Friends of Webster

Link to Article on Justice Kennedy’s Opinion: Equal Civil Rights is Blind once equal civil rights is had. 

It was too soon for him to pass; I hope that he prayed for salvation before this day. Pray for his poor children. This was his summer for redemption. Kanye? Timberlake? Someone please fill the void.

(1) Navy Times: Annapolis Professor at Odds with Minority Recruiting Practices (2) The Capital: ‘Cost’ of diversity at the Naval Academy is a Price Worth Paying (3) Cummings: CGA Can do a better job on Diversity 

The most interesting aspect of the Coast Guard Academy’s diversity issue is the lack of an all-inclusive debate.  The Coast Guard’s official blogs have nearly ignored the topic.  Two prominent unofficial blogs have also veered off into different directions. 

The more service-aligned blog, CGBlog.org, includes the contributions of active duty personnel and a mutually-beneficial relationship with CG headquarters. The writers are passionate about their service to the country and they often recognize operational successes that go unnoticed. The media usage and format is aesthetically pleasing and official looking. The diversity of the team nearly reflects the make up of the Coast Guard. No one writes anonymously, however there is an apparent rumor that psuedononymous blog names serve as an unfettered and unfiltered vehicle for opinion and initiative. Officials from Coast Guard headquarters frequently post clarifying statements and answer requests for information via post comments.  

The service-maligned blog, Coast Guard Report, has a strategically anonymous feel to it. They are mostly, if not all, members of sea-faring services.  They are minorities and they care about minority issues. The level of research and writing skill far surpass the notion of the site being used in the manner of anon/pseudo trolls. The attraction to the site is to the information and analysis that each post provides. Little to no information provided to the blog arrives from communication by named sources; sources take a bit longer to evaluate and verify because of the lack of cooperation from CG HQ. 

CGBlog contributors, with the exception of Peter Stinson, seldom address the CG’s non-operational (often explosive) issues that arise in media. Coast Guard Report (CGR) contributors thrive on that information.  CGR has generated interest enough to break at least two regionally/nationally covered stories.  After perusing dozens of comments on the media’s account of these diversity issues, it is easy to see the line that has been drawn.  For the majority of minorities, diversity is opportunity. It is America at its finest.  For the racial majority, diversity is an issue that they refuse to discuss. Or, diversity is a liability and the discussion of it would reveal raw emotions that are too strong and maybe too politically incorrect to own up to.  Most notably, the sentiment found on comment boards is that minorities would be too intellectually inferior to perform well on that platform. It is a divisive issue and it takes time so people need to calm down… 

Brown v. Board of Education (Brown I) was argued 10 years before the first black graduate of the Coast Guard Academy was indoctrinated.  The case that is widely called “Brown II” rebutted the original class action suit, nine years prior to Merle Smith’s 4th class year. “Brown III” was addressed and legally resolved in 1978. The effects of that 1978 verdict were not implemented until 1994. The success of that verdict wasn’t seen until 1999; one district in Topeka, Kansas achieved the notable status of “full desegregation.” De jure segregation ended in the American south long before Cadet Merle Smith’s indoctrination in 1962.  De Facto segregation continued for 48 years in Topeka, Kansas and there, full integration is still in its infancy. A half-century is not too extensive of a wait to achieve the government’s standard of diversity in the most notable landmark segregation/civil rights litigation in U.S. history. 

The number of African-American applicants has decreased steadily since 2006. See Myrdal’s Principle of Cumulation. I’ve read that 3,400 students applied to the CGA class of 2013.  Elsewhere, it is noted that while there are only five black appointees in the class of 2013, only 35 or so applied.  There is little substantive similarity between the current de facto issues and the de jure issues that were addressed in Brown. The comparison lies with the de facto issues that lingered after the de jure segregation had been outlawed. The diversity problem that Congressman Cummings is incensed about couldn’t possibly take longer to mend than Brown v. Board of Education. If Cadet Merle Smith’s arrival on Mohegan Avenue started the clock, 48 years runs in 2010. How much can an institution change in a year?

Below is the trailer to the documentary of a young black man named David Wilson who finds the plantation of his ancestors and meets a decendant of his family’s owners, also named David Wilson. He searches for the answer to the all-ellusive question…what is wrong with black people?

When you get the chance, follow the link to David Wilson’s amazing new website: The Grio

I hope to write for his editorial staff sometime in the near future.

It’s easy to hate,
It’s harder to love me
Ya’ll don’t understand,
Ya’ll quickly to judge me
Put your foot in my Nikes,
Picture you livin’ my life,
Picture you stuck in a cell,
Picture you wasting your life,
Picture you facing a charge,
Picture you beating the odds,
Picture you willing to bleed,
Picture you wearing the scar
Thank you for making me struggle,
Thank you for making me grind
I perfected my hustle,
Tell me the world ain’t mine
You’ve been seein’ me lately,
I’m a miracle baby
I refuse to lose
This what the ghetto done made me
I put that on my father
Tryna hope for tomorrow
When I think that I can’t,
I envision Obama

-Maino and T-Pain

Anon [June 11, 2009 10:48 PM EST]: Why do you even continue this site?  

I just wanted to take a moment to thank any and everyone who takes the time to stop by this site.  I wish that I could write more substantive postings ALL of the time but I have quite the full plate.  A month ago, I considered terminating this website.  I questioned its purpose in my life and in the lives of my friends.  The trend seems to be that I express myself for a period and then I tone it down a bit, posting songs, videos and comments on issues that are near and dear to me.  Never am I vindictive or contentious to any one person or organization.  Through these posts, I provide a glimpse into where I was, where I am, what I love and where I want to be. The U.S. Coast Guard has had an enormous impact on each of those categories. 

My belief, as you probably know, is that I compromised [ignored may be more accurate] my Christian upbringing at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.  Further, that compromise led to social and political vulnerability that opened the door for that court-martial.  I am not blameless but my part in the actions was not criminal.  I stand by that but only time will tell whether or not that belief will be vindicated.  That is my guiding light, my belief that my life will change for the better when that case meets objectivity and impartiality.  When impartial minds look at this case, I know that they’ll see this for what it was. And then I hope that I can move on. Maybe then, I can close Friends of Webster. 

My 25th year on earth was spent immersed in law.  Everything that I have learned, I learned from one of the best men that I know. He is arguably the best civil trial attorney in America.  What I have learned is that legal battles that are fought anywhere beyond the court room’s doors are seldom impartial.  Fighting beyond those doors may help you win the case but it will weaken the integrity of that win.  I’ve always felt that axiom to be ironic, considering my circumstances.  This website is alive because I await resolution to my case. Through all of the fighting done outside of that court-martial and in the press, on blogs, through public addresses and through policy initiatives, it is easy to lose sight of the reason that my friends, family fight on with me…  

Americans have the God given right to defend themselves when they are challenged by any medium of mass communication, whether by blog, press or by public statement.  But what happens when you don’t have the right to defend yourself? 

Wednesday, March 11, 2009  

ORDERS GRANTING PETITION FOR REVIEW   

No. 08-0719/CG.  U.S. v. Webster M. SMITH.  CCA 1275.  Review granted on the following issue:  

WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE VIOLATED APPELLANT’S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO CONFRONT HIS ACCUSERS BY LIMITING HIS CROSS-EXAMINATION OF [SR], THE GOVERNMENT’S ONLY WITNESS, ON THREE OF THE FIVE CHARGES.   

Why is the sixth amendment important?   Try interviewing for a job with your credentialed, qualified, well written resume in hand. The employer says, “I have read enough of the candidates’ resumes today. Tell me why you’re best for the job without mentioning where you went to college, your prior work experience or any other credentials on your resume. Tell me why I should hire you over everyone else.”   

The job is important but not as important as adhering to the employer’s parameters. If any mention of those experiences and credentials were spoken, you would most certainly fail to get the job. You can’t even say any words associated with your experience and credentials. How much differently would your interview carry out? Maybe, just maybe, if you tried to explain without touching on those topics or words, you would have shot. But don’t count on it.  

Thank you for reading here at Friends of Webster.   

Yes, MSNBC is no better. However, they don’t claim “Fair and Balanced” coverage.