From our Mailbag 11/08/01 - 12/09/01

What? Do I look like A CLOWN to you...?

From Mo B., (No City Provided,) TX, USA:

SUBJECT: you're making us look even dumber

I'm looking at your "Don't Mess with Texas" article, and cringing.

Quick lesson:

Y'all is a contraction of the words "you" and "all." An apostrophe is used to represent the letters that were removed to form the contraction. In this case, that's the "ou" from the "you" -- not whatever you seem to think is missing from between the "a" and the "ll" in "all."

Geez, it's not like it's a semicolon or anything. But if you want that lesson in punctuation too, I'll be happy to provide it.


ROD RESPONDS: Mo,

Thanks for visiting G21 and for writing! We love hearing from our readers. I've passed your message along to Tom Hart, the author in question, who needs no help in looking dumber. Your e-mail, along with any response, will appear on our "Vox Populi" page when it is updated.

Cheers,
Rod


THOMAS HART RESPONDS: "Mo B." Does that stand for "Mo' Better" "Mo' Money" or what? Since when did Tabloid Boy ask for grammar lessons from anybody -- let alone somebody with a danged name like Mo?

Easter Egg Hunt

WAIT! Could this be the notorious g21 easter egg?

Lookahere, Mo, I've already explained this one to another Texican who took offence at my contractions: It's "ya all" I'm contractin' not "you all." I can speak proper Spanglish if I want to, but what would be the durn fun in that? You'd loose the flavor of my mellifluous speechifying and much of the effect of my muckraking brilliance!

Now write to someone who gives a horse poop.

"Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." -- Harry S Truman, August 8, 1950


ROD RESPONDS: Jeff,

Thanks for this wonderful quote.

Harry was right.


From Lisa S., (No City Provided,) USA:

Subject: Re: Gun Control

Hi there, Are you any relation to Edward Diener who has also written on gun control (Journal of Social Psychology.) I'm doing research for a graduate program. And I'm also a mom scared to let my little boy and girl enter the school system.

Thanks,
Lisa S.


RON DIENER RESPONDS: No, I am not related, nor have I heard of the fellow. Like you, I have never owned a gun, and the damned things scare the hell out of me. I am particularly disturbed that, once one has settled this issue with children, along come movies like "Star Wars" with all the shooting and killing, and we are back to square one.

R E D


From Ron D., Lizard Lick. N.C., USA:

Subject: NOLA Express

Somewere around 1969, 1970, 1971, I was at a conference in New Orleans. Wherever I go, I look for street papers. New Orleans had a beauty, called NOLA Express. I was there for only three or four days, but I managed to get three or four issues of the paper - it was a weekly. When I got back home in Boston, I subscribed and got the paper for two or three years. Then either I forgot to renew or the paper went belly-up - but I stopped getting it.

Is there any memory of NOLA Express in The Big Easy? There might be a back file in the public library or in a local academic library. Trust me, it was a terrific piece of work. See - after thirty years, I still remember the name and its general appearance.

R E D


From John R., Santa Rosa, CA, USA:

Subject: Where is Jenny Blue?

Where is that Jenny blue? I miss her so!

My undying devotion,
John


ROD RESPONDS: John,

Hi! Jenn has given up doing horoscopes and articles altogether to go back to school in SoCal. We all miss her.

Public Service Ranting

Subject: Chers Amis du Jazz Bonjour!

Gilles REMY Jazz Band www.gillesremyjazzband.com

Un-plugged Jazz New-Orleans

"Saint Louis blues" Complete Free Download

Sydney Bechet - Louis Armstrong
Django Reinhard - Louis Prima


From Robie Xu, Shenzhen, CHINA:

Subject: solar products from China

We are producing full range of solar products such as: solar lanterns,solar gardenlights,solar radios,solar torch,solar home lighting kits,solar &dynamo torch with radio,solar home power system,solar panels,dynamo torch,AC&DC energy saving lights,solar streetlights etc in P.R.China.   Products' details can be viewed at: www.solar3000.com  If you have interest,please let me know by return.   Thank you !   Richard Xu/Sales Dept. Shenzhen Topway Solar Co.,Ltd Suntopway Electronics (Shenzhen) Co.,Ltd 10L,Western Coast Mansion,Nanyou Dadao,Shenzhen,China Tel: +86-755-6490200;6490201;6070440;6070402 Fax:+86-755-6070222;6402722 E-mail: robesolar@21cn.com Website: www.solar3000.com    


From ARTCAMP, Taxco, MEXICO:

Subject: TERRORIZED? - come to live with us in Taxco, Mexico

TERRORIZED? - come to live with us in Taxco, Mexico visit www.artcamp.com.mx for a pleasant remedy for terrorism

Taxco México welcomes you if you wish to live in tranquility and peace - come and live in one of the most beautiful small cities in Latin America.

Be part of our community If you come here to live in Taxco, if you like, we will introduce you to at least twenty local persons so you can begin to make new friends for your residence here.

There are several hundred English-speaking foreign residents of Taxco, among them quite a few artists, writers, sculptors, painters, and designers.

Taxco del Alarcón is one of the oldest continual European settlements in México - paved in stone mosaic and white walled and red tiled; picturesque beyond belief.

350 days a year, the temperature is about 72 degrees with blue sky and white clouds; at 5200 foot altitude, the air is thin and clear, the coldest it gets in winter is about 50 F.

The people of Taxco are used to entertaining tourists, so many people speak English; and, of course, the hospitality of the Mexcan people is well-known all over the world.

The silver jewelry slump has caused reverses for many jewelry wholesalers in Taxco. For this reason, there are beautiful and valuable properties on the market at low costs.

To learn about Taxco please go to this website link www.artcamp.com.mx/TA/0.html to learn more go to any Travel Agency and ask, also look up Taxco in a search engine.

The lifestyle in Taxco is relaxed and safe; you can live a peaceful here life and enjoy it; if you have a retirement income, the Mexican government will give you resident status.

We have some beautiful houses that can be purchased for very low prices by historical standard; Real estate in Taxco - a town with a long tradition and world famous - can only go up in value.

We work with a local real estate agency well-versed in legal aspects of land ownership in México; properties thoughout México are owned by non-Mexicans this is, in itself, NOT any problem.

Our partners have served in various posts of public trust and are well-known and recommendable; easily we will provide you with references and guarantees that they are fully licensed and qualified.

We must screen prospective buyers of Taxco property; we are NOT just going to sell to anybody; our requirements are only that you are good and decent people wanting to live peacefully with us,

E-mail at your earliest convenience to arrange an appontment to see the houses we have available; We will provide you with detailed travel instructions in order that you come and visit Taxco soon.

It there is other detailed information you would like to have you are welcome to communicate with us in confidence and we will be happy and willing to answer any questions you have.

Response to the Following G21 Mailing List Item:

From: "Noreen Stavinoha" To: "Rod Amis" Subject: Re: What You Should Have Received Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 20:36:44 -0600 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 This is very troubling. Has this incident been reported to any of the media? Congressmen? I will make it my business to learn just how far the military authority is SUPPOSED to go. Whether I agree with her or not, this is not the way a U.S. citizen should be treated. It isn't the first time mistakes like this have been made during war time, but that doesn't make it any more palatable.

I intend to contact my congressman and senator concerning this incident.

Noreen S. ----- Original Message -----
Bangor Airport Incident, November 1, 2001 - Nancy Oden, Jonesboro, Maine

On Thursday, November 1, 2001, I left my farmhouse on the North Coast of Maine, where I'm an organic grower, and headed for the Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine. I was dressed conservatively in a long, brown skirt with a matching jacket and turtleneck sweater, no jewelry, no buttons or other political indications attached, looking very like other women my age in this part of the world.

I am a relatively well known environmental, social, and political activist who has run for public office. It should be noted that, while I've been an activist for over thirty years, I've never been arrested, nor has there been anything in my life that would signal I meant harm to anyone.

Also, this was the third time this year I had traveled out of (or attempted to, in this case) Bangor Airport on American Airlines using an e-ticket purchased from Priceline.com bought weeks before with my own credit card. They had no reason for profiling and singling me out. It had to have been because of my political views which, of course, is not a good reason (see U.S. Constitution's first Ten Amendments, otherwise known as the Bill of Rights).

I was headed for Chicago for a Green Party USA National Coordinating Committee meeting, where I was to speak the next night on biochemical warfare and pesticides as weapons of war. I was also scheduled to interview job applicants, present several proposals and financial reports, and so on. I am a lead person on the National Coordinating Committee of the Green Party USA (the original Green Party, although there is now another which took a very similar name).

I arrived at the Bangor Airport the now-requisite two hours ahead of the flight and walked in to the airport to the sight of a couple of dozen National Guard troops carrying machine guns in their hands wandering around the lobby. I walked down to the American Airlines ticket counter, where there were no other passengers, and told the airlines ticket agent my name. I was holding out my picture ID and the printed itinerary they told us to bring, but he barely glanced at them. I remember thinking, "Does he have a picture of me under that counter? Why didn't he look at my ID?"

No one checked my ID at any time. They all knew what I looked like and, it became clear, my antiwar stance. I am not that well known that they would have known me on sight. Why were they briefed about me before I arrived at the airport? What were they told? Was it the FBI or some other agency? Which one?

The ticket agent spent an inordinate amount of time on his computer, then finally produced a boarding pass with a large "S" written on it. I asked him what that meant, and he said I had been picked to have my bags searched. Well, one expects that now, so I said, "Oh, that's okay." But I had a feeling there was more.

Since there was no one else around, I turned back to him and looked him in the eye - he seemed a decent guy - and asked him, "My being picked wasn't random, was it?" He hesitated a moment, but then said, "No, your name was already flagged in the computer and you would have been searched in any case." Well, still possibly coincidence.

Then to the x-ray for my bags and me. I said to the two women sitting by the machine that scans the bags. sort of apologetically, "I've been picked to have my bags searched. I know this might sound silly, but since you handle all these people's bags and belongings--with the Anthrax scare and all--I'd like it if whoever searches through my clothes and things wash their hands first." They looked at me with hate and loathing and one said, "We don't want YOUR germs, either." (Turns out they wear rubber gloves.)

"Whoa," I thought, "either I'm back in kindergarten or these normally quite civil women have some reason for being hostile." I had the distinct feeling they had been told awful things about me - I want to know what they were told about this profiled individual coming to their airport.

Neither my bags nor I set off any beeps in the machinery so we walked right through to the boarding area. Here I sat down with the other passengers. There was one National Guard soldier in the boarding area; he was a short man with a black eye wearing camo gear and carrying a machine gun.

Soon after I sat down, the National Guardsman looked at the dozen or so passengers, his eyes stopping at me and he yelled, "Bring those bags over here!" Since he didn't call my name, how did he know which person was me, since I did not look appreciably different from the others?

When I didn't move fast enough, he yelled again, "Hurry up! Move! Bring those bags up here!" This did not make me move faster. By now people were beginning to stare at me as if I might possibly be someone bent on doing something wrong.

I set my two smallish bags on the table where two women were waiting to search my bags. As one of them had trouble with a zipper on my older bag, I said, "Oh, that zipper is not right, here, let me open it for you," and I reached over the table to undo the zipper. Immediately, the soldier yelled out, "Get your hands away from there!" By now the other passengers were getting nervous, of course.

He was standing at the end of the table with the women on one side looking in my bags and me standing on the other side of the table. I turned to face him, which put my back towards everyone else, and he grabbed my left arm and began loudly spouting pro-war nonsense into my face. "Don't you understand we have to get them before they get us? Don't you understand what happened September 11?" and so on.

I immediately pulled my arm away from him and said, "Do not touch me. You cannot do that," and stepped back a foot or so, saying that I didn't want to hear his views on why he thought we should kill starving, helpless people in Afghanistan.

He grabbed for me again. I stepped back further stating emphatically, "Do Not Touch Me," and further emphasizing that I did not want to listen to his views on the war. He was about to leave his position and come after me again, but I saw the senior security man who is usually there shake his head "No" at the soldier, who then backed off, but he was angry that I would not submit to his holding me while he forced his views on me.

I turned and there just a couple of inches away was the man with the metal-detecting wand. I stepped back a foot or two so he wasn't right up against me, and he did the wand thing. I was the only one whose bags were searched. For a woman of a certain age such as myself to stand there with arms outstretched while a man skimmed my body with a device was very embarrassing and demeaning.

I asked him not to touch me with the wand, as I didn't know what it was, but, of course, he had to touch my shoulder with it. I ignored this, just wanting to get out of there. While he was doing the wand thing, I heard the soldier, who was behind me, say, "Don't let her on the plane." I thought he was talking to himself.

Then they were done with the searching, and I walked the three feet to the boarding gate. The American Airlines agent said, "You can't get on the plane." I asked why. He replied, "Because he [indicating the soldier] says you didn't cooperate with the search." I said, "But you were standing here the whole time. Didn't you see him grab my arm and talk loudly into my face?" He said he couldn't see that because my back was to people, only saw me back off.

I then told the American Airlines agent that I needed to get to Chicago and stated what I had to do there. The American Airlines agent then said, rather softly, probably so the guardsman soldier couldn't hear, "We'll put you on the four o'clock plane; that's the last one out today that you can go through Boston and still get to Chicago tonight." I replied, "Fine, let's just do this. I don't care if I'm late so long as I get there."

Unfortunately, the Guardsman overheard, and he wasn't done with me. Clearly, this non-subservient female had to be punished for not being sufficiently obsequious. He saw me picking up my bags to go out into the lobby and wait for the 4 o'clock plane, and yelled (that seemed to be his only means of communication), "Come With Me!" I asked, "Why? Where are we going?" He replied, louder, "Come With Me!"

A few people to whom I've told this insist the government/military is trying to "criminalize" me and other political activists who don't have criminal records. This is what's done to people of color. When they're harassed and/or beaten by police, they eventually, of course, do something to protect themselves and then get arrested for hitting an officer or whatever. If they then get convicted of a felony, they've go to prison and probably a few years of parole when one's rights are mostly non-existent, and draconian restrictions are put upon one's activities. Convicted felons lose a lot of rights in this country: their travel is henceforth limited, in some states they can't vote, own a gun, and various other limitations.

Under the circumstances, and because I had a few hours until four o'clock anyway, it seemed best to go with the guardsman. The circumstances being that each individual soldier/national guardsman seems to be The Law unto themselves. Each of them makes it up as they go along, punishing people who don't hop to. Military law is not democracy.

He took me to the entrance area, apart from anyone else. Then he ordered, loudly, "Sit Down!" I gave him a look and then sat. The soldier found the airport policeman and told him to stay with me. Upon reflection, I probably wasn't free to leave, but I thought I was waiting for the next plane so just stayed there.

The Airport policeman was a pleasant local man and we talked about what had just happened as well as people we knew, etc. Within minutes I looked up to see 5-6 National Guardsmen in their camo gear all carrying machine guns marching in a sort of formation towards me. I was sitting down quietly talking with the policeman. The situation looked like a bad movie.

It occurred to me that this is how people get "disappeared," which has happened to over 1,200 Americans so far since September 11. We used to hear about this only in repressive military regimes in other places (usually bolstered by our tax dollars). I'm sure they were ready to arrest me for allegedly "not cooperating with a security search," with which I had, indeed, cooperated.

All of a sudden the ludicrousness of the situation struck me. There I am, sitting down with my bags, a woman clearly not a physical threat, and this phalanx of soldiers in formation descends upon me ready to arrest me for something I did not do. I gave a little laugh and said to the lead man, "What, all this, just for me?" Then, I asked, "What's this really about? What's going on here?"

He replied, "We understand you didn't cooperate with a security search." I said, "That's ridiculous. They searched my bags and they did the wand search. The only problem was your man here [I indicated the short guy with the black eye] grabbing my arm and spouting pro-war views loudly in my face." The lead soldier (I don't know his rank) said, astonishingly, "He told me only hit your arm."

I looked at the lead soldier wide-eyed with a few unbidden (certainly unwanted when I'm trying to look fierce) tears in my eyes, and asked, "Even if that's all he had done, would that be okay?" I think he then realized the guardsman had been way out of line and said, "Wait here." They left, and the policeman stayed with me. I don't really think I was free to go, although I had not been arrested.

I found out later they had gone upstairs and told the Bangor Airport manager to tell all airlines in the Airport not to allow me to fly out of Bangor that day, and possibly more than just that one day. Since the military are in charge of our airports and they can override civilians in charge, this was made to happen.

I was to be punished for the crime of questioning their authority, especially for the guardsman to hold my arm and force me to listen to his brain-washed rantings.

Every airline in the Bangor Airport was given my name and told that I did not cooperate with a security search. Not cooperating with a security search at an airport is a federal crime. If, indeed, I had not cooperated, they would have arrested me right then and there. But I had been searched so they couldn't say that.

However, now I have to wonder if every airline in the world doesn't have me in their computer as a person who didn't cooperate with the security search, which means they can deny me passage in their airplanes. We will find out as time goes on.

They told the policeman this news and had him tell me that I wouldn't be allowed to fly out of Bangor that day. So I said I had to go American Airlines and get my money back. The policeman came with me.

The same AA clerk was at the counter. He stepped outside the counter to converse with the policeman and me. He confirmed that they had been told not to allow me to fly out of Bangor that day. I asked him about the next day and he said he didn't know. This is not a small matter for me since the Bangor Airport is 100 miles from where I live.

The AA clerk then suggested I drive to Boston (5-1/2 hour drive) and fly out of there. There were several problems with that, I told him. First, my old car barely made it the 100 miles to the Bangor Airport and might not make it to Boston or back again. Then there were the parking fees in Boston as well as the fact that I might not be allowed to fly out of there or might not be able to get a seat once I got there. Also, if they would not honor my now-expired ticket, I'd have to pay full fare, which I couldn't afford. Not a serious option.

I then asked the American Airlines clerk for my money back so I might consider some alternative means of transport. He said he couldn't refund my money. I asked him why and he said, "It's a non-refundable ticket." This was so ridiculous that all three of us laughed a little. All the airlines issue tickets on other tickets all the time. So I asked him again and he said he couldn't refund the ticket, indicating it wasn't his decision, which I understood, and told him I'd take it up with the airline later.

Then the policeman, half apologetically, told me I'd been banned from the Airport for that day, and that he had to escort me out. I told him I understood that he was under the military's rule, and that I would call it his walking me to the door, rather than escorting me out of the Airport. We walked to the exit. I thanked him for being kind and considerate, which he had been, and left with the sinking feeling that something bad is happening to our country. And this is how it begins.


From Klaus Hutzler, (No City Provided,) GERMANY:

Subject: Branchensuchmaschine E-to-B

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

ich habe Ihre Internetseite besucht und w¸rde mich¸ber Ihren Eintrag in unserer Branchensuchmaschine sehr freuen. Gerne m–chten wir unsere Suchmaschine f¸r den B to B - Bereich relativ komplett ¸hren, wobei Ihr Unternehmen noch fehlt. Selbstverst”ndlich ist der Basiseintrag f¸r Sie KOSTENFREI !

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Als Dankesch–n erhalten Sie im Rahmen unseres Partnerprogrammes 500.000 Gratis-Bannereinblendungen

Das Formular finden Sie auf folgendem Link: http://www.bellsharing.de/phpnuke/bannerform/index.php3

Mit freundlichen Gruesse
Klaus Hutzler
E-to-B Redaktion
http://www.etob.info


From Don, (No City Provided,) USA:

Subject: UrbanYellowPage.com

Nov. 18--Ordinary businesses, from bicycle shops to bookstores to bowling alleys, are being pressed into service on the home front in the war on terrorism.

Under the USA Patriot Act, signed into law by President Bush late last month, they soon will be required to monitor their customers and report "suspicious transactions" to the Treasury Department -- though most businesses may not be aware of this.

Buried in the more than 300 pages of the new law is a provision that "any person engaged in a trade or business" has to file a government report if a customer spends $10,000 or more in cash. The threshold is cumulative and applies to multiple purchases if they're somehow related -- three $4,000 pieces of furniture, for example, might trigger a filing.

Until now, only banks, thrifts, and credit unions have been required to report cash transactions to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, under the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970. A handful of other businesses, including car dealers and pawnbrokers, have to file similar reports with the Internal Revenue Service.

"This is a big deal, and a big change, for the vast majority of American businesses," said Joe Rubin, chief lobbyist for the US Chamber of Commerce. "But I don't think anybody realizes it's happened."

The impact is less clear for consumers, although privacy advocates are uncomfortable with the thought of a massive database that could bring government scrutiny on innocent people. Immigrants and the working poor are the most likely to find themselves in the database, since they tend to use the traditional banking system the least.

"The scope of this thing is huge," said Bert Ely, a financial services consultant in Alexandria, Va. "It's going to affect literally millions of people."

The filing of so-called suspicious activity reports, though, is only the latest in a series of law enforcement moves the government has made in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. And so far, the filing requirement has been overshadowed by debate over the other changes.

The Patriot Act signed into law Oct. 26, for example, gives the government a vast arsenal of surveillance tools, easier access to personal information, and increased authority to detain and deport noncitizens. House and Senate negotiators came to terms Thursday on a bill that would add 28,000 employees to the federal payroll in an effort to bolster airport security, and Attorney General John Ashcroft has said he is reorganizing the Justice Department and the FBI to focus on counterterrorism efforts.

As for the business-filing requirement, specifics about what companies have to do and when they have to do it still need to be worked out. The Treasury Department has until March 25 -- the date the Patriot Act becomes law -- to issue regulations about how to put the new rules into practice.

"The law itself doesn't go into any detail, because you'd presume that's what the Treasury regulations are for," said Victoria Fimea, senior counsel at the American Council of Life Insurers. "And the devil, of course, is in the details."

When he signed the legislation, President Bush said the new rules were designed to "put an end to financial counterfeiting, smuggling, and money laundering." The problem, he and others have said, was keeping tabs on the billions of dollars that flow outside the traditional banking system and across national borders each year.

Money launderers often disguise the source of their money by using cash to buy pricey things. Later, they can resell the products and move the money into a bank account -- at which point it has been laundered, or made to look legitimate, by the aboveboard sale.

Making a series of transactions just below the $10,000 filing threshold is also illegal under the new law if it's done to keep a business from contacting the government.

Financial services companies such as banks, insurers, and stock brokerages face a higher standard under the new law than other businesses. In addition to the filing requirements, they have to take steps such as naming a compliance officer and implementing a comprehensive program to train employees about how to spot money laundering.

Unlike other businesses, though, most financial services companies already have a process in place to deal with government regulation.

"Certainly for the bigger [insurance] companies, they most likely are already tooled up for this," said Fimea. "For other companies, this creates a whole new landscape."

James Rockett, a San Francisco lawyer who represents banks and insurance companies in disputes with regulators, said he's skeptical the authorities will get any useful information from reports filed by nonfinancial companies.

"You're trying to turn an untrained populace into the monitors of money laundering activity," Rockett said. "If you want to stop this, it's got to be done with police work, not tracking consumers' buying habits."

Voices opposing any of the new law-enforcement measures appear to be in the minority, however. For now, at least, few people and few companies want to be perceived as being terrorist sympathizers.

"In a political sense, it would have been very hard for us to go to Congress in this case and loudly argue that the legislation shouldn't include nonfinancial-services guys," said Rubin, of the US Chamber of Commerce. "Everybody wants to help and to stop money laundering right now."

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