news

By Judge Greg Mathis

Last week,

the federal

government arrested several members of a Midwest militia who allegedly planned to kill a Michigan police officer, then wreak havoc at his funeral by attacking those who attended. Their goal? To jump start a war against the federal govern- ment. While these individuals are in custody and will soon have their day in court, the danger that groups like them present is far from over. Ac- cording to the Southern Pov- erty Law Center, an organiza- tion that tracks hate groups, the number of radical extrem- ist groups has tripled over the last year. The government must dedicate resources to monitoring such activities and work to keep citizens safe

Over the last several de-

cades, militias have been known to carry out paramili- tary training in rural areas; they train their members so that they are ready to engage in war. Many of these groups hold true an extreme ideology, whether it be White suprema- cist or anti-government; often-

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

Monitor armed militias

This is not a call for the

government to infringe on the rights of individuals to gather and express their views. Rather, the government needs to correctly identify organiza- tions that pose a real threat to the safety of the people. We want our leaders to focus their energies on legitimate domes- tic terrorists and work to put an end to their violent plans.

Additionally, the govern-

Judge Greg Mathis

times, these views are based on some twisted idea of Chris- tianity. Domestic terrorists like Timothy McVeigh, who was responsible for the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma where 168 people were killed, and others have expressed similar viewpoints and, at one point or another, aligned themselves with these radical groups. If the govern- ment put more energy into monitoring the activities of the members, violence could be prevented.

ment must address the factors that foster hate and allow such groups to thrive. Economic depression, easy access to weapons in certain areas of the country and lack of under- standing of different cultures, races and religions all play a part. Elected officials certainly cannot control or impact all of these but job creation, com- munity-based diversity and sensitivity training and real gun control laws can help.

In this recent case, the gov-

ernment intervened in time and saved lives. If efforts are made to stop the growth of these extremist groups, we may not have such a close call in the future.

A place to die for

By Tom Watkins

We all know that piece of property we are

just dying to acquire. A place we spend our entire life working and saving for, a place to kick back and make our final resting spot.

But today, many of us are experiencing

that sinking feeling with the value of our prop- erties dropping like a trap door being pulled open. Hard-working people across the state and nation are losing their homes to foreclo- sures because of the implosion of our economy resulting in both job and home losses while values continue to plummet. It truly is a sink- ing feeling whether it is happening to you or watching it happen to family and friends.

It is just not a good feeling to see home

values drop from between 25-30 percent. You might have noticed that people who have lost their homes have that gaunt, dead man walking appearance.

Clearly those with a steady job, a decent

income, a substantial sum of cash for a down payment, one might be lucky enough to find a lender so now might be a good time to buy. My daddy always told me “buy low, sell high.” Now property is as low as 6 feet under.

Foreclosures, bank owned properties, people

“underwater” in their mortgage and walking away from their homes – the sheer number of properties listed today makes it a sad and tragic time for distressed sellers, but also one of the hottest buyers’ markets in recent history.

On the lookout for a deal

Opportunity is all around us. Although not

necessarily in the market to buy new property – but this is a heavenly deal, I thought. As I opened my mailbox recently and pulled out the real estate value of the century, it occurred to me, ‘This is my lucky day!’ Right here in my hands is one heck of a deal – a piece of property to die for!

It was an idyllic plot, a real estate price rolled

Tom Watkins

back to 2001! “It sits on 46 acres of unique, pas- toral, park like setting ... a place that

“pro-

tects family heritage … and “eternal beauty.” The place sound- ed heavenly!

The adver-

t i s e m e n t lured me further

by

pointing out: “making de- cisions

to-

gether about imp o r t a n t life events is

just plain smart.” It went on: “Everyone knows that planning for future health needs, living ar- rangements and retirement, makes those inevi- table transitions easier and more comfortable.” “Sign me up!” I screamed.

This was clearly a long-term investment, a

piece of property that I would not occupy im- mediately, but would always be there for me, located in the diverse, growing community of Canton, Michigan, and being offered at a bar- gain basement 2001 price.

A lot that offers peace, serenity and solitude,

a community with such a peaceful name: Knoll- wood Memorial Park Cemetery.

Look around your community for one of

these everlasting places. Hey, a deal is a deal! An everlasting one at that!

Tom Watkins is a freelance writer and busi-

ness an educational consultant in the US and China. Read his regular commentary at www. domemagazine.com.

If you aren’t a victim, you can still bear witness

By Dr. Jason Johnson

I was never moved when I

saw those old Sally Struthers ads telling me I should sup- port a kid in Africa. First, I was pretty young at the time and second it all seemed so far away, these were kids like me struggling in another country and I just didn’t see much of a connection.

Of course, I am a lot older,

a bit more socially conscious now and I, like most adults, recognize that you don’t have to suffer the way others do, or even have direct experi- ence with tragedy or trauma to make a difference.

That’s why we can all, vic-

tims or not, actively partici- pate in Sexual Assault Aware- ness Month (April).

Of course, I’m suggesting

that we all take a bit more of an active role in Sexual As- sault Awareness Month since nobody in America isn’t aware of the prevalence of sexual as- sault in this country. We hear so much about sexual assaults and violence that we’re desen- sitized to it.

The recent rediscovery that

the pope ignored reports of a child molesting bishop di- rectly under his authority is not met with much shock by anyone. We knew about child molesting priests years ago.

For several years “To Catch

a Predator” on MSNBC featured grown men going through ri- diculous lengths to have sex with underage boys and girls.

We watched, were disgust-

ed, laughed, then forgot about it. Every couple of months there’s another report of a highschool

teacher having

sex with her students and most people only check out the story long enough to see if she’s attractive. Americans are all too aware of the rate of

Jason Johnson

sexual assault in this country without even being reminded of the statistics. The real ques- tion is, what, especially during this month, can anyone do about it?

Just like child labor, racism

and spousal abuse, no one out there is in favor of sexual as- sault. However, most people believe that if you’re not di- rectly contributing to violence perpetuated upon another person, that is good enough.

Those of us who aren’t

abusers and haven’t been abused ourselves often miss out on one of the critical roles that we can play in saving and rescuing the lives of those who have been victimized in the most unspeakable fash- ion: bearing witness.

Only about one in ten vic-

tims of sexual abuse ever report their assault to anyone,

and the average age for re- porting sexual violence is 9. However, the more troubling statistic is that the average victim of sexual violence tells at least three people before they are advised or taken to a health ore legal authority. All too many times we become confidants to those who have suffered, but we help them keep their secrets, we attempt to counsel them on our own rather than take the tough choice, and suggest, cajole and sometimes take it upon ourselves to tell family, au- thorities or the police.

If you know of someone

who is a victim of sexual vio- lence and you don’t bear wit- ness to their pain, if you don’t do all that you can, sometimes against their suggestion to help them get help, you’re es- sentially helping to protect whatever monster attacked them. A harsh claim I know, but ultimately when we fail to help those in need all we’re really doing is protecting the man or woman who assaulted them. You in your complacen- cy become as much their pro- tector as anyone.

Let April be the month

where you become a strong witness and a support network for someone you know who has been a victim of a sexual crime. Become a part of some- one’s healing process, expose a family secret, take a friend to a therapist or pastor or better yet, slip them this column as a way to open up doors of com- munication.

This month can be the be-

ginning of a healing process for millions of men, women, boys and girls across the nation who have been victims of an unspeakable crime.

We can all make sure that

it never takes three tries for the voice of a child victim to be heard again.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Thousands of pinwheels

will spin in courthouse, school, library and city hall “gardens” in more than 28 Michigan counties throughout the month of April to call atten- tion to the importance of child abuse and neglect prevention. The pinwheel is a national symbol for child abuse and ne- glect prevention because it is reflective of the bright future all children deserve.

The Children’s Trust Fund

(CTF) and more than 40 local prevention councils are spon- soring the pinwheel gardens in conjunction with Gov. Jen- nifer M. Granholm’s proclama- tion of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Michi- gan.

The Pinwheels for Preven-

tion campaign focuses on com- munity activities and public policies that promote preven- tion to reduce child abuse and neglect.

Last year, 29,401 children

were abused or neglected in Michigan.

The campaign is based on

two beliefs: That the public recognizes child abuse and

neglect as a serious problem, but often doesn’t know how to prevent it. That issues the public cares about — includ- ing the economy and rising health care costs — are relat- ed to child abuse and neglect.

“Children’s Trust Fund is

excited and pleased to see our partners from across the state of Michigan engage in these numerous public awareness efforts and activities,” said CTF director Michael Foley. “This is another opportunity to set the stage for a positive and affirmative commitment for all Michigan citizens to do their part to help our children be treated with dignity and re- spect.

“We encourage everyone

to work with their local child abuse councils and to par- ticipate in local events. The actions we take to promote healthy child development are the very actions that help pre- vent child abuse and neglect. Parent-child interaction, read- ing and constructive play are all very helpful. Healthy child development also leads to a better educated and more pro- ductive workforce, which is

good for community and eco- nomic development.”

CTF is Michigan’s only inde-

pendent, statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Since 1982, CTF has generated more than $60 mil- lion to support prevention programs and services in com- munities. Additionally, CTF funds 70 local child abuse and neglect prevention councils that serve 80 of Michigan’s 83 counties and administers more than 20 community- based direct service grants across the state including childhood development pro- grams, respite care and home visitation programs.

For information on where

to go to participate in local Pinwheels for Prevention ac- tivities, please consult the at- tached list of the prevention councils that are taking part in the Pinwheels for Preven- tion campaign.

For more information on

the Children’s Trust Fund, please visit the CTF website at

www.michigan.gov/ctf.

Donate your old car this spring

If you want to get rid of that

old car that’s just taking up space in your driveway this spring, consider donating it to the Kidney Cars Program

Kidney Cars donations are

completely free because the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) will pick up your used car, boat, truck or motorcycle from any driveway, roadside or parking lot.

What’s more, your contri-

bution may earn you a tax de- duction. In fact, 84 percent of Americans who donated ve- hicles to the Kidney Cars Pro- gram last year itemized their tax returns and maximized a charitable deduction for their contribution.

Not only will you save

money with your car dona- tion, you could also help to save lives. If you donate your car to Kidney Cars, your dona- tion will support prevention

programs and patient services offered by the NKFM to resi- dents throughout the state.

Just call the NKFM at 800-

488-CARS or visit www.kid- neycars.org for more infor- mation.

The mission of the National

Kidney Foundation of Michi- gan is to prevent kidney dis- ease and improve the quality of life for those living with it.

The Wayne County Delega-

State Senators endorse Richard Bernstein

tion of Democratic State Sena- tors announces their endorse- ment of Richard Bernstein for state Attorney General. The group of seven senators rep- resents the most populous county in the state and func- tions as a crucial voting block in the legislature.

State Sen. Irma Clark-Cole-

man (D-Detroit), Martha G. Scott (D-Highland Park), Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit), Tupac Hunter (D-Detroit), Hansen Clarke

(D-Detroit), Ray

Basham (D-Taylor), and Glenn Anderson (D-Livonia) have pledged to put their political muscle and know-how behind the fresh candidacy of Bern- stein who has dedicated his life to fighting for Michigan’s families.

“Richard Bernstein is ex-

actly what the people of Michi- gan need,” said Sen. Clark- Coleman. “For too long, the

Richard Bernstein

people of this state have gone without an attorney general who will truly fight to protect their interests.”

April 7-13, 2010

Page A-5

Free pre-law program offered

Diversifying the legal pro-

fession by expanding legal education opportunities to mi- nority, low-income and disad- vantaged groups is critical to the future of the profession.

It’s also the mission behind

a nationally recognized pre- law program being offered for the first time to disad- vantaged Michigan college students at no cost, June 1 -30, at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Auburn Hills campus.

Called the Sophomore

Summer Institute (SSI), the program is designed to help disadvantaged groups build the skills and confidence they need to succeed in law school.

“Our mission is to ensure

that the legal profession is diversified with underserved populations who, despite scarce resources, have a desire to ultimately become at- torneys who ardently work for and impact the social justice system, explained Cassandra Ogden, executive director of the American Bar Associa- tion’s Council on Legal Educa- tion Opportunity (CLEO). The ABA’s CLEO administers the SSI program.

Cooley and Oakland Univer-

sity are partnering with CLEO to make the SSI program avail- able at no charge to 25 Michi- gan undergraduate students; Applications are currently being accepted at http://www.

cleoadmin.com/pre_law_pro-

Students will receive a $750

stipend to cover travel expens- es and lost income from po- tential summer employment. Up to ten of the 25 seats in the program will be available to OU students. Students will have no obligation to apply to or attend Cooley Law School.

The program has already

garnered support from legal community leaders across the state, including Marilyn Kelly, chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, who will be a SSI keynote speaker along with former ABA president and Detroit mayor Dennis Archer.

“I speak from personal expe-

Christopher Johnson

grams/ssionlineMI.cfm and the deadline for submission is April 15.

Chris Johnson, one of the

program leaders, said the 22- day program is designed to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and in law school. Students will participate in classes on logic and critical reasoning through classical philosophy and attend classes taught by Cooley faculty mem- bers in the areas of contracts, civil procedure, professional responsibility, legal writing, and appellate advocacy.

“I encourage all current

college sophomores consider- ing a law career to apply; the program will not disappoint,” he said.

rience when I say that Cooley is genuinely committed to ex- panding the educational pipe- line to the legal profession for these students and others like them,” said Michigan Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly.

Cooley associate dean John

Nussbaumer said the program can be a change agent.

“At a time when nearly two-

thirds of all African American and half of all Hispanic and Mexican-American law school applicants are being totally shut out from every law school they apply to, programs like this one provide reason for hope that one day the legal profession will reflect the di- versity of the clients we serve,” he said.

For program information,

schnablv@cooley.edu.

Thomas focused on the

Farmington Hills-based attor- ney’s history of assuring that all people have access to jus- tice. “Richard Bernstein has selflessly given of his talents through pro bono work on behalf of the inalienable rights of all. His experience will be a true asset to our state.”

“I’ve known Richard Ber-

nstein for several years and know him to be an advocate for people who have had their legal rights denied,” said Sen. Clarke, who is also a lawyer. “He’d make a great attorney general because he’s already proven himself as a defender of civil rights.”

Basham said, “I have great

respect for Richard Bernstein. He has a proven track record as an advocate for the people and will serve the citizens of Michigan well as Attorney General.”

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