Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Run Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. RUN

The headline read today

DWI Trial Will Not Deter Adam Clayton Powell IV From Running For Rangel's Seat

Dear Lord, let it true. New York State Assemblyman Powell's DWI vs. Con Rangel's almost 30 year history of rape, pillage and looting Harlem...let's see.

The most evil thing to happen to Harlem was the stolen election from the people's champion in 1970, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. to the capitalist tool Con Charles Rangel. The election process in Harlem is still so corrupt that in the 2008 primary in many neighborhood locations, now President Obama got ZERO votes. I still question the election results of 1994, when Assemblyman Powell ran for congress against the corrupt Con Rangel.

Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. was inspiring, helping folks lift themselves out of poverty. Under Rangle's Rule Harlem was a lock, probably to encourage folks to sell out. AIDS, crack/cocaine/heroin, disempowerment zone, 5 open sewers, warlike police force, etc. mark his reign. Doing nothing effective is doing something too. He helped transform Harlem into a place of shattered dreams.

It would be such poetic justice for former Congressman Powell's son, who has dedicated his life to serving Harlem anyway, won back the seat in his and his father's name.

Then, Harlem could be back on track as a location of dreams achieved, computers and all.

What happens to a dream achieved?

It doesn't dry up like a raisin in the sun
It doesn't fester like a sore and then run
It don't stink like rotten meat
It don't crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet.
It don't sag like a heavy load.

It just explodes!

Run Adam Run. PLEASE.

Monday, November 16, 2009

CLIFFY BARZ ...(BE SUCCESSFUL)

Artist Statement:

IN THIS CLIP MANY DIFFERENT SCENES OF CLIFFY BARZ TROUGHOUT THE YEAR 2009 TV RUNDOWN OF THE HARLEM STREETS TV SHOW"

This young man, Cliffy Barz, and his crew are among the best that Harlem has ever offered as artists. I'm sure that even the great Langston Hughes would be proud of the work these young people have done, like HOW TO SHOOT A COP (with a camera). The cutting edge truth that comes off the screen cannot be denied.

It is the truth that is setting us free.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Rangel Makes Donations to Ethics Cmte.?

Hey Hey, Ho Ho

Con. Charlie Rangel has got to go.

He has led the residents of Harlem into a toxic future, open sewers, rat problems, poor infrastructure, and is now working on the rest of the country.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Harlem's Sewer Problem - Did It Get Any Better?

 Photos Taken In 1998 
Open Sewer Windows Under Riverbank State Park.

Rev. Ike said the best thing one can do for the poor is not be one of them.  When I realized in 1998 that Harlem's poverty pimps were not going to do anything to help Harlem's environmental problems, were committed to keeping computers out of Harlem, and satisfied with the status quo regarding AIDS and crack and other empowerment issues, I left.  It is an unnecessary health risk to be surrounded by 5 open sewers.  Anything could be in that............


Common sense says if you are smelling the sewer, you're breathing it. Airborne particles find their way into people's bodies.  The illusion that hospital waste is treated differently is a dangerous flaw.  Sick people from all over the world come to New York and use the sewers before they check into the hospital.

The 5 Open Sewers Surrounding Harlem do more than stink in the summer time. North River, Wards Island, Tallmans, Hunts Point and Bowery Bay Water Pollution Control Plants are releasing toxins into the already polluted environment. Over the last century NYC is the recipient of transportation, pest control, heating/cooling, etc. toxins, settled into walls, fabrics and streets.  Ooops, I forgot to add the dust from the World Trade Center.  Asbestos does not wash out.

The two most obvious sewers, North River (135th and Hudson River, 10027) and Wards Island (Wards Island, NYC 10035) Water Pollution Control Plants (Sewage Treatment Plants) are on the west side of Harlem and in the river off of the east side respectively.

Across the bay are the other three.

The year after North River was built there was a radical rise in the infant mortality rate. Yet when I was there in the 80's and 90's the discussion was limited to odor and flow, which haven’t killed anybody.  It's the accompanying toxins that kill, not the smell.

When you connect the dots on the chart below you'll see when the North River plant was open and rises and falls in Harlem's infant mortality rates over the years and plant actions.


North River Plant and Infant Mortality Rates
in NYC and Harlem 1984-1993
Year
NYC
Harlem
1984 -
Plant Construction
13.6
16.0
1985 - Plant built
13.4
23.3
1986
12.8
27.6
1987
13.1
20.9
1988
13.4
22.0
1989
13.3
23.4
1990
7.6
27.7
1991 -
Primary Tanks Covered
11.4
19.2
1992
10.2
15.9
1993 - Crack in tank
10.2
25.


In great part due to the open windows at all ends of the North River, and open outdoor tanks at Wards Island, Harlem in particular and the metro NY area in general were breathing, daily, volatile organic compounds (VOC's -airborne living organisms) from these sewage tanks. If the tanks are not covered, folks still are.

Politics and common sense need to merge in Harlem.  Start with cleaning out the corruption. Put people over politics, like the real estate investors who want to make money at the expense of raising the infant mortality rate in Harlem.

Harlem's best park, Riverbank State Park, is located over the North River sewer plant and has people, among them children and seniors, exercising over an open sewer…not healthy.

The NYC EPA says “The roof of the building is the home of Riverbank State Park, a popular recreational facility with three swimming pools, an amphitheater, an athletic center, a skating rink, a restaurant and sports fields - and, of the two New York State park facilities in the City, the only one built on top of a water pollution control plant.”

The park's won many awards while placing Harlem residents in danger of toxic chemicals, methane gas and mutating germs.


1998 Carousel Shot In Riverbank State Park

There are germs in the sewer air. Environmentalists are being honored in Harlem who keep the conversation about odor and flow rather than toxins and germs and toxic chemicals coming off the sewers. 

Sewer System As A Source of Germ Disbursement: “The greatest danger…in breathing of sewer air is that of inhaling with it the living particles (bacilli, etc.) contained or developed in the excrement of diseased persons.” {Roger S. Tracy, Handbook Of Sanitary Information For Households, NY Appleton, 1895}

Sick people from all over the world come to New York City to benefit from her extraordinary medical system. Though hospital waste is handled separately from the general sewer system, during the time before sick people check into the hospital, and, if they remain in the city, after they leave, are using the general sewer facilities.

In this time of terrorism, toxic materials (both medical and chemical that could cause illness and death) can be dropped into the sewer system and a large portion of the population could be impacted days after the event.  Unnecessary risk.

Floating material could contain harmful elements and the results, devastating. This is because many, if not all of the NYC sewer plants, are not covered and in some cases could be easily contaminated from street or building levels without the culprit being noticed.

At North River, the large windows by the tanks are open. At Ward’s Island, the tanks are outside. Though we are encouraged to take comfort in the fact that chlorine kills 85-95% of the germs in the sewer, the more relevant question is what is in the other 5-15% that is strong enough to survive chlorine, food additives, genetically altered foods, human growth hormone, antibiotics, etc.


Secondary Tanks With No Covers Next To Open Windows Under Riverbank, 1998


 
  
Sludge Tank Below Riverbank State Park
 
Consider what happens when those strong germs and toxic chemicals get together in North River’s secondary and sludge tanks, with their steam wafting off to open windows. Also, the additional chlorine put into the environment via tap water and flushed into the river can have a seepage effect on the land it comes in contact with, further empowering mutating bacteria.

The water in North River’s secondary tanks frequently has steam coming off them, which lifts some germs and they become air borne. As you saw in the chart Harlem's infant morality rate in the year after the North River Plant went into operation was raised and by 1993 was 2.5 times higher than the rest of the City.

What needs to happen to correct the problem?

First, the sewer windows need to be covered or, like at Ward's Island where the open sewer tanks are outside, at least the tanks sealed, like what was in the original plans.

“The problem with covering and air treating the secondary tanks is one of expense … NYCDEP’s rough estimate for subjecting the secondary tanks in a similar odor control system as that for the primary tank is in excess of $100 million.” From “The Smell of Success? An assessment of Odor Control Measures at the North River Water Pollution Control Plant” (June, 1994)

Where are they shopping? Tiffany’s?  What about hemp plastic to cover the sewers?  What about growing hemp to aerate the soil and pull the excess CO2 out of the atmosphere? What about medical hemp to help with the areas intense asthma and other health problems? What about hemp to heal New York's economy to create a modern infrastructure system. (Read the HEMP FOR VICTORY series by Richard M. Davis to learn how - www.hempmuseum.us)

We need to honestly evaluate the situation at hand and bring forward better ideas on waste treatment. Johan Cruijff said "Every disadvantage carries with it an advantage." One of the things that Harlem taught me is the disadvantage is always of equal or greater value.

A project of fixing the environmental problems can use a NYC labor pool, featuring Harlem residents trained for the job. Community residents will be motivated to do a good job because they and their families are breathing the air.

Harlem has a master level engineer in her hero and former owner of the Langston Hughes House, Albert Davis.  I still think he won the election when he ran against Congressman Rangel in the 90's.  With President Obama getting zero votes in Harlem in the 2008 primary, I believe now more than ever that Albert won.

Second, regular testing of the sewer's contents and airborne materials need to be done and the results published. That sewer readings were not useable in determining the toxic levels in the air on 9/11 proves the worthlessness of the system at that time.  I'm open to news of improvements that are not published.

The people have a right to know what's in the air, water and land more than they need a say over "is Coke or Pepsi going to get the vending contract for the park on top of the sewer."



Please, tell New York's elected and appointed officials to stop leaving New Yorkers in danger of environmental hazards like when the WTC fell, cover all the open sewers, and not just the ones around Harlem.



Any additional insight you post here is appreciated.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Fire The Chairman of the House Ways And Means Committee



Here's a few links about what's going on with the current Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel:
---
"Why is it that Charles Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is still in elected office, never mind not in jail ("Tax Chief Charlie a Tax 'Cheat,' Too," Aug. 27)?
If he were any other "regular" American citizen, he would have been in jail long ago and would owe thousands on top of what wasn't reported or paid."
---
"Representative Charles B. Rangel failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in income and assets on his financial disclosure forms for 2002 through 2006, including tens of thousands of dollars in rental income from a Harlem brownstone he sold in 2004, according to records filed this month with the clerk of the House of Representatives. 
Mr. Rangel, who is facing investigations by two House subcommittees into his personal finances and fund-raising, filed amended financial disclosure forms on Aug. 12 acknowledging that he had omitted an array of assets, business transactions and sources of income. They include a Merrill Lynch Global account valued between $250,000 and $500,000; tens of thousands of dollars in municipal bonds; and $30,000 to $100,000 in rent from a multifamily brownstone building he owned on West 132nd Street.”
---

“HYPOCRITE CHARLIE: PUNISH TAX SLIP-UPS

WASHINGTON -- Even as he fends off accusations about his own failure to pay taxes and fully disclose his financial dealings, Rep. Charles Rangel had quietly slipped into the health-care bill broad new provisions cracking down on taxpayers in proceedings with the IRS, The Post has learned. 
The changes approved by the House Ways and Means Committee that Rangel chairs would strip away legal defenses and pile higher penalties on corporate and individual taxpayers facing IRS proceedings for what they claim are unintentional mistakes, experts said.”
---
Over the decades Congressman Rangel's been in office, there have been questions about the accuracy of the vote count or the uncanny similarity of signatures on petitions.  An unguarded moment was found in last year’s primary election results for a candidate that the congressman supported.

“Unofficial Tallies in City Understated Obama Vote

“Black voters are heavily represented in the 94th Election District in Harlem’s 70th Assembly District. Yet according to the unofficial results from the New York Democratic primary last week, not a single vote in the district was cast for Senator Barack Obama.
That anomaly was not unique. In fact, a review by The New York Times of the unofficial results reported on primary night found about 80 election districts among the city’s 6,106 where Mr. Obama supposedly did not receive even one vote, including cases where he ran a respectable race in a nearby district."

Stop the poverty pimps from pimping us.  Fire the Chairman of the House Ways and Means committee for corruption and replace him with somebody who knows what they are doing.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit

It is the American people, making up 25% of the world's prison population, who are the modern strange fruit.

End the war on drugs now.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

New York City 9/11 Ballot Initiative

Since 9/11 was the greatest inside job ever, here's an initiative for the NYC ballot to set up an investigation into what really happened that day.

From:
Rev. Tom Brown
To: Arev Tom Brown
Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:04:00 AM
Subject: New York City 9/11 Ballot Initiative

Greetings,

This is a initiative from New York City setting up a 9-11-01 investigation commission for an independent assessment of what happened that day.

I hope that you will pass this on to interested parties so that we can see this happen now.

One Love revtombrown

_________________________________________________

Q: How many signatures are required for the referendum to be placed on the ballot?

The minimum requirement is 30,000 signatures. With this amount the petition can be filed with the City Clerk, who certifies its validity and submits it to City Council, which then votes on whether or not to place the referendum on the ballot. If an excess of 45,000 signatures is collected, the referendum will automatically be placed on the ballot, overruling City Council’s vote. NYCCAN aims to collect well above 45,000 signatures to ensure the referendum is placed on the ballot in the event of City Council rejecting the referendum or failing to vote on it within the required 60-day period.

Q: When is the deadline for submitting the petition?

July 3, 2009. The petition must be submitted at least four months prior to the November 3, 2009 general election to allow the City Clerk and City Council the legally allotted period of time to certify the petition’s validity and to vote on it.

Q: If I signed the petition in 2008, is my signature still valid in 2009?

Yes. Each of the 30,000+ signatures collected in 2008 remain valid until the signer is no longer a registered voter in New York City.

Q: Who can sign the petition?

Anyone registered to vote in one of New York City’s five boroughs.

Q: How can I sign the petition?

Please go to The Petition page for instructions on how to sign the petition.

Q: Can I sign the Petition online?

No. Unfortunately, this kind of petition must be filled out and signed on paper. Please go to the Petition page for instructions on how to sign the Petition.

Q: What allows for New York City voters to pass a law by way of public referendum?

Section 37 of the New York Municipal Home Rule Law lays out the process by which the voters of any city in New York State can petition and vote for the adoption of amendments to their city charter.

Q: How will this new investigation proceed?

This investigation will be non-partisan and independent of government control. A panel of Commissioners will conduct hearings to evaluate evidence provided by teams of researchers. These teams will compile evidence on every possible category of investigation. They will question witnesses, experts, and issue subpoenas when necessary. The scientists, legal counsel, researchers and investigators who make up the commission will follow the trail of evidence wherever it may lead. Finally, the Commission will publish one or more reports, and will have the ability based on its findings to seek indictments and to work with prosecutorial agencies towards achieving justice for the events of 9/11.

Q: Will a new investigation work to obtain justice and necessary benefits for 9/11 First Responders and others who were at the scene?

Yes. Up to 70% of First Responders and others afflicted have died or become ill, and many more will likely become ill in the future. There are also reports of birth defects in children of First Responders. Illnesses reported in First Responders include cancers of the lung, throat, tongue, testicles, breasts, bladder, kidney, colon, intestine, and rare blood cancers, as well as other cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. The government has yet to allocate the necessary funds to deal with this health crisis, consistently refusing to acknowledge that any of these people are sick because of 9/11. Congress allocated $1 billion to a fund for First Responders and other injured parties, under the name World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company, but so far, none of the 8,000+ claims filed toward this fund have been granted. Additionally, many are suffering terrible financial losses from medical expenses and inability to work.

Q: Will the Commission really have subpoena power?

Yes. The Commission’s subpoena power will be broad and will extend to all governmental agencies. Just as the first 9/11 Commission experienced difficulty in gaining access to needed documents and testimony, the new Commission will likely encounter resistance. However, the new Commission, unlike the first 9/11 Commission, will not hesitate to issue subpoenas and go through federal courts to attain enforcement orders.

Q: How do we know this Commission will do a better job than the first 9/11 Commission?

Unlike the first 9/11 Commission, the new Commission will be completely independent because it will be comprised of individuals with no interest in protecting the government from accountability. To guarantee that this Commission will be completely independent and pursue the evidence wherever it may lead, the selection of the first eight Commissioners has been written into the petition, and the additional Commissioners (the Commission will have up to fifteen members) will be appointed only by majority vote of the existing Commission members.

Q: Will the public be able to have any input on the selection of additional Commissioners?

Yes. NYCCAN will maintain a dialogue between the public and the Commissioners enabling the public to nominate candidates for the remaining Commission seats. If you would like to nominate a candidate, please email us at nominate@nyccan.org.

Q: How were the Commissioners selected?

The Commissioners were selected by the crafters of the petition based on an assessment of each candidate’s investigative ability and commitment to following the evidence wherever it may lead. The crafters of the petition sought candidates from diverse backgrounds who are widely respected and can be trusted to investigate rigorously on the public’s behalf.

Q: Why is the Commission going to be independently funded?

The Commission will be independently funded to guarantee that it remains completely independent from government influence. It is anticipated that thousands of people in New York City and across the country will contribute. Donors will exert no influence on the direction of the investigation. Those who contribute will do so because they believe in the need for an independent investigation that follows the evidence wherever it may lead.

Q: Will the new Commission have a bias or pre-determined conclusion about the events of September 11?

The investigation will commence from a starting point of zero assumption or bias about the events of September 11. The investigation will be fact-driven and will use only the most rigorous legal standards for establishing the truth about those tragic events.

Q: What results will come out of this new investigation?

The Commission will publish one or more reports to inform the public of its findings, and it will have the ability based on its findings to seek indictments and to work with prosecutorial agencies towards achieving justice for the events of 9/11

Subject: NYC 9/11 Ballot Initiative
From: "Frank Morales"

I hope this note finds you all in good health and spirits. I am writing
you to ask for your assistance in getting the word out about the campaign
here in NYC to place the issue of a new (real) investigation of 9/11 on
the NYC municipal ballot in the November 2009 elections. As I'm sure
you're already aware, we have collected well over 30,000 signatures
towards our goal of 75,000, which would make it nearly impossible for the
city fathers to block our efforts, thereby allowing the voters to decide
on the matter, and thus sanction a real (lawful) investigation, which will
of course allow for the involvement of groups and individuals like
yourselves to finally be afforded a legal venue in which to concretely
ascertain the truth and achieve some modicum of justice for all those who
have suffered so as a consequence of 9/11.

I have, over the years met some of you, both here in NYC and over in your
neck of the woods, and have always respected and been inspired by the work
that you all do. Let me just say to you, in all honesty, that we can do
this, but not without your help. Our team, campaign and approach have been
reconfigured for the homestretch and is in smooth running order. The
machine is built, all it needs is fuel. We're collecting some 500-1000
sigs a day, at about a buck a sig! The campaign (the actuality and
possibilities it raises) is beginning to cause a buzz here in the heart of
the 9/11 beast. We need funds tho to carry us through to November, the
great majarity of which will be and has been put towards the payment of
well-trained professional petitioners. Below you will find our funds
appeal letter. Please, for the sake of us all, for the sake of truth, pass
the letter on to your friends and associates ... implore them to send us
whatever they can. I have faith that with the involvement of us all in the
9/11 Truth Community we can and will make this happen. Be well.

Sincerely,

Reverend Frank Morales
NYCCAN.org

www.nyccan.org

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Oh Happy Day!!! Caroline Kennedy as the senator from New York.

I left NY almost 11 years ago, and this is the first shred of hope I have for divine restoration of New York state. New York needs a senator who will fight for her and Caroline Kennedy has the power and wisdom to do it.

I've been advocating for years the need to deal with World Trade Center Illness. Since I don't live in New York, Senator Clinton does not respond to me. I believe Kennedy will take on that issue and win the necessary funding and other support required to solve the problem, unlike the senator she is replacing who is so ineffective on the issue that the victims had to march on Washington last year for support.

When the EPA said the air and water were safe on 9/13/01, the current senators were silent. There were no demands to see the air quality reports from the sewers or the city's EPA numbers, which would have shown high toxic levels from the exploded WTC 1, 2 & 7; enough to have ordered an evacuation, not a lock down of the city. Instead of the senators speaking out immediately, the city was left to the mercy of the mayor's management. We are learning how that turned out as body parts are being found on the site as recently as last year.

According to Kennedy's cousin, Robert Kennedy Jr's Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) report, THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACKS - A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT "At least 10,000 New Yorkers have suffered short-term health ailments from Trade Center generated air contaminants." Reports are that the fall out from those buildings was as toxic as drain cleaner. "World Trade Center Cough" and "World Trade Center Illness" are medical phrases.

The WTC buildings held, as reported by the NRDC, 1.2 million tons of building materials. This was mixed with thousands of gallons of jet fuel containing benzene and other toxic chemicals. Included in the buildings contents were 300-400 tons of asbestos, 424,000 tons of concrete, an estimated 50,000 personal computers with 4 pounds of lead per computer or 200,000 pounds of lead just from the pc's, glass, PCB's, mercury from the light bulbs and computers, 130,000 gallons of transformer oil, and Lord knows what else. NRDC calls the 9/11 disaster a "pollution event."

If Kennedy had been senator then, I assume the subject would have come up over the family holiday dinner.

When she becomes senator, the environment in New York will finally get real care. She has the connections to raise the funds needed to help people in the tri-state area deal with the economic and health issues this disease presents.

I've added to my prayer list that Gov. David Patterson do the right thing and give the people of the great state of New York a champion senator they deserve. With the upcoming World Trade Center Illness crisis (the dust was not limited to below 14th Street as reported) it is best to have a well connected, independent champion in the senate.

This change is gonna be great, Lord willing.