Pedro Baez's Posts - The Hutchinson Report News

"Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio"

2011-07-05T04:16:33.000Z

“Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?”
Pedro Baez

As we celebrate the 4th of July, many of us are taking stock of the nation that we live in and scratch our head at the changes.

Many of the changes have been good. Civil Rights laws have been passed, so long as you can afford it, you can stay at the Waldorf Astoria, Century Plaza, you name it, it’s yours.

However there are other changes that haven’t been good. Manufacturing jobs have literally vanished in the US. After school employment for teens has virtually disappeared, as have summer jobs. After school activities in the arts (music, drawing, etc.) has gone the way of wood shop, home ed, and other programs due to budget cuts.

Is this the America that our forefathers fought for?

The Land of budget cuts, and incarceration for our youth particularly black, brown, and poor white?

I’m certain that this isn’t what George Washington foresaw when he fought the British for freedom. Nor did he see what has been a continuing problem for America, racial strife, massive unemployment, skid rows springing up in many downtown areas of the great urban landscape across America.

What to do about this?

First and foremost, neighborhoods must revert back to what they once were. That being a place of community where everybody knew everybody. Where adults looked out for kids and if they did something wrong, they informed the parents of those kids, and the parents thanked the adults and disciplined their kid so as not to repeat the offense.

Churches must take the place of the school and offer programs that will teach the kids music, art, self-defense, citizenship, and reading comprehension.

Yes reading.

If you can’t read and remember what you read, you are doomed to failure.

Many of the new jobs that will spring up call for just that, comprehension.

Oh yes, the title of this piece.

For those who don’t know, Joe DiMaggio was a great ball player. In 1941, he went on a 56 game hitting streak. Had he not been stopped in Cleveland, he would have gone on to 73 game hitting streak. However that is just part of the story. Joe DiMaggio symbolized what hard work, and determination could accomplish. In the song by Simon and Garfunkel, “Mrs. Robinson” there is a tribute by the duo to “Joltin’ Joe”

“Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson
Joltin' Joe has left and gone away”
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_jmDscGi7E)

In essence, what Simon and Garfunkel said was Joe DiMaggio symbolized all that was great with America, and where has it all gone.

I’m in search of that America myself.

Black & Brown-Still Strong

2011-06-08T15:41:33.000Z

Black & Brown-Still Strong
Pedro Baez

One of the people associated with Azusa 13 is in cuffs Tuesday after the indictment. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

The recent arrests of the Azusa Street Gang shows a badly needed issue that needs to be addressed:

The targeting of innocent citizens of African-American ancestry by thugs of Mexican descent.

It is important to note that thankfully this is a small and I mean a very small minority of individuals who have committed these heinous acts. The strangle hold that the prison based Mexican Mafia has on neighborhoods must be broken. It is not only important to get these punks off the street, but they must also be prevented from continuing these acts of violence from the sanctity of the prison walls that confine them.

These acts which are reminiscent of the atrocities committed by the La Cosa Nostra against the Irish, and nonconforming Italians and Sicilians is an affront to decent law abiding citizens of Mexican and Latin American descent. In many communities where we live side by side, there is peace, brotherhood, and trust.

I urge all my brown brothers and sisters to hug a black brother or sister and apologize for the stupidity of these idiots who deserve the book being thrown at them.

If we are on guard against Al Queda, the so called Mexican Mafia deserves no less.

Pedro Baez is Vice President and Political Affairs Director of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, a community advocacy group that urges unity and love amongst all peoples. He is also Co-Host and Executive Producer of the “Hutchinson Report” heard on Saturdays at 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Pacific on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles and streamed globally on www.kpfk.org.

No Threat To Israel-Pedro Baez

2011-05-20T23:00:00.000Z

No Threat to Israel
Pedro Baez

On Thursday, President Obama laid out the US approach to a very long outstanding problem:

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

In his speech, the President outlined his approach for reform towards ending this crisis that has been around since the state of Israel was established in 1948 and has engulfed every president from Harry Truman to President Barack Obama.

The President feels that a two state solution is the key towards finally putting this crisis behind us and bringing peace, tranquility, and prosperity to this troubled region of the world.

In part this is what the President said:

‘So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear: a viable Palestine, and a secure Israel. The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.”

It is these words that have caused denunciation “The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines.”

You would have thought the President said that the US was abandoning Israel.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, of the Simon Wiesenthal Museum said that Israel is at a very critical stage. This would create a catastrophe. Former New York Mayor Ed Koch said that he agrees with Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, that Israel has been put under the bus.

And so on and so on.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The President isn’t saying to accept Hamas as is, to make friends with people who are determined to annihilate you. The President is saying that all parties must agree to reforms, end violence towards one another, and for Hamas, Jihad, the Muslim Brotherhood, and rogue states like Iran, Yemen, Syria, and Libya to accept Israel’s right to exist.

What’s so threatening and catastrophic about that?

The President’s position is similar to the position that the J Street organization has been proposing for some time.

A two state solution allowing for secure borders and for all parties to live in peace. The Golan Heights’ area has nothing to do with this conflict. That is Syria’s call. So far Bashir Assad (Syrian President) hasn’t indicated a willingness to come to Jerusalem to begin negotiations.

His father the late Hafez Assad in his last days, had expressed the possibility of just that. Perhaps the thought of being assassinated by terrorists scared the you know what out of him.

The Saudi’s privately have said that they prefer a strong Israel to the current status quo. They are envious of the strides Israel has made in stem cell research, and in business.

They would like to be able to take their tankers to Haifa, however until there is peace, they will continue to do business with Israel through third party contacts like the Netherlands (Holland).

Finally, The Jar Can Be Sealed

2011-04-27T17:00:00.000Z

Finally, The Jar Can Be Sealed
Pedro Baez

President Barack Obama gestures while speaking to reporters about the controversy over his birth certificate and true nationality, Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

About 9:00 AM Eastern time on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, President Barack Obama produced his birth certificate.

Finally we the American public can finally say, “Enough already.”

Never, ever in the history of this nation has any sitting president ever had to be subjected to continuing accusations of being foreign born. Donald Trump was the latest pundit to hurl this accusation. Without mentioning him by name, it was evident to this online writer that the President was referring to him.

The one who perhaps is out in the cold is Jerome Corsi, author of the perhaps canceled book “Where’s The Birth Certificate,” scheduled to be released on May 15, 2011 by WND (World Net Daily) publishers. Interesting enough when I called there this morning, I was informed that they haven’t canceled publication and they are going through with it.

Perhaps they enjoy taking financial baths.

I know that I don’t enjoy that kind of lather.

“I hope it checks out beautifully. I am really proud, I am really honored,” said Trump upon hearing the news after he touched down in his private jet in New Hampshire.

Now the questions that should be posed to the Donald is “Where is your birth certificate?” “When are you going to release your college transcripts?”

It will be interesting to see how these pundits react to the questions that should be asked by all interviewers.

It has never been lost on this journalist why this first acknowledged President of color be subjected to the most intense and personal attacks that are unprecedented.

Unfortunately, there are still many people in this country who have difficulty with a president who doesn’t completely have full European ancestry and is of a faith that isn’t Christian.

Look at Mitt Romney. Because of him being a Mormon he wasn’t accepted by the Christian right as a legitimate candidate.

So as they say, the race for 2012 has begun!

Financial Woes Not New For The Dodgers-Pedro Baez

2011-04-27T00:00:00.000Z

Financial Woes Not New For The Dodgers

Pedro Baez

Old Brooklyn Trust Building in downtown Brooklyn, NY.

When Major League Baseball seized control of the Los Angeles Dodgers last week I was perhaps one of the few who wasn't surprised.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig exercised his authority under Rule 21 that specifically relates to the "Best Interests of Baseball."

Frank McCourt, the Dodgers owner said he was in compliance with Major League rules and regulations governing finances and revenues. Just a week before, McCourt went to the FOX media empire and secured a "personal loan" in order to meet payroll. By securing the loan as personal, McCourt didn't have to seek the approval of MLB which if he had would have gone through regular channels, McCourt would then have lost the franchise immediately.

When Frank & Jamie McCourt bought the Dodgers from FOX, there was disgruntlement and anger from fans. The McCourt's are from Boston, not Los Angeles. Even before the umpire yelled "Play Ball" there was talk and speculation about McCourt's ability to pay expenses.

Fans stated calling Frank McCourt "McBankrupt."

At present the Dodgers are indebted to the tune of 459 million bucks. In essence the commissioner taking control of the Dodger's is similar to a bankruptcy judge appointing a referee to take over a failed venture.

Rumor has it that billionaire Eli Broad will buy the team and turn it over to Peter O'Malley (son of former owner Walter O'Malley, and himself a former owner) to run the day to day business of the ball club. Fans would welcome that. What is also well known and hasn't been hidden is that Bud Selig had never wanted the McCourt's to get into baseball in the first place, let alone owning the Dodgers, a storied franchise of MLB.

What hasn't been discussed is this isn't the first time the Dodgers have had financial problems.

When the Dodgers played in Brooklyn, the team's mortgage was held by the Brooklyn Trust Company. George McLaughlin, the president of the bank was under pressure to call in the loan due to repeated late payments. He refused due to being a fan of the ball club and kept them afloat despite repeated calls by federal bank examiners to call in the loan. By 1937, with the Dodgers near bankruptcy, they made a bold move. They hired Leland Stanford "Larry" MacPhail. MacPhail came in, got $200,000 from Brooklyn Trust, renovated Ebbets Field and installed lights. The first night game on June 15, 1938 is historical because Johnny Vander Meer threw his second consecutive no hitter this time against the Dodgers. McLaughlin was considered a hard, tough, and conservative banker, however he couldn't say no to MacPhail.

All this hasn't been lost on McCourt. He probably wishes that he could have a McLaughlin who wouldn't say no to him when he puts his hand out.

(It was announced yesterday by Commissioner Bud Selig that former Texas Ranger president Tom Schieffer has been tapped as the new CEO of the Dodgers. In essence a receiver.)

Don't Do It, Mr. President

2011-04-11T16:04:31.000Z

This Wednesday, President Obama will address college students and outline how he will make some cuts on defense spending while cutting social programs and put controls on Medicare and Medicaid (MediCal in California).

I can agree on cuts in defense spending. If we were to put the war on hiatus for a week, the recession would be over. Jobs would be available, and the continuing costs of killing, maiming, destroying countries would be no longer on our national agenda.

I agree that we must make some cuts. However don’t cut the programs and services that we have come to rely on for being able to live.

Food stamps, Head Start, college tuition aid, meals on wheels, aren’t programs that we can do without. Cut that and you will have close to 50% and possibly more on the street with no shelter, subject to death and disease that would make the Great Depression look like a walk in the park.

Many of us want to be able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. America has always been a country of doers and builders. Let us heed the call of bringing our manufacturing jobs back home as Morris Griffin aka Big Money Griff has advocated for a long time.

Cut Worker Taxes, yes.

We got upset that GE paid no taxes. However we should be more upset that countries like China and India have lower worker tax rates than we do. That must be cut in order to put our people back to work. Consumers in foreign countries still appreciate “Made in the USA” on their labels.

Can you imagine our foundries, factories, and workers once again operating, (with environmental safeguards in place) producing, and employing our people again?

I definitely can.

There needs to be a sane, and fair solution to the mess that quite frankly we created. I don’t just mean just we as Americans, but all of us on this planet, since as many now advocate we are part of a global community.

House Speaker John Boehner is known to shed tears. Why isn’t he crying about the fact that his home state of Ohio has lost more jobs than Michigan?

People out of work, on the street with no prospects for work should be enough to bring us all to tears.

Cathy Black Has Got To Go!

2011-02-09T20:00:00.000Z

I’ve admired Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York for a long time. He is a self made man, doesn’t need what some have termed the “second toughest job in the world.”

However with the latest flap coming from newly appointed NYC School Superintendant Cathy Black, my admiration has ended.

My hometown has the largest public school district in the US. The schools are choking with an overflow of students. Rather than to look to add space, this cocktail girl wants to close ten schools which have performed well, and jam the students into all ready over crowded facilities.

Although this isn’t funny it reminds me of a line from the “Honeymooners” when Alice said to Ralph, “Ralph you’re trying to put two pounds of baloney in a one pound bag.”

Is it any wonder that this Bloomberg gal pal was vehemently opposed by educators, scholars, and most important by large segments of the community whose kids must attend the schools she now controls.

Here are the schools slated for closure:

Brooklyn:
-Paul Robeson High School
-Metropolitan Corporate Academy High School;

Bronx:
-School for Community Research and Learning
-Urban Assembly Academy for History and Citizenship for Young Men
-New Day Academy
-Monroe Academy for Business/Law High School

Manhattan:
-Academy of Environmental Science Secondary High School
-IS 195
-KAPPA II
-Academy of Collaborative Education

These schools are located by the way in predominately Black & Puerto Rican neighborhoods.

Now comes word, ten more schools are slated are closure.

Like the GOP dominated House and Tea Party folk, the message is loud and clear:

CUT!
Cathy Black has got to go!

The Revolution Of The Facebook Generation

2011-02-01T15:58:46.000Z

Pedro Baez

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well, Amy, my uncle is Mohamed Abdel Quddoos. He’s a leading opposition protester. He’s now head of the Freedom Committee at the Press Syndicate, and he has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood himself. And, Amy, he’s been protesting for years. There’s been a growing movement here in Egypt of protests, of people trying to voice their dissent. But they have been harshly clamped down on. And what we typically used to see was people like my uncle and other opposition voices speaking in Tahrir on the steps of the Press Syndicate, but they would be about a dozen and then surrounded by hundreds of police, and it would be quickly shut down. They would be arrested. They would be driven out into the middle of the desert and left there, without their wallet or phone, to find their way back, which is a common tactic by the police—completely shut down. And for years, my uncle was—his standard attire, he would leave the building wearing a suit, holding a megaphone and a flag of Egypt in his hand, and he would go into the streets.

And this was—I saw him yesterday in the square. He was there with his megaphone and flag and his suit all crumpled because he had spent the night in Tahrir. And I sat down next to him, and I said, "How are you feeling now?" And he was overwhelmed with emotion. He said, "This is a dream come true." And he pointed over to where the Press Syndicate is, and he said, "You remember when I used to stand on the steps of that Press Syndicate to protest? I would stand alone. Now look at everyone. They’re all here with me."

And he went on to say how this was not his uprising, it was not his revolt. He said this was done by young people. And he’s the one who called it "the revolution of the Facebook generation." He said there’s been—he said, "Tunis was the catalyst and the spark, but it’s been building for so many years." And he said there’s three similarities between Egypt and Tunis that he saw. He said this was organized through Facebook and was a leaderless movement—that’s one. He said the president will fall; of that, he is sure—that’s two. And three, he says the army supports the people and won’t harm them; of that, he is sure, too.

Transcript from Monday’s “Democracy Now,” hosted by Amy Goodman. Report given by Senior Producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous.

In the blink of an eye, the world has seen Tunisia fall and Egypt getting ready to tumble as well.

As some are suggesting, is this the beginning of a global revolution?

In the opinion of this writer, no.

What we are seeing is years of unemployment, graft, wheeling and dealing going on in the Arab world for decades starting to unwind. Discontent has been brewing in Egypt for a long time before the recession took fold.

Poverty, unemployment, misery, and despair have been a way of life in Egypt for years. Since the overthrow of King Farouk in 1952, Egypt has been promising its citizens better days are coming.

They have yet to materialize.

For the most part as Sharif has reported, young people in Cairo make up the bulk of the uprising, as it was Iran, as it was in Mexico City in 1968.

Cairo, the capital of Egypt once its jewel is now its squalor. Ghettos in Egypt make US ghettos look like splendor. People have said under Farouk, conditions were better.

The good life, promised by Gamal Nasser hasn’t been realized. Now the people want change. Neighboring countries are all wondering:

WILL WE BE NEXT?

Both the so-called moderate and despotic regimes are trembling at the thought of the rebellion spreading into their countries and toppling them.

Israel has to be concerned. There could be an avalanche of refugees attempting to enter the country to escape the ensuing chaos.

Saturday, when Earl Ofari Hutchinson and I spoke with Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY), he agreed that actions taken by Mubarak strongly resembled those taken by Fulgencio Batista prior to his overthrow by Fidel Castro.

“Unbelievable. That’s the first thing my wife said to me, in that once again we are in the business of supporting bastards that are the enemies of democracies by saying that they are our bastards. There is no question that we are behind the curve in having the Egyptian people to believe that the money that we send over there annually is for them. The corruption that exists over there, there is a thinking that Batista who controlled the army the way Mubarak does. He couldn’t overcome the people who were supporting the new Castro army.”

As of this writing there appears to be a lessening of tensions and perhaps the dream of the Egyptian people will be realized:

True democracy where equality isn’t for just the privileged few.