no need for them. I did find a Zulu-Zulu dictionary, but it was a small-format paperback of 252 pages.

My queries into Zulu began when I rang the African Language Department at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and spoke to a white guy. Did “precision” exist in the Zulu language prior to European contact? “Oh,” he said, “that’s a very Eurocentric question!” and simply wouldn’t answer. I rang again, spoke to another white guy, and got a virtually identical response.

So I called the University of South Africa, a large correspondence university in Pretoria, and spoke to a young black guy. As has so often been my experience in Africa, we hit it off from the start. He understood my interest in Zulu and found my questions of great interest. He explained that the Zulu word for “precision” means “to make like a straight line.” Was this part of indigenous Zulu? No; this was added by the compilers of the dictionary.

But, he assured me, it was otherwise for “promise.” I was skeptical. How about “obligation?” We both had the same dictionary (English-Zulu, Zulu-English Dictionary, published by Witwatersrand University Press in 1958), and looked it up. The Zulu entry means “as if to bind one’s feet.” He said that was not indigenous but was added by the compilers. But if Zulu didn’t have the concept of obligation, how could it have the concept of a promise, since a promise is simply the oral undertaking of an obligation? I was interested in this, I said, because Africans often failed to keep promises and never apologized—as if this didn’t warrant an apology.

A light bulb seemed to go on in his mind. Yes, he said; in fact, the Zulu word for promise—isithembiso—is not the correct word. When a black person “promises” he means “maybe I will and maybe I won’t.” But, I said, this makes nonsense of promising, the very purpose of which is to bind one to a course of action. When one is not sure he can do something he may say, “I will try but I can’t promise.” He said he’d heard whites say that and had never understood it till now. As a young Romanian friend so aptly summed it up, when a black person “promises” he means “I’ll try.”

The failure to keep promises is therefore not a language problem. It is hard to believe that after living with whites for so long they would not learn the correct meaning, and it is too much of a coincidence that the same phenomenon is found in Nigeria, Kenya and Papua New Guinea, where I have also lived. It is much more likely that Africans generally lack the very concept and hence cannot give the word its correct meaning. This would seem to indicate some difference in intellectual capacity.

Note the Zulu entry for obligation: “as if to bind one’s feet.” An obligation binds you, but it does so morally, not physically. It is an abstract concept, which is why there is no word for it in Zulu. So what did the authors of the dictionary do? They took this abstract concept and made it concrete. Feet, rope, and tying are all tangible and observable, and therefore things all blacks will understand, whereas many will not understand what an obligation is. The fact that they had to define it in this way is, by itself, compelling evidence for my conclusion that Zulu thought has few abstract concepts and indirect evidence for the view that Africans may be deficient in abstract thinking.

Abstract thinking

Abstract entities do not exist in space or time; they are typically intangible and can’t be perceived by the senses. They are often things that do not exist. “What would happen if everyone threw rubbish everywhere?” refers to something we hope will not happen, but we can still think about it.

Everything we observe with our senses occurs in time and everything we see exists in space; yet we can perceive neither time nor space with our senses, but only with the mind. Precision is also abstract; while we can see and touch things made with precision, precision itself can only be perceived by the mind.

How do we acquire abstract concepts? Is it enough to make things with precision in order to have the concept of precision? Africans make excellent carvings, made with precision, so why isn’t the concept in their language? To have this concept we must not only do things with precision but must be aware of this phenomenon and then give it a name.

How, for example, do we acquire such concepts as belief and doubt? We all have beliefs; even animals do. When a dog wags its tail on hearing his master’s footsteps, it believes he is coming. But it has no concept of belief because it has no awareness that it has this belief and so no awareness of belief per se. In short, it has no self-consciousness, and thus is not aware of its own mental states.

It has long seemed to me that blacks tend to lack self-awareness. If such awareness is necessary for developing abstract concepts it is not surprising that African languages have so few abstract terms. A lack of self-awareness—or introspection—has advantages. In my experience neurotic behavior, characterized by excessive and unhealthy self-consciousness, is uncommon among blacks. I am also confident that sexual dysfunction, which is characterized by excessive self-consciousness, is less common among blacks than whites.

Time is another abstract concept with which Africans seem to have difficulties. I began to wonder about this in 1998. Several Africans drove up in a car and parked right in front of mine, blocking it. “Hey,” I said, “you can’t park here.” “Oh, are you about to leave?” they asked in a perfectly polite and friendly way. “No,” I said, “but I might later. Park over there”—and they did.

While the possibility that I might want to leave later was obvious to me, their thinking seemed to encompass only the here and now: “If you’re leaving right now we understand, but otherwise, what’s the problem?” I had other such encounters and the key question always seemed to be, “Are you leaving now?” The future, after all, does not exist. It will exist, but doesn’t exist now. People who have difficulty thinking of things that do not exist will ipso facto have difficulty thinking about the future.

It appears that the Zulu word for “future”—isikhati—is the same as the word for time, as well as for space. Realistically, this means that these concepts probably do not exist in Zulu thought. It also appears that there is no word for the past—meaning, the time preceding the present. The past did exist, but no longer exists. Hence, people who may have problems thinking of things that do not exist will have trouble thinking of the past as well as the future.

This has an obvious bearing on such sentiments as gratitude and loyalty, which I have long noticed are uncommon among Africans. We feel gratitude for things that happened in the past, but for those with little sense of the past such feelings are less likely to arise.

Why did it take me more than 20 years to notice all of this? I think it is because our assumptions about time are so deeply rooted that we are not even aware of making them and hence the possibility that others may not share them simply does not occur to us. And so we don’t see it, even when the evidence is staring us in the face.

Mathematics and maintenance

I quote from an article in the South African press about the problems blacks have with mathematics:

“[Xhosa] is a language where polygon and plane have the same definition … where concepts like triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon are defined by only one word.” (“Finding New Languages for Maths and Science,” Star [Johannesburg], July 24, 2002, p. 8.)

More accurately, these concepts simply do not exist in Xhosa, which, along with Zulu, is one of the two most widely spoken languages in South Africa. In America, blacks are said to have a “tendency to approximate space, numbers and time instead of aiming for complete accuracy.” (Star, June 8, 1988, p.10.) In other words, they are also poor at math. Notice the identical triumvirate—space, numbers, and time. Is it just a coincidence that these three highly abstract concepts are the ones with which blacks — everywhere — seem to have such difficulties?

The entry in the Zulu dictionary for “number,” by the way — ningi — means “numerous,” which is not at all the same as the concept of number. It is clear, therefore, that there is no concept of number in Zulu.

White rule in South Africa ended in 1994. It was about ten years later that power outages began, which eventually reached crisis proportions. The principle reason for this is simply lack of maintenance on the generating equipment. Maintenance is future-oriented, and the Zulu entry in the dictionary for it is ondla, which means: “1. Nourish, rear; bring up; 2. Keep an eye on; watch (your crop).” In short, there is no such thing as maintenance in Zulu thought, and it would be hard to argue that this is wholly unrelated to the fact that when people throughout Africa say “nothing works,” it is only an exaggeration.

The New York Times reports that New York City is considering a plan (since implemented) aimed at getting blacks to “do well on standardized tests and to show up for class,” by paying them to do these things and that could “earn [them] as much as $500 a year.” Students would get money for regular school attendance, every book they read, doing well on tests, and sometimes just for taking them. Parents would be paid for “keeping a full-time job … having health insurance … and attending parent-teacher conferences.” (Jennifer Medina, “Schools Plan to Pay Cash for Marks,” New York Times, June 19, 2007.)

The clear implication is that blacks are not very motivated. Motivation involves thinking about the future and hence about things that do not exist. Given black deficiencies in this regard, it is not surprising that they would be lacking in motivation, and having to prod them in this way is further evidence for such a deficiency.

The Zulu entry for “motivate” is banga, under which we find “1. Make, cause, produce something unpleasant; … to cause trouble . … 2. Contend over a claim; … fight over inheritance; … 3. Make for, aim at, journey towards … .” Yet when I ask Africans what banga means, they have no idea. In fact, no Zulu word could refer to motivation for the simple reason that there is no such concept in Zulu; and if there is no such concept there cannot be a word for it. This helps explain the need to pay blacks to behave as if they were motivated.

The same New York Times article quotes Darwin Davis of the Urban League as “caution[ing] that the … money being offered [for attending class] was relatively paltry … and wondering … how many tests students would need to pass to buy the latest video game.”

Instead of being shamed by the very need for such a plan, this black activist complains that the payments aren’t enough! If he really is unaware how his remarks will strike most readers, he is morally obtuse, but his views may reflect a common understanding among blacks of what morality is: not something internalized but something others enforce from the outside. Hence his complaint that paying children to do things they should be motivated to do on their own is that they are not being paid enough.

In this context, I recall some remarkable discoveries by the late American linguist, William Stewart, who spent many years in Senegal studying local languages. Whereas Western cultures internalize norms—“Don’t do that!” for a child, eventually becomes “I mustn’t do that” for an adult—African cultures do not. They rely entirely on external controls on behavior from tribal elders and other sources of authority. When Africans were detribalized, these external constraints disappeared, and since there never were internal constraints, the results were crime, drugs, promiscuity, etc. Where there have been other forms of control—as in white-ruled South Africa, colonial Africa, or the segregated American South—this behavior was kept within tolerable limits. But when even these controls disappear there is often unbridled violence.

Stewart apparently never asked why African cultures did not internalize norms, that is, why they never developed moral consciousness, but it is unlikely that this was just a historical accident. More likely, it was the result of deficiencies in abstract thinking ability.

One explanation for this lack of abstract thinking, including the diminished understanding of time, is that Africans evolved in a climate where they could live day to day without having to think ahead. They never developed this ability because they had no need for it. Whites, on the other hand, evolved under circumstances in which they had to consider what would happen if they didn’t build stout houses and store enough fuel and food for the winter. For them it was sink or swim.

Surprising confirmation of Stewart’s ideas can be found in the May/June 2006 issue of the Boston Review, a typically liberal publication. In “Do the Right Thing: Cognitive Science’s Search for a Common Morality,” Rebecca Saxe distinguishes between “conventional” and “moral” rules. Conventional rules are supported by authorities but can be changed; moral rules, on the other hand, are not based on conventional authority and are not subject to change. “Even three-year-old children … distinguish between moral and conventional transgressions,” she writes. The only exception, according to James Blair of the National Institutes of Health, are psychopaths, who exhibit “persistent aggressive behavior.” For them, all rules are based only on external authority, in whose absence “anything is permissible.” The conclusion drawn from this is that “healthy individuals in all cultures respect the distinction between conventional … and moral [rules].”

However, in the same article, another anthropologist argues that “the special status of moral rules cannot be part of human nature, but is … just … an artifact of Western values.” Anita Jacobson-Widding, writing of her experiences among the Manyika of Zimbabwe, says:

“I tried to find a word that would correspond to the English concept of ‘morality.’ I explained what I meant by asking my informants to describe the norms for good behavior toward other people. The answer was unanimous. The word for this was tsika. But when I asked my bilingual informants to translate tsika into English, they said that it was ‘good manners’ …”

An all-too-common problem.

She concluded that because good manners are clearly conventional rather than moral rules, the Manyika simply did not have a concept of morality. But how would one explain this absence? Miss Jacobson-Widding’s explanation is the typical nonsense that could come only from a so-called intellectual: “the concept of morality does not exist.” The far more likely explanation is that the concept of morality, while otherwise universal, is enfeebled in cultures that have a deficiency in abstract thinking.

According to now-discredited folk wisdom, blacks are “children in adult bodies,” but there may be some foundation to this view. The average African adult has the raw IQ score of the average 11-year-old white child. This is about the age at which white children begin to internalize morality and no longer need such strong external enforcers.

Gruesome cruelty

Another aspect of African behavior that liberals do their best to ignore but that nevertheless requires an explanation is gratuitous cruelty. A reviewer of Driving South, a 1993 book by David Robbins, writes:

Victim of Rwandan violence.

“A Cape social worker sees elements that revel in violence … It’s like a cult which has embraced a lot of people who otherwise appear normal. … At the slightest provocation their blood-lust is aroused. And then they want to see death, and they jeer and mock at the suffering involved, especially the suffering of a slow and agonizing death.” (Citizen [Johannesburg], July 12, 1993, p.6.)

There is something so unspeakably vile about this, something so beyond depravity, that the human brain recoils. This is not merely the absence of human empathy, but the positive enjoyment of human suffering, all the more so when it is “slow and agonizing.” Can you imagine jeering at and mocking someone in such horrible agony?

During the apartheid era, black activists used to kill traitors and enemies by “necklacing” them. An old tire was put around the victim’s neck, filled with gasoline, and—but it is best to let an eye-witness describe what happened next:

“The petrol-filled tyre is jammed on your shoulders and a lighter is placed within reach . … Your fingers are broken, needles are pushed up your nose and you are tortured until you put the lighter to the petrol yourself.” (Citizen; “SA’s New Nazis,” August 10, 1993, p.18.)

The author of an article in the Chicago Tribune, describing the equally gruesome way the Hutu killed Tutsi in the Burundi massacres, marveled at “the ecstasy of killing, the lust for blood; this is the most horrible thought. It’s beyond my reach.” (“Hutu Killers Danced In Blood Of Victims, Videotapes Show,” Chicago Tribune, September 14, 1995, p.8.) The lack of any moral sense is further evidenced by their having videotaped their crimes, “apparently want[ing] to record … [them] for posterity.” Unlike Nazi war criminals, who hid their deeds, these people apparently took pride in their work.

Where Amy Biehl was killed.

In 1993, Amy Biehl, a 26-year-old American on a Fulbright scholarship, was living in South Africa, where she spent most of her time in black townships helping blacks. One day when she was driving three African friends home, young blacks stopped the car, dragged her out, and killed her because she was white. A retired senior South African judge, Rex van Schalkwyk, in his 1998 book One Miracle is Not Enough, quotes from a newspaper report on the trial of her killers: “Supporters of the three men accused of murdering [her] … burst out laughing in the public gallery of the Supreme Court today when a witness told how the battered woman groaned in pain.” This behavior, Van Schalkwyk wrote, “is impossible to explain in terms accessible to rational minds.” (pp. 188-89.)

These incidents and the responses they evoke—“the human brain recoils,” “beyond my reach,” “impossible to explain to rational minds” — represent a pattern of behavior and thinking that cannot be wished away, and offer additional support for my claim that Africans are deficient in moral consciousness.

I have long suspected that the idea of rape is not the same in Africa as elsewhere, and now I find confirmation of this in Newsweek:

“According to a three-year study [in Johannesburg] … more than half of the young people interviewed — both male and female — believe that forcing sex with someone you know does not constitute sexual violence … [T]he casual manner in which South African teens discuss coercive relationships and unprotected sex is staggering.” (Tom Masland, “Breaking The Silence,” Newsweek, July 9, 2000.)

Clearly, many blacks do not think rape is anything to be ashamed of.

The Newsweek author is puzzled by widespread behavior that is known to lead to AIDS, asking “Why has the safe-sex effort failed so abjectly?” Well, aside from their profoundly different attitudes towards sex and violence and their heightened libido, a major factor could be their diminished concept of time and reduced ability to think ahead.

Liberian billboard

Nevertheless, I was still surprised by what I found in the Zulu dictionary. The main entry for rape reads: “1. Act hurriedly; … 2. Be greedy. 3. Rob, plunder, … take [possessions] by force.” While these entries may be related to our concept of rape, there is one small problem: there is no reference to sexual intercourse! In a male-dominated culture, where saying “no” is often not an option (as confirmed by the study just mentioned), “taking sex by force” is not really part of the African mental calculus. Rape clearly has a moral dimension, but perhaps not to Africans. To the extent they do not consider coerced sex to be wrong, then, by our conception, they cannot consider it rape because rape is wrong. If such behavior isn’t wrong it isn’t rape.

An article about gang rape in the left-wing British paper, the Guardian, confirms this when it quotes a young black woman: “The thing is, they [black men] don’t see it as rape, as us being forced. They just see it as pleasure for them.” (Rose George, “They Don’t See it as Rape. They Just See it as Pleasure for Them,” June 5, 2004.) A similar attitude seems to be shared among some American blacks who casually refer to gang rape as “running a train.” (Nathan McCall, Makes Me Wanna Holler, Vintage Books, 1995.)

If the African understanding of rape is far afield, so may be their idea of romance or love. I recently watched a South African television program about having sex for money. Of the several women in the audience who spoke up, not a single one questioned the morality of this behavior. Indeed, one plaintively asked, “Why else would I have sex with a man?”

From the casual way in which Africans throw around the word “love,” I suspect their understanding of it is, at best, childish. I suspect the notion is alien to Africans, and I would be surprised if things are very different among American blacks. Africans hear whites speak of “love” and try to give it a meaning from within their own conceptual repertoire. The result is a child’s conception of this deepest of human emotions, probably similar to their misunderstanding of the nature of a promise.

I recently located a document that was dictated to me by a young African woman in June 1993. She called it her “story,” and the final paragraph is a poignant illustration of what to Europeans would seem to be a limited understanding of love:

“On my way from school, I met a boy. And he proposed me. His name was Mokone. He tell me that he love me. And then I tell him I will give him his answer next week. At night I was crazy about him. I was always thinking about him.”

Moral blindness

Whenever I taught ethics I used the example of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French Army who was convicted of treason in 1894 even though the authorities knew he was innocent. Admitting their mistake, it was said, would have a disastrous effect on military morale and would cause great social unrest. I would in turn argue that certain things are intrinsically wrong and not just because of their consequences. Even if the results of freeing Dreyfus would be much worse than keeping him in prison, he must be freed, because it is unjust to keep an innocent man in prison.

To my amazement, an entire class in Kenya said without hesitation that he should not be freed. Call me dense if you want, but it was 20 years before the full significance of this began to dawn on me.

Death is certain but accidents are not.

Africans, I believe, may generally lack the concepts of subjunctivity and counterfactuality. Subjunctivity is conveyed in such statements as, “What would you have done if I hadn’t showed up?” This is contrary to fact because I did show up, and it is now impossible for me not to have shown up. We are asking someone to imagine what he would have done if something that didn’t happen (and now couldn’t happen) had happened. This requires self-consciousness, and I have already described blacks’ possible deficiency in this respect. It is obvious that animals, for example, cannot think counterfactually, because of their complete lack of self-awareness.

When someone I know tried to persuade his African workers to contribute to a health insurance policy, they asked “What’s it for?” “Well, if you have an accident, it would pay for the hospital.” Their response was immediate: “But boss, we didn’t have an accident!” “Yes, but what if you did?” Reply? “We didn’t have an accident!” End of story.

South African AIDS education poster.

Interestingly, blacks do plan for funerals, for although an accident is only a risk, death is a certainty. (The Zulu entries for “risk” are “danger” and “a slippery surface.”) Given the frequent all-or-nothing nature of black thinking, if it’s not certain you will have an accident, then you will not have an accident. Furthermore, death is concrete and observable: We see people grow old and die. Africans tend to be aware of time when it is manifested in the concrete and observable.

One of the pivotal ideas underpinning morality is the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. “How would you feel if someone stole everything you owned? Well, that’s how he would feel if you robbed him.” The subjunctivity here is obvious. But if Africans may generally lack this concept, they will have difficulty in understanding the Golden Rule and, to that extent, in understanding morality.

If this is true we might also expect their capacity for human empathy to be diminished, and this is suggested in the examples cited above. After all, how do we empathize? When we hear about things like “necklacing” we instinctively — and unconsciously — think: “How would I feel if I were that person?” Of course I am not and cannot be that person, but to imagine being that person gives us valuable moral “information:” that we wouldn’t want this to happen to us and so we shouldn’t want it to happen to others. To the extent people are deficient in such abstract thinking, they will be deficient in moral understanding and hence in human empathy—which is what we tend to find in Africans.

In his 1990 book Devil’s Night, Ze’ev Chafets quotes a black woman speaking about the problems of Detroit: “I know some people won’t like this, but whenever you get a whole lot of black people, you’re gonna have problems. Blacks are ignorant and rude.” (pp. 76-77.)

If some Africans cannot clearly imagine what their own rude behavior feels like to others—in other words, if they cannot put themselves in the other person’s shoes—they will be incapable of understanding what rudeness is. For them, what we call rude may be normal and therefore, from their perspective, not really rude. Africans may therefore not be offended by behavior we would consider rude — not keeping appointments, for example. One might even conjecture that African cruelty is not the same as white cruelty, since Africans may not be fully aware of the nature of their behavior, whereas such awareness is an essential part of “real” cruelty.

I am hardly the only one to notice this obliviousness to others that sometimes characterizes black behavior. Walt Harrington, a white liberal married to a light-skinned black, makes some surprising admissions in his 1994 book, Crossings: A White Man’s Journey Into Black America:

“I notice a small car … in the distance. Suddenly … a bag of garbage flies out its window . … I think, I’ll bet they’re blacks. Over the years I’ve noticed more blacks littering than whites. I hate to admit this because it is a prejudice. But as I pass the car, I see that my reflex was correct—[they are blacks].

“[As I pull] into a McDonald’s drive-through … [I see that] the car in front of me had four black[s] in it. Again … my mind made its unconscious calculation: We’ll be sitting here forever while these people decide what to order. I literally shook my head . … My God, my kids are half black! But then the kicker: we waited and waited and waited. Each of the four … leaned out the window and ordered individually. The order was changed several times. We sat and sat, and I again shook my head, this time at the conundrum that is race in America.

“I knew that the buried sentiment that had made me predict this disorganization … was … racist. … But my prediction was right.” (pp. 234-35.)

Africans also tend to litter. To understand this we must ask why whites don’t litter, at least not as much. We ask ourselves: “What would happen if everyone threw rubbish everywhere? It would be a mess. So you shouldn’t do it!” Blacks’ possible deficiency in abstract thinking makes such reasoning more difficult, so any behavior requiring such thinking is less likely to develop in their cultures. Even after living for generations in societies where such thinking is commonplace, many may still fail to absorb it.

It should go without saying that my observations about Africans are generalizations. I am not saying that none has the capacity for abstract thought or moral understanding. I am speaking of tendencies and averages, which leave room for many exceptions.

To what extent do my observations about Africans apply to American blacks? American blacks have an average IQ of 85, which is a full 15 points higher than the African average of 70. The capacity for abstract thought is unquestionably correlated with intelligence, and so we can expect American blacks generally to exceed Africans in these respects.

Still, American blacks show many of the traits so striking among Africans: low mathematical ability, diminished abstract reasoning, high crime rates, a short time-horizon, rudeness, littering, etc. If I had lived only among American blacks and not among Africans, I might never have reached the conclusions I have, but the more extreme behavior among Africans makes it easier to perceive the same tendencies among American blacks."

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And this: http://www.amren.com/ar/2003/09/index.html#cover

Urban Law 101
What I Didn’t Learn in Law School:
Adventures with black clients

by Donald Williamson

I grew up in a suburb of a large northern city, and had no real contact with blacks until I became a lawyer. After I got my law degree I naïvely looked forward to a rewarding legal career. Little did I realize that 25 years later I would be a self-employed attorney doing domestic and civil litigation for a clientele that is overwhelmingly black.

I didn’t plan it that way. I just wanted to do a lot of work in the courtroom, and the best offer I got out of law school was with a small firm that specialized in bankruptcy. Most of its clients were black. Several years later, I set up an independent practice and many of my former clients came to me for domestic work.

Most people do not realize this, but outside the world of corporate or securities law, in any big city the legal profession is to a large degree fueled by the pathologies of blacks and other Third-World people. Of course, whites hire lawyers, but in any city, especially one with a good-sized black population, most of the people who need lawyers are black. In this respect, lawyers are like police officers or social workers — they rarely deal with ordinary white people.

To a large degree, I became racially conscious because of my black clients, who eventually destroyed all my preconceived notions about race. My awakening did not come from one or even a few incidents, but from the accumulation of thousands upon thousands of small interactions.

Day after day my clients continue to amaze me. There is no racial education quite so thorough and convincing as spending time with blacks, and my clients are far from being the poorest and least competent blacks. They are not indigent criminals for whom I am a court-appointed lawyer. They are people who can afford (or think they can afford) a lawyer to get a divorce, contest a custody judgment, beat a traffic ticket, etc. Some are government employees who make $60 to $70 thousand a year, yet even this group is vastly different from whites.

They Don’t Know

One of the most striking things about my black clients is the things they do not know. Many blacks, for example, do not know their own telephone numbers. They may think they do but they don’t, and the problem has gotten worse with the proliferation of cell phones. At least a third of the numbers they leave with my receptionist or on my answering machine are wrong numbers. Often, a potential client will call several times, each time leaving a variation of the same phone number. I keep calling until they get it right. At first I thought I was taking down the numbers incorrectly, but now I know better. With caller ID, it is clear when what the client says does not match the digital display.

Some callers don’t even leave a number. About a quarter of the messages blacks leave do not include either a name or a number. Needless to say, many calls are not returned.

More than a handful of blacks who have come to my office do not even know their own home address (they move often). Many cannot tell me their own spouse’s names. Now I know to tell clients ahead of time that they will need this sort of information when they come in. Otherwise, if I ask for someone’s address he may look hurt and say, “If I’d known you were going to ask me that I would have come prepared.”

My black clients eventually destroyed all my preconceived notions about race.
Many black men know their children’s names but do not know how to spell them. With the proliferation of unusual names among blacks, I can only guess at how they are spelled. One client who told me he couldn’t spell his children’s names said I would need an encyclopedia to look them up. Many men have admitted to me they are not even sure how to pronounce their children’s names. Black woman, on the other hand, often become incensed if you mispronounce the very unusual names they have given their children.

The most unusual name I ever came across was Iisszzttadda. I have never met a person, white or black, who could pronounce it correctly. To my surprise the name is pronounced, “I seize the day.” Iisszzttadda had siblings named Raheem, Utopian, Desiorme, Sid-Timothy, Kizzma, and Larilaril. I have occasionally asked clients the reasons for such unusual names, but the most common answer is “I don’t know. It just sounded good.” This is the answer I got from a mother who named her child Latrine. (See sidebar for actual names of blacks I have encountered in my practice.)

I once had a client in my office who did not know his own name. He had been called by his nickname for so long he couldn’t remember his given name. This is not as shocking as it sounds. Some black names, like Phe-anjoy or Quithreaun or JyesahJhnai, are so odd, it would be no surprise if they were never used and eventually forgotten.

Names are not the only things blacks do not know. Once when I was filling out a form for a female client I asked if she knew how old her husband was. She told me she didn’t know. I asked her the next question on the form, which was her husband’s birth date. Amazingly, she knew it — and was genuinely surprised when I told her she could figure out her husband’s age from his birth date.

When potential clients call for the first time, often the hardest part is to figure out why they are calling. Usually they begin in the middle of the story. If you let them, they will go on and on, and say nothing. Clients may call about papers they got in the mail, but never have the papers in front of them. They may call for information, but never have a pen or pencil ready to take it down. I have learned to ask direct questions: “What is your name?” “What is the problem?” If a client cannot tell me in three minutes or less what the problem is, I tell him to come to my office and bring a small retainer fee. That way at least I will have to listen to their ramblings only if they are prepared to pay.

Blacks with whom I have already spoken seem to think I should know instantly who they are when they telephone. After I get on the line, a typical conversation may go like this:

“Who am I speaking to?”

“I am your client.”

“I have many clients, can you tell me which one?”

“I am your divorce client.”

“Can you tell me your name?”

“Rufus.”

“Rufus, can you tell me your last name?”

The conversation may go on for some time before I finally figure out who is calling.

I do not take personal injury or product liability cases, but blacks are always asking about bringing suits of this kind: “My vacuum cleaner broke. Can you help me?”

Since appointments mean so little to my clients, I decide each day when I am available, and tell everyone to show up at the same time.
Most of my clients who are not black either show up on time for appointments or call if they must reschedule. Amazing as this may seem, only about five percent of my black clients show up on time, and by that I mean within an hour of the appointed time. Only one in five show up on the appointed day. A few trickle in a day or two later. Most just never show up. Missing an appointment never embarrasses black people. They call repeatedly for new appointments, making four, five or even six appointments and then miss them all. I had one client who called more than 50 times before he finally came to my office. Rarely do I ever get a call from a black client canceling an appointment.

When I first started out as a lawyer I would call clients in advance to remind them of their appointments. They thanked me, but it made them no more likely to show up. Also, I used to call clients and potential clients who missed appointments, and try to have them reschedule. This did very little good. The most common response was, “Why are you calling me?” and it was never their fault that they didn’t show up. They had many different excuses, but I never heard, “I forgot,” or “I’m sorry I didn’t make it.”

Since appointments mean so little to my clients, I decide each day when I am available, and tell everyone to show up at the same time. On Saturday afternoons I can have as many as twenty appointments for the same time. Usually it is not a problem because few show up and even fewer show up on time. Only once in the last 20 years did everyone show up.

Many of my clients are unable to explain even the most basic facts. Often they must take the witness stand, and no matter how many times we have gone over the testimony in advance, I can be surprised by what they say. Some are simply lying and get tangled up in their lies, but most have such low IQs, they cannot describe even the simplest things. Often they seem to say the first thing that pops into their heads. When they are questioned further they cannot remember what they said previously.

I once had a client whose wife was suing him for child support. In discussions before trial he told me he had two children from a previous marriage. This was favorable for him because it meant he would probably owe his current wife less money. At trial, his wife testified that my client had no children outside of their marriage. When I asked him on the stand how many children he had before he married his current wife, he said he had none. Later I asked him why he had answered that way, when he told me before that he had two other children. “Did I say that?” he asked. I never found out which version was true.

Many of my clients have a hard time following simple directions. Once I appeared in traffic court with a client. In lieu of a conviction he was to see a traffic safety movie. The courtroom was on the second floor of the courthouse, and the traffic safety movie was shown on the first floor. The client was to come back to the courtroom with proof — which would be given him on the first floor — that he watched the movie. Both the judge and I explained this to the client. At the designated hour my client did not come back to the courtroom. Later that afternoon I got a call from the judge, who told me my client had completely misunderstood the instructions. He went to the nearest commercial movie house, saw a movie, and brought back his movie ticket stub.

Long ago I stopped asking my clients why they did something. It is not worth the effort. Most don’t know. The ones who know usually cannot give a coherent answer. Even if they can give a coherent answer, it usually changes every time you ask.

For example, one of my black divorce clients tried to hide assets from his spouse — this is not uncommon. Through discovery it came to light that he had secretly bought a piece of property after the divorce had begun. He put his wife’s name on the title, a very odd thing to do, since he was trying to hide the property from her. I made the mistake of asking him why he did that. True to my previous experiences, he could not give an answer that made sense.

Clients sometimes tell me they knew they were being cheated, but signed the papers anyway. I have given up asking why they signed, because I know I will not get an intelligible answer.

My clients make mistakes in written and spoken English that are often comical. One client in a criminal case told me he was telling the truth, and was willing to take a “polyester test” to prove it. Another told me he desperately wanted to see me, and needed an appointment “between Tuesday and Wednesday.” One who bounced a check told me the problem was “insignificant funds” in his account. I have had clients who have “profiteering” plans at work, want an “uncontestable” divorce (or a “detested” divorce, or an “untested” divorce), had “insects” (incest) in the family, need an “annoyment” (annulment), want a free “flirtation” (consultation), ask about my “container” (retainer), want to “consultate” about a divorce, or had to meet with “media people” (mediation counselors). One man told me, “I own a car but it is not mine,” and one who was accused of indecent exposure insisted, “I didn’t take my stuff out of my pants.”

It took me some time to understand certain kinds of black slang. Within the first month of my independent practice a man called to ask if I could “put a suitcase on a cat.” After much inquiry I realized he wanted to know if I could file a law suit against someone. Within the week I got another call asking if I “did luggage.” Since I now knew about suitcases, I said yes, I do luggage.

I pride myself on doing good work for my clients, but I cannot remember even once being thanked or complimented by a black client. They do not observe even the most common courtesies. Also, with rare exceptions, blacks will never admit they made a mistake. When things go wrong, as they inevitably do, it is always someone else’s fault. The most common excuse blacks give is, “They are putting me through the changes.” I have yet to figure out exactly what that means.

Most people tell lies because they think a lie will help them. I have come to the conclusion that most of my clients cannot distinguish between a plausible lie and a wild fairy tale. They are convinced people will believe anything they say. Clients often tell me some fantastic story I cannot possibly defend in court. If I tell them what they are saying is unbelievable the usual reaction is anger and screaming. Typically, they will add, “I’m paying you. You have to believe what I say.”

Cats on a suitcase.
Sometimes, despite my warnings, clients will get on the stand and tell obvious, outright lies. The judge may interrupt the testimony and tell me to go outside with my client to “get your story straight.” They are not going to sit in court and listen to fairy tales. I take my client outside and tell him he has got to tell the truth, or at least say something believable. My client then starts screaming. “Why are you talking to me this way? You’re supposed to be on my side.”

I once had a client testify about his assets in a divorce case, in which the court was to determine whether he should pay his estranged wife temporary support. My client was a store-front preacher, and testified that he lived in the marital residence with his wife, though in separate quarters. His wife testified that he was out living with his “ho.” My client went on and on about how this was impossible because he was a Man of God. I thought he was lying. The judge ruled that if my client was living with his wife he should share household expenses, which he was not currently paying. At this point, my client realized there was a cost to pretending to be a Man of God living with his lawful wife, and changed his tune. “Judge why are you believing me?” he said. “Believe my wife. I am nothing but an old lying nigger.” No one in the courtroom could stop laughing.

Outside Kids

“Outside kid” cases are one of my specialties. For those not in the know, blacks call any child born out of wedlock an outside kid. Black men are good at making children but not at supporting them, and this can be a terrible burden under laws written with white people in mind.

One client was willing to take a “polyester test” to prove he was telling the truth.
In my state, the parent who does not have custody — almost always the father — pays a percentage of net income to the parent with custody — almost always the mother. The mother gets 20 percent of the father’s net income for the first child, 25 percent for two children, and up to 50 percent for five or more children. What if a man has children by several women? Each mother gets 20 percent for the first child, so a man with five children by five different women is supposed to be paying 100 percent of his income in child support. I once had a client who had 12 different children by 10 different women. Theoretically, he owed 250 percent of his income. These laws simply don’t make sense for blacks. Judges have to decide each case as best they can.

Not surprisingly, the average black client will not pay child support unless it is deducted from his paycheck. Many refuse to work, or leave a job to avoid paying. Job turnover is very high among blacks, and the court system has a hard time keeping up with them. Some blacks quit on purpose, and move to another job so as to keep one step ahead of the collections.

Whenever I ask a potential client whether he has paid court-ordered child support he will almost invariably answer with one or more of the following: “I always helps my kids.” “I gives the mother money whenever she asks.” “I am always there for my kids.” “I buys my kids whatever they needs.” It almost always turns out they have paid no support, haven’t seen their children in years, and at best may have paid for some basketball shoes.

Seventy percent are “outside kids.”
Children do not always seem to have the same importance for blacks that they do for whites. I was in bankruptcy court once waiting for my client’s case to be called. A black debtor — not my client — was before the judge trying to convince him to approve his bankruptcy repayment plan. The judge told him he could not afford both his Cadillac and his children, and had to give up one or the other. The debtor immediately said he could not give up his car, and therefore the judge would have to take his kids. The judge threw up his hands and walked off the bench. On another occasion, the same bankruptcy judge told a black debtor he could not afford both his Cadillac and his house. The debtor replied, “You can live in your car but you can’t drive your house. Take my house.” This was many years ago and tastes in cars may have changed, but I learned how important Cadillacs were to blacks.

In one respect my job is very different from that of a policeman or social worker: I have to make sure I am paid. I try to get paid in full before I agree to represent a client. If I am not paid in full before the case is over I know I will never get any more money. Clients have a hard time understanding they are paying for an attorney’s time. Invariably, if a client drops a case before it is over he asks for a full refund. Their reasoning goes something like this: “I paid for a divorce and I didn’t get one, so I should get all my money back.”

Once I sued a client who didn’t pay me. I finally garnished his wages and was paid in full. About six months later he called to ask me to take his next case. I told him I didn’t want a client that doesn’t pay his bills. He became indignant. He said I got all my money, so what did I have to complain about.

To hear my clients tell it, banks are constantly “messing” with their checking accounts. At least that is what they tell me when their checks bounce. Most of my clients do not have checking accounts, and pay cash. The ones who do have accounts have no idea how much money is in them. Many clients have written me checks on accounts that were closed.

Black clients yell and scream at me every day; I have learned that this is normal. They are like young children who don’t get their way. I usually ignore these outbursts, though screaming back at them is usually more effective. I have been threatened with physical violence only twice, and once I had to call the police to escort a client out of my office.

My experience is hardly unique. Most of the lawyers I know have practices similar to mine. Most lawyers therefore are racial realists even if they do not admit it openly. Their actions and comments are no different from mine. People who have daily contact with minorities, who know first-hand that there are racial differences, are likely to be the best prospects for any movement that promotes racial consciousness. They don’t like dealing with blacks, but that is simply part of the business. If they can’t take it anymore they get into some other line of work.

More important than house or kids?

One lawyer I know moved to the country so he would have white clients. He had lived in the big city all his live, but was willing to pull up all his roots to get a different clientele.

Recently the supreme court in my state ruled that a lawyer can be disciplined for communications that racially denigrate litigants. For that reason I cannot write this article under my own name, much as I would like to. I must hide behind a pseudonym for fear of falling victim to our politically-correct supreme court.

Willie Horton II

2011-07-06T11:20:00.001-04:00

Although Dimocrat loyalists will vote for Obama regardless, he will still need additional support to put him over the top for reelection. Obama did manage to get Bin Laden, but the current economic situation may negate any gains resulting from that victory.

Enter Humberto Leal, Jr., a Mexican citizen accused of murdering 16 year old Adria Sauceda. Unlike the Casey Anthony case, there is no shortage of physical evidence in the Leal case.

Mr. Leal is set to be executed in Texas on July 7, 2011. Good riddance.

...When the police arrived, they saw the nude victim lying on her back. There was a 30 to 40 pound asphalt rock roughly twice the size of Adria's skull lying partially on Adria's left arm. Blood was underneath this rock. A smaller rock with blood on it was located near Adria's right thigh. There was a gaping hole from the corner of Adria's right eye extending to the center of her head from which blood was oozing. Adria's head was splattered with blood. There was a bloody and broken stick approximately 14 to 16 inches long with a screw at the end of it protruding from Adria's vagina....

And now comes our Dear Leader Obama and his brand of compassionate liberalism. (I've often said Obama is nothing more than Bush 43's third term..."W" wanted to pardon this turd too, for similar reasons.) Obama asked his Solicitor General, Donald V errilli, Jr. to file an amicus brief recommending a stay of execution because of "U.S. foreign policy interests." (I'm sure courting Latino voters has nothing to do with this.)

So, what were the details of what happened to poor Adria Sauceda:

"The tragic final hours of sixteen-year-old Adrea Sauceda's life started at an outdoor party in San Antonio, Texas. A witness observed Adria, apparently intoxicated and partially undressed, in the middle of a circle of men who were taking turns "on top of her." Another witness testified that an unidentified male invited him to have intercourse with Adria. The same witness testified that he later observed another man carrying a disoriented Adria to a truck, where he "had his way with her." Twenty-three-year-old Humberto Leal was also at the party. At some point the intoxicated but conscious victim was placed in Leal's car. Leal and Adria left together in Leal's car. About thirty minutes later, Leal's brother arrived at the party in a car which came to a screeching halt. Leal's brother was very excited or hysterical. Leal's brother started yelling to the people left at the party, "What the hell happened!" Leal's brother was yelling that Leal came home with blood on him saying he had killed a girl. Two of the trial witnesses were present when Leal's brother made these statements. Shortly thereafter Leal's brother left in a rush. Several of the party members went looking for Adria in the same area where the party was. They found her nude body lying face-up on a dirt road. They noticed Adria's head had been bashed in and it was bleeding. Her head was flinching or jerking. These party members called the police. When the police arrived, they saw the nude victim lying on her back. There was a 30 to 40 pound asphalt rock roughly twice the size of Adria's skull lying partially on Adria's left arm. Blood was underneath this rock. A smaller rock with blood on it was located near Adria's right thigh. There was a gaping hole from the corner of Adria's right eye extending to the center of her head from which blood was oozing. Adria's head was splattered with blood. There was a bloody and broken stick approximately 14 to 16 inches long with a screw at the end of it protruding from Adria's vagina. Another 4 to 5 inch piece of the stick was lying to the left side of Adria's skull. The police made a videotape of the crime scene portions of which were admitted into evidence. Later that day, the police questioned Leal. Leal gave two voluntary statements. In Leal's first statement he said he was with Adria in his car when she began hitting him and the steering wheel causing him to hit a curb. Leal attempted to calm her down but Adria leaped from Leal's car and ran away. Leal claimed he sat in his car and waited about ten or fifteen minutes to see if Adria would return and when she did not he went home. After giving this statement, Leal was informed that his brother had also given a statement. Leal then gave another statement. In this statement, Leal claimed he followed Adria when she got out of his car and ran away. Leal claimed Adria attacked him. Leal pushed her and she fell to the ground. When she did not get up Leal attempted to wake her but could not. He then looked at her nose and saw bubbles. Leal stated he got scared, went home, prayed on the side of his mom's bed and told family members what had happened, claiming it was just an accident. After giving this statement an officer gave Leal a ride home. The police searched Leal's house. The police seized a blouse which contained several blood stains, hair and fibers. This blouse was later identified as belonging to Adria. The police also seized Leal's clothing from the night before. Leal was arrested later that afternoon at his home. Leal's car was also impounded. The police conducted Luminol tests of the passenger door to determine whether any blood was evident. Blood stains were discovered on the passenger door and seat. Detectives testified that the blood stains were streaked in a downward motion, indicating that the blood had been wiped off. There was insufficient residue to conduct a blood typing of the stains on the vehicle. Other DNA evidence was found on the underwear Leal was wearing that night. That evidence consisted of blood as well as bodily fluid. The DNA test did not preclude Adria's blood type from the evidence tested. Dr. DiMaio, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, testified about Adria's injuries and cause of death. DiMaio testified that even though Adria was intoxicated when she received her injuries, she would have been aware of what was happening to her. In addition to Adria's massive head injuries, DiMaio testified about injuries Adria received to her chest and shoulder which were consistent with having been inflicted by the stick found in Adria's vagina. DiMaio also testified about the defensive wounds Adria received to her hands trying to protect herself from some object. DiMaio also testified Adria was alive when the stick was placed in her vagina. Adria's neck also contained injuries consistent with manual strangulation. DiMaio testified Adria received some of her injuries while standing up. Adria received her head injuries while lying flat. The injuries to Adria's head were due to blows from the front. These injuries were inconsistent with a fall. Adria's head injuries were consistent with Adria lying on the ground with somebody standing over her striking her. DiMaio testified the large rock could have delivered the injuries to Adria's head. Based on the injuries to Adria's head, DiMaio testified Adria would had to have been struck with the rock two or three times. DiMaio testified Adria died from blunt force trauma injuries to the head. DiMaio could not say for certain that the rock caused the injuries. He testified Adria was beaten about the face with a blunt object or more than one object which could have been the rock or something else. On cross-examination, DiMaio testified that one blow from the rock could have caused Adria's death. DiMaio also testified about bite marks he found on Adria's left cheek, the right side of her neck and the left side of her chest. Another witness compared the bite marks on Adria's chest and neck with dental impressions of Leal's teeth. They matched. The State's indictment charged that Leal killed Sauceda while in the course of and attempting either to kidnap her or to commit aggravated sexual assault. Leal was convicted and, after a separate punishment phase, sentenced to death."

So, my question is are votes more important than executing a worthless piece of human trash? "W" should also have been slammed for recommending a stay of execution, but he too was trying to get more Hispanic votes. Sickening.

Explosive History: Southern Democrats and Black Genocide.

2011-05-28T08:04:00.001-04:00

In any recent election, it is estimated that 90% of blacks vote Democrat. Why?

A while back I mentioned, in a post whose title now escapes me, about black worker displacement during the Great Depression. If a white man needed a job and a black man had a job, the black worker was fired and the white worker was given the job.

It should be remembered that during the Depression food shortages were common, despite the agrarian nature of the nation, because many crops were destroyed in order to maintain commodity prices. "The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) (Pub.L. 73-10, enacted May 12, 1933) restricted agricultural production in the New Deal era by paying farmers to reduce crop area. Its purpose was to reduce crop surplus so as to effectively raise the value of crops, thereby giving farmers relative stability again.[when?] The farmers were paid subsidies by the federal government for letting a portion of their fields lie fallow. The money for these subsidies was generated through an exclusive tax on companies which processed farm products. The Act created a new agency, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, to oversee the distribution of the subsidies. It is considered the first modern U.S. farm bill." ( Gosh, isn't government incompetence great? )

Now, during our Depression, the United States was busy busting the Soviet Union's chops over the Holodomor famine in the Ukraine. A modern Russian researcher by the name of Boris Borisov was a bit irritated by this and decided to examine the American Great Depression in an attempt to discover the number of thoise who perished between roughly 1930 and 1940. Borisov concluded, using some pretty good data along with conservative extrapolation, that about 7 and one half million people died of starvation and other causes during the Depression.

A disproportionate number of those would have been blacks, due to the black worker displacement of the time. The Democrat Roosevelt administration obviously did not care much about the excessive number of starving blacks. (They were only too happy, however, to train blacks as houseboys though. That was a WPA project of the period.)

The main premise of this post is that Southern Democrats, and Democrats in general, are, in fact, responisble for the deaths of more American blacks than were Jews killed by the Nazi's.

There are some complicating factors involved when trying to pin down the exact number of blacks that were killed. One problem is trying to determine the actual black population of pre-Civil War America. Prior to emancipation, blacks were considered personal property and taxed.

People did not like paying property taxes in 1850 any more than we do today, so it is no stretch to assume that large plantation owners under reported the number of slaves they owned. Another problem is that many pre-1900 court houses were made of wood and many were destroyed by fire, as were the records contained therein. Nonetheless, one can conservatively conclude a 10%-15% under reporting of blacks on the census.

If we check census data we see that in 1860 the racial breakdown was 26.9 million whites to 4.4 million blacks. Thus, blacks were 14% of the population. In 1870 the breakdown was 33.6 million whites to 4.9 million blacks. Despite horrific losses during the war the white population had increased 20% while the black population during the same period increased by only 10%. (After 1865, there would have been no need to continue to under report blacks so a much greater black population count would have been expected for the 1870 census--though we do see a spike on the 1880 census.)

I'll explain why these next stats are important in a minute. The white population had increased by 23% from 1870 to 1880 while the black population jumped by 26% from 1870 to 1880. (I'll frame this in context with the Compromise of 1877 shortly)

It was well known by the founding fathers that blacks had a prolific reproduction rate. This resulted in the Three-Fifths compromise developed during the 1787 Philadelphia Convention. Had the slave population been counted as 100%, slave states would have had greater representation in the House and Electoral College---and we can't have that now can we?

As Thomas Jefferson observed about blacks: "They are more ardent after their female: but love seems with them to be more an eager desire, than a tender delicate mixture of sentiment and sensation. Their griefs are transient. Those numberless afflictions, which render it doubtful whether heaven has given life to us in mercy or in wrath, are less felt, and sooner forgotten with them. In general, their existence appears to participate more of sensation than reflection." (I.E. They'll screw anything in sight) We tend to think that there were more male slaves than female slaves, but the numbers were somewhat equal.

After the end of the Civil War, black men and women should have gotten together, staked a land claim and began having children. Five to ten children per family was not uncommon in those days.

40 Acres and a mule.

Union General Sherman's Special Field Orders No. 15 confiscated 400,000 acres of land along the Atlantic coast and divided it into 40 acre parcels that were to be settled by roughly 18,000 freed slaves. It was mostly a useless order since it was revoked later that same year (1865) by President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat turned National Union Party member, who succeeded the Republican Lincoln after he was assinated. ( In 1864 Johnson joined the National Union Party that was the name chosen by the Republican party for the 1864 election. The name change was used to attract War Democrats. Johnson was basically a RINO, having swtched parties for political expediency.)

As an aside, although I think slave reparations are an idiotic idea today, I might get on board with having a lottery and giving 18,000 blacks, who could prove they had ancestors alive during the civil war, a 40 acre parcel of land and a car since it's obvious they got screwed on that deal. At any rate, it's just another way the blacks got screwed by the Dems.

Before continuing, I would offer that one point to consider is that most blacks were illiterate and generally unskilled, so, releasing millions of slaves into the general population in a post Civil War environment was bound to generate some problems. Was there any evidence that blacks were murdered in quantity and were committing serious crimes due to various types of mistreatment (and due to the fact they were undisciplined savages)? Actually, yes.

The Freedmen's Bureau:

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, known more simply as the Freedmen's Bureau was established in March of 1865 and was discontinued by President Grant in 1872. The Bureau was set up to help newly freed slaves with food, clothing, HEALTH CARE, and jobs.

Goodl ol' RINO President Johnson vetoed a bill for an increase in the power of the Bureau in 1866. One thing the Freedmen's Bureau did do was document various crimes committed by blacks and it documented some of the mistreatment of blacks. (Link) I'm including the appendix so you can see the scale of violence and murder committed against blacks as well as the crimes they committed. Keep in mind that the appendix is but a small percentage of the overall violence that was happening at that time. You can scroll through the appendix and view it later in detail if you wish.

Alabama

List of Murders in the Dist. of Alabama 1866

Georgia

Report of outrages in the Savannah Sub District

Report of Persons Murdered in the District of Savannah, Ga. 1865 - 1866, Report of Freedmen who have been murdered and assaulted with intent to kill in the Sub District of Macon, Ga. During the year 1868 up to 31 Oct. 1868

Report of assaults with intent to murder, committed upon freed people in the division of Albany from January 1st to October 31st 1868

Reports of Cases of Outrage against Freedmen

1867 Report of assaults with intent to kill committed against Freed People in the sub district of Rome, Georgia

1865-66 Report of persons murdered in the district of Atlanta, Georgia

1866 Report of persons murdered in the district of Griffin, Georgia

1866 Report of persons murdered in Marietta, Georgia

1866 Report of persons murdered in the district of Macon, Georgia

1866 Report of persons murdered in the district of Columbus, Georgia

1865-1866 Report of persons murdered in the district of Rome, Georgia

1865-1866 Report of persons murdered in the district of Brunswick, Georgia

1865 Report of persons murdered in the district of Waynesboro, Georgia

1867 Report of persons murdered and assaulted in the sub district of Macon, Georgia

1867 Report of Freedmen murdered and assaulted in the sub district of Athens, Georgia

1867 Report of Freed People murdered or assaulted in the counties of Harris, Troup and Meriwether

1867 Report of Freed People murdered or assaulted in the sub district of Columbus, Georgia

1867 Report of Freedmen murdered or assaulted in Bainbridge

1867 Report of Freed People murdered or assaulted in the 2d division of Brunswick, sub district Georgia

1867 Report of Freed People murdered or assaulted in the 1st division of Brunswick, sub district Georgia

1867 Report of Freed People murdered or assaulted in the counties of Jefferson and Burke

Report of murders and assaults in Thomasville sub district from January 1st to October 1st 1868

Report of Freed People murdered or assaulted in the sub. district of Rome, Georgia from 1 January 1868 to October 1868

Report of assaults on Freedmen in the division of Cuthbert, Georgia from 1 January 1868 to 31 October 1868

Statement showing names of Freed People murdered or assaulted in Sumter, Schley and Webster Counties from January 1, 1868 to October 31, 1868

Report of Freed People murdered or assaulted in the sub. district of Augusta from January 1, 1868 to October 31, 1868 (includes Greene, Jefferson, Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, Richmond and Warren Counties)

Report of the number of Freedmen murdered, assaulted in the sub District of Athens from January 31 to October 31, 1868

Report of Freedpeople who have been murdered or attacked with intent to kill in the counties of Richmond, Columbia, Lincoln and Wilkes during the year commencing January 1st and ending October 31, 1868

Louisiana

Report of the number of murders and outrages committed in Louisiana since the organizing of the Bureau to February 20th, 1867 in which Freedmen have been victims or parties as reported to the Agents of the Bureau.

Freedmens Bureau - Synopsis of Murders Committed in Parish of St. Landry, Louisiana

Freedmens Bureau - Extract from Letter of James Cromie, Reports Murder of Alfred Hazen &c., Natchitoches, Louisiana

Freedmens Bureau - Outrages Reported to Headquarters as committed in the Fifth Sub-District , Louisiana

Freedmen's Bureau - Synopsis of Murder &c. Committed in Parishes of Caddo and Bossier September and October 1868

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Outrages in Louisiana - Case of Mary Stewart

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Outrages in Louisiana - Letter from Mrs. H. Stein requesting help in arresting the murderer of her husband

Supplemental List of Murders and Outrages committed in the State of Louisiana During the Month of November 1868

List of Murders and Other Outrages reported to Headquarters Bu. R. F. and A. Lands, District of Louisiana during the month of November 1868

North Carolina

Freedmen's Bureau Reports of Arrests in North Carolina 1866 - 1868

Freedmen Bureau Report of Outrages in the State of North Carolina - June 1866 - January 1867

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Outrages in North Carolina - February 1867 - December 1867

South Carolina

Freedmens Bureau Reports of murders and outrages, Oct. 1865-Nov. 1868 in South Carolina

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Outrage in Barnwell, S. C. Sub-District

Freedmen's Bureau Report of the killing of Elbert MacAdams in Abbeville, S. C.

Tennessee

Report of Outrages Committed by Whites on Freedmen in the Memphis Sub District, Bureau R. F. A. L. For the month of May 1867

Affidavits related to the 1866 Memphis, Tennessee Riot

Affidavits Related to Outrages in Tennessee

Freedmen's Bureau Report of the 1866 Memphis, Tennessee Riot

Freedmen's Bureau Report of the 1868 Pulaski, Tennessee Riot

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Conditions in Trenton, Tennessee

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Conditions in LaGrange, Tennessee

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Conditions in Centreville, Tennessee

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Outrages from the Chattanooga Sub-District

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Outrages in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Freedmen's Bureau - Tennessee Register of Outrages Oct. 1865 - July 1868

List of Outrages Perpetrated by the Whites Upon The Freedmen in the State of Tennessee from April 1865 to March 1866

Texas

Reports of murders, outrages &c., committed on white men and freedmen in Washington County, Texas

Report of Union men and Freedmen who have been murdered by Rebel citizens since the collapse of the rebellion.

A report of Union men and Freedmen murdered in Grason and Fannin Counties, Texas on the close of the war.

Report of murders and outrages in Millican, Texas

Registered Reports of Murders and Outrages - Travis County

Testimony in relation to the murder of "Kit" by his former master John Echols

Records relating to murders and other criminal offenses - Carolina, Texas

Affidavit of Mark Walker (colored) of Freestone County, Texas

Affidavit of James Eaton Haynes (colored) of Freestone County, Texas

Letter from Judge William V. Trustall, Anderson Co., Texas

Records relating to murders and other criminal offenses - Caldwell, Texas

Records relating to murders and other criminal offenses - Brazos Bottom

Records relating to murders and other criminal offenses - Jefferson, Texas

Records relating to murders and other criminal offenses - Carolina, Texas

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Outrages from Galveston, Texas

Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Reports of Murders and Outrages Committed in Texas - Letter from Hopkins County

Freedmens Bureau Report of outrages in Texas

Freedmen's Bureau records relating to murders and other criminal offenses committed in Texas - Letter from Wharton County

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Outrages in Marshall, Texas 1867

Freedmen’s Bureau Report of an Inspection of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, Walker County

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Freedmen killed & Outrages Committed in Houston Co, Texas Since the Close of the Rebellion

Freedmen's Bureau Report of Freedmen and Union Men Killed & Outrages Committed in DeWitt Co., Texas Since the Close of the Rebellion

Freedmen’s Bureau Report of Freedmen and Union Men Killed & Outrages Committed In Meredian, Texas Since the Close of the Rebellion

Virginia

Index to Register of Outrages in Virginia

Freedmens Bureau Report of Abuses of Freedmen in Richmond, Virginia

Washington D. C.

Report of outrages committed on Union Citizens

Report of Outrages

Basically, southern Democrats had a field day killing blacks. Remember also that with technology what it was in those days, it would be a simple matter for a white to kill a black family in a rural area and make a claim on their property or force them to sign the property over and kill them. (As many blacks would not understand what they were signing)

It is probable that as many as one million blacks were killed by whites during Reconstruction. The census data seems to support this. So where are all the remains of the dead blacks? Growing up in the South, I can remember the local paper frequently reporting on old unmarked colored cemeteries being discovered. The remains were usually relocated.

It appears that the black population was attempting to make a comeback between the 1870 and 1880 census, but alas, this was not to be. The increasing black population came under the scrutiny of the Southern Democrats.

The Compromise of 1877

The Compromise of 1877 basically threw the disputed 1876 Presidential election to Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for the removal of Federal troops from the South and adding at least one Southern Democrat on Haye's cabinet. Thus, Southern Democrats, usually via the KKK, continued the black slaughter. Now, I documented in a previous post about the fact that there were several thousand blacks in the Klan at one time. Most were used as spies so the Klan could keep track of the blacks. Also, at the height of Klan power they had three million members at a time when the total U.S. population was under a hundred million or so.

To further keep the brothers down, when white Democrats regained control of the South in the 1870's they began to pull funding for black schools. By the 1890's Jim Crow laws were keeping segregation in full force. However, when the Democrats figured out that under segregation blacks were getting rich and gaining political clout, something had to be done....so, later, the Democrats went in for desegregation.

In the interim, we have the liberal Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood. Sanger was a big advocate of eugenics. One of her better known quotes: " It is said that a fish as large as a man has a brain no larger than the kernel of an almond. In all fish and reptiles where there is no great brain development, there is also no conscious sexual control. The lower down in the scale of human development we go the less sexual control we find. It is said that the aboriginal Australian, the lowest known species of the human family, just a step higher than the chimpanzee in brain development, has so little sexual control that police authority alone prevents him from obtaining sexual satisfaction on the streets." (This might be a good time for y'all to check the rape stats for the Congo and Haiti.)

And we have this gem: "In 1939 Sanger teamed with Mary Woodward Reinhardt, secretary of the newly formed BCFA, to secure a large donor to fund an educational campaign to teach African-American women in the South about contraception. Sanger, Reinhardt and Sanger's secretary, Florence Rose, drafted a report on "Birth Control and the Negro," skillfully using language that appealed both to eugenicists fearful of unchecked black fertility and progressives committed to shepherding African-Americans into middle-class culture. The report stated that "[N]egroes present the great problem of the South," as they are the group with "the greatest economic, health and social problems," and outlined a practical birth control program geared toward a population characterized as largely illiterate and that "still breed carelessly and disastrously," a line borrowed from a June 1932 Birth Control Review article by W.E.B. DuBois. Armed with this paper, Reinhardt initiated contact between Sanger and Albert Lasker (soon to be Reinhardt's husband), who pledged $20,000 starting in Nov. 1939. ("Birth Control and the Negro," July 1939, Lasker Papers)"

We also can't forget about Rebecca Felton. (See this LINK)

Yep, no doubt, them colored folks have to go. Thanks to Margaret Sanger about 1,876 black babies are aborted each day. It has been estimated that since 1973 black women have had roughly 16 million abortions. (Thank God)

Time to get down to brass tacks. How many blacks have Southern Democrats, liberals and Democrats in general killed?

Currently, the U.S. population is estimated at around 305 million, with 14% being black. That is about 42 million 700 thousand blacks. Without Democrat efforts to control the black population, they should currently make up about one third of the U.S. population or about 102 million people. Thus, Democrats are responsible for the deaths/non-births of about 59 million blacks. The Nazis were alleged, and I mean alleged, to have killed six million Jews, while Stalin and Mao had death counts in the 40-60 million range, so the Dems are up there in numbers with their heroes Stalin and Mao. Yet, 90% of blacks still vote Democrat." Silly niggers, brains are for white people. " The GOP should just stop trying to court the black vote. We already have more ignorant people than we need.

Distorted History: Lincoln never freed the slaves.

2011-05-11T13:04:00.001-04:00

There are some historians here on OS who are aware of this, but it is not something most folks think about today. As an aside, this post is basically a cut and paste from a Stormfront post by another author which I am editing/adding to, to get to the meat of my point.

The Emancipation Proclamation did not actually free the slaves. To wit:

"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom."

Lincoln's proclamation would have no more effect than if President Obama issued a proclamation that all Israeli sex slaves were hereby freed.

For decades, conservatives/Republicans have used the issue of Lincoln freeing the slaves to make the point that they aren't racist. They need to knock that crap off and face reality. Abe Lincoln never gave a hoot about blacks---in fact, he didn't really care for them.

Part of this could be due to the fact that Abe was almost killed by a group of blacks when he was 19. (The more things change, the more they stay the same. 19th century black crime stats weren't that much different than today.) Quote: "When he was nineteen, still residing in Indiana, he made his first trip upon a flat-boat to New-Orleans. He was a hired hand merely; and he and a son of the owner, without other assistance, made the trip. The nature of part of the cargo-load, as it was called – made it necessary for them to linger and trade along the Sugar coast – and one night they were attacked by seven Negroes with intent to kill and rob them. They were hurt some in the melee, but succeeded in driving the Negroes from the boat, and then “cut cable” “weighed anchor” and left."

Then we have Lincoln's own words on the matter:

"In the Lincoln-Douglas debates, which took place in 1858, while debating in Ottowa, Illinois on August 21st of that year, Mr. Lincoln stated, quite plainly, that: "I have no disposition to introduce political and social equality between the white and black races. There is a physical difference between the two, which in my judgment will probably forever forbid their living together on terms of respect, social and political equality, and inasmuch as it becomes a necessity that there should be a superiority somewhere, I, as well as Judge Douglas, am in favor of the race to which I belong having the superior position;"

"Lest one be tempted to think that this Lincolnian sentiment was a mere abberation, a slip of the tongue on his part, let's note Lincoln's comments in his speech at Charleston, Illinois on September 18, 1858. Here, dealing again with the same question, Lincoln said: "I will say then, that I am not nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way, the social and political equality of the white and black races, that I am not, nor have I ever been in favor of making voters of the negroes, or jurors, or qualifying them to hold office, or having them to marry with white people...there must be the position of superior and inferior, that I as much as any other man am in favor of the superior position being assigned to the white man." And he repeated, again, this exact same sentiment in the debate in Quincy, Illinois on October 13th."

And lastly........To start with, says Bennett, Lincoln was a crude bigot who habitually used the N word and had an unquenchable thirst for blackface-minstrel shows and demeaning "darky" jokes. He supported the noxious pre-Civil War "Black Laws," which stripped African Americans of their basic rights in his native Illinois, as well as the Fugitive Slave Act, which compelled the return to their masters of those who had escaped to free soil in the North. But Bennett's main theme is that Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was only "a ploy" designed to keep as many slaves in bondage as possible until Lincoln could build support for his plan for ending slavery: "colonization," a preposterous scheme to ship the black population either to Africa or South America. His fondest dream, Bennett writes, was of a "lily-white America without Native Americans, African Americans and Martin Luther Kings." (Can I hear an A MEN!!!!!!!)

Honestly, to repeat, my fellow conservatives need to stop touting Lincoln as some kind of idol for supposedly freeing the slaves. If you are a conservative and you aren't racist, you'll need to cite other proof that the Republican party is the party of inclusion and diversity--both big mistakes IMO.

What Jews think of non Jews II and is Hell real?

2011-04-12T12:12:00.000-04:00

A while back I wrote apost about what some Jews think of us gentiles. This is kind of a follow up since there is some new material to put out. The latest tid bit comes from ynetnews.com:

Gentile sperm leads to barbaric offspring

Rabbi Dov Lior says Jewish Law prohibits sterile couples from conceiving using non-Jew's sperm, as it causes adverse traits. On subject of single mothers he says, 'Child cannot be 100% normal'

Kobi Nahshoni

Published: 01.12.11, 08:30

Rabbi Dov Lior, a senior authority on Jewish law in the Religious Zionism movement, asserted recently that a Jewish woman should never get pregnant using sperm donated by a non-Jewish man – even if it is the last option available.

According to Lior, a baby born through such an insemination will have the "negative genetic traits that characterize non-Jews." Instead, he advised sterile couples to adopt.

Lior addressed the issue during a women's health conference held recently at the Puah Institute, a fertility clinic. His conservative stance negated a ruling widely accepted by rabbis, which states that sperm donated by a non-Jew is preferable to that of an anonymous Jew, who might pose a genealogical risk.

"Sefer HaChinuch (a book of Jewish law) states that the character traits of the father pass on to the son," he said in the lecture. "If the father in not Jewish, what character traits could he have? Traits of cruelty, of barbarism! These are not traits that characterize the people of Israel."

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I had to chuckle at that last sentence. Let's ask Rachel Corrie about the treatment she received from Israel. Oops, that's right, we can't 'cause she's dead. Crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer. Or we could check with the surviving crew members of the USS Liberty or..................well, you get my point.

Now let's take a look at John 14:6 "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

You do understand that when Jesus uttered those words it was basically the end of Judaism. There is a small sect of Jews today that accept Jesus as their Lord and savior, but the rest of the Jews are of the Synagogue of Satan.

As to Jewish racial purity:

The Khazar Empire and its Heritage

By Arthur Koestler

"This book traces the history of the ancient Khazar Empire, a major but almost forgotten power in Eastern Europe, which in A.D. 740 converted to Judaism. Khazaria, a conglomerate of Aryan Turkic tribes, was finally wiped out by the forces of Genghis Han, but evidence indicates that the Khazars themselves migrated to Poland and formed the craddle of Western (Ashkenazim) Jewry...

The Khazars' sway extended from the Black sea to the Caspian, from the Caucasus to the Volga, and they were instrumental in stopping the Muslim onslaught against Byzantium, the eastern jaw of the gigantic pincer movement that in the West swept across northern Africa and into Spain.

Thereafter the Khazars found themselves in a precarious position between the two major world powers: the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium and the triumphant followers of Mohammed. As Arthur Koestler points out, the Khazars were the Third World of their day, and they chose a surprising method of resisting both the Western pressure to become Christian and the Eastern to adopt Islam. Rejecting both, they converted to Judaism.

The second part of Mr. Koestler's book deals with the Khazar migration to Polish and Lithuanian territories, caused by the Mongol onslaught, and their impact on the racial composition and social heritage of modern Jewry. He produces a large body of meticulously detailed research in support of a theory that sounds all the more convincing for the restraint with which it is advanced.

Mr. Koestler concludes: "The evidence presented in the previous chapters adds up to a strong case in favour of those modern historians - whether Austrian, Israeli or Polish - who, independently from each other, have argued that the bulk of modern Jewry is not of Palestinian, but of Caucasian origin. The mainstream of Jewish migrations did not flow from the Mediterranean across France and Germany to the east and then back again. The stream moved in a consistently westerly direction, from the Caucasus through the Ukraine into Poland and thence into Central Europe. When that unprecedented mass settlement in Poland came into being, there were simply not enough Jews around in the west to account for it, while in the east a whole nation was on the move to new frontiers" ( page 179,page 180).

"The Jews of our times fall into two main divisions: Sephardim and Ashkenazim.

The Sephardim are descendants of the Jews who since antiquity had lived in Spain (in Hebrew Sepharad) until they were expelled at the end of the fifteenth century and settled in the countries bordering the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and to a lesser extent in Western Europe. They spoke a Spanish-Hebrew dialect, Ladino, and preserved their own traditions and religious rites. In the 1960s, the number of Sephardim was estimated at 500,000.

The Ashkenazim, at the same period, numbered about eleven million. Thus, in common parlance, Jew is practically synonymous with Ashkenazi Jew." ( page 181).

In Mr. Koestler's own words, "The story of the Khazar Empire, as it slowly emerges from the past, begins to look like the most cruel hoax which history has ever perpetrated."

The history of the Ashkenazi Jews was widely known and appreciated in the former Soviet Union. Ashkenazi militants traced the area where the Turkic Khazars originated before their migration to Southern Russia to Birobidjan, an Eastern Siberian area as big as Switzerland bordered by the Amur river, by China and Mongolia. Around 1928 they started building settlements with the Soviet government's help and in 1934 the Autonomous Republic (Okrug) of Birobidjan Yevrei came into being with official languages of Yiddish and Russian. It is still there as an Autonomous Republic to this day, offering the only historically legitimate settlement area for Ashkenazi Jews willing to exercise their "right to return"...

Mr. Koestler was an Ashkenazi Jew and took pride in his Khazar ancestry. He was also a very talented and successful writer who published over 25 novels and essays. His most successful book, Darkness at Noon, was translated in thirty-three languages.

As expected, The Thirteenth Tribe caused a stir when published in 1976, since it demolishes ancient racial and ethnic dogmas...At the height of the controversy in 1983, the lifeless bodies of Arthur Koestler and his wife were found in their London home. Despite significant inconsistencies, the police ruled their death a suicide...Another Mossad "suicide"!"
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At some point genetics and archaeology may revise the above findings, but on to the next part of the post.

As for myself, God came to me through a word of knowledge, thus, I KNOW there is a God a Heaven and a Hell. Most people do not get hit over the head in this manner and have to operate on faith alone. You will either see the light or you won't. The opportunity is there for most to come to Christ, but many people are happy with their Earthly rewards they have now only to sacrifice themselves to Satan for all of eternity.

So, is Hell real. The Bible mentions some people who were shown Hell and described it. You can also buy and read Bill Wiese's book 23 Minutes in Hell; it's well worth it.

In Hell, you are in an environment of extreme heat and torture and it lasts forever. You are constantly burned at a temperature of thousands of degrees farenheit and yet you still survive. How?

According to the String Theory there are 21 dimensions, but the actual number of possible dimensions may exceed 250. We exist in the third dimension. (I.E. length, width and height) Higher dimensions would not have solid matter.

Science tells us that energy is neither created nor destroyed, it just exists forever. Everything in our universe is made of energy. Try this experiment: Turn on the hot water, let it get hot, stick your hand under the water for a half second or so and remove it. The burst of pain you feel is an electrical impulse from your nerve endings going to your brain. We exist in this dimension as flesh and blood, but we are actually energy.

When we die the flesh and blood container housing our "soul" decomposes and we become pure energy. God has the ability to send us to a dimension where the energy is always pleasant or to a dimension where the energy is always very unpleasant. Basically, it is our choice.

Good vs. Evil? Can be summed up in the phrase "pure good is pure selflessness and pure evil is pure selfishness." It is very difficult (see the Biblical story of the Rich Man and Lazarus) to go from selfishness to selflessness, but we do not go to Heaven if we do not make the change.

At any rate, most Jews today are bad and we do not need to keep kissing Israel's ass.

Mulitculturalism kills another Libtard.

2011-04-12T12:05:00.005-04:00

The victim, 27 year old Swedish woman Elin Krantz, was a strong advocate of diversity and multiculturalism:

Her killer:

A pic of Elin after the attack: (Waaayyy NSFW):

= Keep scrolling

The general details: (http://satanic-cumshot.blogspot.com/2011/03/girl-raped-and-beaten-to-death-sweden.html)

Excerpt:

A 23-year-old man was charged for the rape and murder of a 27-year-old woman he allegedly attacked after the two stepped off a Gothenburg tram one evening in September. Elin Krantz and her alleged killer were riding the same tram to the Hisingen neighbourhood near Gothenburg in western Sweden. Shortly thereafter Krantz was raped and murdered in a wooded area not far from the tram stop, according to information from the investigation. Krantz and a friend were heading home on the number 5 tram line from the Valand nightclub in downtown Gothenburg around 4am after a Saturday night out together, according to an account by the Aftonbladet newspaper at the time of the killing. While Krantz’s friend got off the tram at the Hjalmar Brantingsplatsen stop, the 27-year-old continued in the direction of Gropegårdsgatan. But she never came home. A 23-year-old man was arrested shortly after the killing. On Friday he was charged with murder and aggravated rape. According to prosecutors, the 23-year-old suspect hit and/or kicked Krantz with such force that she was left with contusions and haemorrhaging on her head, neck, arms, and legs. The violence was so severe that it also caused nerve damage in Krantz's brain, resulting in a lack of oxygen. The 23-year-old is suspected of having raped Krantz by holding her down and forcing her legs apart. He then allegedly dragged her body over uneven ground and then placed it on a large stone block, according to prosecutors. Included in prosecutors' long list of injuries to Krantz are "burst membranes around the vaginal opening". According to the prosecutors, the 23-year-old showed "extreme ruthlessness".

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As an aside, there has been a huge increase in the number of rapes in Sweden by immigrants: http://theopinionator.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/sweden-tops-europe-for-number-of-rapes.html

Will the left ever learn?

Burying our heads in the sand will not correct this problem.

America, why we're doomed.

2011-03-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

Ah, the America of yesterday:

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And now we have the America of today................

Bonus video!!!!

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The ever growing rich-poor gap.

2011-02-24T11:58:00.001-05:00

(Link):

Separate but unequal: Charts show growing rich-poor gap.

By Zachary Roth zachary Roth – Wed Feb 23, 5:13 pm ET

The Great Recession and the slump that followed have triggered a jobs crisis that's been making headlines since before President Obama was in office, and that will likely be with us for years. But the American economy is also plagued by a less-noted, but just as serious, problem: Simply put, over the last 30 years, the gap between rich and poor has widened into a chasm.

Gradual developments like this don't typically lend themselves to news coverage. But Mother Jones magazine has crunched the data on inequality, and put together a group of stunning new charts. Taken together, they offer a dramatic visual illustration of who's doing well and who's doing badly in modern America.

Here are three samples:

This chart shows that the poorest 90 percent of Americans make an average of $31,244 a year, while the top 1 percent make over $1.1 million:

• According to this chart, most income groups have barely grown richer since 1979. But the top 1 percent has seen its income nearly quadruple:

• And this chart suggests most Americans have little idea of just how unequal income distribution is. And that they'd like things to be divvied up a lot more equitably:

More charts:

Member Est.net worth.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) $451.1 million

Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) $435.4 million

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) $366.2 million

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) $294.9 million

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) $285.1 million

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) $283.1 million

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) $231.2 million

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) $201.5 million

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) $136.2 million

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) $108.1 million

Combined net worth: $2.8 billion

Gee, I thought it was only the Republicans who were rich.

While we are on the subject of wealth, I think I'll mention how the synagogue of satan is doing. While there are actually a lot of poor Jews, located mostly outside of the U.S., Jews make up about 2% of the U.S. population and have over 50% of the wealth.

And, from good ol' Brother Nathaniel: (This only refers to the Zionists, however)

In 1764, a Yeshiva Jew named Mayer Amschel Rothschild waxed wealthy under the favor of his patron, William IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel in Frankfort. William IX was a coin collector, and the pawnbroker Mayer Amschel supplied him with rare coins. An association developed which proved advantageous for monarch and subject alike. When the Landgrave rented the Hessian mercenaries to George III of England to fight against the American patriots of the Revolutionary War, Meyer Amschel handled the financial arrangements. Thus the Jewish House of Rothschild began its first financial “war” venture.

The Rothschild’s opportunity came with the Napoleonic wars. They financed England largely and made England pay generously for it. The Jewish Encyclopedia informs us that the Jewish House of Rothshild made a banker’s profit four times on the 80,000,000 pounds sterling of gold bought for use in Wellington’s victory: on the sale of gold to Wellington; on the sale of Wellington’s paper; on the repurchase of gold from Wellington; and on the sale to Portugal of the gold bought back from Wellington.

Nathan Rothschild, ablest of Amschel’s five Jewish sons, established himself in London. His four Jewish brothers he placed, respectively, in Frankfort, Paris, Naples, and Vienna. The 1st rule of their Jewish management was:

——- “The different banks should each act in the common interest, regardless of the nation in which it was placed.” ——-

The end of the Napoleonic wars found the Jewish House of Rothschild entrenched to exploit their opportunities. For example: Austria-Hungary after the war in attempting to put her finances in order, retire her paper money, and reduce the public loan, required ready money. Her share of the French indemnity was payable over a series of years. For generous discount the Rothschilds advanced the indemnities. The Rothschilds, though Jews in a Gentile Christian society, demanded as their reward, titles of nobility.

In this way a Jewish financial network was established that eventually encompassed Europe. Thus it was observed by E. Alexander Powel in his 1909 book, The Unseen Empire:

——- “The European peoples are no longer under the Government of the respective nations. They have become the subjects of another Power - a Power unseen but felt in the palace as in the cottage. It is the occult Power of the House of Rothschild that reigns over princes and paupers who fawn in the most abject subserviency. Soon if not already, America will fall to this unseen Power.” ——-

THIS UNSEEN POWER has indeed subjected America to its occult Jewish control. Perhaps the best proof of the constant expansion of Jewish financial power in America is furnished by the activities of the great Jewish banking houses and investment companies. Year by year, Goldman, Sachs and Co., Kuhn, Loeb and Co., Lazard Freres, Lehman Brothers and others, are pushing their financial control deeper and deeper into the American economy. It should be noted that though these banking houses have non-Jewish partners, they nonetheless remain firmly in Jewish hands.

The extent of Jewish financial control is indicated by examining the roster of Directors of America’s leading Corporations. By the 1960’s for instance, Sidney Weinberg of Goldman, Sachs was on the Board of Directors of the Ford Motor Company.

By the 1970’s, other Jewish partners of Goldman, Sachs were on the Board of Directors of such companies as: Continental Can; McKesson and Robbins; Champion Papers; United Biscuit; B.F. Goodrich; Pillsbury; and Sperry-Hutchinson. Partners of the Jewish banking house of Kuhn, Loeb are directors of: Westinghouse; Sears Industries; U.S. Rubber; Getty Oil; and Kennecott Copper, to name a few.

Lehman Brother partners are directors of: Pan American Airlines; 20th Century Fox; Cheesebrough Pond’s; Bristol-Meyers; RCA; and Caterpillar Tractor, again to name only a few.

JEWS CONTROL OUR LIVES and the “Anti-Semitism” of our day has as its watchword, Fagan is alive and well on planet earth. Politicians and Universities with their large Jewish endowments, who like the European powers of the 19th Century, are fawning in abject subservience to the Jewish financial moguls.

The removal of all things Jewish from rational discussion relegates unfriendly opinions of Jews in the hushed subconscious of millions upon millions of Americans. Instead of submitting a critique of the Jews to the free play of ideas, the Jews and their liberal supporters have managed to organize an inquisition in which all writing and thoughts critical of Jewry are treated as a threat to the moral order of mankind.

BUT THE MORAL ORDER of mankind has been subverted and overturned by the Jewish control of wealth. The Jews get what they want, whether or not it serves the interest of morality, because of the root of all their evil, that is, their money. But the sudden release of resentment pent up in millions upon millions of Americans, could very well erupt into an explosive backlash against the Jews with their control of our lives.

THE ONLY ANSWER in preventing such an eruption, is for America to become a Christian nation once again and put the Jews in the rank of the “infidel.” This will be the beginning of severing their the Jews’ control of our lives.

Let the Jews be told that their ancestors committed Deicide in crucifying the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ. And let the Jews be told, (if we set the example), that they need to repent, and become good Christian citizens of the host nation in which they reside.

(Brother Nathaniel's article is a bit dated, but you clearly get the point)

Fluoride, Leaded Gas and Chemtrails, Oh My.

2011-01-24T22:26:00.001-05:00

I suppose I could also have titled this post "Why is the Government trying to kill us?" As with much of life, things are not always as they seem. Let's start with.....

Fluoride: We were sold the bill of goods that fluoride strengthens tooth enamel. The real reason fluoride is put in our drinking water is:

The truth about fluoride does not reach the public easily because fluoride, produced as a toxic waste byproduct of many types of heavy industry--such as aluminum, steel, fertilizer, glass, cement and other industries--must be disposed of somewhere. If it's not used as an additive to water, manufacturers would have to pay millions of dollars to dispose of it properly, so the pressure to keep fluoride listed as a healthy additive to water--and not as an environmental toxin that requires costly disposal--is great, and political pressures to keep fluoride in the drinking water is strong.

The U.S. government has been one of the key supporters for fluoridation. Despite the questions regarding fluoride's effectiveness and safety, the administration's stated federal health objective was to increase the number of Americans with fluoridated tap water from previous levels of 62 percent to 75 percent in 2000. Given half a century of support for fluoridation, it's also not likely that the American Dental Association will backtrack on its support for fluoridation. Some cities are taking action, and making the decision to stop fluoridating their water supply--or not to fluoridate in the first place.

and

Fluorine compounds or fluorides are listed by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) as among the top 20 of 275 substances posing the most significant threat to human health. Fluorides, hydrogen fluoride and fluorine have been found in at least 130, 19, and 28 sites, respectively, of 1,334 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Consequently, under the provisions of the Superfund Act (1986), a compilation of information about fluorides, hydrogen fluoride and fluorine and their effects on health was required. This publication appeared in 1993.

Fluorides are cumulative toxins. The fact that fluorides accumulate in the body is the reason that U.S. law requires the Surgeon General to set a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for fluoride content in public water supplies as determined by the EPA. This requirement is specifically for the purpose of avoiding a condition known as Crippling Skeletal Fluorosis (CSF), a disease that progresses through three stages. The MCL, designed to prevent only the third and crippling stage of this disease, is set at 4ppm or 4mg per liter. It was assumed that people retain half of this amount (2mg), and therefore 4mg per liter is considered ``safe." However, a daily dose of 2-8 mg is known to cause the third crippling stage of CSF.

Besides fluoridated water and toothpaste, many foods contain high levels of flouride compounds due to pesticide applications. One of the worse offenders is grapes. Grape juice was found to contain more than 6.8 ppm fluoride. The EPA estimates total fluoride intake from pesticide residues on food and fluoridated drinking water alone to be 0.095 mg/kg/day, meaning a person weighing 70 kg takes in more than 6.65 mg per day. Soy infant formula is high in both fluoride and aluminum, far surpassing the “optimal" dose—even when de-fluoridated water is used in preparation—and has been shown to be a significant risk factor in dental fluorosis.

Before I get to leaded gasoline I want to touch on mercury. The American Dental Association has more blood on it's hands than supporting fluoridation of drinking water.

Dentists had been using mercury amalgam tooth fillings for years before anyone knew how toxic mercury is. The ADA merely suggests that if you have a problem with mercury tooth fillings you just replace them at your own expense. Millions of pounds of lead that would otherwise have to be disposed of by industry can instead be put into people's mouths. Consider also that as modern dentistry has come to nations such as India and China millions more pounds of mercury waste can be disposed of via the amalgam fillings in their citizen's mouths. Also, cemeteries do not have to be treated as toxic waste dumps even though large cemeteries can contain hundreds of thousands of human remains which have thousands of pounds of mercury amalgam fillings that decay and leech mercury into local water tables.

Leaded Gas: Until the early 1970's, U.S. passenger cars ran on leaded gasoline. The Tetraethyll lead additive, used to reduce spark knock and lubricate engine components, gave heavy industry a way to dispose of millions of pounds of lead each year that would otherwise require costly disposal. The unwitting public gets chumped again.

Chemtrails: Google "chemtrails" and you will find a host of websites that "prove" chemtrails are real and an equal number of websites that debunk them. I have been studying chemtrails since their observation in 1996/1997 and can say without a doubt they are real. I believe chemtrails started out as a weather modification experiment. In the early/mid 1970's, a patent was granted for a type of microfine aluminium that could be used for cloud seeding. Apparently, there has been an effort to engage in weather modification via cloud seeding on a global scale.

Subsequent tests conducted on chemtrail residue have indicated the presence of various chemicals. (Link to one such analysis HERE) In 2008, test results were conducted on Phoenix Air Quality during days when chemtrails were observed. Some of the results indicated:

cadmium is 126x the toxic limit,
chromium is 282x the toxic limit and
nickel is 169x the toxic limit.
aluminum is a stagg 6,400x the toxic limit,
iron is 28,000x the toxic limit,
magnesium is 5.3x the toxic limit,
potassium is 793x the toxic limit and
sodium is 15.9x the toxic limit
barium is 278x the toxic limit,
copper is 98x the toxic limit,
manganese is a staggering
5,820x the toxic limit
zinc is 593x the toxic limit

So, again, we have what appears to be another case where industrial waste is being dumped/introduced to the general public. It seems that any time the environmentalists make progress regarding industrial pollution standards/remediation, then industry, in cooperation with big government, just figures out an end around. Then we also have things such as MSG and Aspartame, both of which should be banned, but the FDA continues to allow them in our food supply.

Hopefully, people will finally get fed up with this crap.

CHOPPED................NSFW

2011-01-06T23:53:00.006-05:00

Well, there is no doubt the economic collapse will hit in the not too distant future. Most states are in financial trouble. Politicians still are not dealing with our problems.

Our southern border is wide open for Mexiscum to invade us at will. Just who are these Mexicans? Nice, hardworking folks who are just looking for a break?

Well, old habits die hard I guess.

Above image is an Acapulco murder victim.

Another view. Note the penis placed in the left hand.

We already have ten to twenty million of these "people" in the U.S. Are Illegals really committing serious crimes?

Link

In Los Angeles, 95% of some 1,500 outstanding warrants for homicides are for illegal aliens. About 67% of the 17,000 outstanding fugitive felony warrants are for illegal aliens.

There are currently over 400,000 unaccounted for illegal alien criminals with outstanding deportation orders. At least one fourth of these are hard core criminals.

80,000 to 100,000 illegal aliens who have been convicted of serious crimes are walking the streets. Based on studies they will commit an average of 13 serious crimes per perpetrator.

Illegal aliens are involved in criminal activities at a rate that is 2-5 times their representative proportion of the population.

In 1980, our Federal and state facilities held fewer than 9,000 criminal aliens but at the end of 2003, approximately 267,000 illegal aliens were incarcerated in U.S. correctional facilities at a cost of about $6.8 billion per year.

At least 4.5 million pounds of cocaine with a street value of at least $72 billion is smuggled across the southern border every year. ..

56% of illegal aliens charged with a reentry offense had previously been convicted on at least 5 prior occasions.

Illegal aliens charged with unlawful reentry had the most extensive criminal histories. 90% had been previously arrested. Of those with a prior arrest, 50% had been arrested for violent or drug-related felonies.

Illegal aliens commit between 700,000 to 1,289,000 or more crimes per year.

Illegal aliens commit at least 2,158 murders each year – a number that represents three times greater participation than their proportion of the population.

Illegal alien sexual predators commit an estimated 130,909 sexual crimes each year.

There may be as many as 240,000 illegal alien sex offenders circulating throughout America. Based on studies, they will commit an average of 8 sex crimes per perpetrator before being caught.

Nearly 63% of illegal alien sex offenders had been deported on another offense prior to committing the sex crime.

Only 2% of the illegal alien sex offenders in one study had no history of criminal behavior, beyond crossing the border illegally.

In Operation Predator, ICE arrested and deported 6,085 illegal alien pedophiles. Some studies suggest each pedophile molests average of 148 children. If so, that could be as many as 900,580 victims.

Nobody knows how big the Sex Slave problem is but it is enormous.

The very brutal MS-13 gang has over 15,000 members and associates in at least 115 different cliques in 33 states.

The overall financial impact of illegal alien crimes is estimated at between $14.4 and $81 billion or more per year. Factor in the crime as a result of the cocaine and other drugs being smuggled in and the number may reach $150 billion per year.

Still think illegal immigration is a "victimless crime" and we don't need to control our borders? Remember, about 60% of the crimes being committed are by illegal aliens who were previously deported."

So what great cultural and religious benefit can we gain from them? Well, there is a growing religious movement down there. (Link to below)

WARNING!

The views expressed in FMSO publications and reports are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

The Death Cult of the Drug Lords Mexico’s Patron Saint of Crime, Criminals, and the Dispossessed

by Kevin Freese,
Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, KS.

Table of Contents

Death in Mexican Culture

The Origin and Spread of the Cult

The Goddess of Tepito

The Lord of the Rings

Santa Muerte Witnesses Violent Crimes

Prisoners Pray to Santa Muerte

The Skeleton in the Family Closet Was Santa Muerte

Criminals Carry Accoutrements of Santa Muerte

Santa Muerte Has Following in Major Criminal Organizations

Santa Muerte on the U.S. Border

The Patron Saint of Crime

Conclusion

Table of Figures

Figure 1 Santa Muerte in the Zocalo, Mexico City

Figure 2 La Catrina Calavera

Figure 3 Imprisoned Cult Practitioner with Tattooed Santa Muerte and Tattooed Amulet

Figure 4 A Prisoner's Tattoo of Santa Muerte

Figure 5 Santa Muerte devotee displays amulet

Figure 6 Statues of Santa Muerte

Figure 7 Table of Santa Muerte Rituals

Figure 8 Mictlantecuhtli

Figure 9 Mictlantecuhtli

Figure 10 Mictecacíhuatl

Figure 11 Oyá

Figure 12 Yewá

Figure 13 Maman Brigitte

Figure 14 Shrine to Maximón

Figure 15 Aerial Photograph of Tepito Market

Figure 16 David Romo Guillén

Figure 17 A Worshipper inside the Santa Muerte National Sanctuary

Figure 18 David Romo Guillén

Figure 19 Martínez’ Tattoos

Figure 20 Ramirez’ Tattoos

Figure 21 Pérez’ Tattoo

Introduction

In Tony Scott’s 2004 action film Man on Fire, the haunted protagonist John Creasy (played by Denzel Washington) seeks revenge against a gang of kidnappers that, he believes, has murdered a little girl he was hired to protect. In one scene, as Creasy revisits the actual location of the kidnapping, Reforma journalist Mariana (played by Rachel Ticotin) picks up an amulet off the ground and says to him, “It’s Santa Muerte. Death worship. The religion of La Hermandad [The name of the kidnapping gang in the movie]. There’s a curse on you.”^[1] The statement was intended as a subtle reminder of the notorious Mexican kidnapper known as El Mochaorejas [literally, “the ear-chopper”], who was a devotee of Santa Muerte [Holy Death], a corruption (some would say perversion) of the cult of the Blessed Virgin in Mexican Catholicism.^[2] The film received mixed reviews and it appears that the allusion escaped the comprehension of much of the audience. Nevertheless, it offers an interesting glimpse, from the point-of-view of Hollywood cinema, into an intriguing facet of Mexican organized crime. Because of the underground nature of organized crime, it transcends the boundaries of conventional business and emerges as a distinct subculture, indeed a number of subcultures, complete with all of the various accoutrements thereof. This is, perhaps, no more clearly evident than in the cult of Santa Muerte.

Executive Summary

The Santa Muerte cult could probably best be described as a set of ritual practices offered on behalf a supernatural personification of death. The personification is female, probably because the Spanish word for death, muerte, is feminine and possibly also because this personification is a sort of counterpart to the Virgin of Guadalupe. To believers, the entity exists within the context of Catholic theology and is comparable to other purely supernatural beings, namely archangels. The cult involves prayers, rituals, and offerings, which are given directly to Santa Muerte in expectation of and tailored to the fulfillment of specific requests. These bear some resemblance to other traditions. The origin of the cult is uncertain; it has only been expanding recently. The cult appears to be closely associated with crime, criminals, and those whose lives are directly affected by crime. Criminals seem to identify with Santa Muerte and call upon the saint for protection and power, even when committing crimes. They will adorn themselves with her paraphernalia and render her respect that they do not give to other spiritual entities.

Figure 1 Santa Muerte in the Zocalo, Mexico City^[3]

Sources

There is, at least in English, a notable lack of academic literature about the Santa Muerte cult. However, due to its macabre charm, the cult and its devotees have received considerable attention in Mexican, Latin American, U.S., and even international news media. It also appears in Mexican government press bulletins, ranging from state-funded Anthropological studies of the cult itself to public arrest records concerning individuals connected to the cult. There are also a few internet sites maintained by cult adherents as well as published handbooks of cult rituals and traditions that are used by cult practitioners. The cult has been touched upon in anthropological studies of the symbol of death in Mexico culture. Although most of sources are in Spanish language, some have English translations.

Terms and Concepts

The term “cult” generally is used to refer to the people and practices associated with Santa Muerte. This can be attributed, in part, to the fact that Spanish-language sources consistently use the cognate “culto”. The term’s use does not entail the pejorative meaning of a strictly controlled, fringe religious group, led by a charismatic leader. Although the Santa Muerte cult certainly appears to be fringe, it does not appear to be a formal or controlled group, at least yet. Instead, the term cult really applies to the series of rituals and practices associated with religious worship, i.e. the physical as opposed to cognitive and/or mystical dimension of worship. In this sense, it is comparable to the cult of the Blessed Virgin in Christianity. Similarly, persons who worship Santa Muerte cannot accurately be called “members” of the cult, since there is no formalized or exclusive membership. The terms “devotee”, “adherent”, and “practitioner” seem to be more accurate and appropriate. There is also some theological and linguistic inconsistency over the term “saint”. Santa Muerte is certainly not a saint officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church or, indeed, any other mainstream branch of Christianity. Nevertheless, other than worshiping her, her devotees do not appear to espouse any theological doctrine that greatly diverges from mainstream Catholicism. Many if not most practitioners seem to consider themselves to be, more or less, good, practicing Catholics. Unlike a conventional saint, Santa Muerte definitely appears to be the object of worship rather than a simple intercessor, which is a significant divergence from Catholic doctrine, although the actual practice is not unheard of in the mysteries associated with other Catholic saint traditions, at least unofficially. The name itself is easily confused in translation. Some have translated Santa Muerte into English as “Saint Death”. Although this conveys the concept accurately, the correct literal translation is “Sacred Death” or “Holy Death”.^[4]

Death in Mexican Culture

The image of death is pervasive in many aspects of Mexican culture. Probably the most widely known manifestation of this is the feast of the Day of the Dead on the second of November, when Mexicans frequently parade skeletal images and render honors to their deceased loved ones. Another example is the image of the Catrina Calavera, a skeleton in a wedding dress that was popularized in the satirical works of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century artist José Guadalupe Posada.^[5] Such customs can be easily misunderstood by outsiders; it might even be tempting to confuse the Santa Muerte with these other cultural traditions.

Figure 2 La Catrina Calavera^[6]

To do so would be erroneous. Although Santa Muerte is venerated on the Day of the Dead, it appears to be a distinct phenomenon emerging from a separate tradition. The fact is, Santa Muerte probably has more in common with the roguish saint Jesus Malverde, who is sometimes glorified in Mexico’s famous (arguably infamous) narcocorridos, or Mexican drug-ballads, and who is worshipped by Mexican drug traffickers as a protector saint, especially in the Mexican State of Sinaloa.^[7] There may also be influence or inspiration from Catholic-African synchronistic religious practices, such as Haitian Voodoo, Cuban Santeria, or Brazilian Palo Mayombe, with some witchcraft thrown into the mix.

Epithets and Aliases

A perusal through Mexico’s most wanted reveals a veritable plethora of epithets and nicknames. Devotees of Santa Muerte have not disdained to share this practice with her, although it should be observed that the nicknames themselves are not necessarily limited to Santa Muerte as an object of worship but are generally used by Mexicans in reference to Death personified.^[8] Some of the nicknames are simply variations, including Santísima Muerte [Most Holy Death or Very Holy Death], Sagrada Muerte [Sacred Death], Querida Muerte [Beloved Death], or, in Argentina, San la Muerte [Saint Death – a Masculine variation].^[9] Other labels suggest mystical interpretations of her nature, role, and/or relationship to the devotee, such as Poderosa Señora [Powerful Lady]^[10], La Comadre [The Co-Mother – possibly a pun on “Co-Redeemer”]^[11], La Madrina [The Godmother – notably used in Mexican prisons], or La Hermana [The Sister].^[12]

At least two nicknames refer to her as Saint Martha: Santa Marta [Saint Martha]^[13] and Martita [Little Martha].^[14] The theory is that Santa Muerte represents the pious soul of Saint Martha. However, because of the obvious phonetic similarities,^[15] simple corruption of the vowel sound (i.e. crasis) should not be ruled out as a plausible explanation.

The commonest forms of nickname appear to be physical descriptors or puns thereon. These include La Santa Niña Blanca [The Holy White Girl],^[16] La Niña [The Girl],^[17] La Bonita [The Pretty Girl],^[18] La Flaquita [The Little Skinny Girl],^[19] La Flaca [The Skinny Girl],^[20] and Negrita [The Little Black Girl].^[21]

The nicknames are interesting because they suggest a sort of reverent irreverence, using familiar and demeaning, or at least diminutive, names to enhance the sacredness and sense of power of Santa Muerte. They are also reminiscent of the darkly comic tradition of the Catrina Calavera. Finally, they betray a custom of the followers themselves. Although the use of aliases and nicknames is common in Mexico, it is particularly common among criminals. The very fact that there are so many nicknames suggests that criminals view Santa Muerte, consciously or unconsciously, as one of their own.

The Power of Color

Color itself seems to be very important in the Santa Muerte cult. Statues dressed in particular colors represent certain powers or attributes. Similarly, when a devotee lights a candle, or a combination of candles, to Santa Muerte, the color of the candle used corresponds to the desired result. Gold represents economic power, success, and money. Devotees maintain that this color is suited for businessmen and merchants. The natural bone color is believed to promote peace and harmony, particularly among neighbors, and is intended for homes and businesses. The color red is associated with love and passion, as well as emotional stability; it is recommended for couples. White represents purification and defense against negative energy, particularly in situations when there is envy among relatives. Blue is used to help improve mental concentration. Green is the color used to help people with legal problems or matters of justice; it is the color used most often by lawyers. Yellow is the color used for healing from diseases. It is frequently used by drug addicts and alcoholics who are undergoing rehabilitation. The color purple also is purported to bring health. Black represents complete protection, particularly against black magic and hostile spirits associated with Santeria, Palo Mayombe, or voodoo. Black also is the color used by sorcerers to cause harm to their enemies.^[22]

The color symbolism in the Santa Muerte is distinct from other esoteric practices. Although other religious/occult traditions use candles in ceremonies, especially in Afro-Caribbean traditions, the association of a particular color of candle with a particular intention seems more akin to the practices of European occultists, especially Wiccans. There is even some direct correspondence in certain colors. However, this is not consistent, suggesting possible influence but not direct heritage. Furthermore, the parallel is limited specifically to the color of candles, not the vestments of the statuary.^[23] Finally, the functions of the colors themselves consistently although not without exception, have applications for crime: lust, power, help with legal power, cursing enemies, defending against curses from enemies, and help with drug addiction. Although these benefits may have applications for any follower, they would particularly appeal to those who live in a world of drugs and crime.

Other aspects of Santa Muerte iconography have significance as well. Devotees of the saint interpret the sickle, often carried in the right hand, to represent justice, while the globe, often in the left hand, represents dominion over the world. Sometimes, an image of Santa Muerte is holding an ear of corn, which apparently represents generosity.^[24] Such symbols are very useful for identifying cult iconography. Whereas the image of the Grim Reaper is a relatively common image and in and of itself does not signify any cult association, when the Death figure is displayed with the ear of corn, a crown, or possibly a globe or scale, it does indicate a Santa Muerte association. The icon itself can come in many forms. Devotees wear small amulets and medals, commonly called milagros in Mexico. They also keep statues and statuettes for offerings. These practices seem to be more or less reminiscent of Catholic saint worship. However, unlike the case with mainstream Catholic practices, devotees of Santa Muerte, particularly incarcerated cult practitioners, will sometimes take the additional step of having the icon tattooed onto their bodies.^[25] This has been referred to as an offering of skin.^[26] In some cases, this is an image of Santa Muerte; in others, it seems to be the entire amulet that is tattooed.^[27] Such an application is not merely innovative; it is telling. While tattooing has become a mainstream practice in much of North America even among the middle class, in Latin America, tattoos remain the hallmarks of criminal affiliation and imprisonment.

Iconography

Figure 3 Imprisoned Cult Practitioner with Tattooed Santa Muerte and Tattooed Amulet^[28]

Figure 4 A Prisoner's Tattoo of Santa Muerte^[29]

Figure 5 Santa Muerte devotee displays amulet^[30]

Figure 6 Statues of Santa Muerte^[31]

Common Offerings

The beliefs associated with the cult appear to be relatively consistent. Santa Muerte devotees attend to their practice by lighting candles and leaving offerings while reciting prayers, often ritual prayers, in hopes of receiving favors. Such offerings draw upon Christian symbolism. Tequila, for example is a representation of the chalice of Christ. An apple represents original sin.^[32] There appears to be a tradition about what sorts of offerings are appropriate. Santa Muerte has been described as jealous about what offerings are given to her.^[33] However, gifts that are somehow personal or in keeping with other religious offerings are considered acceptable.^[34] Offerings are not given willy-nilly; there is a recipe and ritual associated with each offering, so as to ensure the granting of the desired effect.^[35]

Appropriate offerings can include money, flowers, candy, alcohol, tobacco, fruits, water, bread, or incense. Money is a preferred offering, particularly in businesses, when the profits from the first sale of the day are given. Flowers of various types are acceptable, but should be fresh. White roses are normally used for healing or health and are considered to be the preferred form. Red roses are used for love. Candy offerings are also a matter of personal preference, although chocolate is common, particularly for love, and honey is considered to be a standard offering. Wines and liquors are common offerings, especially tequila, rum, and sherry, as well as dark beer; these are usually served in glass bottles or cups but not plastic. Cigars and cigarettes are among the most preferred offerings; they should be lit. Smoke blown over the image is used to purify the altar. Fresh fruit is also used as an offering. Red apples are the commonest offering but other fruits are often left. The color of the fruit can correspond to the benefit sought, in a way comparable to candles. Water is considered to be a crucial offering and should be clear and still, preferably from a tap. Bread is also offered frequently, as is incense. In the case of incense, different types of incense are used for different ends, in varieties that are sold by vendors of esoteric commodities.^[36]

Death’s Collects

Just as the offerings are presented in a formulaic manner, the prayers themselves are often highly structured, in a format that resembles Christian collects. Some prayers even refer to the Trinity: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, made of pure light, I implore you to grant me the favors I should request of you until the final day, hour, and moment at which your divine majesty orders me to come before your presence. Desired Death of my heart, do not abandon me from your protection.”^[37]

Similarities also manifest in the attempt at comprehensiveness that occurs in prayers. This occurs in protection prayers: “Oh, Most Santa Muerte, I call upon you so that, through your image, you may free me from all dangers, whether [these dangers] are physical or from witchcraft, and that through this sacred flame you might purify my body from all charms and curses and that you also bring love, peace, and abundance. So be it.” It also occurs in prayers for success and wealth: “Desired Death of my heart, do not abandon me from [your] protection and I ask your blessing on this devotee of yours and that also you bring success, bring personal and economic prosperity, and take from me all natural or caused disease. So be it.”^[38] Of further interest, the ending “so be it” is a translation of the traditional Christian prayer ending, “Amen”.

The formula is also applied to curses: “Death of my heart, do not abandon me from your protection and do not permit (name of enemy) a single moment of peace. Molest him each moment, mortify him and worry him so that he always thinks about me and does what I want.”^[39]

Objectives of Prayer

Whereas the form of offerings and prayers offers insight into the cults methods, it is the content of those offerings and prayers, which offers insight into the objectives of cult practitioners. The closest thing to a handbook for Santa Muerte practitioners is Juan Ambrosio’s La Santa Muerte Biografía y Culto: Ventiséis rituales personales para conseguir salud, dinero y amor, which is, effectively, a recipe book for Santa Muerte rituals. The book contains twenty-six rituals:

Ritual

Translation

El poder de las tres muertes

The power of the three deaths

La mano de la muerte: para que se cumplan nuestros más caros anhelos

The hand of death: to fulfill the most dear yearnings

Ritual para alejar a las malas amistades de nuestra pareja

Ritual to send away bad friendships from our partner

Ritual contra la magia negra

Ritual against black magic

Ritual para alejar un amante

Ritual to send away a lover

Ritual para alejar a los novios

Ritual to send away fiancés

Para que tu pareja te ayude económicamente

So that your partner helps you economically

Para que no entren chismes o nertía negative en tu casa o negocio

So that gossip or negative energy does not enter your home or business

Velación a la Santa Muerte para que nos paguen una deuda

Prayer to Santa Muerte so that a debt is paid to us

Ritual para socorrer a quienes estan presos

Ritual to comfort those in prison

La balanza de la justicia: ritual para resolver problemas legales

The balance of justice: ritual to resolve legal problems

Ritual para quienes serán sometidos a una intervención quirúrgica

Ritual for those who will undergo surgery

Bálsamo de la Santa Muerte para que marche bien tu negocio

Balsam of Santa Muerte so that your business does well

Ritual para incrementar las ventas en tu negocio

Ritual to increase sales in your business

Ritual para limpiar tu dinero

Ritual to clean your money

Tres recetas sencillas para obtener dinero

Three simple prescriptions to obtain money

Ritual del chocolate para dominar al amante, novio o esposo

Ritual of chocolate to dominate your lover, fiancé or spouse

Baño de la Santa Muerte para el amor

Bath of Santa Muerte for love

Novena para ligar a una persona

Novena to bind a person

Para un amor difícil

For a difficult love

Amuleto de la Santa Muerte para tu automóvil

Amulet of Santa Muerte for your automobile (used for protection when buying a vehicle, when suffering frequent vehicle problems, or suffering accidents, or when vehicle is jinxed)

Para retirar al mal vecino

To send away a bad neighbor

Ritual para que se alejen las malas amistades de nuestros hijos

Ritual to send away bad friends of your children

Otro ritual para alejar malas amistades

Another Ritual to send away bad friends

Velación a la Santa Muerte para que nuestros hijos no abandonen los estudios

Prayer to Santa Muerte so that our children do not abandon their studies

Velación para que un matrimonio no se realice

Prayer so that a marriage does not happen

Figure 7 Table of Santa Muerte Rituals

The subject of these rituals include: a general prayer for power, a general wish, six rituals to drive away undesired persons, five rituals for improved business profit, one to ward against black magic, one ritual to ensure a debt is paid, two prayers to help prisoners or people with legal problems, one ritual to help someone undergoing surgery, two spells to protect a home, business, or vehicle, one ritual to keep children in school, one prayer to bind a person, three love spells, and one spell to stop a marriage. These rituals resemble the pagan concept of do ut des, or giving a favor in hopes that another favor might be given (lit. “I give so that you might give”) which, although present in Christianity, is not standard practice. Furthermore, most of the objectives of these prayers would be incompatible with Christian doctrine, which explains why an alternative saint is needed. In this sense, Santa Muerte is more akin to primitive Western polytheistic adorations. It also resembles modern esoteric practices such as Voodoo, Santeria, Palo Mayombe, and Wicca.

The Origin and Spread of the Cult

The origin of the Santa Muerte cult is as mysterious and controversial as the nature of the cult itself. Some devotees assert that the death cult has existed in Mexico for as many as three millennia, having been handed down from the progenitors of the Maya, Zapoteco, Totonaca, and other indigenous groups until it became widespread under the Mexicas and the Aztecs.^[40] According to the theory, the figure now represented by Santa Muerte may actually be the legacy of Aztec devotions to Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacíhuatl, the god and goddess of death respectively, rulers of the shadowy underworld realm of Mictlán. They were traditionally portrayed as skeletons or persons with skeletal heads. Offerings to them included the skins of human sacrifices.^[41] Both allegedly ate the dead. They were worshipped by those seeking the power of death. Their temple was located in the ancient ceremonial center of the city Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City). The name of the district was Tlalxico.^[42]

Figure 8 Mictlantecuhtli^[43]

Figure 9 Mictlantecuhtli^[44]

Figure 10 Mictecacíhuatl^[45]

Another theory is that the cult came from Yoruba traditions, being handed down from African slaves brought to the Americas and transmitted to Mexico through, or parallel to, the Cuban tradition of Santeria, the Brazilian tradition of Palo Mayombe, or the Haitian tradition of Voodoo. All of these practices are synchronistic traditions that emerged from the interaction between African animistic and polytheistic traditions with traditional saint-worship in Catholic Christianity. According to this theory, Santa Muerte is actually a variation of the Santeria orishas (spiritual entities) Oyá, goddess of storms, and/or Yewá, goddess of the underworld,^[46] who, according to Santeria beliefs, brings bodies of the dead to Oyá.^[47] She could also be a variation of Centella Endoki AKA Mama Wanga, ruler of cemeteries, who is a Palo Mayombe version of the Santeria Oyá. Finally, the tradition could trace back to the Voodoo entity Maman Brigitte, who is also a counterpart to Oyá and Centella Endoki.^[48] A third theory is that Santa Muerte appeared in a vision to a nineteenth century witchdoctor (brujo chamán) in the village of Orizaba, Veracruz and ordered the creation of the cult.^[49]

Figure 11 Oyá^[50]

Figure 12 Yewá^[51]

Figure 13 Maman Brigitte^[52]

Such theories may be ill founded, according to Elsa Malvido Miranda, a researcher for the Historical Studies Directorate (DEH) (Dirección de Estudios Históricos) of the Mexican National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH) (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia). Malvido argues that the cult can be traced back to mediaeval Europe. Especially during times of plague and epidemic, people would offer devotions to skeletal figures, which were even associated with miraculous cures. According to Fernán Pavía Farrera, a historian from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, such traditions may have spread to the Americas through the cult of the Spanish Saint Pascual Bailon (also called San Pascualito and Santo de los Pobres), who lived from 17 May 1540 until 17 May 1592. San Pascualito reportedly appeared in visions to indigenous peoples in Valle de Guatemala during a plague in 1601, for which he was attributed with healing miracles. He became known as a “protector of the Indians” [protector de los indios]. His image was venerated in the form of a crowned skeleton.^[53]

The San Pascualito theory is especially interesting because of another unofficial Latin American saint, Maximón, also known as San Simón. Maximón is a roguish entity worshipped in approximately 20 places in Guatemala. He is a pseudo-deification of the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado,^[54] who seems to have been synchronized with the Mayan underworld deity, Maam,^[55] or Rilaj Maam, who is the “most revered god of the Tzutuhil pantheon,”^[56] and is found among Mayan descendants, notably the Quiches and Tzutuhiles of Guatemala. Like San Pascualito, he is associated, in particular, with Holy Week celebrations.^[57] Like Santa Muerte, Maximón is worshipped by leaving offerings of candles, alcohol, tobacco, candy, or personal items.^[58] Also like Santa Muerte, Maximón is a patron of people on the fringe of the society – in Maximón’s case, drunkards and gamblers.^[59] Consequently, Maximón shares a similar geography and seasonal association with Santa Muerte’s likely progenitor as well as a similarity in method of worship and followers with Santa Muerte herself.

Figure 14 Shrine to Maximón^[60]

Regardless of how it may have originated, the cult has become a major phenomenon only recently. According to Blanquita Tamez, a practitioner of the cult from Monterrey, Nuevo León, her grandmother was a Santa Muerte devotee.^[61] This suggests that the cult has been around since at least the mid-20^th century. It spread more rapidly in Mexico during the mid-1960s.^[62] It appeared in Hidalgo in 1965. It also established roots in Mexico State, Guerrero, Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Campeche, Morelos, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, and the Federal District, especially the barrio of Tepito.^[63]

Although they are prima facie contradictory, the different accounts Santa Muerte’s history are still telling because what practitioners choose to believe about their cult’s history is in many ways as interesting as what its true origins may be. They also have certain themes in common. The cult is associated with indigenous peoples, blending Catholic and pagan beliefs. The cult is associated with people on the fringe of Mexican society – slaves, indigenous peoples, the poor, and criminals.

Figure 15 Aerial Photograph of Tepito Market^[64]

The Goddess of Tepito

Mexico City appears to be the hub of the Santa Muerte cult, with ten shrines. These include one shrine at 12 Alfarería Street (between Mineros Street and Panaderos Street), a shrine at the corner of Matamoros and Peralvillo Streets, another at Villa de Guadalupe in the Plaza del Peregrino, a fourth at 16 Canarias Street, another shrine at 352 Retrograbados Street in Colonia 20 de Noviembre, and a sixth at the Parrish of the Suffering and Sanctuary of Santa Muerte at 35 Bravo Street, Colonia Morelos.^[65] There are reportedly at least four shrines at other locations in the city^[66] and 120 altars where her figure is venerated.^[67]

Within Mexico City itself, these shrines are concentrated within one particular neighborhood: Tepito. Tepito is not just any neighborhood, however. Also known as Tepis, Tepiscoloya, and Tepistock, Tepito is without doubt the most infamous barrio in Mexico. Its tough reputation dates back to pre-Hispanic times. The neighborhood market is the black market – knockoff goods, drugs, and weapons are sold openly on the street. The police are seen as unable to control the crime.^[68] Indeed, it is in the poverty and desperation that her cult seems to thrive.^[69] Thus, the very heart of the cult is a place associated with poverty, crime, and defiance.

Santa Muerte is not limited to Tepito, however. There are at least 35 different locations in Mexico where Santa Muerte is venerated and where her skeletal figure is paraded. There are also twelve locations where Santa Muerte pilgrimages take place.^[70] Increasingly, the cult is appearing along the border, where it seems to have reached almost every town.^[71] Such a spread, from the heart of Mexico City to various border communities, conveniently coincides with the routes of illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

The Lord of the Rings

The Santa Muerte cult appears to have little, if any, official organization. However, one personality is at the forefront of the cult. Monsignor David Romo Guillén, 47, AKA the Lord of the Rings (El Señor de los Anillos) is the Archbishop and Primate of the so-called Mexican-U.S. Catholic Apostolic Traditional Church (Católica Apostólica Tradicional México-USA AKA la Iglesia Católica Tradicionalista Mex-USA). Romo is a married father of five and a veteran of the Mexican Air Force, in which he claims to have served as an administrator. He is also the self-professed leader and guardian of the Santa Muerte cult. Since 2002, he has been leading masses at the National Sanctuary of Santa Muerte, located at Bravo 35 in the in Venustian Carranza delegation. Romo now boasts an attendance of 200-300 parishioners, mostly youths, at each mass. Many of these youths dress up in costumes for the occasion.^[72] The masses are held at midnight.^[73]

Figure 16 David Romo Guillén^[74]

Figure 17 A Worshipper inside the
Santa Muerte National Sanctuary^[75]

Figure 18 David Romo Guillén^[76]

“Approximately 80 or 90 people [visit] daily, coming with their families, alone, or with companions. Likewise, we have an attendance of 200 or 300 persons twice weekly,” states Romo.^[77] He estimates that there are one million followers of Santa Muerte in Mexico.^[78]

Romo is also an ardent defender of the cult. When José Guadalupe Martín Rábago, head of the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) (Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano), and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera described the Santa Muerte Cult as Satanic, Romo filed a defamation complaint before the Public Ministry (Ministerio Público). Martín stated that he would request the Interior Secretariat (SEGOB) (Secretaría de Gobernación), headed by Interior Secretary (Secretario de Gobernación) Santiago Creel Miranda, to review the process of religious registration. Romo then stated that the devotion to Santa Muerte was not different from devotion to saints in other churches. He argued that Santa Muerte was a tool for evangelizing people in the marginalized sectors of society just as the Virgin of Guadalupe was a vehicle for converting Native Americans. At the time, SEGOB refused to intervene.^[79]

In April 2005, however, despite a marches and protests by Santa Muerte adherents the previous month, SEGOB concluded in a 25-page resolution that the Santa Muerte Cult did not meet the qualifications for a religion and removed the Mexican-U.S. Catholic Apostolic Traditional Church from the list of recognized religions, citing theological doctrine dating back as far as the Council of Trent. Romo issued a call for Santa Muerte devotees to vote against Secretary Creel’s party, the National Action Party (PAN) (Partido Acción Nacional), and Creel himself in the 2006 Mexican Presidential Elections. Romo also began a series of meetings with Mexico City magistrates to promote social development and community service projects that would be undertaken by Santa Muerte adherents under the a new blanket organization, the National Association of Altars and Sanctuaries of Santa Muerte (Asociación Nacional de Altares y Santuarios de la Santa Muerte), which is effectively replacing the Mexican-U.S. Catholic Apostolic Traditional Church. The organization includes 100 of the 120 altars that display Santa Muerte in Mexico City.^[80]

The irony in this conflict is that the very forces that initially sought to stamp out the cult seem to have had no effect on the numbers of people participating in it. However, the legal action has generated a large amount of press attention, which has offered legitimacy to Romo. Although there has been no historic guidance or central organization for the Santa Muerte cult, a sense of unity and order may be in the process of being established. Romo, who seems to have been little more than a leader of a local group, may become the effective leader.

Santa Muerte Witnesses Violent Crimes

In 2004, the Santa Muerte shrine itself was the scene of a violent crime. Eber Lazcano Cortes AKA El Eber, 23, of Tepito, considered himself to be an expert knife-fighter, having killed two people with a knife and injured a Federal Investigative Agency (AFI) (Agencia Federal de Investigaciones) officer in Colonia Morelos. He purportedly learned knife fighting during a three-year sentence at the Northern Prison, where he claims he had to “kill to survive.” On 20 October 2004, Lacanzo, who had been making a living by washing cars, got into an argument with another car-washer, by the name of David. David’s brother-in-law, Pedro Vélez Ledezma, tried to calm things down, but Lazcano turned on him. At that point, some of Vélez’ relatives got involved and beat up Lazcano. Lazcano left, but came back with four friends, chased Vélez down, and, while his friends held him by the neck, Lazcano stabbed Vélez in the chest, killing him, in front of the Santa Muerte Chapel. On 14 November 2004, Federal District Preventive Police (Policías preventivos del Distrito Federal) officers tracked down Lazcano and arrested him for homicide.^[81]

This is not the only time that Santa Muerte has witnessed crime in front of her chapel. On 13 May 2005, unknown assailants in a grey Jeep Grand Cherokee chased a stolen white Audi driven by Oscar Alberto Garcia Angels AKA El Asesino [the Assassin], 25 and Oscar Adrian Gamboa Solis, 23, leaders of the gang Los Sapos, as well as another gang member named Raquel, 23. The chase occurred between Miguel Dominguez Street and Ferrocarril de Cintura Street in Tepito. During the pursuit, the occupants of the Jeep fired shots at the Audi. The Audi stopped at the Santa Muerte Chapel, where the Jeep’s occupants got out of their vehicle and continued firing, hitting Gamboa, in the head and chest and Garcia and Raquel in the neck. All three survived, but Raquel was later declared brain dead. Gamboa had been wanted for murder. The victims were allegedly involved in the killing of a rival cocaine trafficker; the attack was part of an ongoing gang war.^[82]

In both of these cases, a chase led to the Santa Muerte Chapel, where the crimes occurred. In the first case, it is unclear whether the victim fled to the Santa Muerte shrine, whether the perpetrator chose the shrine as the place to commit the crime, or whether it was the coincidental end of the chase. In the second case, it appears that the victims, themselves criminals, deliberately went to the shrine – perhaps to seek protection or asylum, or at least a fortified position. This seems likely, considering the context of Santa Muerte worship, which has an “unspoken rule that at Santa Muerte’s shrine, worshippers pray in safety by day and by night….”^[83]

According to Mexican author Homero Aridjis, “Santa Muerte not only protects (the criminals) from betrayal and ambush, but also can be an agent in their favor against enemies, causing them harm, or death.” She is a “virgin saint in the religion of crime.”^[84] Aridjis’ recent novel, Santa Muerte, is a fictionalization of what he alleges are actual events. In it, he states that he first discovered the cult while attending a party attended by drug traffickers and corrupt government officials in the 1990s. He became fascinated with the cult, researched it, and wrote the novel.^[85]

Despite their hopes, in both of the above cases, Santa Muerte’s shrine did not provide protection. However, other devotees claim that she has afforded them sanctuary. Salvador Cuellar, a 33-year-old mechanic, claims to have been threatened by people who wanted to kill him. Once he invoked Santa Muerte, this changed. “I believe in the Virgin and other saints,” said Cuellar. “But the one who has helped me more is the Santa Muerte.”^[86]

Prisoners Pray to Santa Muerte

Convicted criminals also pray to Santa Muerte for help and protection. Eduardo Martinez, 22, was recently released from the Eastern Prison in the Federal District, where he had served two years during his trial for armed robbery. When he was down to four months remaining on his sentence, guards found “a 45 cm piece of iron in the shape of a knife” in his cell. Martinez, understanding that the punishment for possession of a contraband weapon was a sentence extension of six months, prayed to Santa Muerte, “I asked not to be given more time because I only had four months left. I said to her that I would offer her my skin, and that was going to be the first tattoo that there would be on my skin. Then, after five days, she freed me and I did not have any more punishment – I was totally acquitted. For me, it was a miracle.” His acquittal was not simply acquittal from the contraband possession charge – he seems to have been acquitted of the robbery for which he had been convicted. The authorities apologized. However, this was not his only charge. He also called upon Santa Muerte for assistance in another trial on a similar charge. He offered to abstain from drugs for two years and light two candles to Santa Muerte in each of her chapels. He credited her with two miracles, stating, “The Lord Jesus Christ is my only savior and the Virgin is his mother, but the only one certain is Santa Muerte.”^[87]

Martínez is not alone in such sentiments. On 12 October 2003, 41 convicted drug traffickers, murderers, thieves, and rapists were granted early release from the Federal District’s East Prison (Reclusorio Oriente) for good behavior. One of those released was Jesús González Ochoa, 26, of Peralvillo and Libertad Streets, in Tepito. González had five previous convictions for robbing passersby. Unlike his fellow parolees, González had no one present to greet him. His family was unaware of, or uninterested in, his release. He had no money, but he kissed an amulet of Santa Muerte that he kept next to his heart. A stranger gave him 50 pesos to pay his way home. He used it to buy beer, stating, “Now, yes, I am free.”^[88]

The Skeleton in the Family Closet Was Santa Muerte

Some Santa Muerte practitioners have taken their worship to the extreme. On 19 May 1999, Preventive Police arrested Inocencio García López, along with his wife, Luisa Martínez Aguilar, and his two sons, Raúl Paulino Martínez Aguilar and Raúl Ramírez Aguilar, for the murder of José Trinidad Silva Leyva and the wounding of Alfredo Lugos Olmedo in the city center of Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, as part of an ongoing dispute. García was sentenced to 38 years incarceration; his wife and sons were each sentenced two 32½ years. In October 2004, García committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell. In a suicide note, he left financial information to cover the cost of his burial. He also accused his wife of having an affair with another prisoner and blamed this for his suicide. On the back of a photograph of his wife, taken when she was pregnant, he accused her of being culpable in the death of a certain Francisco Barragán Moreno. He also wrote a prayer to Santa Muerte, asking her to be with him in his suicide.^[89]

García’s case is not the only one of a suicide linked to Santa Muerte. Javier Hernández Pacheco, a devotee of Santa Muerte, hanged himself from a tree in his patio while his four-year-old son watched. The suicide occurred on 13 July 2005, when his wife, Lilia Esperanza Murillo Santiago, left him and their four-year-old son, Didier Hernández Murillo, at their home in Colonia Leandor Valle in the municipality of Kanasín, Yucatán, while she went shopping for groceries. After returning home, she realized that she had forgotten something. She asked her husband to take Didier inside while she returned to the store to buy a soft drink. When she returned later, she saw her son standing in the doorway. He told her that his father was hanging in the patio. When she entered, she found her husband hanging from the clothesline. According to the boy, his father had asked him to wait in his room while he prayed to his Godmother [Madrina]. Didier went to his room but, hearing strange sounds from the patio, looked outside to see his father hang himself. Lilia stated that her husband had been acting strangely recently; she attributed his suicide to his Santa Muerte practices.^[90]

Both of these suicides stand out as examples of how Santa Muerte can enable activities that are otherwise socially unacceptable. Since suicide is completely unacceptable in Christianity, no Catholic saint could be called upon for a blessing in such an act. With Santa Meurte, these individuals were able to find a spiritual being who would allow – and therefore possibly enable – their deaths. Such reasoning is easily transferable to other sinful and probably illegal acts.

Criminals Carry Accoutrements of Santa Muerte

If Santa Muerte is associated with one crime in particular, it seems to be kidnapping. An example of this occurred on 22 March 2005, when personnel from office of the Assistant Attorney General for Specialized Investigations into Organized Crime (SIEDO) (Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada) and AFI in the Colonia La Nopalera, Iztapalapa Delegation, Mexico City, arrested six individuals that were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a minor in Morelos. Among those arrested was businessman Francisco Miguel Cerqueda López AKA El Mickey, 33. Cerqueda was a resident of the San Rafael Atlixco Habitation Unit, Building B-9, Suite 101, in Colonia Zapotitlán, Tláhuac Delegation, Mexico City. He was identified as the gang’s leader. Also arrested was businessman Cruz Ramírez Sánchez AKA El Cruz, 28. Ramírez resided at 23 Arnulfo R. Gómez Street, in Colonia Caracol. He allegedly made telephone calls to victims’ families. Another arrested member of the gang was businessman Víctor Manuel Pérez Ibarra AKA El Chino, 32. He resided at Hidalgo Unit No. 10, Building 3-C, Suite 303, in the Azcapotzalco Delegation. Pérez guarded the victims. He also maintained a safe house at 5890 Tláhuac Avenue, in Colonia La Nopalera, Tláhuac Delegation. A fourth member of the gang was businessman Marcos Martínez Ruiz AKA El Tala, 29. He lived at 106 Ramos Millán Sur Street, in the Iztacalco Delegation. Like Pérez, Martínez guarded victims. He also directly participated in the kidnappings. The fifth arrested gang member was Gerardo de la Torre Guizado AKA El Gerad, 30, a blue-collar worker of an unspecified trade from 20 Galicia Street, in Colonia Cerro de la Estrella, Iztapalapa Delegation. He also guarded the victims. The final arrested member of the gang was janitor José Luis Palma Bermejo AKA El Pelón, 27. Palma lived at an unnumbered residence at Mar de las Crisis Street and Montes Apeninos Street, in Colonia Selene, Tláhuac Delegation. Palma was responsible for casing the victims. While carrying out the arrests, the agents also seized a red, 1993 Chevrolet Hunter pickup without license plates that was registered to Liliana Hernández Martínez, a grey Chevrolet Astro SUV without license plates, A 9mm Glock pistol with registration number MN656, 93 9mm rounds, $(USD) 73,740.00 cash, eight cellular telephones of various brands, and six identification credentials.

At one point, the operation was nearly interrupted by Federal District SSP officers. The Office of the Federal Attorney General (PGR) (Procuraduria General de la Republica) initially blamed the mistake on poor inter-agency coordination^[91] and began an investigation. SIEDO personnel interrogated 70 Preventive Police (Policías Preventivos) Officers from the Federal District Public Safety Office (SSPDF) (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Distrito Federal). SIEDO was concerned about whether police had been providing protection to drug trafficking and kidnapping gangs, leading to conflict between the agencies.^[92]

Figure 19 Martínez’ Tattoos

Figure 20 Ramirez’ Tattoos

Figure 21 Pérez’ Tattoo

The arrest report filed by the PGR included photographs of the arrestees. Most of these are standard mug shots with the word detenido [arrested] superimposed, which is frequently the procedure of the PGR Internet site. One of these photos shows a tattoo on Perez’ left shoulder blade, covering most of it. The tattoo is a large image of Death, covered in a shawl or hood, brandishing a scythe in what appears to be a threatening manner. Although the resolution is poor, it appears that there is a halo or crown around the head of Death, suggesting that it is very likely Santa Muerte. Other photos in the report show tattoos on Martinez and Ramirez. The images are of too low a resolution to be certain, but the tattoo on the upper left side of Martinez’ chest may also be a figure of Death holding a scythe.

In December 2004, Public Safety personnel conducted an operation at the intersection of Paseo de las Cañadas and Aztecas Streets in the Monraz housing estate in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The officers arrested José Gil Caro Quintero AKA José Luis Reyes Hernández, José Belem Mendoza Flores AKA José Delem Mendoza Flores, Francisco Rodríguez Ayala AKA Franciso Rodríguez Ayala, Paul Villa Araujo AKA Julio César Lazcano Salazar, and Óscar Meza Alvarado on drug trafficking charges. The five suspects were allegedly core members of the gang Los Norteños, which operated in Jalisco, Morelos, and Veracruz. At the time of their arrests, the alleged gang members were traveling aboard two vehicles: A black, armored 2002 BMW X5 with electric locks and door handles and a gray, 2005 Volvo XC90. At the scene, the arresting officers seized four Kenwood portable radios, a magazine pouch, four magazines, 22 7.62 caliber rounds, a Colt .22, a .45 and two .38 Specials. One of the .38 Specials was encrusted with a Santa Muerte figure in gold and gems.^[93]

Julio César Cortazar, 26, and Jorge Oswaldo González Barra, 20, boarded a passenger bus at the intersection of Avenida de Tlalpan and Periférico, on the edge of the Tlalpan delegation of Mexico City, in February 2004. One of them drew a Titan .25 caliber pistol and demanded the passengers surrender their valuables. The two took the money, struck the driver, threatened the passengers, and fled the scene. One of the passengers flagged down nearby Federal Preventive Police (PFP) (Policía Federal Preventiva) officers, who pursued César and González to the intersection of Moctezuma and Fuentes streets, in the Toriello Guerra colonia. One of the suspects fired at the police officers with the pistol multiple times, but the officers managed to arrest the two. The police officers found cash, valuables, and identification belonging to the bus passengers. Both of the suspects exhibited tattoos of Santa Muerte on various parts of their bodies. They also wore rings and were carrying votive jewelry (dijes or milagros) depicting the Santa Muerte.^[94]

Santa Muerte Has Following in Major Criminal Organizations

It is not mere street thugs who are practitioners of the Santa Muerte cult. At least two incidents associated with Osiel Cárdenas Guillén’s powerful Gulf Cartel have been crowned by the presence of Santa Muerte paraphernalia. The first incident occurred on 09 April 2001, when the Mexican Army raided a mansion in a Tamaulipas village. The residence belonged to Gilberto García Mena AKA El June, a Gulf Cartel cell leader who was fascinated by the mysterious and who mutilated his enemies. The soldiers arrested García when they found him hiding in a secret, underground chamber in the house. While searching the property, the agents discovered a hut in his garden, which served as a chapel. Inside, they found a stature of Santa Muerte surrounded by candles and offerings that García had given in hopes of power and protection.^[95]

More recently, in August 2004, Mexican Army personnel raided a house located at 510 Montañas Rocallosas Street and Montes Cárpatos Street, in the Lomas de Virreyes colonia, a residential area of Mexico City. The house had been used by members of the Gulf Cartel as a laboratory to process cocaine before shipping the drug to Tamaulipas [and, presumably, on to the U.S.]. They had been renting the house for at least three months. There, amid posters of bikini-clad and nude women, computers, and various bottles of liquor, was an altar with several amulets to St. Jude as well as an amulet to Santa Muerte.^[96]

A singular incident involving a Gulf Cartel member who happened to be a devotee of Santa Muerte would be interest but of little real concern. The appearance of cult items in separate incidents, one near the U.S. border and one in Mexico City, three years apart suggests that the cult may pervade the cartel.

In addition to the major drug cartels, the cult also seems to have reached the infamous Latin American youth gangs. On 27 March 2005, Milenio journalist Juan Dios Garcia Davish published an interview with Carlos Eduardo Pavon AKA El Cuervo, a Honduran citizen and a leader of the gang Mara Salvatrucha AKA MS-13. At the time of the interview, Pavon was incarcerated in the Tapachula State Prison in Tapachula, Chiapas. He had been arrested in December 2003. During the interview, Pavon accused the news media of publishing lies about Mara Salvatrucha. While carrying a wallet with the image of Santa Muerte, Pavon denied apparent allegations that his gang is Satanic, stating, “You are not satanic just because you leave a couple of candles lit. We only believe in God. No one else, not even in Our Lady of Guadalupe.” However, Pavon then laughed at the interviewer. He later revealed the tattoos on his back, which included a large “MS13”, male and female clown faces, the words “Satanic Member”, and a skeletal hand of death.^[97]

In the interview, Pavon was not defending and commenting about himself. He was speaking about his gang cell and, probably, the Mara Salvatrucha as a whole. He used the word “we” when denying Satanic practices, implying that many or all of the gang members were accused of following allegedly Satanic rites – in this case, Santa Muerte. His denials were obviously facetious, however, because of his tattoo that plainly stated, “Satanic Member.” This is also probably the only case of a direct link between Santa Muerte practice and Satanism.

Perhaps the most infamous case involving Santa Muerte occurred on 18 August 1998. Agents of Mexico State’s Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) (Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado de México), in coordination with personnel from the Anti-Terrorism Team and Center for Political Investigations and National Security (GAT-CISEN) (Grupo Antiterrorismo y Centro de Investigaciones Políticas y Seguridad Nacional) and the Federal Attorney General’s (PGR) (Procuraduría General de la Republica) Anti-Organized Crime Unit (Unidad Contra el Crimen Organizado), conducted operations in the municipalities of Tultepec and Naucalpan in Mexico State. During the operations, the officers arrested Daniel Arizmendi López AKA El Mochaorejas as well as members of his gang, including Rafael Arturo Dicante Rosales, Juan Ramón Frutos Aguilar, Ernesto Mendoza, Miguel Armando Morgan Hernández, Rafael Noguez Yañez, Raymundo Jiménez Hernández, Dulce Paz Vanegas, and Flor Camelia Vanegas Martínez.^[98] Arizmendi was one of the most notorious and brutal kidnappers in Mexican history. He and his gang kidnapped 24 people, holding them for ransom while sending ransom notes to victims’ family members along with the victims’ severed ears, thereby receiving payments totaling over $(USD) 40 million.^[99] During the operation, the arresting officers found Arizmendi hiding in his bathroom, where they also found an altar to Santa Muerte.^[100] Arizmendi asked the arresting officers for permission to take the statue with him; they granted the request. He took the statue with him when he was remanded to the La Palma Maximum Security Prison.^[101] Officers later learned that part of the gang’s routine was to offer supplications to Santa Muerte.^[102]

Santa Muerte on the U.S. Border

Illegal migrants have been praying to Santa Muerte, carrying images of Santa Muerte in their clothing and giving thanks to her for their crossing.^[103] It is through these illegal migrants that Santa Muerte seems to be spreading to the U.S.^[104] The spread of the cult across the border was predicted by Homero Aridjis.^[105]

In some ways, Santa Muerte is a logical choice of patron for would-be illegal migrants. Crossing the border is often dangerous, simply because of the terrain, and illegal migrants must consider the risk of death when preparing for their journeys. Furthermore, illegal migrants frequently come under the criminal influence if not guidance of human smugglers and drug traffickers. Finally, the action itself is by definition a crime, an action for which a person might not expect a traditional saint to offer protection.

Some criminals seem to treat Santa Muerte with a respect that they do not extend to other religious figures. According to the Mexican newspaper La Cronica, in the late 1990s, the family of Eugenio Hernández Vara financed the construction of a chapel to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The chapel was built eight kilometers from the town of Anáhuac, on the side of the highway leading to Nuevo Laredo. Hernández’ family had the chapel built to serve the pilgrims who frequently travel the road. The chapel was also used by local farmers, who used the chapel to pray for rain and good crops. Located nearby was an altar dedicated to Santa Muerte, who is believed to be venerated by drug traffickers that also use the road. In April 2004, unknown vandals destroyed the Chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe. However, they left the Santa Muerte altar in pristine condition.^[106]

The motive for the shrine desecration is unknown. It may have been perpetrated by Santa Muerte devotees. It may also have been a random act of vandalism. If the latter is the case, the fact that Santa Muerte was left untouched is a telling indicator of the nature of the cult. Unlike the Virgin of Guadalupe, who represents forgiveness, Santa Muerte is an entity associated with, among other things, revenge. The vandals may have feared incurring a curse or, at least, the vengeance of the drug traffickers and smugglers who adore Santa Muerte.

The location of the shrine is also telling. Anáhuac is not a major metropolitan area but it is located on one of only three major highways leading into Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Nuevo Laredo is one of the most notorious cities on the U.S. border. It is situated across the border from Laredo, Texas, which is the starting point of Interstate 35 – the major north-south corridor leading into the United States. This geography makes it a natural chokepoint for overland shipping between the two countries, a fact evinced by a high-volume of truck traffic through the Nuevo Laredo Ports of Entry. Consequently, it is a strategic location for smuggling, which contributes to the high-levels of crime and violence in the region. The Santa Muerte shrine is, therefore, conveniently situated to serve the needs of smugglers and other criminals about to cross the border. It is also a convenient location for smugglers to offer dedications of thanksgiving after crossing into Mexico.

The Patron Saint of Crime

People give numerous reasons for giving offerings to Santa Muerte. Some still consider themselves Catholic. Some say that they are disillusioned with traditional Catholicism. Others say that Santa Muerte has granted miracles and favors that other saints have not.^[107] Still others claim that they find Santa Muerte more welcoming because she does not distinguish between good and evil practitioners.^[108]

Increasingly, many of the devotees of Santa Muerte are being described as ordinary, working-class people, rather than the criminals with which the cult has traditionally been associated. Among those would be taxi driver Mario Juarez, claiming that Santa Muerte offered “a little more protection” in rough neighborhoods.^[109] Carmen González Hernández, a grandmother from Tepito, prayed to Santa Muerte for help raising her grandchildren, whose father was in prison. Hayde Solís Cárdenas, prayed to Santa Muerte for help running her business after her son left, abandoning her grandson with her. She worked with loan sharks and smugglers, selling stolen tennis shoes.^[110] Isiel Alvarado, a welder, prayed to Santa Muerte for delivering his brother from prison. Subway janitor Maria Carrillo, prayed to Santa Muerte for help raising her four grandchildren, abandoned by their mother, who ran away. At the ages of seven and nine, respectively, Marisa Adriana Ruiz and Carla Patricia Reyes prayed to Santa Muerte for the release of their fathers from prison. Gonzalo Urbano prayed to Santa Muerte because he believed she restored his son’s vision.^[111]

Although not all of these individuals are criminals themselves, it would be misleading to describe them as independent of crime. In most cases, they are still people whose lives are touched, if not dominated by crime. Although not crimes of their own, the crimes are committed by family members, neighbors, or people with whom they interact daily.

Conclusion

Because its practitioners do not seem to seek any spiritual enlightenment, simply favors and rewards, the cult of Santa Muerte is probably best described as not so much a religion as an esoteric practice wrapped in the trappings of a religious movement. Although it may have been around for a considerable time, it appears to have been spreading more rapidly, particularly within the last decade. Efforts to truncate its growth may actually be encouraging it. It has historically been diffused but is becoming increasingly organized, especially in Mexico City.

Tepito has been and will likely continue to be the center of the organized cult. It is growing throughout other parts of Mexico, particularly at the U.S border. It appears to command respect and have considerable influence upon its practitioners.

The Santa Muerte cult is anti-establishment and appears to glorify criminal behavior. Although not all members of the cult are criminals, all live an existence that is dominated by crime. The cult seems to be linked closely to prisons, prisoners, and family members of prisoners. It is also associated with at least two organized criminal groups – the Gulf Cartel and the Mara Salvatrucha. Although it does not appear that most practitioners would commit crimes on behalf of the cult, some criminals might use it as an impetus to commit a crime or to increase the scale and violence of their crimes. Furthermore, because of the inherent danger in crime, the invocation of death itself as patron has a manifest appeal.

The website of a Santa Muerte practitioner describes the Santa Muerte as, “a symbol that identifies people who live between the legal and the illegal, but it can also be found in high levels of society.”^[112] It is a veritable embodiment of the sense of dissatisfaction, exclusion, isolation, and despair among the marginalized in Mexican society. As long as these appear to be conditions of life in Mexico and Latin America and among Latin American communities in the U.S., the cult of Santa Muerte will almost certainly continue to prosper.

* For questions or original articles, contact FMSO-JRIC Analyst, 913/684-5613 or mswcbtm@center.osis.gov

^[1] Brian Helgeland, Man on Fire, 10 February 2003, http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Man-On-Fire.html 22 July 2005; Man on Fire cast, Movies.com, 2004, http://movies.go.com/filmography/credits?movie_id=45370 22 July 2005.

^[2] Sergio González Rodríguez, “La subcultura del narco: La santísima veleidosa” [The Drug Trafficker’s Subculture: The Capricious Saint], Reforma, 18 October 2001, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatS&file=MEX/REFORM01/00198/00198220.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 22 July 2005.

^[3] “Santa Muerte”, Trekearth.com, 02 January 2005, http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/Mexico/photo124738.htm 22 July 2005.

^[4] “Saint Death Offers Mexicans Solace”, Taipei Times, 15 May 2004, http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/05/15/2003155572 22 July 2005;

Diego Cevallos, “‘Saint Death’ Sought for Blessing in Endless War”, Inter Press Service Asia-Pacific, 06 February 2004, http://www.ipsnews.co.th/anmviewer.asp?a=1382&z=94&faces=1 22 July 2005;

Nadia Tate, “Paying Tribute to Death”, amcham.com, May 2004, http://www.amcham.com.mx/hotissues/20mayo/tribute.html 22 July 2005.

Reed Johnson with Froylan Encisco, “A ‘Saint’ of Last Resort”, Los Angeles Times, 24 March 2004, http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=3851 and http://freejesus.net/home/viewtopic.php?t=3885 22 July 2005.

^[5] Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloë Sayer, The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico (Austin: University of Texas Press in cooperation with British Museum Press, 1991) 58-71.

^[6] “Catrina”, Trekearth.com, 07 June 2003, http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/Mexico/photo7291.htm 22 July 2005.

^[7] Michael Marizco, “Some shun Mexican drug ballads, but narcocorridos remain popular”, Arizona Daily Star, 13 March 2005, http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/border/65388.php 24 July 2005.

^[8] Dale Palfrey, “The Day of the Dead”, Mexico Connect, 1995, http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/muertos.html 22 July 2005.

^[9] Eduardo López Loyola, “La Santa Muerte vive en México” [Santa Muerte Lives in Mexico], Univision Online, 30 July 2003, http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=242599#1 22 July 2005;

“Falsos ‘Santos’” [False “Saints”], Bienaventuranzas.net, 2005, http://www.bienaventuranzas.net/ensenanzas/santos/falsos_santos.html 22 July 2005.

Juan Ambrosio, La Santa Muerte Biografía y Culto: Ventiséis rituals personales para consequir salud, dinero y amor [Santa Muerte Biography and Cult: Twenty-Six Personal Rituals to Obtain Health, Money, and Love], (Mexico City: Martínez Roca México, 2003) 109.

^[10] Eduardo López Loyola, “La Santa Muerte vive en México” [Santa Muerte Lives in Mexico], Univision Online, 30 July 2003, http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=242599#1 22 July 2005.

^[11] Alfredo Magaña, “Santa Muerte, ‘Protectora’ de Criminales”, 30 May 2003, http://www.lacrisis.com.mx/delincuentes300503.htm 22 July 2005.

^[12] Mariana Castro Duarte, “La santa de los perseguidos” [The saint of the persecuted], Periódico a.m., 11 September 2004, http://www.am.com.mx/nota.asp?ID=41490 22 July 2005;

^[13] Reed Johnson with Froylan Encisco, “A ‘Saint’ of Last Resort”, Los Angeles Times, 24 March 2004, http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=3851 and http://freejesus.net/home/viewtopic.php?t=3885 22 July 2005.

^[14] “Falsos ‘Santos’” [False “Saints”], Bienaventuranzas.net, 2005, http://www.bienaventuranzas.net/ensenanzas/santos/falsos_santos.html 22 July 2005;

^[15] Juan Ambrosio, La Santa Muerte Biografía y Culto: Ventiséis rituals personales para consequir salud, dinero y amor [Santa Muerte Biography and Cult: Twenty-Six Personal Rituals to Obtain Health, Money, and Love], (Mexico City: Martínez Roca México, 2003) 5-15.

^[16] Eduardo López Loyola, “La Santa Muerte vive en México” [Santa Muerte Lives in Mexico], Univision Online, 30 July 2003, http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=242599#1 22 July 2005;

“Falsos ‘Santos’” [False “Saints”], Bienaventuranzas.net, 2005, http://www.bienaventuranzas.net/ensenanzas/santos/falsos_santos.html 22 July 2005.

^[17] Alfredo Magaña, “Santa Muerte, ‘Protectora’ de Criminales”, 30 May 2003, http://www.lacrisis.com.mx/delincuentes300503.htm 22 July 2005.

^[18] Alfredo Magaña, “Santa Muerte, ‘Protectora’ de Criminales”, 30 May 2003, http://www.lacrisis.com.mx/delincuentes300503.htm 22 July 2005.

^[19] “Falsos ‘Santos’” [False “Saints”], Bienaventuranzas.net, 2005, http://www.bienaventuranzas.net/ensenanzas/santos/falsos_santos.html 22 July 2005.

^[20] Mariana Castro Duarte, “La santa de los perseguidos” [The saint of the persecuted], Periódico a.m., 11 September 2004, http://www.am.com.mx/nota.asp?ID=41490 22 July 2005;

^[21] Reed Johnson with Froylan Encisco, “A ‘Saint’ of Last Resort”, Los Angeles Times, 24 March 2004, http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=3851 and http://freejesus.net/home/viewtopic.php?t=3885 22 July 2005.

^[22] Enrique Francisco Aguirre Morales, La Santa Muerte, 2005, http://mx.geocities.com/e_franciscomx/LaSantaMuerte.html 22 July 2005.

Alfredo Magaña, “Santa Muerte, ‘Protectora’ de Criminales”, 30 May 2003, http://www.lacrisis.com.mx/delincuentes300503.htm 22 July 2005;

Ricardo Pacheco Colín, “El culto a la Santa Muerte llega a Los Angeles y Sudamérica” [The cult of Santa Muerte Arrives in Los Angeles and South America], La Cronica de Hoy, 15 August 2004, http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?idc=139132 22 July 2005;

Mariana Castro Duarte, “Adoran la Muerte” [The Adore Death], Periódico a.m., 11 September 2004, http://www.am.com.mx/nota.asp?ID=41517 22 July 2005.

^[23] “Candle Colors and Meanings”, Collegewicca.com, 1998, http://www.collegewicca.com/BOSfiles/candles.html 22 July 2005;

“How to Practice Hoodoo Candle Magic”, Luckymojo.com, 1995, http://www.luckymojo.com/candlemagic.html 22 July 2005.

^[24] Humberto Padgett, “Gana ‘Santa Muerte’ espacio en La Villa” [Santa Muerte Gets a Place in La Villa], Reforma, 01 July 2004, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatSP&file=reformacom/2004/ciudad/articulo/421777/default.htm&palabra=santisima%20muerte&sitereforma 19 July 2005.

^[25] Laura Castellanos and José Carlos González, “La Santa de los desesperados” [The saint of the desperate], Jornada, 09 May 2004, http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2004/may04/040509/mas-santa.html 22 July 2005.

^[26] Humberto Padgett, “Gana ‘Santa Muerte’ espacio en La Villa” [Santa Muerte Gets a Place in La Villa], Reforma, 01 July 2004, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatSP&file=reformacom/2004/ciudad/articulo/421777/default.htm&palabra=santisima%20muerte&sitereforma 19 July 2005.

^[27] Laura Castellanos and José Carlos González, “La Santa de los desesperados” [The saint of the desperate], Jornada, 09 May 2004, http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2004/may04/040509/mas-santa.html 22 July 2005.

^[28] Laura Castellanos and José Carlos González, “La Santa de los desesperados” [The saint of the desperate], Jornada, 09 May 2004, http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2004/may04/040509/mas-santa.html 22 July 2005.

^[29] Laura Castellanos and José Carlos González, “La Santa de los desesperados” [The saint of the desperate], Jornada, 09 May 2004, http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2004/may04/040509/mas-santa.html 22 July 2005.

^[30] “Saint Death Offers Mexicans Solace”, Taipei Times, 15 May 2004, http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/05/15/2003155572 22 July 2005

^[31] “Santa Muerte”, Notiver, 31 October 2004, http://www.notiver.com.mx/archivo_notiver/octubre/041031/html/12local.html 19 July 2005.

^[32] Humberto Padgett, “Gana ‘Santa Muerte’ espacio en La Villa” [Santa Muerte Gets a Place in La Villa], Reforma, 01 July 2004, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatSP&file=reformacom/2004/ciudad/articulo/421777/default.htm&palabra=santisima%20muerte&sitereforma 19 July 2005.

^[33] Reed Johnson with Froylan Encisco, “A ‘Saint’ of Last Resort”, Los Angeles Times, 24 March 2004, http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=3851 and http://freejesus.net/home/viewtopic.php?t=3885 22 July 2005.

^[34] Juan Ambrosio, La Santa Muerte Biografía y Culto: Ventiséis rituals personales para consequir salud, dinero y amor [Santa Muerte Biography and Cult: Twenty-Six Personal Rituals to Obtain Health, Money, and Love], (Mexico City: Martínez Roca México, 2003) 67-71.

^[35] Juan Ambrosio, La Santa Muerte Biografía y Culto: Ventiséis rituals personales para consequir salud, dinero y amor [Santa Muerte Biography and Cult: Twenty-Six Personal Rituals to Obtain Health, Money, and Love], (Mexico City: Martínez Roca México, 2003) 67-71

^[36] Enrique Francisco Aguirre Morales, La Santa Muerte, 2005, http://mx.geocities.com/e_franciscomx/LaSantaMuerte.html 22 July 2005;

^[37] Humberto Padgett, “Gana ‘Santa Muerte’ espacio en La Villa” [Santa Muerte Gets a Place in La Villa], Reforma, 01 July 2004, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatSP&file=reformacom/2004/ciudad/articulo/421777/default.htm&palabra=santisima%20muerte&sitereforma 19 July 2005.

^[38] Alfredo Magaña, “Santa Muerte, ‘Protectora’ de Criminales”, 30 May 2003, http://www.lacrisis.com.mx/delincuentes300503.htm 22 July 2005.

^[39] Alfredo Magaña, “Santa Muerte, ‘Protectora’ de Criminales”, 30 May 2003, http://www.lacrisis.com.mx/delincuentes300503.htm 22 July 2005.

^[40] Red Santa Muerte [Santa Muerte Network], 2005, http://www.santamuerte.galeon.com/cvitae470270.html 22 July 2005.

^[41] Jorge Luis Zarazúa Campa, “El Culto a la Santa Muerte” [The Cult of Santa Muerte], Periodismocatólico.com, 22 October 2003, http://www.periodismocatolico.com/archivo/b031022/06.htm 22 July 2005.

For discussion of Mictlán, Mictlantecuhtli, and Mictecacíhuatl, see Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloë Sayer, The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico (Austin: University of Texas Press in cooperation with British Museum Press, 1991) 25-35.

^[42] Red Santa Muerte [Santa Muerte Network], 2005, http://www.santamuerte.galeon.com/cvitae470270.html 22 July 2005.

^[43] “Mictlantecuhtli from Museo del Templo Mayor, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e História, México”, [Mictlantecuhtli, from the Major Temple Museum, Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History], Arizona State University Department of Archaeology, 14 January 1998, http://archaeology.asu.edu/tm/pages2/mtm22.htm 22 July 2005

^[44] “Mictlantecuhtli”, Movimiento Estudiantil Xicano de Aztlan, 2001, http://www.calstatela.edu/orgs/mecha/gallery_1/17.jpg 22 July 2005.

^[45] “Mictecacíhuatl”, Movimiento Estudiantil Xicano de Aztlan, 2001, http://www.calstatela.edu/orgs/mecha/gallery_1/18.jpg 22 July 2005.

^[46] Jorge Luis Zarazúa Campa, “El Culto a la Santa Muerte” [The Cult of Santa Muerte], Periodismocatólico.com, 22 October 2003, http://www.periodismocatolico.com/archivo/b031022/06.htm 22 July 2005;

^[47] “Yewá”, Cubayoruba.cult.cu, 06 June 2001, http://www.cubayoruba.cult.cu/Textos/Yew%E1.htm 22 July 2005.

^[48] “Alternative Religion Profiles: Palo Mayombe”, Altreligion.about.com, 2005, http://altreligion.about.com/library/faqs/bl_palo.htm 22 July 2005;

^[49] Jorge Luis Zarazúa Campa, “El Culto a la Santa Muerte” [The Cult of Santa Muerte], Periodismocatólico.com, 22 October 2003, http://www.periodismocatolico.com/archivo/b031022/06.htm 22 July 2005;

^[50] “Oyá”, Fu Jen, 2005, http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/worldlit/caribbean/oya2.jpg 22 July 2005.

^[51] “Yewá”, Kasange, 09 August 2002, http://kasange.vilabol.uol.com.br/yewa.html 22 July 2005.

^[52] “Mamam Brigitte”, Folkart.com, 2005, http://www.folkart.com/catalog/maman_brigitte_4122029.htm 22 July 2005.

^[53] “Tradición Extranjera, El Culto Religioso a la Muerte” [Foreign Tradition, The Religious Cult to Death], Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y Las Artes [National Council for Culture and the Arts] 08 March 2004, http://www.conaculta.gob.mx/saladeprensa/2004/08mar/estudios.htm 22 July 2005.

^[54] Tim Hilliard, An Online Santuario to Maximón, June 2005, http://timshome.com/maximon/default.htm#Introduction 04 August 2005.

^[55] “Maximon”, Maya World, 02 February 2004, http://webs.lanset.com/bookfolk/mayan/maximon.htm 04 August 2005; Catherine Yronwode, “Maximón (A.K.A. San Simón of Guatemala)”, Luckymojo.com, 1995, http://www.luckymojo.com/maximon.html 04 August 2005.

^[56] Bernard Lowy, “Ethnomycological Inferences from Mushroom Stones, Maya Codices, and Tzutuhil Legend” Revista/Review Interamericana, Vol. 11(1), 94-103, 1980, http://www.samorini.net/doc/alt_aut/lr/lowy.htm, 04 August 2005.

^[57] “Maximon”, Sapper Construction Company, 27 October 1999, http://www.sapper.com/maximon.html 04 August 2005; “Maximon”, Maya World, 02 February 2004, http://webs.lanset.com/bookfolk/mayan/maximon.htm 04 August 2005.

^[58] “Maximón”, Prense Libre, 06 June 2004, http://timshome.com/maximon/Maximon_articulo.jpg 04 August 2005; “Maximon”, Sapper Construction Company, 27 October 1999, http://www.sapper.com/maximon.html 04 August 2005; “Maximon”, Maya World, 02 February 2004, http://webs.lanset.com/bookfolk/mayan/maximon.htm 04 August 2005; Tim Hilliard, An Online Santuario to Maximón, June 2005, http://timshome.com/maximon/default.htm#Introduction 04 August 2005; Enrique Francisco Aguirre Morales, La Santa Muerte, 2005, http://mx.geocities.com/e_franciscomx/LaSantaMuerte.html 22 July 2005; Juan Ambrosio, La Santa Muerte Biografía y Culto: Ventiséis rituals personales para consequir salud, dinero y amor [Santa Muerte Biography and Cult: Twenty-Six Personal Rituals to Obtain Health, Money, and Love], (Mexico City: Martínez Roca México, 2003) 67-71.

^[59] Catherine Yronwode, “Maximón (A.K.A. San Simón of Guatemala)”, Luckymojo.com, 1995, http://www.luckymojo.com/maximon.html 04 August 2005.

^[60] “Maximon”, Maya World, 02 February 2004, http://webs.lanset.com/bookfolk/mayan/maximon.htm 04 August 2005.

^[61] “In Mexican borderlands, unusual saint of death draws followers”, The Repository 18 December 2002, http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:w4F3txjLFD8J:www.cantonrep.com/index.php%3FCategory%3D18%26ID%3D76482%26r%3D1+%22santisima+muerte%22+police+officer+&hl=en 06 July 2005.

^[62] Reed Johnson with Froylan Encisco, “A ‘Saint’ of Last Resort”, Los Angeles Times, 24 March 2004, http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=3851 and http://freejesus.net/home/viewtopic.php?t=3885 22 July 2005.

^[63] Enrique Francisco Aguirre Morales, La Santa Muerte, 2005, http://mx.geocities.com/e_franciscomx/LaSantaMuerte.html 22 July 2005.

^[64] Oscar Ruiz C., “Aerial Views of Mexico City”, 2005, http://homepage.mac.com/helipilot/PhotoAlbum20.html 22 July 2005.

^[65] Ricardo Pacheco Colín, “El culto a la Santa Muerte llega a Los Angeles y Sudamérica” [The cult of Santa Muerte Arrives in Los Angeles and South America], La Cronica de Hoy, 15 August 2004, http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?idc=139132 22 July 2005.

^[66] “Tradición Extranjera, El Culto Religioso a la Muerte” [Foreign Tradition, The Religious Cult to Death], Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y Las Artes [National Council for Culture and the Arts] 08 March 2004, http://www.conaculta.gob.mx/saladeprensa/2004/08mar/estudios.htm 22 July 2005.

^[67] Erika López, “Cobija cofradía a Santa Muerte” [Blanket Brotherhood for Santa Muerte], Reforma, 23 May 2005, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatS&file=MEX/REFORM01/00614/00614333.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 21 July 2005

^[68] “El barrio bravo de Tepito” [The Tough Neighborhood of Tepito], Ciudad de la Esperanza [City of Hope], 2002, http://es.geocities.com/ciudaddelaesperanza/Tepito.html 04 August 2005.

^[69] Ginger Thompson, “On Mexico’s Mean Streets, the Sinners Have a Saint”, The New York Times/Mexico City Journal, 26 March 2003, http://www.ices.utexas.edu/~organism/random-stuff/interesting-articles/On_Mexicos_mean_streets_the_sinners_have_a_saint.html 04 August 2005.

^[70] “Tradición Extranjera, El Culto Religioso a la Muerte” [Foreign Tradition, The Religious Cult to Death], Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y Las Artes [National Council for Culture and the Arts] 08 March 2004, http://www.conaculta.gob.mx/saladeprensa/2004/08mar/estudios.htm 22 July 2005.

^[71] “In Mexican borderlands, unusual saint of death draws followers”, The Repository 18 December 2002, http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:w4F3txjLFD8J:www.cantonrep.com/index.php%3FCategory%3D18%26ID%3D76482%26r%3D1+%22santisima+muerte%22+police+officer+&hl=en 06 July 2005; Ginger Thompson, “On Mexico’s Mean Streets, the Sinners Have a Saint”, The New York Times/Mexico City Journal, 26 March 2003, http://www.ices.utexas.edu/~organism/random-stuff/interesting-articles/On_Mexicos_mean_streets_the_sinners_have_a_saint.html 04 August 2005.

^[72] Laura Castellanos and José Carlos González, “La Santa de los desesperados” [The saint of the desperate], Jornada, 09 May 2004, http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2004/may04/040509/mas-santa.html 22 July 2005;

S. Lynne Walker, “Skeleton Force: Emerging from Shadows on the Edge of Mexican Society, Devotees of Santa Muerte Clash with the Catholic Church”, Copley News Service, 01 July 2004, http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040701/news_lz1c1death.html 21 July 2005.

^[73] S. Lynne Walker, “Skeleton Force: Emerging from Shadows on the Edge of Mexican Society, Devotees of Santa Muerte Clash with the Catholic Church”, Copley News Service, 01 July 2004, http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040701/news_lz1c1death.html 21 July 2005.

^[74] Laura Castellanos and José Carlos González, “La Santa de los desesperados” [The saint of the desperate], Jornada, 09 May 2004, http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2004/may04/040509/mas-santa.html 22 July 2005.

^[75] Laura Castellanos and José Carlos González, “La Santa de los desesperados” [The saint of the desperate], Jornada, 09 May 2004, http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2004/may04/040509/mas-santa.html 22 July 2005.

^[76] S. Lynne Walker, “Skeleton Force: Emerging from Shadows on the Edge of Mexican Society, Devotees of Santa Muerte Clash with the Catholic Church”, Copley News Service, 01 July 2004, http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040701/news_lz1c1death.html 21 July 2005.

^[77] Eduardo López Loyola, “La Santa Muerte vive en México” [Santa Muerte Lives in Mexico], Univision Online, 30 July 2003, http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=242599#1 22 July 2005.

^[78] Mariana Castro Duarte, “Adoran la Muerte” [The Adore Death], Periódico a.m., 11 September 2004, http://www.am.com.mx/nota.asp?ID=41517 22 July 2005.

^[79] Martin Rea Prieto, “Iglesia Católica Tradicional demandará a Norberto Rivera” [Traditional Catholic Church Sues Norberto Rivera], Mexico y El Mundo, 28 November 2004, http://mundo.ovaciones.com.mx/notas/136860.htm 28 November 2004;

Roberto Hernandez, “Exige la CEM revisión de registros de sectas que rinden culto a la muerte”[Mexico Episcopal Conference (CEM) Demands Revision of Registries of Sects that Practice Death Cult], El Occidental, 09 September 2004, http://www.eloccidental.com.mx/eloccidental/040909/naci_inter/45naci_inter.asp 22 July 2005.

^[80] Erika López, “Cobija cofradía a Santa Muerte” [Blanket Brotherhood for Santa Muerte], Reforma, 23 May 2005, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatS&file=MEX/REFORM01/00614/00614333.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 21 July 2005; Emiliano Ruiz, “Arma Santa Muerte Proyectos en DF” [Santa Muerte Arms Projects in Federal District], Reforma, 31 May 2005, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatS&file=MEX/REFORM01/00616/00616464.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 21 July 2005

^[81] Arturo Sierra, “Detienen a presunto homicida en Tepito” [Homicide Suspect Arrested in Tepito], Reforma, 14 November 2004, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatSP&file=reformacom/2004/justicia/articulo/466785/default.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 26 May 2005

^[82] Reforma, in LAP20050516000047 Mexico -- FBIS Report in Spanish 16 May 05; Juan Corona and Ricardo Zamora, “Acribillan en Tepito a 2 líderes del narco” [Two Leaders of Drug Trafficking Gang Shot in Tepito], Reforma, 14 May 2005 http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatS&file=MEX/REFORM01/00611/00611723.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 21 July 2005.

^[83] “Saint Death Offers Mexicans Solace”, Taipei Times, 15 May 2004, http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/05/15/2003155572 22 July 2005.

^[84] Diego Cevallos, “‘Saint Death’ Sought for Blessing in Endless War”, Inter Press Service Asia-Pacific, 06 February 2004, http://www.ipsnews.co.th/anmviewer.asp?a=1382&z=94&faces=1 22 July 2005.

^[85] Susan Ferriss, “’St. Death’ Calls to the Living in Mexico City: Cult of ‘the Skinny Girl’ Spreads”, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 09 March 2004 http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0304/10mexico.html 22 July 2005.

^[86] S. Lynne Walker, “Skeleton Force: Emerging from Shadows on the Edge of Mexican Society, Devotees of Santa Muerte Clash with the Catholic Church”, Copley News Service, 01 July 2004, http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040701/news_lz1c1death.html 21 July 2005.

^[87] Humberto Padgett, “Gana ‘Santa Muerte’ espacio en La Villa” [Santa Muerte Gets a Place in La Villa], Reforma, 01 July 2004, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatSP&file=reformacom/2004/ciudad/articulo/421777/default.htm&palabra=santisima%20muerte&sitereforma 19 July 2005.

^[88] Icela Lagunas, “Obtienen libertad anticipada 41 Reos” [41 Prisoners Obtain Anticipated Release], El Universal, 12 October 2003, http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=53963&tabla=Ciudad 22 July 2005.

^[89] Tomás Martínez, “Se mata en La Penitenciaría”[Man Kills Himself in Prison], Noticias: Voz e Imagen de Oaxaca, 01 November 2004, http://www.noticias-oax.com.mx/articulos.php?id_sec=12&id_art=22716&id_ejemplar=571 01 November 2004.

^[90] “Adepto a ‘Santa Muerte’ se cuelga frente a su hijo de cuatro años” [Santa Muerte Adept Hangs Himself in Front of His Four-Year-Old Son], NOTIMEX, 31 July 2005, http://www.notimex.com.mx/restringido/indexmex.php?going_to=noticiamex.php&noticia_id=1435408&categ=&categoria_id=A 04 August 2005

^[91] “PGR Detiene a Seis Presuntos Secuestradores que Plagiaron a una Menor de Edad en Morelos” [PGR Arrests Six Alleged Kidnappers Who Kidnapped an Underage Girl in Morelos], PGR Press Bulletin, 22 March 2005, http://wwwhtm.pgr.gob.mx/cmsocial/bol05/mar/b28705.htm 22 July 2005.

^[92] “Inicio PGR investigacion contra policies por incidente con la AFI” [PGR Begins Investigations against Police for Incident with AFI], NOTIMEX, 22 March 2005, http://www.notimex.com.mx/restringido/indexmex.php?going_to=noticiamex.php&noticia_id=1367450&categ=&categoria_id=A 22 July 2005;

“Investigará la PGR Incidente en Iztapalapa por Falta de Coordinacíon de Elementos de la SSP-DF” [PGR Will Investigate Incident in Iztapalapa for the Faulty Coordination with SSP-DF], PGR Press Bulletin, 22 March 2005 http://wwwhtm.pgr.gob.mx/cmsocial/bol05/mar/b28805.htm 22 July 2005.

^[93] “Detienen a José Gil Caro Quintero y a Cuatro de Sus Presuntos Cómplices” [José Gil Caro Quintero and Four of His Alleged Accomplices Arrested], PGR Press Bulletin, 31 December 2004, http://wwwhtm.pgr.gob.mx/cmsocial/bol04/dic/b130904.htm 22 July 2005.

^[94] “Asegura elementos de inteligencia de la PFP a dos presuntos Asantes, tras evader disparos” [“PFP Intelligence Personnel Arrest Two Alleged Assailants, after Avoiding Gunshots”], SSP Boletín de Prensa 037/04 [SSP Press Release 037/04], 14 February 2004, http://www.ssp.gob.mx/application?pageid=pfp_sub_2&docId=1593 23 September 2004.

^[95] Sergio González Rodríguez, Huesos en el Desierto [Bones in the Desert] in Ricardo Pacheco Colín, “El culto a la Santa Muerte pasa de Tepito a Coyoacán y la Condesa” [The Cult of Santa Muerte Passes from Tepito to Coyoacán and Condesa], La Cronica de Hoy, 15 March 2004, http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?idc=114661 22 July 2005;

“Personal Militar en Apoyo de la Procuraduría General de la Republica, Captura a Gilberto García Mena (a) ‘El June’” [Military Personnel Supporting the Federal Attorney General Arrest Gilberto García Mena AKA El June], SEDENA Press Bulletin, 09 April 2001, http://www.sedena.gob.mx/comunicados/2001/abril/c105.htm 22 July 2005;

Sergio González Rodríguez “La subcultura del narco: La santísima veleidosa” [The Drug Trafficker’s Subculture: The Capricious Saint], Reforma, 28 October 2001, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatS&file=MEX/REFORM01/00198/00198220.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 22 July 2005.

David Casas, “Indignación porque queman una capilla Guadalupana y no de la Santa Muerte” [Indignation because Guadalupe Shrine is Burned but Santa Muerte Shrine is Not], La Cronica de Hoy, 11 April 2004, http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?idc=119082 22 July 2005.

^[96] David Vicenteño, “Hallan cocaína y a San Judas” [They Discover Cocaine and Saint Judas], Reforma, 13 August 2004, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatS&file=MEX/REFORM01/00529/00529491.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 22 July 2005.

^[97] Juan de Dios García Davish, “‘Mara Salvatrucha’ Impone el terror en el tráfico de inmigrantes” [“Mara Salvatrucha” Puts the Terror into the Trafficking of Migrants], La Prensa, 10 April 2005, http://www-ni.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2005/abril/10/nacionales/nacionales-20050410-02.html 22 July 2005;

Juan de Dios García Davish, “Mara Salvatrucha Head Says Group Seeks To Control Alien Smuggling” Milenio Semana, 27 March 2005, translated by FBIS [Milenio Semanal LAP20050405000020 Mexico City Milenio Semanal (Internet Version-WWW) in Spanish 27 Mar 05]

^[98] “Detienen al peligroso secuestrador Daniel Arizmendi” [Dangerous Kidnapper Daniel Arizmendi Arrested], La Revista Peninsular, 18 August 1998, http://www.larevista.com.mx/ed460/nota22.htm 22 July 2005.

^[99] Max Morales, “Historia del secuestro en México” [History of Kidnapping in Mexico], La Crítica, 28 June 2004, http://www.lacritica.com.mx/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=123&Itemid=27 22 July 2005.

^[100] Mariana Castro Duarte, “Adoran la Muerte” [They Adore Death], Periódico a.m., 11 September 2004, http://www.am.com.mx/nota.asp?ID=41517 22 July 2005.

^[101] Sergio González Rodríguez “La subcultura del narco: La santísima veleidosa” [The Drug Trafficker’s Subculture: The Capricious Saint], Reforma, 28 October 2001, http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3W.DLL?JSearchformatS&file=MEX/REFORM01/00198/00198220.htm&palabra=santa%20muerte&sitereforma 22 July 2005.

^[102] Sergio González Rodríguez, Huesos en el Desierto [Bones in the Desert] in Ricardo Pacheco Colín, “El culto a la Santa Muerte pasa de Tepito a Coyoacán y la Condesa” [The Cult of Santa Muerte Passes from Tepito to Coyoacán and Condesa], La Cronica de Hoy, 15 March 2004, http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?idc=114661 22 July 2005.

^[103] Eduardo López Loyola, “La Santa Muerte vive en México” [Santa Muerte Lives in Mexico], Univision Online, 30 July 2003, http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=242599#1 22 July 2005.

^[104] “Una santa muy conocida; No está reconocida por el Vaticano” [A Very Famous Saint; She is Not Recognized by the Vatican], Vanguardia, 01 November 2004, http://noticias.vanguardia.com.mx/showdetail.cfm/412968/Una-santa-muy-conocida;-No-est%C3%A1-reconocida-por-el-Vaticano/index.html 22 July 2005.

^[105] Reed Johnson with Froylan Encisco, “A ‘Saint’ of Last Resort”, Los Angeles Times, 24 March 2004, http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=3851 and http://freejesus.net/home/viewtopic.php?t=3885 22 July 2005.

^[106] David Casas, “Indignación porque queman una capilla Guadalupana y no de la Santa Muerte” [Indignation because Guadalupe Shrine is Burned but Santa Muerte Shrine is Not], La Cronica de Hoy, 11 April 2004, http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?idc=119082 22 July 2005.

^[107] S. Lynne Walker, “Skeleton Force: Emerging from Shadows on the Edge of Mexican Society, Devotees of Santa Muerte Clash with the Catholic Church”, Copley News Service, 01 July 2004, http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040701/news_lz1c1death.html 21 July 2005.

^[108] “Saint Death, La Santa Muerte”, I Speak of Dreams, 21 March 2004, http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2004/03/saint_death_la_.html 21 July 2005.

^[109] Nadia Tate, “Paying Tribute to Death”, amcham.com, May 2004, http://www.amcham.com.mx/hotissues/20mayo/tribute.html 22 July 2005.

^[110] Ginger Thompson, “On Mexico’s Mean Streets, the Sinners Have a Saint”, The New York Times/Mexico City Journal, 26 March 2003, http://www.ices.utexas.edu/~organism/random-stuff/interesting-articles/On_Mexicos_mean_streets_the_sinners_have_a_saint.html 04 August 2005.

^[111] “Saint Death, La Santa Muerte”, I Speak of Dreams, 21 March 2004, http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2004/03/saint_death_la_.html 21 July 2005.

^[112] Enrique Francisco Aguirre Morales, La Santa Muerte, 2005, http://mx.geocities.com/e_franciscomx/LaSantaMuerte.html 22 July 2005.

Why the revolution can't get here soon enough.

2010-12-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

Yet another example of why we may need to take things into our own hands soon. I have read about dozens of such incidents ( usually involving Bank of America) and this is another one for the list.

Bankers continue to reap huge bonuses. Congressmen such as Barney Frank and Chris Dodd had their hand in setting up the subprime fiasco via the Community Reinvestment Act, which was pushed by groups such as ACORN. Then we have Frank Raines: "In accordance with the mission of Fannie Mae to enable home ownership by a greater proportion of the population, Franklin Raines, while Chairman and CEO, began a pilot program in 1999 to issue bank loans to individuals with low to moderate income, and to ease credit requirements on loans that Fannie Mae purchased from banks. Raines promoted the program saying that it would allow consumers who were "a notch below what our current underwriting has required" to get home loans. The move was intended in part to increase the number of minority and low income home owners." Of course, Congress was on board with lending money to anyone who could fog a mirror. At any rate, on to the story that is the main rant of this post:

SEATTLE (Link)-- J.D. Butler was on his death bed when JP Morgan Chase invaded his home, according to his daughter, who said the intrusion left the waterfront home in shambles.

Celeste Butler says she couldn't get any answers from Chase, so her only option was to sue.

"I'm praying and hoping that this never happens to anyone else again," she said.

Butler says she took home video to document what happened to her father's waterfront home, which was ransacked while he fought for his life in the hospital. Drawers were turned upside down, and a locked china cabinet was broken into.

"They took 17th-century paintings," said Celeste.

Items that had been collected during a lifetime of service in the U.S. Navy were destroyed.

"When I left this house, everything was neat and clean in this room," said Celeste.

Celeste's attorney says Chase, J.D.'s mortgage company, is to blame.

"One of the terms in the mortgage papers is that the bank has the right to enter the property if it appears that the home is abandoned, so we believe that this event was orchestrated by the bank to allow the bank to initiate action against the Butler home," said Chris Davis, Celeste's attorney.

Chase says J.D. had fallen behind in payments. And if a loan is delinquent, Chase says it has the right to enter a house.

"We followed our policy to maintain a mortgaged property, especially during winter months when cold weather can damage property," Chase said.

The contractor Chase hired left orange stickers where the plumbing had been winterized. The mortgage company insists the house was disorganized when it initially checked on it.

But Celeste insists the payments had been made, and the Port Angeles house was neat when she left it.

"And the bank told me the mortgage was current," she said.

Now a court will have to decide who is in the right.

Celeste's father died in January. Her lawsuit claims Chase and its contractors unlawfully entered the house and caused her emotional stress.

"It's shocking because you don't expect a bank with a good reputation like Chase to be involved in this sort of thing,"(Edit: LMAO at that one) Davis said.

"It's pretty terrible when this happens to you lose a lot of things, so yeah, I'm praying and hoping that this never happens to anyone again," said Celeste.

Butler is now selling the house her father left behind. Her lawsuit, filed in King County, seeks unspecified damages from Chase and two contractors.

===================================

It's high time to start stringing these clowns up.

=======================================

Damnation!! The latest Wiki release.

2010-11-29T10:45:00.002-05:00

A couple of things to note. Bold text is my bold and, although I too am interested in the more recent diplomatic cables, the one below from 1972 that discusses F-4E fighter sales to Iran is noteworthy from a historical standpoint.

R 250930Z FEB 72 FM AMEMBASSY TEHRAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7561 INFO SECDEF EUCOM CSAF

UNCLASSIFIED SECTION 01 OF 01 TEHRAN 1164 E.O. 12958: AS AMENDED; DECLASSIFIED JUNE 21, 2006 TAGS: MASS MARR IR SUBJECT: ACCELERATION OF F-4ES FOR IRAN REF: TEHRAN 1091: TEHRAN 263: MOSCOW 1603 COUNTRY TEAM.

MESSAGE BEGIN

SUMMARY

GENERAL AZIMI, MINISTER OF WAR, ON INSTRUCTION OF SHAH ASKS THAT WE TAKE ANOTHER HARD LOOK AT F-4E PRODUCTION LINE IN ORDER ACCELERATE DELIVERY OF ONE SQUADRON OF F-4ES TO IRAN IN 1972.

REQUEST REFLECTS SHAH'S INCREASING CONCERN OVER SOVIET AMBITIONS IN AREA AND ESPECIALLY THREAT SHAH SEES TO IRAN OF FRIENDSHIP TREATY UNDER CONSIDERATION BY IRAQ AND USSR. SHAH RECOGNIZES PROBLEMS THIS POSES FOR US BUT IS TURNING TO USG WITH THIS REQUEST TO GIVE IRAN HIGHER PRIORITY ON FA-4E PRODUCTION SCHEDULE BECAUSE HE REGARDS US AS MOST DEPENDABLE FRIEND. END SUMMARY

ACTION REQUESTED: COUNTRY TEAM RECOMMENDS US REVIEW F-4E PRODUCTION LINE AND RESPOND FAVORABLY TO SHAH'S REQUEST FOR 16 F-4ES IN 1972 FROM WHATEVER SOURCE MAY BE AVAILABLE. Â¶1.

ON FEB 24 CHARGE WAS CONVOKED BY MINSTER OF WAR, GEN. REZANUZIMI, ON INSTRUCTIONS FROM SHAH. AZIMI SAID SHAH MOST DEEPLY CONCERNED AT TRENDS IN SECURITY SITUATION IN MIDDLE EAST AND EXPECIALLY ON HIS WESTERN BORDERS. US OFFICALS ALREADY AWARE OF SHAH'S CONCERN THROUGH DISCUSSIONS WITH FOREIGN MINISTER AND OTHER GOI OFFICIALS (SEE REFTELS), BUT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ SOVIET RELATIONS INCLUDING AGREEMENT TO DELIVER MORE MIGS AND OTHER MILITARY EQUIPMENT PLUS INDICATION THAT RECENT IRAQI-SOVIET TALKS IN MOSCOW INCLUDED CONSIDERATION OF FRIENDSHIP TREATY AS WELL AS INCREASED MILITARY COOPERATION INJECT NEW SENSE OF URGENCY IN SHAH'S TIMETABLE FOR MODERNINZING AND STRENTHENING HIS ARMED FORCES.

MOST SPECIFICALLY, SITUATION REQUIRED IRAN ACCELERATE ITS MILITARY PROCUREMENT AND HOST PARTICULARLY DELIVERY OF F-4E AIRCRAFT. Â¶2. AZIMI RECALLED THAT GOI HAD REQUESTED DELIVERY OF 16 OF F-4E AIRCRAFT NOW ON ORDER BY IRAN (FIRST OF WHICH WAS NOT SCHEDULED FOR DELIVERY UNTIL AUGUST 1973) BE ADVANCED TO CY 1972. HOWEVER, GOI HAD RECENTLY BEEN INFORMED BY USG AND MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS THAT PRODUCTION LINE FOR IRAN COULD NOT RPT NOT BE ADVANCED TO MEET 1972 DELIVERY DATES DESIRED. SHAH WAS MOST DISTURBED, AS ADDITION OF F-4ES IN 1972 WAS VITAL TO IRAN'S SECURITY AT THIS TIME.

SHAH HAD DIRECTED THAT USG BE ASKED, IF PRODUCTION FOR IRAN COULD NOT IN FACT BE ADVANCED, TO MAKE REQUESTED F-4ES AVAILABLE FROM OTHER SOURCES. SHAH'S DESIRE IS FOR DELIIVERY OF F-4FS IN LOTS OF FOUR DURING JUNE TO DECEMBER TIME-FRAME. Â¶3. CHARGE REVIEWED RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN US-IRAN MILITARY COOPERATION, INCLUDING EQUIPMENT AND CREDIT, AND STRESSED THAT RECORD INDICATED WE UNDERSTOOD AND APPRECIATED SHAH'S CONCERNS AND DESIRES AND HAD BEEN EXCEPTIONALLY RESPONSIVE TO SHAH'S WISHES.

CURRENTLY, AZIMI'S DEPUTY GEN. TOUFANS, WAS IN US DISCUSSING VERY QUESTION OF ACCLERATED EQUIPMENT ACQUISIION INCLUDING F-4E. ACCELERATION OF F-4E DELIVERY RAISED DIFFICULT TECHNICAL AND COST PROBLEMS AS WELL AS QUESTIONS OF OTHER COMMITMENTS AND PRIORITIES. UNDOUBTEDLY THESE ISSUES WERE BEING DISCUSSED IN FULL WITH GEN. TOUFANIAN TO ENSURE THAT HE WAS COMPLETELY INFORMED OF POSSIBILITIES AND PROBLEMS AND REASONS FOR ANY LIMITATIONS ON MEETING GOI REQUEST THAT MIGHT EXIST. GEN. TOUFANIAN PROBABLY WOULD HAVE FULLER PICTURE OF SITUATION THAN WE NOW HAD IN IRAN. 4. AZIMI RESPONDED THAT GOI WAS BEING KEPT INFORMED OF TOUFANIAN DISCUSSIONS, BUT DECISON ON F-4E COULD NOT BE DELAYED. AZIMI MADE CLEAR SHAH FELT AQUISITION OF 16 F-4E AIRCRAFT IN 1972 WAS MOST IMPORTANT IMMEDIATE MILITARY PROBLEM OUTSTANDING. HE STRESSED SHAH BELIEVED THAT NUMBER REQUIRED WAS SMALL IN RELATION TO US INVENTORY, AND THAT UNSETTLED SITUATION CONFRONTING IRAN WARRANTED ACCELERATED DELIVERY TO IRAN AS AGAINST OTHER POSSIBLE DISPOSITIONS (AS TO EUROPE OR EVEN USAF) IN SAME TIME FRAME. Â¶5. CHARGE NOTED WE WOULD TRANSMIT SHAHS REQUEST TO, WASHINGTON AND THAT USG IN SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP WHICH MARKED OUR RELATIONS WOULD MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE RESPONSIVE. CHARGE SAID THIS SAME FRIENDSHIP REQUIRED HIM TO SAY, HOWEVER, THAT ALTHOUGH WE WOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MEET SHAH'S NEEDS AS SHAH SAW THEM, OUR MILITARY ADVISERS, AS GOI KNEW, WERE CONCERNED THAT ACCELERATION OF AIRCRAFT ACQUISITION WOULD STRAIN SUPPORT AND OPERATIONAL MANPOWER OF IIAF AND COULD LEAD TO DECREASE RATHER THAN INCREASE IN IIAF EFFECTIVENESS. AZIMI REPLIED THAT NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT TO BE DELIVERED HAD BEEN, CLOSELY STUDIED BY IlAF WITH MAAG ASSISTANCE, AND IIAF WAS SATISFIED THAT SIXTEEN AIRCRAFT REQUESTED COULD BE EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATED INTO PRESENT FORCE STRUCTURE.

AZIMI CLOSED MEETING BY ASKING THAT USG ANSWER SHAH'S REQUEST AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. Â¶6.

COMMENT. SHAH IS DEEPLY CONCERN AT DEVELOPMENTS OVER PAST YEARS STRENGTHENING SOVIET INFLUENCE AND PRESENCE IN MIDEAST AND INDIAN OCEAN AND APPEARING TO INDICATE SUBSTANTIALLY ENLARGED SOVIET COMMITMENT, ECONOMIC AND MILITARY, TO IRAQ. HE HAS CONCLUDED THAT INCREASED PRESENT DANGER REQIRES IRAN'S FIRST LINE AIR DEFENSE TO BE BEEFED-UP NOW RATHER THAN IN PREVIOUSLY PROGRAMMED SCHEDULE STARTING IN EIGHTEEN MONTHS. THE NUMBER, FREQUENCY AND TONE OF DEMARCHES ON SUBJECT WE HAVE RECEIVED IS VIRTUALLY UNPARALLELLED, AND CAN LEAVE NO DOUBT THAT HIM CONSIDERS ISSUE OF VITAL IMPORTANCE. Â¶7.

WHETHER WE FULLY AGREE WITH SHAH'S CONCERN, WE MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT REQUEST --LIKE USG DECISION IN 1970 ON SALE TO IRAN OF SEVENTH AND EIGHTH SQUADRONS OF F-4E --HAS BECOME ANOTHER GUT ISSUE IN SHAH'S MIND. SHAH IS AGAIN TURNING TO USG BECAUSE IN PERIODS OF ANXIETY SHAH FEELS HE CAN LOOK TO US FOR COOPERATION AND HE HOPES THAT US AS RELIABLE FRIEND WILL FIND CHANCE BE RESPONSIVE ON MATTER HE CONSIDERS IMPORTANT AND VITAL TO IRAN'S SECURITY. THUS USG CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST MUST RECOGNIZE THAT DECISION INVOLVES UNUSUAL DEGREE OF POLITICAL IMPORTANCE RELATED TO FABRIC OF USG-GOI RELATIONS. DECISION SHOULD ALSO NOT OVERLOOK OR UNDERESTIMATE IMPORTANCE OF IRAN FOR VITAL US NATIONAL INTERESTS. Â¶8.

ACTION REQUESTED. COUNRY TEAM URGES THAT USG GIVE PROMPT AND SYMPATHETIC ATTENTION TO SHAH'S REQUEST FOR 1972 DELIVERY OF F-4E AIRCRAFT, FROM WHATEVER SOURCES MAY BE AVAILABLE TO BE TAPPED (INCLUDING DELIVERIES TO USAF). WE RECOGNIZE THAT REQUEST MAY RAISE DIFFICULT PROBLEMS, BUT URGE THAT EVERY AVENUE BE EXPLORED TO REACH POSITIVE RESPONSE. IT IS ALSO MOST IMPORTANT THAT COUNTRY TEAM BE KEPT FULLY INFORMED OF PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS TO ENABLE US CONTINUE TO MEET AND TEMPER SENSE OF URGENCY ON SUBJECT WHICH PREVAILS WITHIN GOI. IF DELAYS OR BARRIERS TO FULLY FAVORABLE RESPONSE MATERIALIZE, WE TRUST THAT EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO BE AS FORTHCOMING AS POSSIBLE (E.G. PARTIAL DELIVERY IN 1972) AND THAT PERSUASIVE RATIONALE CAN BE DEVELOPED TO FULLY EXPLAIN TO SHAH REASONS FOR ANY SHORTCOMING. IN ORDER TO DIMINISH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE NEGATIVE IMPACT.

========================================

Below is a December 1989 cable dealing with Panama and another possible coup against Noriega:

P 131914Z DEC 89 FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7213 INFO SECDEF WASHDC DIA WASHDC USIA WASHDC 8090 USCINCSO QUARRY HTS PM PANCANAL COMM USLO CARIBBEAN AMEMBASSY BOGOTA AMEMBASSY CARACAS AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE AMEMBASSY MANAGUA AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY ROME AMEMBASSY MADRID AMEMBASSY BONNS E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 05 PANAMA 08545 E.O.12356: DECL:OADR TAGS: PGOV PREL PM US SUBJECT: PANAMANIANS HOPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL COUP -- NORIEGA PLANS FOR A NEW YEAR IN POWER 1.

SECRET -

ENTIRE TEXT. -------------------------------- SUMMARY --------------------------------

2. THROUGHOUT 1989, RAPIDLY UNFOLDING POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS HELD OUT HOPE TO MANY PANAMANIANS FOR A RESOLUTION TO PANAMA'S POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CRISIS: THE ELECTION OF MAY 7, THE SUBSEQUENT OAS NEGOTIATIONS, THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEADLINE OF SEPTEMBER 1, THE COUP ATTEMPT OF OCTOBER 3, AND THE TREATY DEADLINE OF JANUARY 1, 1990. PROJECTING INTO THE FIRST HALF OF 1990, NO SUCH HOPEFUL EVENTS AND DATES ARE READILY APPARENT. THE OPPOSITION'S MAIN OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO SURVIVE POLITICALLY, ECONOMICALLY, AND LITERALLY UNTIL THE NEXT COUP. NORIEGA WILL HAVE TO TRY AND CONSOLIDATE HIS CONTROL OVER THE PANAMA DEFENSE FORCES (FDP) AND AVOID ANOTHER UPRISING.

3. PRESSURES ON NORIEGA HAVE INCREASED ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT HE SEEMS TO HAVE DETERMINED THAT HE CAN MANAGE THEM. DESPITE NEW U.S. ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, THE MOST PRECIPITOUS ECONOMIC DROP IS OVER FOR NOW, FOLLOWING A TWO-YEAR, 25 PERCENT DROP IN GDP. INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION REMAINS AN IRRITANT TO THE REGIME, BUT IT IS NOT A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR NORIEGA'S STABILITY. U.S. ACTIONS, FROM THE APPOINTMENT OF AN ACTING CANAL ADMINISTRATOR TO RUMORED COVERT PLANS AGAINST NORIEGA AS WELL AS NEW ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, ALLOW NORIEGA TO BEAT THE NATIONALISTIC DRUM AND MAKE IT APPEAR AS IF DOMESTIC SUPPORT FOR HIM IS GROWING.

4. NORIEGA.S WEAKEST POINT REMAINS HIS OWN INSTITUTION. WHISPERS THAT THE OCTOBER 3 COUP IS NOT OVER. CONTINUE AND NORIEGA CONTINUES TO HOLD ON MAINLY BY BRUTAL REPRESSION OF ANY POTENTIAL NEW INSIDE OPPONENTS. WHEN ANOTHER ACTION TO REMOVE NORIEGA WILL TAKE PLACE IS UNCERTAIN, BUT WAITING FOR THAT POSSIBILITY IS THE MAIN PROSPECT FOR PANAMA IN 1990. END SUMMARY.

--------------------------------------- THE CRISIS GRINDS ON ---------------------------------------

5. THE PANAMA CRISIS CONTINUES TO GRIND ON WITH NO CLEAR END IN SIGHT. NORIEGA TENACIOUSLY HOLDS ON TO POWER, INTIMIDATING HIS OPPONENTS AND FIRING UP HIS SUPPORTERS WITH SLOGANS CALLING FOR RETRIBUTION AGAINST PANAMANIAN TRAITORS AND THEIR U.S. MASTERS, SHOULD ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HIM. NORIEGA IS WEAKER THAN HE WAS AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, BUT THE IMPACT OF THE CURRENT SET OF PRESSURES HAVE SO FAR FAILED TO EJECT HIM FROM OFFICE. 6. NEVERTHELESS, RECENT PRESS REPORTS OF AN ALLEGED U.S. COVERT ACTION PLAN AGAINST NORIEGA HAVE ONCE AGAIN RAISED HOPES OF SOME PANAMANIANS THAT THIS MAY BE THE BEGINNING OF HIS END. NORIEGA HIMSELF IS APPARENTLY ATTACHING SOME CREDIBILITY TO THE PRESS REPORTS. HE HAS REACTED NERVOUSLY BY STEPPING UP HARASSMENT OF THE OPPOSITION AND INCREASING THE SIZE, TRAINING, ACTIVITY, AND ARMAMENT OF HIS DIGNITY BATTALIONS. THE OPPOSITION LEADERSHIP IS CONCERNED OVER THE NEW EYE FOR AN EYE PARA-MILITARY CAMPAIGN, WHICH NORIEGA HAS USED TO REMIND THE OPPOSITION OF ITS VULNERABILITY.

--------------------------------------- REGIME POLITICAL ACTIVITY ---------------------------------------

7. THE RODRIGUEZ ADMINISTRATION, UNSURPRISINGLY, REMAINS INEFFECTUAL, BUT CONTINUES TO LIMP ALONG. REGIME SOURCES INDICATE WITH SOME DEGREE OF CERTITUDE THAT NORIEGA IS UNHAPPY WITH HIS CIVILIAN PUPPETS, THAT HE MAY EVEN FIRE RODRIGUEZ, AND PLANS TO TAKE OVER THE FORMAL REIGNS OF GOVERNMENT SOON. THE ASSEMBLY OF 510 LOCAL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES (ANRC) CONFIRMED HIM AS NATIONAL COORDINATOR ON NOVEMBER 22. THIS BRINGS HIM ONE STEP CLOSER TO BEING NAMED HEAD OF GOVERNMENT, WHICH HE AND OTHERS AROUND HIM HAVE HINTED AT FOR SOME TIME. 8. MANY VIEW THIS NORIEGA MOVE AS THE FINAL STEP TOWARD A TOTALITARIAN REGIME AND FURTHER SEVERE REPRESSION. SOME SEE THIS AS A PENDING NORIEGA MISTAKE. AS HEAD OF GOVERNMENT, HE WOULD HAVE TO BEAR FULL OFFICIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR REGIME ACTIONS. AT THE SAME TIME, BY INTRODUCING A NEW ELEMENT -- HIS GOVERNMENTAL ROLE -- INTO THE STALE POLITICAL SITUATION, NORIEGA MAY BE ABLE TO USE HIS USUAL MIXTURE OF OBFUSCATION AND INTIMIDATION TO BUY HIMSELF MORE TIME AND POLITICAL BREATHING SPACE.

------------------------------------------ THE OPPOSITION ------------------------------------------

9. NORIEGA' S MOST RECENT PARA-MILITARY SHOW OF FORCE FURTHER CONVINCED THE OPPOSITION THAT POLITICAL ACTION WILL RESULT ONLY IN GREATER REGIME BRUTALITY AGAINST THEM, NOT NORIEGA'S DEPARTURE. THE OPPOSITION LEADERSHIP QUIETLY HOPES THAT CLANDESTINE (AND OTHER) U.S. ACTION, POSSIBLY COUPLED WITH ANOTHER COUP WILL REMOVE NORIEGA. THE LEADERS SEE THEMSELVES PLAYING A ROLE IN THE NEXT COUP ATTEMPT AND THEIR CURRENT PREPARATIONS ARE FOCUSED ON BEING ABLE TO MOVE IN TO FILL THE GOVERNMENT VACUUM IF THE NEXT EFFORT SHOULD SUCCEED. THE CIVILIAN OPPOSITION RECOGNIZES THE POLITICAL REALITY THAT THE MILITARY IS THE MAIN POLITICAL FORCE IN PANAMA.

10. AS THE MEMORY -- AND TO SOME EXTENT THE LEGITIMACY -- OF THE MAY ELECTION RECEDES, THE PRESSURE ON THE LEADERSHIP FROM WITHIN THE OPPOSITION RANKS TO DO SOMETHING TO MAINTAIN POLITICAL LEGITIMACY IS GROWING, HOWEVER. OPPOSITION ABILITY TO CULTIVATE POLITICAL SUPPORT AND TRUST IN THE ADOC LEADERSHIP ARE HAMPERED BY EFFECTIVE NORIEGA INTIMIDATION AT THE GRASS ROOTS LEVEL. MEANWHILE, U.S. ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ARE CONTINUING TO HURT AND NEW MEASURES ARE UNPOPULAR. THE OPPOSITION LEADERSHIP FEARS THAT MANY PANAMANIANS -- INCLUDING THEIR FOLLOWERS -- WILL INCREASINGLY DEMAND THAT THE AMERICANS GET OFF THEIR BACKS, IF NORIEGA WON'T.

11. PANAMA'S OPPOSITION AND PANAMANIANS IN GENERAL RAN UP MANY SHORT TERM HILLS IN 1989 - WITH THE END ALWAYS JUST OVER THE HORIZON. MAY ELECTIONS, THE OAS NEGOTIATIONS, SEPTEMBER 1, OCTOBER 3, AND NOW JANUARY 1, 1990 HAVE ALL TOO EASILY BEEN ACCEPTED AS TARGETS FOR WHEN THE PANAMA CRISIS WOULD HAVE TO BE SOLVED. ALREADY ADOC LEADER GUILLERMO BILLY FORD IS TALKING OF FEBRUARY 25 (NICARAGUAN ELECTION DAY) AS A DATE BEFORE WHICH NORIEGA MUST FALL IF THE U.S. DOES NOT WISH TO HAVE THE PRECEDENT OF AN ANNULLED ELECTION REPEATED IN NICARAGUA . OVERALL, HOWEVER, THE OPPOSITION HAS LITTLE ENERGY LEFT TO CHARGE UP ANOTHER HILL UNLESS CONVINCED IT IS THE LAST ONE. ONLY ANOTHER COUP HOLDS OUT SUCH A PROMISE, BUT THE OPPOSITION IS NOT ABLE TO INFLUENCE THAT TO ANY SIGNIFICANT DEGREE.

--------------------------------------- THE NEXT COUP ATTEMPT ---------------------------------------

12. THE MOST (AND MAYBE ONLY) HOPEFUL SIGN FOR NORIEG'S OPPONENTS IN 1990 IS THAT TROUBLES INSIDE THE FDP ARE WORSE THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN. REASSIGNMENTS AND PROMOTIONS FLOWING FROM THE POST-COUP PURGE ARE JUST NOW BEING MADE -- MORE THAN TWO MONTHS AFTER THE EVENT. MANY OF THE MORE PROFESSIONAL FDP OFFICERS AND NCO'S WERE KILLED, TORTURED, OR DISMISSED AFTER OCTOBER 3. THE SUCCESSOR CROP OF TRUE BELIEVERS HAS NEITHER THE EXPERIENCE, TRAINING OR INTELLIGENCE TO FILL THE SHOES OF THEIR PREDECESSORS. NORIEGA HAS HAD TO RELY MAINLY ON HIMSELF OR THE SUPPORT OF THIS SMALL CLIQUE OF LOYALISTS SINCE THE COUP ATTEMPT. HIS INCREASED USE OF DIGNITY BATTALIONS IS ALSO WEARING ON THE CAREER SOLDIERS. WHAT LITTLE MILITARY PRIDE THEY HAVE LEFT HAS BEEN INJURED BY THE ACTIVITIES OF THIS PARA-MILITARY RABBLE WHICH THEY FEAR WILL GET OUT OF CONTROL AND ULTIMATELY HURT THE INSTITUTION. WITH THE DIGNITY BATTALIONS AND OTHER IRREGULARS OVER 2000 IN NUMBER THE IMAGE OF A COMPETING PARA-MILITARY FORCE IS BEGINNING TO ARISE.

13. DISCONTENT AND FEELINGS OF REVENGE CONTINUE TO FESTER INSIDE THE FDP AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS THAT THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PREPARED TO ACT ON THESE EMOTIONS. ONE REGIME INSIDER RECENTLY CLAIMED THAT NORIEGA'S NOMINAL NUMBER 2, COLONEL MARCO JUSTINES, IS HIMSELF LOOKING FOR WAYS TO INCH OUT HIS BOSS. MEANWHILE, NOTORIOUS CIVILIAN SUPPORTERS OF NORIEGA, SUCH AS XXXXXXXXXXXXXX(STRICTLY PROTECT), ARE ALREADY LOOKING BEYOND NORIEGA'S DEPARTURE IN ADVOCATING WITH EMBOFFS AN OPPOSITION DECLARATION OF AMNESTY FOR REGIME SUPPORTERS. SOURCES NOW INDICATE THAT NORIEGA SUSPECTS ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO UNSEAT HIM AS EARLY AS DECEMBER 15.

------------------------------------------ THE STATUS OF UNRELENTING PRESSURES ------------------------------------------ INTERNATIONAL -------------

14. THE RECENT RESOLUTION OF THE OASGA CONFIRMED NORIEGA'S ISOLATION IN THE HEMISPHERE, BUT WAS MET WITH ONLY FLEETING INTEREST IN PANAMA. THE FDP'S DISINVITATION TO THE RECENT CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN GUATEMALA WAS POTENTIALLY A MORE SERIOUS BLOW TO FDP MORALE, BUT THIS COLD SHOULDER FROM THEIR LATIN COLLEAGUES PASSED LARGELY UNNOTICED BECAUSE OF NORIEGA'S ABSOLUTE CONTROL OF INFORMATION INSIDE AND OUTSIDE HIS INSTITUTION.

15. AMBASSADORS OF MOST NATIONS REMAIN OUTSIDE PANAMA, EITHER ON VACATION OR CONSULTATIONS, BUT LOCAL DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION MAY BE IN DANGER. THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR RECENTLY RETURNED FROM HIS VACATION TO REJOIN HIS ITALIAN AND SPANISH COLLEAGUES WHO NEVER LEFT. SEVERAL AMBASSADORS AND MILITARY ATTACHES (E.G. MEXICO) MAY VISIT THEIR FAMILIES WHICH ARE RESIDING HERE AT CHRISTMAS. NORIEGA IS MAKING ALL HE CAN OUT OF CONTACTS WITH THE USSR, THE PRC, LIBYA, CUBA, NICARAGUA, AND EVEN U.S. ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT GROUPS. HE WILL ALSO SEEK TO CONJURE UP SOME LIMITED LEGITIMACY IN HIS PLEA FOR LATIN SOLIDARITY OVER THE CANAL ADMINISTRATOR ISSUE. ECONOMIC --------

16. THE REGIME CONTINUES TO HAVE CASH FLOW PROBLEMS, BUT THE ECONOMIC DOWNWARD SPIRAL HAS LEVELED OFF FOR NOW. NORIEGA IS ABLE TO COMBAT THE WORST DISRUPTIONS BY SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND CONTINUED GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT OF LOYALISTS. UNEMPLOYMENT OVERALL IS ON THE RISE, BUT ONE OF THE PILLARS OF THE PANAMANIAN SERVICE ECONOMY -- THE COLON FREE ZONE -- IS HAVING RECORD SALES AND PROVIDES SOMEWHAT INCREASING EMPLOYMENT IN THE POLITICALLY VOLATILE COLON AREA.

17. MEANWHILE, PARA-MILITARY DIGNITY BATTALIONS ARE ENLISTING OR SCARING THE UNEMPLOYED. BUSINESSMEN, HURT BY NORIEGA AND U.S. SANCTIONS, ARE INCREASINGLY MORE LIKELY TO MOVE TOWARD ACCOMMODATION WITH NORIEGA. MANY FEEL THEY HAVE TO GIVE PRIORITY TO BEING ABLE TO STAY IN BUSINESS. U.S. PRESSURES --------------

18. FURTHER U.S. ECONOMIC SANCTIONS HEIGHTEN THE SENSE OF CRISIS IN PANAMA, CREATING THE PARADOX OF REGIME-OPPOSITION-CHURCH AGREEMENT IN OPPOSING THEM. THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE U.S. PORT BAN FOR PANAMANIAN FLAGGED VESSELS AND THE APPOINTMENT OF A TEMPORARY CANAL ADMINISTRATOR CREATE NEW PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR NORIEGA. BANNING PANAMANIAN FLAGGED VESSELS FROM THE U.S. WILL ROB NORIEGA AND HIS CRONIES OF A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF INCOME. SOME OF THE LATTER MAY EVEN JUMP SHIP AND TURN ON HIM. BUT IN THE END RESULT, MANY MORE MAY REALIZE THAT IT WAS THEY WHO DEPENDED ON HIM, NOT HE ON THEM. 19. THE CANAL ADMINISTRATOR APPOINTMENT OFFERS NORIEGA SOME ADDITIONAL NATIONALISTIC PEGS TO SUPPORT HIS SEARCH FOR DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT. BLOWING THE TREATY VIOLATION AND NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY WHISTLE MAY WELL GAIN HIM SOME SUPPORT. PLAYED WELL, HE MAY AGAIN BE ABLE TO DO WHAT HE DOES BEST: BUY TIME.

--------------------------------------------- THE FUTURE OF THE PANAMA CRISIS ---------------------------------------------

20. DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN OPPOSITION TO NORIEGA IS SHOWING SIGNS OF FATIGUE. FOREIGN ATTENTION IN PARTICULAR IS DISTRACTED BY MUCH HIGHER PROFILE REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS, FROM EL SALVADOR TO BERLIN. OF COURSE, NORIEGA TOO IS TIRING, EXEMPLIFIED IN HIS SLOWNESS IN SETTLING THE TURMOIL INSIDE HIS OWN INSTITUTION. BUT HE IS A MASTER OF SURVIVAL AND ABLE TO BUILD ON THE FATIGUE OF OTHERS. RENEWED NOISES IN RECENT REGIME PRONOUNCEMENTS OF A WILLINGNESS TO TALK ARE A CLASSIC MANIFESTATION OF TRIED AND TRUE NORIEGA TIME-BUYING TACTICS.

21. THE POLITICAL TENSION IN PANAMA, INCREASED BY RECENT PRESS REVELATIONS AND U.S. SANCTIONS ANNOUNCEMENTS, WILL LIKELY EBB IN EARLY 1990, ABSENT SOME MAJOR EVENT. NORIEGA IS SHOWING NO SIGNS THAT HE HAS ANY INTENTION OF LEAVING VOLUNTARILY. GIVEN BROAD POLITICAL REALITIES IN THIS COUNTRY, THE ONLY HOPE FOR A FIRST STEP IN CRISIS RESOLUTION IS ANOTHER COUP. WAITING FOR THAT TO HAPPEN IS THE MAIN POLITICAL PROSPECT FOR PANAMA IN 1990. BUSHNELL

=================================

Next up is a December 2009 cable from our embassy in Doha, Qatar dealing with their relationship with Iran: VZCZCXYZ0036 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHDO #0728/01 3541214 ZNY SSSSS ZZH P 201214Z DEC 09 FM AMEMBASSY DOHA TO RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9582 INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVES E C R E T DOHA 000728 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2019

TAGS: ENRG PREL TRGY EPET QA SUBJECT: QATAR,S PRIME MINISTER ON IRAN: "THEY LIE TO US; WE LIE TO THEM."

Classified By: Ambassador Joseph E. LeBaron, for reasons 1.4 (b, d). -- Deputy Secretary of Energy Poneman and Ambassador met December 10 with Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ) to discuss energy research and development, critical infrastructure protection, and Iran. --

HBJ indicated Qatar,s interest in a bilateral critical infrastructure protection partnership. -- The PM was skeptical about the plausibility of Iranian acceptance of a nuclear compromise, saying he would be shocked if Iran abided by a deal to ship Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) out of Iran. -- The best way to deal with the Iranians, he said, is to get them to dictate the terms of any such deal. The U.S. and its partners should strive to get the Iranians to put the details in writing, including timetables for implementation.

-- HBJ characterized Qatar,s relationship with Iran as one in which "they lie to us, and we lie to them." -- According to HBJ, the GOQ tells Iran that it should "listen to the West,s proposal or there will be military action. If not by the U.S., then by the Israelis by the middle of next year." End Key Points.

1. (C) Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman and Ambassador met December 10 with Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani. Also present on the American side was State Department Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, David Goldwyn. DepSec Poneman thanked the Prime Minister for the meeting and expressed his hope that the U.S. and Qatar could strengthen their bilateral and investment ties.

-------------------------------------- (C) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION --------------------------------------

2. (C) The Deputy Secretary extended USG appreciation to the Prime Minister for Qatar,s support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The PM observed in response that "We might have our own Katrina," an apparent reference to security concerns arising from Qatar,s relationship with Iran. Deputy Secretary offered U.S. help to Qatar in protecting its critical infrastructure and in addressing its broader security concerns. Expressing interest in critical infrastructure protection, HBJ said he would talk to the Ministries of Energy and Interior on how best to take advantage of U.S. assistance.

--------------------------------- SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT ---------------------------------

3. (C) The Deputy Secretary raised science and technology investment, noting DoE interest in partnering with the GOQ on energy-related research and development projects. As an example of possible cooperation, DepSec Poneman cited computer simulation, emphasizing that the DOE national laboratories are international leaders in the field.

4. (C) The Deputy Secretary reported that DoE had recently invested in a nanotechnology program and cited this as another possible area of cooperation, telling the PM there are additional opportunities for GOQ partnerships with private labs. Shaykh Hamad immediately expressed strong interest in nanotechnology, and asked the DepSec to provide him with a paper on that subject. The DepSec agreed, and added that he would be pleased to host Shaykh Hamad at the Sandia nanotechnology facility or another national lab.

5. (C) Turning to genomics and solar technology as they relate to food production and Qatar,s National Food Security Program, Shaykh Hamad told the Deputy Secretary that he supported research in those fields, but expressed his opinion that Qatar,s investment in food and solar technology must be done on a commercial basis.

-------------------------- (S) IRAN,S NUCLEAR PROGRAM ---------------------------

6. (S) DepSec Poneman asked HBJ for his views on Iran,s nuclear program. The Deputy Secretary noted that the USG had entered into recent discussions with Iran not out of naivet, but as an effort to address a humanitarian concern (the need for medical isotopes) while also attempting to remove a meaningful amount of special nuclear material. Even though the effort had not to date resulted in Iranian agreement, it had borne fruit in the form of Russian and Chinese support for the most recent resolution of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna. The PM expressed his skepticism that the West would be able to reach a deal with Iran,s leaders, saying "I,d be surprised and shocked if the Iranians do a deal. You always think you have a deal with them and then you don,t." He continued, "The EU, Chirac, and Solana...they all thought they had a deal... Solana said two weeks; I advised him it would take two years."

7. (S) Asked for his advice on how best to approach the Iranians, HBJ said it is imperative that the Iranians commit to draft any deal, including a timetable. He reiterated that it is important to "make them tell you (what they will do). Otherwise they will say 'yes, but...' and the 'but' will be worse than a 'no.'" The Deputy Secretary countered that, "They don,t want to make a proposal." To which HBJ responded, "You don,t understand. Even Mousavi can,t make a deal!" Poneman pressed the issue, saying the U.S. would not be offering a better deal than what is currently on the table. The Prime Minster said, "I know, but this is the way they are."

8. (S) Referring to the current proposal on the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR), Deputy Secretary Poneman stressed: "This is a fleeting opportunity. If they don,t take this deal, what comes next is worse." The PM noted that the Iranians frequently press the Qataris to have dialogue on their shared natural gas field and attempt to expand the dialogue to include other subjects. HBJ said that the Qataris "are always throwing cold water on their ideas."

9. (S) On Qatar,s close ties with Iran, the PM added that he knows the U.S. becomes upset at times by what it hears about the Qatar/Iran relationship. However he characterized the relationship as one in which "They lie to us, and we lie to them." Poneman replied by underscoring that "It would be helpful if everywhere they went, they (the Iranians) heard the same thing." The PM said for Qatar,s part, he had told Iran that it should "listen to the West, s proposal or there will be military action. If not by the U.S., then by the Israelis by the middle of next year." Poneman observed that the Russians had pressed the Iranians hard during the Vienna negotiations, reinforcing the view that Iranian failure to accept the Tehran Research Reactor deal would lead back to the UN Security Council. The PM asked if the U.S. believes the Russians were in agreement with the U.S. on the possibility of harsher measures. Poneman replied that, for now, the Russians appear to be holding a similar line to the USG on the TRR deal and we remain in close contact with Moscow.

10. (U) This cable has been cleared by DepSec Poneman at Department of Energy. LeBaron

==============================

The last cable I'm including in this post is from our Beijing embassy and is dated Feb.2010. It deals with technology control but shows that the Russians and Chinese are helping Iran: VZCZCXYZ0026 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHC #9939 0321611 ZNY SSSSS ZZH P 011605Z FEB 10 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2747 INFO MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 7036S E C R E T STATE 009939 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2035 TAGS: MTCRE PARM PREL MNUC ETTC KSCA IR CH SUBJECT: (S) ALERTING CHINA TO POSSIBLE MISSILE-RELATED EXPORT TO IRAN Classified By: (U) CLASSIFIED BY EAP DAS DAVID B. SHEAR, REASON: 1.4 (C).

1. (U) This is an action request. Embassy Beijing, please see paragraph 3.

2. (S) Background/Objective: The U.S. has information indicating that in December 2009, the Chinese company Hong Kong 4 Star Electronics Ltd. offered to sell gyroscopes produced by a Russian company to Iran's Isfahan Optics Industries. Our information indicates that these gyroscopes could be delivered to Iran in early February 2010 and that Isfahan Optics Industries was coordinating this transaction through an intermediary named Iran Business (IBco). Because key missile development organizations in Iran previously have attempted to procure similar gyroscopes, we are concerned this equipment potentially could be diverted to missile-related end-users. We therefore want to alert Chinese officials to this information and ask that they investigate this activity with a view to preventing Hong Kong 4 Star Electronics Ltd. from facilitating missile-related exports to Iran.

3. (S) Action Request: Request Embassy Beijing approach appropriate host government officials to deliver talking points/non-paper in paragraph 4 below and report response. Talking points also may be provided as a non-paper.

4. (S) Begin talking points/non-paper: (SECRET//REL CHINA) --We would like to alert you to information of proliferation concern and request your government's assistance in investigating this activity. --The U.S. has information indicating that in December 2009, Hong Kong 4 Star Electronics Ltd., a Chinese company based in Futian, China, had offered to sell Iran's Isfahan Optics Industries gyroscopes produced by a Russian company. --Our information indicates that these gyroscopes could be delivered to Iran in early February 2010 and that Isfahan Optics Industries was coordinating this transaction through an intermediary named Iran Business (IBco). --We are bringing this matter to your attention to support your export control efforts as we are concerned this equipment potentially could be diverted to missile-related end-users in Iran. --We understand that the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), which is responsible for overseeing all of Iran's missile programs, has previously attempted to procure similar gyroscopes. --We hope you will use this information to investigate this activity and take all appropriate measures to ensure that Hong Kong 4 Star Electronics Ltd. is not facilitating unauthorized exports of missile technology to Iran. --We believe taking such action would be consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1803, which require countries to prevent transfers of items to and from Iran that could contribute to the development of nuclear weapons delivery systems. --We look forward to continued cooperation (My ass) on missile nonproliferation issues and to hearing of any actions your government takes in response to this information. End talking points/non-paper

5. (U) Washington POC is ISN/MTR James Mayes (Phone: 202-647-3185). Please slug any reporting on this issue for ISN/MTR and EAP/CM. 6. (U) A word version of this document will be posted at www.state.sgov.gov/demarche. CLINTON