BY DOROTHY JENKINS FIELDS
Special to The Miami Herald
Today is Feb. 28, 2010. It is the last day of the month in the shortest month of the year. This is the month Black History is celebrated throughout the United States. Each year the question is asked, why February
The short answer: Historian Carter G. Woodson, one of the founders of the Association of Negro Life and History (ANLH), selected the week that contains the birth dates of two people who played a prominent role in shaping black history: Abraham Lincoln, Feb. 12, and Frederick Douglass, Feb. 14. Lincoln (1809-1865), a white man and the 16th president of the United States, signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free black slaves in some states. Douglass (1817-1895), a black man, was an orator, journalist and anti-slavery leader of the 19th century.
Black History Month was first called Negro History Week. The first celebration was held in February 1926. Fifty years later, as part of the national Bicentennial celebration, the ANLH, now renamed The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), voted to extend Negro History Week to a month and to rename it Black History Month.
The expanded answer explains Carter G. Woodson's (1875-1950) commitment to tell the story of his people, the black race. His dedication to documenting and publicizing the achievements of black people earned him the title ``Father of Black History.''
According to the ASALH, Woodson earned a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University in 1912 and later taught at Howard University. He was intensely concerned that the value of the achievements of black people was not being presented to students or the public. In 1916, Woodson established a scholarly publication, the Journal of Negro History.
An honorary member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Woodson joined the organization's national program that originated the celebration of Negro History and Literature Week in 1921. A local member of Omega Psi Phi, retired Miami-Dade school administrator Virgil P. Rogers, recently wanted to determine Woodson's connection with the fraternity's already established celebration. Rogers found his answer in the book The History of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, 1911 to 1939: A Brotherhood of Negro College Men, which said the fraternity directed the celebration from 1921 until 1924.
In 1926, Woodson personally began directing the celebration, changed the name to Negro History Week and changed the time from April to February.
Woodson's dedication is acknowledged by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity on their official website as the earliest and most outspoken proponent for the study of black history. As a result of his efforts, black achievements are widely known.
The next time you hear someone ask why February chosen for Black History Month, give the short answer.
Dorothy Jenkins Fields, Ph.D., is a historian and founder of the Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida Inc. Send feedback, questions or news to djf@bellsouth.net.
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Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
NAACP Image Award to be given to former White House 'green czar'
February 24, 2010 11:35 a.m. EST
By Suzanne Malveaux
Washington (CNN) -- While Van Jones may have left the White House under a cloud, the NAACP says that's not his whole story.
The group considers him a pioneering hero for the environment and civil rights -- so much so that it is awarding him one of its highest honors Friday: an NAACP Image Award. It's a move that is just becoming public now, which is sure to stoke the fire from Jones critics.
Jones resigned in September 2009 from his position on the Council on Environmental Quality, under a firestorm of criticism over a petition he had signed and his comments about Republicans.
The Obama administration's "green czar" helped coordinate government agencies focused on delivering millions of green jobs to the ailing U.S. economy.
Jones said he was the victim of a "vicious smear campaign" based on "lies and distortions."
Benjamin Jealous, NAACP president and CEO, said he's not concerned about criticism the NAACP might face over honoring the controversial Jones.
"We care about getting the best ideas, the best minds and Van is one of them," Jealous said. "What should be controversial is we pushed one of the greatest minds to the side in this country when we needed him most."
In an opinion piece on CNN.com, Jealous calls Jones "an American treasure," and says he might be "the most misunderstood man in America."
"The real Van Jones story is about how a young leader became the father of the green jobs movement. In response to a longstanding jobs crisis in Oakland, California, he initiated the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, one of the nation's first job training programs targeting low-income people for work in the solar and green industries. This program has become a renowned model for numerous initiatives that are now up and running across America," Jealous says in the piece.
"In America, we ultimately judge people on what they are doing today for tomorrow, not for what they did yesterday."
In a White House statement announcing his resignation, Jones said, "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide."
He came to Washington to "fight for others, not for myself. ... I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future," Jones said.
The decision followed an uproar over a petition Jones signed in 2004 calling for an investigation into whether government officials deliberately allowed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to occur.
In a statement during the the week before stepping down, Jones said of the petition on the Web site 911truth.org: "I do not agree with this statement and it certainly does not reflect my views now or ever."
An administration source said that Jones had not carefully reviewed the language in the petition before signing.
Jones has also come under fire for comments he made, also before his White House job, including those in a video that can be seen on YouTube. In it, he uses a vulgar expression to describe Republicans.
In 2005, Jones was quoted in the East Bay Express as describing the impact that the acquittals in the police beating case of Rodney King in 1992 had on him. "By August, I was a Communist," he says in the article, describing his sense of radicalization at the time.
In his statement, Jones said, "If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize."
One of the most prominent conservative voices condemning Jones was FOX TV host Glenn Beck.
Jones is a co-founder of colorofchange.org, a group that pressed advertisers to boycott Beck's program after Beck called Obama a racist.
Jones' appointment heightened criticisms of the appointment of so-called "czars," officially called presidential advisers, to positions within the administration that aren't subject to congressional oversight or Senate confirmation.
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
By Suzanne Malveaux
Washington (CNN) -- While Van Jones may have left the White House under a cloud, the NAACP says that's not his whole story.
The group considers him a pioneering hero for the environment and civil rights -- so much so that it is awarding him one of its highest honors Friday: an NAACP Image Award. It's a move that is just becoming public now, which is sure to stoke the fire from Jones critics.
Jones resigned in September 2009 from his position on the Council on Environmental Quality, under a firestorm of criticism over a petition he had signed and his comments about Republicans.
The Obama administration's "green czar" helped coordinate government agencies focused on delivering millions of green jobs to the ailing U.S. economy.
Jones said he was the victim of a "vicious smear campaign" based on "lies and distortions."
Benjamin Jealous, NAACP president and CEO, said he's not concerned about criticism the NAACP might face over honoring the controversial Jones.
"We care about getting the best ideas, the best minds and Van is one of them," Jealous said. "What should be controversial is we pushed one of the greatest minds to the side in this country when we needed him most."
In an opinion piece on CNN.com, Jealous calls Jones "an American treasure," and says he might be "the most misunderstood man in America."
"The real Van Jones story is about how a young leader became the father of the green jobs movement. In response to a longstanding jobs crisis in Oakland, California, he initiated the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, one of the nation's first job training programs targeting low-income people for work in the solar and green industries. This program has become a renowned model for numerous initiatives that are now up and running across America," Jealous says in the piece.
"In America, we ultimately judge people on what they are doing today for tomorrow, not for what they did yesterday."
In a White House statement announcing his resignation, Jones said, "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide."
He came to Washington to "fight for others, not for myself. ... I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future," Jones said.
The decision followed an uproar over a petition Jones signed in 2004 calling for an investigation into whether government officials deliberately allowed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to occur.
In a statement during the the week before stepping down, Jones said of the petition on the Web site 911truth.org: "I do not agree with this statement and it certainly does not reflect my views now or ever."
An administration source said that Jones had not carefully reviewed the language in the petition before signing.
Jones has also come under fire for comments he made, also before his White House job, including those in a video that can be seen on YouTube. In it, he uses a vulgar expression to describe Republicans.
In 2005, Jones was quoted in the East Bay Express as describing the impact that the acquittals in the police beating case of Rodney King in 1992 had on him. "By August, I was a Communist," he says in the article, describing his sense of radicalization at the time.
In his statement, Jones said, "If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize."
One of the most prominent conservative voices condemning Jones was FOX TV host Glenn Beck.
Jones is a co-founder of colorofchange.org, a group that pressed advertisers to boycott Beck's program after Beck called Obama a racist.
Jones' appointment heightened criticisms of the appointment of so-called "czars," officially called presidential advisers, to positions within the administration that aren't subject to congressional oversight or Senate confirmation.
-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Monday, February 22, 2010
Schwarzenegger bashes 'tea party' movement. Is he right?
February 22, 2010 LATimes Now
The political world is buzzing after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger slammed fellow Republicans and the "tea party" movement.
"I find it interesting that you have a lot of the Republicans running around and pushing back on the stimulus money and saying this doesn't create any new jobs," Schwarzenegger said on ABC's "This Week." "And then they go out and they do the photo ops and they are posing with the big check and they say, 'Isn't this great? Look what kind of money I provide here for the state.' ... It doesn't match up."
The Times' Michael Rothfeld also reports that the governor dismissed the "tea party" movement as "just an expression of anger and dissatisfaction." Schwarzenegger has a private meeting with President Obama scheduled for Monday, in which he is expected to seek more federal aid for California.
--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
The political world is buzzing after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger slammed fellow Republicans and the "tea party" movement.
"I find it interesting that you have a lot of the Republicans running around and pushing back on the stimulus money and saying this doesn't create any new jobs," Schwarzenegger said on ABC's "This Week." "And then they go out and they do the photo ops and they are posing with the big check and they say, 'Isn't this great? Look what kind of money I provide here for the state.' ... It doesn't match up."
The Times' Michael Rothfeld also reports that the governor dismissed the "tea party" movement as "just an expression of anger and dissatisfaction." Schwarzenegger has a private meeting with President Obama scheduled for Monday, in which he is expected to seek more federal aid for California.
--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Ex-NYC police boss gets 4 years in prison
By JIM FITZGERALD (AP) – 2-18-2010
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was hailed as a hero alongside former Mayor Rudy Giuliani after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and nearly became chief of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was sentenced to four years behind bars Thursday for eight felonies.
Kerik admitted in November that he lied to the White House, filed false taxes and committed other crimes.
"The fact that Mr. Kerik would use that event (9/11) for personal gain and aggrandizement is a dark place in the soul for me," said federal Judge Stephen Robinson.
An apologetic Kerik said before the sentence was pronounced: "Allow me to return to my wife and two little girls as soon as possible."
Federal guidelines indicated Kerik's sentence should be between 27 and 33 months in prison. Robinson said he went beyond the guidelines because they could not account for certain factors.
Kerik was "the chief law enforcement law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has," Robinson said. The crimes were committed "in the process of attempting to become a cabinet level position in the government of the United States."
The prosecutor, Michael Bosworth, said the misdeeds were "driven by arrogance, personal greed and professional ambition."
Kerik will be allowed to surrender voluntarily on May 17; the prison has not been chosen yet.
Kerik, 54, has already been ordered to pay $188,000 in restitution and to pay past-due taxes and penalties on six years of tax returns.
"...I'd like to apologize to the American people for the mistakes I've made and for which I have just accepted responsibility," Kerik said outside the courthouse. "As history is written, I can only hope that I will be judged for 30 years of service I've given to the country and the city of New York."
"...Although this has been the most challenging period of my life ... it will not diminish my love and admiration for this country, which it has been one of my greatest privileges to serve."
Just before pleading guilty, Kerik spent three weeks in the Westchester County Jail for releasing secret pretrial information. While there, he was voluntarily admitted to the psychiatric ward for observation because of stress. Doctors concluded he did not need mental care.
After admitting his crimes, Kerik was freed pending sentencing. He had to post a $1.5 million bond, wear an electronic monitor and generally stay inside his home in Franklin Lakes, N.J.
In presentencing memos to the judge, the defense and prosecution painted sharply different portraits of Kerik.
The defense spoke of his bleak upbringing, his steely leadership after the terror attacks, his remorse and the debt he has incurred to defend himself. It supplied letters of support from his son, fellow police officers, a priest and a man who lost two sons on Sept. 11.
There was no letter from Giuliani.
The prosecution memo said Kerik had "shamelessly exploited" the terror attack, had shamed his gold shield and might flee if he weren't sent to prison right away.
Kerik was Giuliani's police commissioner when New York City was attacked, and he was praised worldwide for his leadership. At Giuliani's urging, he was nominated to the top Homeland Security post in 2004. It was the peak of his fast-rising career — as corruption allegations began to mount.
Kerik said in court that while being vetted for that position, he falsely denied that he had any financial dealings with anyone doing business with New York City. He said he also lied when he claimed he had specifically refused payments that were offered.
In truth, he said, he had accepted renovations of his Bronx apartment from a company seeking city work.
Those apartment renovations were the focus of the original corruption charge, which alleged that Kerik accepted the renovations in exchange for vouching for the company. Kerik did not admit that.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was hailed as a hero alongside former Mayor Rudy Giuliani after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and nearly became chief of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was sentenced to four years behind bars Thursday for eight felonies.
Kerik admitted in November that he lied to the White House, filed false taxes and committed other crimes.
"The fact that Mr. Kerik would use that event (9/11) for personal gain and aggrandizement is a dark place in the soul for me," said federal Judge Stephen Robinson.
An apologetic Kerik said before the sentence was pronounced: "Allow me to return to my wife and two little girls as soon as possible."
Federal guidelines indicated Kerik's sentence should be between 27 and 33 months in prison. Robinson said he went beyond the guidelines because they could not account for certain factors.
Kerik was "the chief law enforcement law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has," Robinson said. The crimes were committed "in the process of attempting to become a cabinet level position in the government of the United States."
The prosecutor, Michael Bosworth, said the misdeeds were "driven by arrogance, personal greed and professional ambition."
Kerik will be allowed to surrender voluntarily on May 17; the prison has not been chosen yet.
Kerik, 54, has already been ordered to pay $188,000 in restitution and to pay past-due taxes and penalties on six years of tax returns.
"...I'd like to apologize to the American people for the mistakes I've made and for which I have just accepted responsibility," Kerik said outside the courthouse. "As history is written, I can only hope that I will be judged for 30 years of service I've given to the country and the city of New York."
"...Although this has been the most challenging period of my life ... it will not diminish my love and admiration for this country, which it has been one of my greatest privileges to serve."
Just before pleading guilty, Kerik spent three weeks in the Westchester County Jail for releasing secret pretrial information. While there, he was voluntarily admitted to the psychiatric ward for observation because of stress. Doctors concluded he did not need mental care.
After admitting his crimes, Kerik was freed pending sentencing. He had to post a $1.5 million bond, wear an electronic monitor and generally stay inside his home in Franklin Lakes, N.J.
In presentencing memos to the judge, the defense and prosecution painted sharply different portraits of Kerik.
The defense spoke of his bleak upbringing, his steely leadership after the terror attacks, his remorse and the debt he has incurred to defend himself. It supplied letters of support from his son, fellow police officers, a priest and a man who lost two sons on Sept. 11.
There was no letter from Giuliani.
The prosecution memo said Kerik had "shamelessly exploited" the terror attack, had shamed his gold shield and might flee if he weren't sent to prison right away.
Kerik was Giuliani's police commissioner when New York City was attacked, and he was praised worldwide for his leadership. At Giuliani's urging, he was nominated to the top Homeland Security post in 2004. It was the peak of his fast-rising career — as corruption allegations began to mount.
Kerik said in court that while being vetted for that position, he falsely denied that he had any financial dealings with anyone doing business with New York City. He said he also lied when he claimed he had specifically refused payments that were offered.
In truth, he said, he had accepted renovations of his Bronx apartment from a company seeking city work.
Those apartment renovations were the focus of the original corruption charge, which alleged that Kerik accepted the renovations in exchange for vouching for the company. Kerik did not admit that.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Zuma Asks for Debate as Youth, Unions Want Mine Nationalization
February 14, 2010, 05:10 PM EST
By Mike Cohen
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- South African President Jacob Zuma called for a debate on the ruling African National Congress’s youth wing’s demands that the government take over mines, and said the party has no policy on such nationalizations.
“You can’t say because you have views today, this is now policy,” Zuma said in an interview broadcast today by the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corp. “Let the issue be discussed. I think people sensationalize the issue. There isn’t any policy that has been adopted by the ANC” on nationalization, he said.
On Feb. 2, Mines Minister Susan Shabangu told reporters nationalization would not happen in her lifetime. South Africa is the world’s biggest producer of platinum, chrome, vanadium and manganese, the third-biggest gold miner and the largest source of coal for European power plants.
Unions and the ANC youth league argue that nationalization became ANC policy when it adopted a document known as the Freedom Charter in 1955. While the ANC never officially distanced itself from the charter, it didn’t implement several of its resolutions.
“There is no shortcut to policy in the ANC,” and any changes must be considered at a policy conference and adopted at the party’s national conference, said Zuma. He won control of the ANC in December 2007 from then-President Thabo Mbeki with backing from the unions. Zuma was inaugurated on May 9 as South Africa’s fourth post-apartheid president.
--Editors: Keith Campbell, Dick Schumacher.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Cohen in Cape Town at +27-82-4549620 or mcohen21@bloomberg.net.
By Mike Cohen
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- South African President Jacob Zuma called for a debate on the ruling African National Congress’s youth wing’s demands that the government take over mines, and said the party has no policy on such nationalizations.
“You can’t say because you have views today, this is now policy,” Zuma said in an interview broadcast today by the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corp. “Let the issue be discussed. I think people sensationalize the issue. There isn’t any policy that has been adopted by the ANC” on nationalization, he said.
On Feb. 2, Mines Minister Susan Shabangu told reporters nationalization would not happen in her lifetime. South Africa is the world’s biggest producer of platinum, chrome, vanadium and manganese, the third-biggest gold miner and the largest source of coal for European power plants.
Unions and the ANC youth league argue that nationalization became ANC policy when it adopted a document known as the Freedom Charter in 1955. While the ANC never officially distanced itself from the charter, it didn’t implement several of its resolutions.
“There is no shortcut to policy in the ANC,” and any changes must be considered at a policy conference and adopted at the party’s national conference, said Zuma. He won control of the ANC in December 2007 from then-President Thabo Mbeki with backing from the unions. Zuma was inaugurated on May 9 as South Africa’s fourth post-apartheid president.
--Editors: Keith Campbell, Dick Schumacher.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Cohen in Cape Town at +27-82-4549620 or mcohen21@bloomberg.net.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
S.African economy turning the corner - Zuma
CAPE TOWN, Feb 11 (Reuters) - South Africa's economy is on the mend but the government will retain measures to boost job creation and growth, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.
Currencies
"Economic indicators suggest that we are now turning the corner. Economic activity is rising in South Africa, and we expect growth going forward," Zuma told parliament in a state-of-the-nation address on the 20th anniversary of the release from prison of Nelson Mandela.
Zuma said security, logistics and infrastructure were in place to host a successful 2010 soccer World Cup and said the size of the police force would be increased by 10 percent in the next three years to help fight crime. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Marius Bosch)
Currencies
"Economic indicators suggest that we are now turning the corner. Economic activity is rising in South Africa, and we expect growth going forward," Zuma told parliament in a state-of-the-nation address on the 20th anniversary of the release from prison of Nelson Mandela.
Zuma said security, logistics and infrastructure were in place to host a successful 2010 soccer World Cup and said the size of the police force would be increased by 10 percent in the next three years to help fight crime. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Marius Bosch)
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Drivers of recalled Toyota Prius and Lexus hybrids advised to monitor brakes
By Jim Puzzanghera
February 9, 2010
Reporting from Washington - Reacting to Toyota Motor Corp.'s decision to recall 2010 Prius and Lexus hybrids, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday advised owners of the affected vehicles to contact a dealer immediately if they noticed a change in the performance of their brakes."Loss of braking is most likely to occur when traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump," the agency said in a statement. "If this occurs, the agency advises owners to continue to firmly press on the brake to stop the vehicle. As an extra precaution, drivers can leave extra stopping distance."The NHTSA announced last week that it was opening a formal investigation into braking problems with the 2010 Prius hybrid after receiving 124 complaints about momentary loss of braking ability. Four of the complaints alleged that the problems caused crashes. The agency said Tuesday that its investigators had spoken with consumers about the complaints as their investigation began.Toyota said late Monday it was recalling 437,000 vehicles, including 133,000 Prius and 14,500 Lexus models in the U.S.Owners will receive letters starting next week instructing them to bring the vehicles to a dealership to update software in the anti-lock brake system.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday said that U.S. officials would continue to press the Japanese automaker to address safety concerns."Last Thursday, NHTSA opened a formal investigation of 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles in response to consumer complaints about braking difficulties, and today, Toyota has acknowledged a safety defect," LaHood said. "When I spoke with Toyota President Akio Toyoda last week, he assured me that his company takes U.S. safety concerns very seriously. The U.S. [Department of Transportation] will remain in constant communication with Toyota to hold them to that promise."U.S. transportation officials have come under fire, along with Toyota, for not reacting more quickly to concerns about sudden acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles. The automaker has recalled more than 9 million vehicles worldwide in recent months to address that issue. A congressional committee had been scheduled to grill Toyota and U.S. officials on Wednesday about the safety problems.But that hearing by the House Government Oversight and Reform committee has been postponed because of the snowstorm that hit Washington last week and another scheduled for Tuesday night, according to a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), the top Republican on the panel. The hearing has been rescheduled for Feb. 24, the spokesman said.In an opinion article Tuesday in the Washington Post, Toyoda promised to communicate more frequently with U.S. officials and reiterated his public vow last week to address safety and quality control issues. The company "will be more vigilant in responding to those officials on all matters."Today, Toyota team members and dealers across North America are working around the clock to repair all recalled vehicles," Toyoda wrote. "But to regain the trust of American drivers and their families, more is needed. We are taking responsibility for our mistakes, learning from them and acting immediately to address the concerns of consumers and independent government regulators."
-From LATimes
February 9, 2010
Reporting from Washington - Reacting to Toyota Motor Corp.'s decision to recall 2010 Prius and Lexus hybrids, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday advised owners of the affected vehicles to contact a dealer immediately if they noticed a change in the performance of their brakes."Loss of braking is most likely to occur when traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump," the agency said in a statement. "If this occurs, the agency advises owners to continue to firmly press on the brake to stop the vehicle. As an extra precaution, drivers can leave extra stopping distance."The NHTSA announced last week that it was opening a formal investigation into braking problems with the 2010 Prius hybrid after receiving 124 complaints about momentary loss of braking ability. Four of the complaints alleged that the problems caused crashes. The agency said Tuesday that its investigators had spoken with consumers about the complaints as their investigation began.Toyota said late Monday it was recalling 437,000 vehicles, including 133,000 Prius and 14,500 Lexus models in the U.S.Owners will receive letters starting next week instructing them to bring the vehicles to a dealership to update software in the anti-lock brake system.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday said that U.S. officials would continue to press the Japanese automaker to address safety concerns."Last Thursday, NHTSA opened a formal investigation of 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles in response to consumer complaints about braking difficulties, and today, Toyota has acknowledged a safety defect," LaHood said. "When I spoke with Toyota President Akio Toyoda last week, he assured me that his company takes U.S. safety concerns very seriously. The U.S. [Department of Transportation] will remain in constant communication with Toyota to hold them to that promise."U.S. transportation officials have come under fire, along with Toyota, for not reacting more quickly to concerns about sudden acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles. The automaker has recalled more than 9 million vehicles worldwide in recent months to address that issue. A congressional committee had been scheduled to grill Toyota and U.S. officials on Wednesday about the safety problems.But that hearing by the House Government Oversight and Reform committee has been postponed because of the snowstorm that hit Washington last week and another scheduled for Tuesday night, according to a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), the top Republican on the panel. The hearing has been rescheduled for Feb. 24, the spokesman said.In an opinion article Tuesday in the Washington Post, Toyoda promised to communicate more frequently with U.S. officials and reiterated his public vow last week to address safety and quality control issues. The company "will be more vigilant in responding to those officials on all matters."Today, Toyota team members and dealers across North America are working around the clock to repair all recalled vehicles," Toyoda wrote. "But to regain the trust of American drivers and their families, more is needed. We are taking responsibility for our mistakes, learning from them and acting immediately to address the concerns of consumers and independent government regulators."
-From LATimes
Thursday, February 04, 2010
10 Americans in Haiti Are Charged With Abduction
By MARC LACEY
Published: February 4, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Ten Americans detained after trying to take 33 Haitian children across the border last week were charged Thursday with abduction and criminal association, according to prosecutors.
The charges, which carry prison terms of up to 15 years, were announced after a closed-door court hearing in which prosecutors questioned the Americans, most of them members of a Baptist congregation from Idaho. The case has become a flashpoint for Haiti’s fears of foreign encroachment in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake.
After the hearing, the Americans were led from the capital city’s white central courthouse and back to jail. They did not speak to the crush of reporters or photographers massed outside the building to cover the case.
Before the hearing, Laura Silsby, who had helped organize the group’s mission to Haiti, sounded a hopeful note as she waited to be taken into court, saying, “We’re just trusting God for a positive outcome.”
Edwin Coq, a lawyer for the Baptists, had said that 9 of his 10 clients were “completely innocent,” but that, in an apparent reference to Ms. Silsby, “if the judiciary were to keep one, it could be the leader of the group.”
“I’m trying to get them all free but I don’t yet know what’s going to happen,” Mr. Coq said in an interview at his earthquake-damaged law offices in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
The Americans were arrested on Friday as they tried to take 33 Haitian children to what they had said was an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. A Web site for the orphanage said that children there would stay in a “loving Christian home-like environment” and be eligible for adoption.
The Americans, their lawyers and members of their churches have said they are innocent of any wrongdoing, and said the case was a huge misunderstanding. In an interview earlier this week, Ms. Silsby said the group had come to Haiti to rescue children orphaned by the earthquake, and that “our hearts were in the right place.”
But several of the 33 children had at least one living parent, and some of those parents said that the Baptists had promised simply to educate the youngsters in the Dominican Republic and said the children would be able to return to Haiti to visit their families.
Some Haitian leaders have called the Americans kidnappers, but until Thursday, Haitian judicial officials had left open the possibility that the group could be returned to the United States for possible trial, sparing Haiti’s crippled justice system a high-profile criminal prosecution fraught with diplomatic and political land mines.
--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
Published: February 4, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Ten Americans detained after trying to take 33 Haitian children across the border last week were charged Thursday with abduction and criminal association, according to prosecutors.
The charges, which carry prison terms of up to 15 years, were announced after a closed-door court hearing in which prosecutors questioned the Americans, most of them members of a Baptist congregation from Idaho. The case has become a flashpoint for Haiti’s fears of foreign encroachment in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake.
After the hearing, the Americans were led from the capital city’s white central courthouse and back to jail. They did not speak to the crush of reporters or photographers massed outside the building to cover the case.
Before the hearing, Laura Silsby, who had helped organize the group’s mission to Haiti, sounded a hopeful note as she waited to be taken into court, saying, “We’re just trusting God for a positive outcome.”
Edwin Coq, a lawyer for the Baptists, had said that 9 of his 10 clients were “completely innocent,” but that, in an apparent reference to Ms. Silsby, “if the judiciary were to keep one, it could be the leader of the group.”
“I’m trying to get them all free but I don’t yet know what’s going to happen,” Mr. Coq said in an interview at his earthquake-damaged law offices in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
The Americans were arrested on Friday as they tried to take 33 Haitian children to what they had said was an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. A Web site for the orphanage said that children there would stay in a “loving Christian home-like environment” and be eligible for adoption.
The Americans, their lawyers and members of their churches have said they are innocent of any wrongdoing, and said the case was a huge misunderstanding. In an interview earlier this week, Ms. Silsby said the group had come to Haiti to rescue children orphaned by the earthquake, and that “our hearts were in the right place.”
But several of the 33 children had at least one living parent, and some of those parents said that the Baptists had promised simply to educate the youngsters in the Dominican Republic and said the children would be able to return to Haiti to visit their families.
Some Haitian leaders have called the Americans kidnappers, but until Thursday, Haitian judicial officials had left open the possibility that the group could be returned to the United States for possible trial, sparing Haiti’s crippled justice system a high-profile criminal prosecution fraught with diplomatic and political land mines.
--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
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