http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008142957.htm
Several months ago, after seeing GOOD HAIR, the movie by Chris Rock, I have been intrigued by the question why Earth's aboriginal people, Africans, black people, had and have kinky or tightly curled hair, while their genetic offspring--all other people on Earth-- had evolved either straight or curly hair. I still wonder.
Recently, however, I ran across an article, whose link is above, which shows how DNA is folded very densely into the nucleus of a cell so exquisitely and intricately into fractals to enable the 3 billion pairs to be in close proximity.
In short, the "folds" in DNA double helix somehow intuit the kinks or tight folds in our hair. Aboriginal man, aboriginal hair. DNA. Hmm. Something to think about. The article is above.
Much Love,
Larry Delano Coleman, Esq.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
NEW YEAR: TIME TO REVIEW AND RENEW
January 3, 2010
By Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
“NEW YEAR: TIME TO REVIEW AND RENEW
It is a new year, 2010. “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Csjz3r81k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXiQE2dF0sw
There is, intrinsically, a renewed sense of wonder and expectation; of hope and possibility. We all feel it, because we are all witnesses, of this day, of this hour, of this moment, something we, nor anyone else, have ever before seen or experienced, Isa. 40:5: “King James Bible
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”
To the perceptive, however, more is at issue than the temporality of time: the flip of the calendar, the beat of a clock, changing from day to night. Many sense something imperceptible, and feel constrained, outwardly, to acknowledge this intuitive sensation of renewal. For that reason, New Year’s resolutions are formulated, articulated, and, as readily, discarded.
While we all share this space and time, our souls sense and seek eternity. Thus, we are one and the same, yet separate and apart. Our uniqueness necessarily differentiates one from another. Thus, in order for true renewal to take place, one must begin by reviewing, within the peculiar compass of one’s own uniqueness, what constitutes, and makes you, you.
Naturally, this requires a self-assessment, and, of course, measured against the ideal, against perfection, against God, we will all be found wanting. Notwithstanding, spiritual impulsion pushes us onward. King James Bible “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phill.3:14. It appears that we really can’t help ourselves. It’s in our wiring, our make up, our being. As salmon must return to their place of birth, in order to spawn and to die; as the swallows must return to Capistrano; so, is there an inveterate urge within mankind to resume its oneness with its source, God, who is best worshipped in spirit and in truth.
Where we fall short, and, we all do, the New Year’s resolutions seek to repair, restore, and to remediate our faults. Examining one’s self, beyond the level of the superficial, is essential. King James Bible “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Cor. 13:5. “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” Gal. 6:4
Examining one’s self is reviewing one’s habits, practices, thoughts, and actions, both voluntary and involuntary, to determine their origin, motivation and probity; to determine the extent to which they conform to God’s plan for you, and only you. Romans 12:1-2 says: “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Simply put: in order to renew one’s self, one must, first, review one’s self.
The compulsion to “conform to this world” is usually all-powerful and unrelenting, occasionally gratifying. Whereas the tendency to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind,” is tenuous, tentative, occasionally terrifying. Going with the flow is easier than going against the flow. Thus, obedience to the law of man is better, in the short term, than obedience to the law of God. This is especially true where man’s law and natural law or God’s law differ, or conflict. The two, man’s law, and God’s law, are rarely coextensive, much less homologous.
We find the following in Joshua 24:15 (English Standard Version):
15(A) And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD,(B) choose this day whom you will serve, whether(C) the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or(D) the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.(E) But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
By “natural law” is meant the manifestation of that dynamic principle, which we know and experience as “God,” which creates, enables, and unifies: man, the heavens, and the earth, from the infinite to the infinitesimal, ephemerally and in perpetuity. This law is both, immanent, within man, and extrinsic, outside man, at once, and is operative always.
We access and apply this natural law through “faith.” Heb. 1:1, 6: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.” A little bit of faith goes a long way: The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you!” Luke 17:6. “And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Faith in oneself is faith in God. No faith in oneself is no faith in God. Little faith in oneself is little faith in God. 2 Cor. 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.”
Returning, now, to the theme of “review and renew,” it must be recalled: "Why are you so angry?" the LORD asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master." Gen. 4:6-7.
Jesus put this another way as a proof against sin: “Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:48
Abel, it would appear, had “brought of the firstling of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell.” Gen.4: 4-5. Cain, on the other hand, “brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.” Gen.4:3. The difference would appear to be that Cain brought neither “of the firstling” of the fruit of the ground, nor “of the fat” thereof, unto the Lord for his offering, like Abel.
Abel’s offering required more effort than Cain’s. Cain essentially picked some collared greens, tomatoes, and okra, whether they were first or last fruits, offered it to God, and called it a day. Abel, on the other hand, slew some of the firstlings of his flock, and reduced some to fat, so he could “offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven.” Ezra 6:10. Cain, of the fruit of the earth, could have offered “cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.” Lev.7:12. But, he did not render. He did the minimum, less than his best, got mad, then killed Abel, his brother, after Cain and his offering were rejected by God as unacceptable.
“What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12. I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17.
Doing less than one’s best, e.g., “what is right” is sin, as the example of Cain and Abel attests. Another example of sin is to be found in the parable of the talents, the sin of disobedience. Matthew 25:29-30: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Throw this useless servant into the outer darkness! In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
Yet, another sin is to be found in being neglectful in matters entrusted to one’s stewardship. Luke 16: 10: "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.”
Just as a baseball player must hit the ball before it crosses home plate in order to drive it, so, must one charged with a task be diligent, be proactive, and not be slothful in order to be blessed.
The parable of the ten virgins is apt. Five wise virgins took lamps with extra oil. Five foolish virgins took lamps without extra oil. All ten awaited the coming of the bridegroom to the wedding. Until the bridegroom came, they all, even the foolish virgins without oil, “slumbered and slept.” Matt.25:5. When the bridegroom arrived at midnight, the lamps of those without oil were about to go out. The wise virgins would not share their oil, because there may not have been enough oil for them and for the foolish virgins, who were unprepared and who had squandered the opportunity to prepare, by purchasing oil, while they “slumbered and slept.” So, the door was shut in the face of the foolish virgins, while the wise ones went in unto the marriage. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matt.25:13.
After one’s review, when one has frankly discerned and confessed one’s faults, and prayed for strength to overcome them, one is then ready to renew oneself, to improve oneself. “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For your lovingkindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in your truth.” Psalm 26: 2-3. Sometimes, these tests, trials, and tribulations can last for years, for decades, before one is ready or able to discern them, to confess them, and to pray for improvement of them. Mark 9: 49-50: "For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
There is a reward for the righteous. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Rev. 2:7.
Proof and reproof are part and parcel of the divine cycle. So, also, is the need to review and renew. Isaiah 40:30-31, “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but(A) they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings(B) like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Amen.
By Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
“NEW YEAR: TIME TO REVIEW AND RENEW
It is a new year, 2010. “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Csjz3r81k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXiQE2dF0sw
There is, intrinsically, a renewed sense of wonder and expectation; of hope and possibility. We all feel it, because we are all witnesses, of this day, of this hour, of this moment, something we, nor anyone else, have ever before seen or experienced, Isa. 40:5: “King James Bible
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”
To the perceptive, however, more is at issue than the temporality of time: the flip of the calendar, the beat of a clock, changing from day to night. Many sense something imperceptible, and feel constrained, outwardly, to acknowledge this intuitive sensation of renewal. For that reason, New Year’s resolutions are formulated, articulated, and, as readily, discarded.
While we all share this space and time, our souls sense and seek eternity. Thus, we are one and the same, yet separate and apart. Our uniqueness necessarily differentiates one from another. Thus, in order for true renewal to take place, one must begin by reviewing, within the peculiar compass of one’s own uniqueness, what constitutes, and makes you, you.
Naturally, this requires a self-assessment, and, of course, measured against the ideal, against perfection, against God, we will all be found wanting. Notwithstanding, spiritual impulsion pushes us onward. King James Bible “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phill.3:14. It appears that we really can’t help ourselves. It’s in our wiring, our make up, our being. As salmon must return to their place of birth, in order to spawn and to die; as the swallows must return to Capistrano; so, is there an inveterate urge within mankind to resume its oneness with its source, God, who is best worshipped in spirit and in truth.
Where we fall short, and, we all do, the New Year’s resolutions seek to repair, restore, and to remediate our faults. Examining one’s self, beyond the level of the superficial, is essential. King James Bible “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Cor. 13:5. “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” Gal. 6:4
Examining one’s self is reviewing one’s habits, practices, thoughts, and actions, both voluntary and involuntary, to determine their origin, motivation and probity; to determine the extent to which they conform to God’s plan for you, and only you. Romans 12:1-2 says: “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Simply put: in order to renew one’s self, one must, first, review one’s self.
The compulsion to “conform to this world” is usually all-powerful and unrelenting, occasionally gratifying. Whereas the tendency to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind,” is tenuous, tentative, occasionally terrifying. Going with the flow is easier than going against the flow. Thus, obedience to the law of man is better, in the short term, than obedience to the law of God. This is especially true where man’s law and natural law or God’s law differ, or conflict. The two, man’s law, and God’s law, are rarely coextensive, much less homologous.
We find the following in Joshua 24:15 (English Standard Version):
15(A) And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD,(B) choose this day whom you will serve, whether(C) the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or(D) the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.(E) But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
By “natural law” is meant the manifestation of that dynamic principle, which we know and experience as “God,” which creates, enables, and unifies: man, the heavens, and the earth, from the infinite to the infinitesimal, ephemerally and in perpetuity. This law is both, immanent, within man, and extrinsic, outside man, at once, and is operative always.
We access and apply this natural law through “faith.” Heb. 1:1, 6: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.” A little bit of faith goes a long way: The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you!” Luke 17:6. “And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Faith in oneself is faith in God. No faith in oneself is no faith in God. Little faith in oneself is little faith in God. 2 Cor. 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.”
Returning, now, to the theme of “review and renew,” it must be recalled: "Why are you so angry?" the LORD asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master." Gen. 4:6-7.
Jesus put this another way as a proof against sin: “Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:48
Abel, it would appear, had “brought of the firstling of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell.” Gen.4: 4-5. Cain, on the other hand, “brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.” Gen.4:3. The difference would appear to be that Cain brought neither “of the firstling” of the fruit of the ground, nor “of the fat” thereof, unto the Lord for his offering, like Abel.
Abel’s offering required more effort than Cain’s. Cain essentially picked some collared greens, tomatoes, and okra, whether they were first or last fruits, offered it to God, and called it a day. Abel, on the other hand, slew some of the firstlings of his flock, and reduced some to fat, so he could “offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven.” Ezra 6:10. Cain, of the fruit of the earth, could have offered “cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.” Lev.7:12. But, he did not render. He did the minimum, less than his best, got mad, then killed Abel, his brother, after Cain and his offering were rejected by God as unacceptable.
“What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12. I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17.
Doing less than one’s best, e.g., “what is right” is sin, as the example of Cain and Abel attests. Another example of sin is to be found in the parable of the talents, the sin of disobedience. Matthew 25:29-30: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Throw this useless servant into the outer darkness! In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
Yet, another sin is to be found in being neglectful in matters entrusted to one’s stewardship. Luke 16: 10: "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.”
Just as a baseball player must hit the ball before it crosses home plate in order to drive it, so, must one charged with a task be diligent, be proactive, and not be slothful in order to be blessed.
The parable of the ten virgins is apt. Five wise virgins took lamps with extra oil. Five foolish virgins took lamps without extra oil. All ten awaited the coming of the bridegroom to the wedding. Until the bridegroom came, they all, even the foolish virgins without oil, “slumbered and slept.” Matt.25:5. When the bridegroom arrived at midnight, the lamps of those without oil were about to go out. The wise virgins would not share their oil, because there may not have been enough oil for them and for the foolish virgins, who were unprepared and who had squandered the opportunity to prepare, by purchasing oil, while they “slumbered and slept.” So, the door was shut in the face of the foolish virgins, while the wise ones went in unto the marriage. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matt.25:13.
After one’s review, when one has frankly discerned and confessed one’s faults, and prayed for strength to overcome them, one is then ready to renew oneself, to improve oneself. “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For your lovingkindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in your truth.” Psalm 26: 2-3. Sometimes, these tests, trials, and tribulations can last for years, for decades, before one is ready or able to discern them, to confess them, and to pray for improvement of them. Mark 9: 49-50: "For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
There is a reward for the righteous. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Rev. 2:7.
Proof and reproof are part and parcel of the divine cycle. So, also, is the need to review and renew. Isaiah 40:30-31, “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but(A) they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings(B) like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Amen.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Snow Bank Reveries
Sunday, December 27, 2009
SNOWBANK REVERIES
By Larry Delano Coleman, Esq.
‘Twas the day after Christmas
With snow on the ground; ice
Underneath, and more coming down.
I drove to my office to pick
Up a fee; but, an unplowed
parking lot greeted me.
Never to fear with my four-wheel
Drive, I revved up the engine,
And in I dived.
When, what to my horror should
Ensue: There was a lurch, then
A thud; and I’m stuck in the “goo!”
I gunned it and rocked it, but did
Nothing but spin. “What,” I lamented,
“a pickle I’m in!”
Then, from up on the Hilltop, a brother
Came down: wearing brown cover-alls,
crunching snowy ground.
Without saying a word, he put his
Shoulder to the hood, and pushed
And pushed, till I was cleared for good.
When I was free, only then
Did he grin. I returned
The favor and gave him a ten!
First day of Kwanzaa:
“Umoja,”-- unity,
http://www.holidays.net/kwanzaa/7days.htm
though it took a snow bank
to bring it to me!
# 30
SNOWBANK REVERIES
By Larry Delano Coleman, Esq.
‘Twas the day after Christmas
With snow on the ground; ice
Underneath, and more coming down.
I drove to my office to pick
Up a fee; but, an unplowed
parking lot greeted me.
Never to fear with my four-wheel
Drive, I revved up the engine,
And in I dived.
When, what to my horror should
Ensue: There was a lurch, then
A thud; and I’m stuck in the “goo!”
I gunned it and rocked it, but did
Nothing but spin. “What,” I lamented,
“a pickle I’m in!”
Then, from up on the Hilltop, a brother
Came down: wearing brown cover-alls,
crunching snowy ground.
Without saying a word, he put his
Shoulder to the hood, and pushed
And pushed, till I was cleared for good.
When I was free, only then
Did he grin. I returned
The favor and gave him a ten!
First day of Kwanzaa:
“Umoja,”-- unity,
http://www.holidays.net/kwanzaa/7days.htm
though it took a snow bank
to bring it to me!
# 30
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Unbanked, unchurched, unlearned
Greetings:
The link below opens an executive summary prepared by the FDIC, pursuant to an act of Congress to document and to develop programs to deal with persons known as "the unbanked" and "the underbanked."
It was just released to the public within the past week.
This timely and informative report may afford an opportunity for the application of Esusu, in conjunction with the extension of the R3 model, reaching also, thereby, "the unchurched," and "the unlearned."
At our December 18, 2009, meeting we must address its application. 'Tis the season!
There's even a listing of a participating Kansas City Bank with whom we may partner.
More broadly, this report may be of value to persons in other cities with similar interests. Please share.
"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." Luke 11:23
Much Love,
Larry D. Coleman, Esq.
larryslibrary@blogspot.com
http://www.fdic.gov/unbankedsurveys/unbankedstudy/FDICBankSurvey_ExecSummary.pdf
Central Bank of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO (Total assets: $165 million)
Central Bank of Kansas City (CBKC) is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that works to develop
products to serve the unbanked and underserved. CBKC is committed to achieving its goal of developing programs that
resonate with and deliver value to the community. As a result, the bank has created more effective approaches, including
its payroll card program for low income employees and participation in wider community events for educational outreach,
informed by past experiences and continued insight into its dynamic market.
EXHIBIT 2
FDIC Activities to Encourage Economic Inclusion
The FDIC’s Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion (ComE-IN) was established by Chairman Sheila C. Bair and
the FDIC Board of Directors in November 2006 pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The mission of the
Committee is to provide the FDIC with advice and recommendations on important initiatives focused on expanding
access to banking services by underserved populations. This may include reviewing basic retail financial services such as
check cashing, money orders, remittances, stored value cards, short-term loans, savings accounts, and other services that
promote asset accumulation by individuals and financial stability.
The FDIC’s Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI) is the FDIC’s national initiative to establish broad-based coalitions
of financial institutions, community-based organizations and other partners in ten markets across the country to bring all
unbanked and underserved populations into the financial mainstream. AEI focuses on expanding basic retail financial
services for underserved populations, including savings accounts, affordable remittance products, small-dollar loan
programs, targeted financial education programs, alternative delivery channels and other asset-building programs. To
date, 952 banks and organizations have joined AEI nationwide; more than 65,000 new bank accounts have been opened;
45 banks are in the process of offering or developing small-dollar loans; 33 banks are offering remittance products; and
more than 61,000 consumers have been provided financial education.
The FDIC’s Affordable and Responsible Consumer Credit (ARC) small dollar loan pilot program is a two-year pilot
project to review affordable and responsible small-dollar loan programs in financial institutions. The purpose of the study
is to identify effective and replicable business practices to help banks incorporate affordable small-dollar loans into their
other mainstream banking services. Best practices resulting from the pilot will be identified and become a resource for
other institutions.
The FDIC’s Money Smart financial education curriculum is designed to help individuals outside the financial mainstream
enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships. The FDIC also oversees the Money Smart
Alliance, which consists of over 1,500 financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, schools, government authorities and
others that partner with the FDIC to provide financial education targeted to LMI households and others.
The link below opens an executive summary prepared by the FDIC, pursuant to an act of Congress to document and to develop programs to deal with persons known as "the unbanked" and "the underbanked."
It was just released to the public within the past week.
This timely and informative report may afford an opportunity for the application of Esusu, in conjunction with the extension of the R3 model, reaching also, thereby, "the unchurched," and "the unlearned."
At our December 18, 2009, meeting we must address its application. 'Tis the season!
There's even a listing of a participating Kansas City Bank with whom we may partner.
More broadly, this report may be of value to persons in other cities with similar interests. Please share.
"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." Luke 11:23
Much Love,
Larry D. Coleman, Esq.
larryslibrary@blogspot.com
http://www.fdic.gov/unbankedsurveys/unbankedstudy/FDICBankSurvey_ExecSummary.pdf
Central Bank of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO (Total assets: $165 million)
Central Bank of Kansas City (CBKC) is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that works to develop
products to serve the unbanked and underserved. CBKC is committed to achieving its goal of developing programs that
resonate with and deliver value to the community. As a result, the bank has created more effective approaches, including
its payroll card program for low income employees and participation in wider community events for educational outreach,
informed by past experiences and continued insight into its dynamic market.
EXHIBIT 2
FDIC Activities to Encourage Economic Inclusion
The FDIC’s Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion (ComE-IN) was established by Chairman Sheila C. Bair and
the FDIC Board of Directors in November 2006 pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The mission of the
Committee is to provide the FDIC with advice and recommendations on important initiatives focused on expanding
access to banking services by underserved populations. This may include reviewing basic retail financial services such as
check cashing, money orders, remittances, stored value cards, short-term loans, savings accounts, and other services that
promote asset accumulation by individuals and financial stability.
The FDIC’s Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI) is the FDIC’s national initiative to establish broad-based coalitions
of financial institutions, community-based organizations and other partners in ten markets across the country to bring all
unbanked and underserved populations into the financial mainstream. AEI focuses on expanding basic retail financial
services for underserved populations, including savings accounts, affordable remittance products, small-dollar loan
programs, targeted financial education programs, alternative delivery channels and other asset-building programs. To
date, 952 banks and organizations have joined AEI nationwide; more than 65,000 new bank accounts have been opened;
45 banks are in the process of offering or developing small-dollar loans; 33 banks are offering remittance products; and
more than 61,000 consumers have been provided financial education.
The FDIC’s Affordable and Responsible Consumer Credit (ARC) small dollar loan pilot program is a two-year pilot
project to review affordable and responsible small-dollar loan programs in financial institutions. The purpose of the study
is to identify effective and replicable business practices to help banks incorporate affordable small-dollar loans into their
other mainstream banking services. Best practices resulting from the pilot will be identified and become a resource for
other institutions.
The FDIC’s Money Smart financial education curriculum is designed to help individuals outside the financial mainstream
enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships. The FDIC also oversees the Money Smart
Alliance, which consists of over 1,500 financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, schools, government authorities and
others that partner with the FDIC to provide financial education targeted to LMI households and others.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
AFGHANISTAN’S EERIE ECHOES
AFGHANISTAN’S EERIE ECHOES
By Larry Delano Coleman Esq.
Afghanistan is the belly-button of Asia. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_afghanistan.html
It is surrounded by the ancient Persians (Iran), the ancient Slavs (Indo-Europeans), the ancient Mongols (China), and ancient “Indians” (Pakistan). Then, too, “Afghanistan” boasts its own antiquity; it melded all of these forces under the spiritual influence of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and others. http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=ancienthistory&cdn=education&tm=107&gps=106_212_806_357&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kush/hd_kush.htm
This land of 30 million Sunni and Shiite Muslims is known as “the grave yard of empires.” It represents a conundrum for American military might. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4lXzptzWTg.
Afghanistan is not really a “country.” It is a biomass whose improbable life is leeched from its strategic geography along trade routes, inaccessible mountainous redoubts, virulent, recombinant and militant tribalism (Pashto, Afghan Persian (Dari), Uzbek, Turkmen, 30 minor languages) and entrenched opium trade. http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=ancienthistory&cdn=education&tm=26&gps=67_69_806_357&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.fsmitha.com/h1/map13al.htm
It is an impoverished nation whose gross domestic product is approximately $700 per person, whose life expectancy is 46 years, and whose literacy rate is only about 36% of the population. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/maps/map_country_afghanistan.html
“Jinn” -like are the people of Afghanistan, who have repelled all invaders, including Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the British, the Russians, and now the Americans and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it would appear. Their warlike tenacity and perseverance is legendary, mythical.
“In Islamic theology jinn are said to be creatures with free will, made from 'smokeless fire' by Allah in the same way humans were made of earth.[10] According to the Qur'an, Jinn have free will, and Iblis used this freedom in front of Allah by refusing to bow to Adam when Allah told Iblis to do so. By disobeying Allah, he was thrown out of Paradise and called “Shaitan”. Jinn are frequently mentioned in the Qur'an, Sura 72 of the Qur'an (named Al-Jinn) is entirely about them. Another Sura (Al-Nas) mentions Jinn in the last verse.[11] The Qur’an also mentions that Muhammad was sent as a prophet to both “humanity and the Djinn”.[12][13]
Similar to humans, jinn have free will allowing them to follow any religion they choose. They are usually invisible to humans and humans do not appear clear to them. However, jinn often harass and even possess humans, for various reasons, such as romantic infatuation, revenge, or because of a deal made with a practitioner of black magic. Jinns have the power to travel large distances extremely quickly and live in remote areas, mountains, seas, trees, and the air, in their own communities. Like humans, jinns will also be judged on the Day of Judgment and will be sent to Heaven or Hell according to their deeds.” [14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie
The Muslim holy book, the Quran, provides in Surah 51:56-59:
051.056
YUSUFALI: I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.
PICKTHAL: I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.
SHAKIR: And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me.
051.057
YUSUFALI: No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me.
PICKTHAL: I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me.
SHAKIR: I do not desire from them any sustenance and I do not desire that they should feed Me.
051.058
YUSUFALI: For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance,- Lord of Power,- Steadfast (for ever).
PICKTHAL: Lo! Allah! He it is that giveth livelihood, the Lord of unbreakable might.
SHAKIR: Surely Allah is the Bestower of sustenance, the Lord of Power, the Strong.
051.059
YUSUFALI: For the Wrong-doers, their portion is like unto the portion of their fellows (of earlier generations): then let them not ask Me to hasten (that portion)!
PICKTHAL: And lo! for those who (now) do wrong there is an evil day like unto the evil day (which came for) their likes (of old); so let them not ask Me to hasten on (that day).
SHAKIR: So surely those who are unjust shall have a portion like the portion of their companions, therefore let them not ask Me to hasten on.
On December 1, 2009, when President Barack Obama announced an increase of 30,000 additional U.S. troops, for the subjugation of Afghanistan, I marveled that a brilliant black man who ran and was elected on a historic platform of “change we can believe in,” would acquiescence in, and, even raise the stakes upon, a course of conduct so fraught with futility.
How does one battle jinn, much less defeat them? And, supposing that we “win,” whatever that is, what have we won, worth having? Rocks, opium poppies? More important, how do we hold it, the rocks and the opium poppies of Afghanistan, for how long, to what end, and at what cost? Scott Ritter, a foreign policy expert and military intelligence officer, has raised similar concerns, in “McChrystal Doesn‘t Get It--Does Obama?” written in November 2009. http://dprogram.net/2009/11/02/mcchrystal-doesn%E2%80%99t-get-it-does-obama-scott-ritter/
It would appear that our brilliant young black president has been bewitched, if not beguiled, into making such a catastrophic decision in the midst of an economic crisis, diverting additional billions away from a domestic program too long deliberately deferred by domestic demons intent upon dominance.
In that respect, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said regarding the connection between militarism and the alleviation of domestic poverty, in his Riverside Church address in New York on April 4, 1967, entitled “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”:
Since I am a preacher by trade, I suppose it is not surprising that I have seven major reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision. There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor -- both black and white -- through the poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam and I watched the program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such.
Perhaps the more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population. We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html
What was true for Vietnam is perversely and conversely true for Afghanistan. Dr. King’s prophesy still rings true. Attempts to equate President Barack Obama, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to conflate their legacies are vainly driven by illusionists and t-shirt marketers, being well off the mark. Dr. King was a prophet. President Obama is a “politician,” just like his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, said at his, now infamous, National Press Club appearance:
MODERATOR: What is your motivation for characterizing Senator Obama's response to you as, quote, "what a politician had to say"? What do you mean by that?
WRIGHT: What I mean is what several of my white friends and several of my white, Jewish friends have written me and said to me. They've said, "You're a Christian. You understand forgiveness. We both know that, if Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected."
Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls, Huffington, whoever's doing the polls. Preachers say what they say because they're pastors. They have a different person to whom they're accountable.
As I said, whether he gets elected or not, I'm still going to have to be answerable to God November 5th and January 21st. That's what I mean. I do what pastors do. He does what politicians do.
I am not running for office. I am hoping to be vice president.
(LAUGHTER) http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2008/04/28/transcript-rev-wright-at-the-national-press-club/; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2H1dMbkYa4
Being a politician, President Obama has fallen sway to the powers and forces of the military industrial complex of which President Dwight Eisenhower warned as he left office:
A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or, indeed, by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States corporations.
Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual --is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central, it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Military-Industrial_Complex_Speech
Unless ancient history reverse its inexorable course, which I doubt, the eerie echoes of Afghanistan will din into us the painful lessons taught former would-be conquerors of this dusty, distant, desiccated and denuded land: Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the United Kingdom, the former Soviet Union: “Welcome to the Graveyard of Empires, United States and NATO!”
Saudi Arabians, Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, perhaps, jinn themselves, are smokeless and invisible, except to other jinn in this desolate, mystical non-country now known as Afghanistan. Leave them to the tender mercy of the indigenous Taliban of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They, like other non-Pashtun invaders, will sooner or later get the boot from these bellicose, Islamic avatars who abhor literacy, modernity, science and women’s rights.
#30
By Larry Delano Coleman Esq.
Afghanistan is the belly-button of Asia. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_afghanistan.html
It is surrounded by the ancient Persians (Iran), the ancient Slavs (Indo-Europeans), the ancient Mongols (China), and ancient “Indians” (Pakistan). Then, too, “Afghanistan” boasts its own antiquity; it melded all of these forces under the spiritual influence of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and others. http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=ancienthistory&cdn=education&tm=107&gps=106_212_806_357&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kush/hd_kush.htm
This land of 30 million Sunni and Shiite Muslims is known as “the grave yard of empires.” It represents a conundrum for American military might. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4lXzptzWTg.
Afghanistan is not really a “country.” It is a biomass whose improbable life is leeched from its strategic geography along trade routes, inaccessible mountainous redoubts, virulent, recombinant and militant tribalism (Pashto, Afghan Persian (Dari), Uzbek, Turkmen, 30 minor languages) and entrenched opium trade. http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=ancienthistory&cdn=education&tm=26&gps=67_69_806_357&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.fsmitha.com/h1/map13al.htm
It is an impoverished nation whose gross domestic product is approximately $700 per person, whose life expectancy is 46 years, and whose literacy rate is only about 36% of the population. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/maps/map_country_afghanistan.html
“Jinn” -like are the people of Afghanistan, who have repelled all invaders, including Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the British, the Russians, and now the Americans and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it would appear. Their warlike tenacity and perseverance is legendary, mythical.
“In Islamic theology jinn are said to be creatures with free will, made from 'smokeless fire' by Allah in the same way humans were made of earth.[10] According to the Qur'an, Jinn have free will, and Iblis used this freedom in front of Allah by refusing to bow to Adam when Allah told Iblis to do so. By disobeying Allah, he was thrown out of Paradise and called “Shaitan”. Jinn are frequently mentioned in the Qur'an, Sura 72 of the Qur'an (named Al-Jinn) is entirely about them. Another Sura (Al-Nas) mentions Jinn in the last verse.[11] The Qur’an also mentions that Muhammad was sent as a prophet to both “humanity and the Djinn”.[12][13]
Similar to humans, jinn have free will allowing them to follow any religion they choose. They are usually invisible to humans and humans do not appear clear to them. However, jinn often harass and even possess humans, for various reasons, such as romantic infatuation, revenge, or because of a deal made with a practitioner of black magic. Jinns have the power to travel large distances extremely quickly and live in remote areas, mountains, seas, trees, and the air, in their own communities. Like humans, jinns will also be judged on the Day of Judgment and will be sent to Heaven or Hell according to their deeds.” [14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie
The Muslim holy book, the Quran, provides in Surah 51:56-59:
051.056
YUSUFALI: I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.
PICKTHAL: I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.
SHAKIR: And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me.
051.057
YUSUFALI: No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me.
PICKTHAL: I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me.
SHAKIR: I do not desire from them any sustenance and I do not desire that they should feed Me.
051.058
YUSUFALI: For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance,- Lord of Power,- Steadfast (for ever).
PICKTHAL: Lo! Allah! He it is that giveth livelihood, the Lord of unbreakable might.
SHAKIR: Surely Allah is the Bestower of sustenance, the Lord of Power, the Strong.
051.059
YUSUFALI: For the Wrong-doers, their portion is like unto the portion of their fellows (of earlier generations): then let them not ask Me to hasten (that portion)!
PICKTHAL: And lo! for those who (now) do wrong there is an evil day like unto the evil day (which came for) their likes (of old); so let them not ask Me to hasten on (that day).
SHAKIR: So surely those who are unjust shall have a portion like the portion of their companions, therefore let them not ask Me to hasten on.
On December 1, 2009, when President Barack Obama announced an increase of 30,000 additional U.S. troops, for the subjugation of Afghanistan, I marveled that a brilliant black man who ran and was elected on a historic platform of “change we can believe in,” would acquiescence in, and, even raise the stakes upon, a course of conduct so fraught with futility.
How does one battle jinn, much less defeat them? And, supposing that we “win,” whatever that is, what have we won, worth having? Rocks, opium poppies? More important, how do we hold it, the rocks and the opium poppies of Afghanistan, for how long, to what end, and at what cost? Scott Ritter, a foreign policy expert and military intelligence officer, has raised similar concerns, in “McChrystal Doesn‘t Get It--Does Obama?” written in November 2009. http://dprogram.net/2009/11/02/mcchrystal-doesn%E2%80%99t-get-it-does-obama-scott-ritter/
It would appear that our brilliant young black president has been bewitched, if not beguiled, into making such a catastrophic decision in the midst of an economic crisis, diverting additional billions away from a domestic program too long deliberately deferred by domestic demons intent upon dominance.
In that respect, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said regarding the connection between militarism and the alleviation of domestic poverty, in his Riverside Church address in New York on April 4, 1967, entitled “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”:
Since I am a preacher by trade, I suppose it is not surprising that I have seven major reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision. There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I, and others, have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor -- both black and white -- through the poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam and I watched the program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such.
Perhaps the more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population. We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html
What was true for Vietnam is perversely and conversely true for Afghanistan. Dr. King’s prophesy still rings true. Attempts to equate President Barack Obama, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to conflate their legacies are vainly driven by illusionists and t-shirt marketers, being well off the mark. Dr. King was a prophet. President Obama is a “politician,” just like his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, said at his, now infamous, National Press Club appearance:
MODERATOR: What is your motivation for characterizing Senator Obama's response to you as, quote, "what a politician had to say"? What do you mean by that?
WRIGHT: What I mean is what several of my white friends and several of my white, Jewish friends have written me and said to me. They've said, "You're a Christian. You understand forgiveness. We both know that, if Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected."
Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls, Huffington, whoever's doing the polls. Preachers say what they say because they're pastors. They have a different person to whom they're accountable.
As I said, whether he gets elected or not, I'm still going to have to be answerable to God November 5th and January 21st. That's what I mean. I do what pastors do. He does what politicians do.
I am not running for office. I am hoping to be vice president.
(LAUGHTER) http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2008/04/28/transcript-rev-wright-at-the-national-press-club/; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2H1dMbkYa4
Being a politician, President Obama has fallen sway to the powers and forces of the military industrial complex of which President Dwight Eisenhower warned as he left office:
A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or, indeed, by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States corporations.
Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual --is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central, it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Military-Industrial_Complex_Speech
Unless ancient history reverse its inexorable course, which I doubt, the eerie echoes of Afghanistan will din into us the painful lessons taught former would-be conquerors of this dusty, distant, desiccated and denuded land: Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the United Kingdom, the former Soviet Union: “Welcome to the Graveyard of Empires, United States and NATO!”
Saudi Arabians, Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, perhaps, jinn themselves, are smokeless and invisible, except to other jinn in this desolate, mystical non-country now known as Afghanistan. Leave them to the tender mercy of the indigenous Taliban of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They, like other non-Pashtun invaders, will sooner or later get the boot from these bellicose, Islamic avatars who abhor literacy, modernity, science and women’s rights.
#30
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Of Heather and Cookie--Summoning the Righteous
Dear Loretta--
This communication arises from the Missouri judiciary's involvement with two African Americans, Heather Ellis of Kennett, Dunklin County,Missouri, http://www.semissourian.com/story/1588987.html and Charles (Cookie) Thornton of Kirkwood, St, Louis County, Missouri, http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2008/02/charles_cookie_thornton_meacha.php and nameless others.
1 Corinthians 7 says in part:
20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
Several years ago, I used this text to preach a sermon entitled "Stay in Your Lane."
I write to you, because few among us understand the interface between the law of God and the law of man, and the importance of our interface, as lawyers-juris doctors, between both.
Several things are converging, which afford an opportunity for us to leave a loving, if not lasting, legacy on the practice of law, civil and criminal, in Missouri and beyond.
I will be in St. Louis for Thanksgiving. The day after, I would propose a meeting somewhere: home, library, church, school, office to explore these opportunities with kindred spirits. A similar meeting will also be held in KC next month.
Do you have any suggestions?
Presently, I envision establishing a statewide organization of "righteous" lawyers/juris doctors--i.e. those who practice the "interface," above-referenced, in order to more perfectly inseminate law and equity: civil and criminal procedure, and trial and appellate practice, with that primordial divine "interface," which we frequently honor in form though not in substance.
Otherwise stated, the practice of law and the administration of justice might be improved by intercession of the righteous who fear God more than man. Then, those "holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof" may be identified, and "from these also turn away." 2 Tim.3:5. Dispararity and hypocrisy are their stock in trade. "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." Matt. 15:8.
I state "juris doctors," because we need help on every level and persons without law licenses can also be "righteous" and of value to all. Self-segregation is not an option at this time. The righteous are within and without the fold of licensees.
A mutual acquaintance in St. Louis of great spirit and resourcefulness is also being sent this communication to expedite realization of the aforesaid ends. Others, whose opinions I value, have also been bcc'd, and implicitly invited to share.
Much Love,
Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
This communication arises from the Missouri judiciary's involvement with two African Americans, Heather Ellis of Kennett, Dunklin County,Missouri, http://www.semissourian.com/story/1588987.html and Charles (Cookie) Thornton of Kirkwood, St, Louis County, Missouri, http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2008/02/charles_cookie_thornton_meacha.php and nameless others.
1 Corinthians 7 says in part:
20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
Several years ago, I used this text to preach a sermon entitled "Stay in Your Lane."
I write to you, because few among us understand the interface between the law of God and the law of man, and the importance of our interface, as lawyers-juris doctors, between both.
Several things are converging, which afford an opportunity for us to leave a loving, if not lasting, legacy on the practice of law, civil and criminal, in Missouri and beyond.
I will be in St. Louis for Thanksgiving. The day after, I would propose a meeting somewhere: home, library, church, school, office to explore these opportunities with kindred spirits. A similar meeting will also be held in KC next month.
Do you have any suggestions?
Presently, I envision establishing a statewide organization of "righteous" lawyers/juris doctors--i.e. those who practice the "interface," above-referenced, in order to more perfectly inseminate law and equity: civil and criminal procedure, and trial and appellate practice, with that primordial divine "interface," which we frequently honor in form though not in substance.
Otherwise stated, the practice of law and the administration of justice might be improved by intercession of the righteous who fear God more than man. Then, those "holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof" may be identified, and "from these also turn away." 2 Tim.3:5. Dispararity and hypocrisy are their stock in trade. "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." Matt. 15:8.
I state "juris doctors," because we need help on every level and persons without law licenses can also be "righteous" and of value to all. Self-segregation is not an option at this time. The righteous are within and without the fold of licensees.
A mutual acquaintance in St. Louis of great spirit and resourcefulness is also being sent this communication to expedite realization of the aforesaid ends. Others, whose opinions I value, have also been bcc'd, and implicitly invited to share.
Much Love,
Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Heather Ellis' symbol and sacrifice in Missouri
Dear Loretta--
Thanks for sharing.
Ms. Heather Ellis' bravery and plea exposed much about Missouri, even as it spared Missouri national disgrace.
First, her bravery and plea exposed the enduring legacy of racial animosity in Missouri's boothell (sic). It is, after all, south of Cape Girardeau, home of Rush--quiet as a mouse about this case--Limbaugh. The Walmart manager should've simply opened another register and cashiered Heather or the white girl, who first cut in line, separately. Numb skull or racist? Walmart's lines are too long, and too slow, notoriously,--hmm, I feel a premises liability theory evolving!
I was struck by the "Memphis SCLC" banner on the Dunklin County Circuit Court house steps in one published photograph. Were there no Missouri-based SCLC or NAACP presence? Their apparent absence exposes their weakness or diffidence, or both, in this still oppressed region of our state. They could've realized a public relations coup, as did Dr. Boyce Watkins, who attended and organized a rally, supporting Heather Ellis. Watkins is founder of the Syracuse, N.Y.-based Your Black World Coalition.
I was saddened by the fact that no black lawyers came to her aid, despite notice having been sent by me to three former presidents of the Mound City Bar Association. Are there any black lawyers practicing in Southeast Missouri? That's an indictment by itself on the quality of justice in Southeast Missouri (and Southwest) Missouri--all Missouri. As black lawyers, we should be embarrassed by this deficiency and impelled to seek remediation, somehow. This, too, falls under the heading of "exposure." This rings especially true for the National Bar Association, whose President is a St. Louisian.
I was heartened by the fact that at least one lawyer--of any stripe--stepped up to the plate, on behalf of Ms. Ellis, Mr. Scott Rosenblum, a criminal defense lawyer from St. Louis. I've sent him a thank you note. He "spared" Ms. Ellis.
Perhaps the over-arching lesson to be drawn is making a mountain out of a mole hill is impracticable for all concerned. Ms. Ellis' father, Rev. Nathaniel Ellis, a Church of God in Christ pastor, is reputed to have taught her to never admit guilt, when she is innocent of something. This is good advice in a vacuum. However, as ensuing events reflect, justice is a multifaceted gem. My plane may not be your plane, nor your facet my facet. It also shows the truth of Jesus' teaching to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's. << Mark 12:17 >>
Jesus, too, was pragmatic at times.
Unto everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the sun. Eccl. 3:1.
Very Much Love,
Larry Delano Coleman, Esq.
-----Original Message-----
From: Lmoorekc@aol.com
To: daryl89@sbcglobal.net; jehank@sbcglobal.net; Jorymetcalf@aol.com; ashenafi8660@att.net; LCole81937@aol.com
Sent: Fri, Nov 20, 2009 7:29 pm
Subject: Plea Bargained - Probably the best Outcome
Walmart defendant fate rests with jury
BY JIM SALTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11/20/2009
Updated: 7:10 p.m.
KENNETT, Mo. -- With a jury still deliberating her fate, Heather Ellis made a surprise deal with prosecutors this evening that would spare her a possible felony conviction for a melee with police after a disturbance at a Walmart store here in 2007.
The family of Ellis, 24, who is black, had claimed she was the victim of discrimination by store employees and police, although defense lawyer Scott Rosenblum never made that claim during the three-day trial.
Ellis, a high school teacher who was raised in this Bootheel community but now lives in Lousiana, had previously rejected plea offers and insisted she would risk a felony conviction and possible prison sentence to make her point.
Under the terms worked out with special prosecutor Morley Swingle, she pleaded guilty of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors, in exchange for the dropping of felony charges of assaulting police.
She received a suspended imposition of sentence, which will clear her record if she successfully meets terms that include four days in county jail, one year of unsupervised probation and attendance of anger management classes.
The jury of 10 whites and two blacks was sent home after 2-1/2 hours of deliberations.
Officials claimed Ellis caused a disturbance in a dispute over who should be next in a checkout line, and that she kicked and punched police who first gave her an opportunity to just leave.
Loretta
Prayer is the most powerful method of communication.
Thanks for sharing.
Ms. Heather Ellis' bravery and plea exposed much about Missouri, even as it spared Missouri national disgrace.
First, her bravery and plea exposed the enduring legacy of racial animosity in Missouri's boothell (sic). It is, after all, south of Cape Girardeau, home of Rush--quiet as a mouse about this case--Limbaugh. The Walmart manager should've simply opened another register and cashiered Heather or the white girl, who first cut in line, separately. Numb skull or racist? Walmart's lines are too long, and too slow, notoriously,--hmm, I feel a premises liability theory evolving!
I was struck by the "Memphis SCLC" banner on the Dunklin County Circuit Court house steps in one published photograph. Were there no Missouri-based SCLC or NAACP presence? Their apparent absence exposes their weakness or diffidence, or both, in this still oppressed region of our state. They could've realized a public relations coup, as did Dr. Boyce Watkins, who attended and organized a rally, supporting Heather Ellis. Watkins is founder of the Syracuse, N.Y.-based Your Black World Coalition.
I was saddened by the fact that no black lawyers came to her aid, despite notice having been sent by me to three former presidents of the Mound City Bar Association. Are there any black lawyers practicing in Southeast Missouri? That's an indictment by itself on the quality of justice in Southeast Missouri (and Southwest) Missouri--all Missouri. As black lawyers, we should be embarrassed by this deficiency and impelled to seek remediation, somehow. This, too, falls under the heading of "exposure." This rings especially true for the National Bar Association, whose President is a St. Louisian.
I was heartened by the fact that at least one lawyer--of any stripe--stepped up to the plate, on behalf of Ms. Ellis, Mr. Scott Rosenblum, a criminal defense lawyer from St. Louis. I've sent him a thank you note. He "spared" Ms. Ellis.
Perhaps the over-arching lesson to be drawn is making a mountain out of a mole hill is impracticable for all concerned. Ms. Ellis' father, Rev. Nathaniel Ellis, a Church of God in Christ pastor, is reputed to have taught her to never admit guilt, when she is innocent of something. This is good advice in a vacuum. However, as ensuing events reflect, justice is a multifaceted gem. My plane may not be your plane, nor your facet my facet. It also shows the truth of Jesus' teaching to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's. << Mark 12:17 >>
Jesus, too, was pragmatic at times.
Unto everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the sun. Eccl. 3:1.
Very Much Love,
Larry Delano Coleman, Esq.
-----Original Message-----
From: Lmoorekc@aol.com
To: daryl89@sbcglobal.net; jehank@sbcglobal.net; Jorymetcalf@aol.com; ashenafi8660@att.net; LCole81937@aol.com
Sent: Fri, Nov 20, 2009 7:29 pm
Subject: Plea Bargained - Probably the best Outcome
Walmart defendant fate rests with jury
BY JIM SALTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11/20/2009
Updated: 7:10 p.m.
KENNETT, Mo. -- With a jury still deliberating her fate, Heather Ellis made a surprise deal with prosecutors this evening that would spare her a possible felony conviction for a melee with police after a disturbance at a Walmart store here in 2007.
The family of Ellis, 24, who is black, had claimed she was the victim of discrimination by store employees and police, although defense lawyer Scott Rosenblum never made that claim during the three-day trial.
Ellis, a high school teacher who was raised in this Bootheel community but now lives in Lousiana, had previously rejected plea offers and insisted she would risk a felony conviction and possible prison sentence to make her point.
Under the terms worked out with special prosecutor Morley Swingle, she pleaded guilty of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors, in exchange for the dropping of felony charges of assaulting police.
She received a suspended imposition of sentence, which will clear her record if she successfully meets terms that include four days in county jail, one year of unsupervised probation and attendance of anger management classes.
The jury of 10 whites and two blacks was sent home after 2-1/2 hours of deliberations.
Officials claimed Ellis caused a disturbance in a dispute over who should be next in a checkout line, and that she kicked and punched police who first gave her an opportunity to just leave.
Loretta
Prayer is the most powerful method of communication.
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