Miami Dade Gives Former Offenders A Slight of Hope

Miami Dade Commissioners have recently voted to eliminate from the public employment application the question that required an applicant to answer whether he or she was subjected to a criminal record. It was called the "Ban the Box" on county job applications. Back in July I wrote a blog entitled "An Eternal Crime." My main argument was for government "to give those people back their lives by allowing them to be able to work to sustain themselves and their families, and not resort to criminal activities."

I applaud this new step in Miami Dade. It gives people hope. It has been estimated that 70 million Americans nationwide have some type of criminal record. I think it is counter-productive and ultimately ludicrous to keep those people from having an existence. They are people; they are here; they must live! When you say they should not be able to obtain employment, you have taken the mean of subsistence, life, away from them. And as a result, you have a backlash on the society which those individuals are part of. They resort to petty a life form and more crime, and with that, a whole generation and subsequent generations of them.

The commissioners of Miami Dade, led by Jean Monestime the Chairman, understood just that. People have to be able to earn a decent and dignified living. When you automatically subtract them from the job market, it is plain injustice. He wrote, "I made it a point of my chairmanship to reduce the income inequality gap, and this legislation will give people a chance to make an honest living..." It is reported that 19 states, 79 cities, and 21 counties have enacted such legislation to eliminate criminal history questions from their job applications. They recognize that people have to earn a living and certain mistakes in the past may most often not that people are societal threats. In contrast, as they have considered, it could do more harm by not allowing pass offenders to earn a normal existence and push them back to the underworld living and criminality.

It is understood that job seekers in Miami Dade would still undergo a criminal background check. Former offenders would still thus have to face the devil in their past. However, by allowing them into the door they would have a much fairer chance to prove their qualifications and their abilities to perform in the job market; and they could have a dialogue personally with their potential employers, proving to them that they have left behind bad behaviors that had pushed them to commit mistakes that no longer have any influence on them.

I praise the Miami Dade Commissioners who have supported this cause. President Obama and even the Pope have taken similar positions by visiting penitentiaries and pleading to help the offenders into rehabilitation. They both recognized that people could fail to certain vices. Yet, they should not be condemned to advance deeper into the inferno. They should instead be given a hand to adapt and improve their lives in their society. 

By E.C. GRANMOUN
E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "The Social Worker"  ebook, amazon.com

Connect with E.C. Granmoun Facebook/Twitter granmoun@hotmail.com

An Eternal Crime

In the movie “Life” Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence struggled with the fact of being condemned for life. They grew old, and they died. To most Americans who have committed certain mistakes and got caught and thrown behind bars, it is a similar experience. Whether they are in for life, or are out after satisfying their debts to society, convicts have often found themselves suffering the eternal nightmare of not being able to get employment and live a normal existence.

For those that are confined into prison for life, like Ray and Claude the characters in the film; whatever the cause, the severity, or even the baselessness of their cases; they must often resign to the fact that they are there for good, and they must settle with it. However, most offenders are usually liberated at a certain point. That’s where the eternal crime particularly takes hold. Once you were arrested, and you went to jail, it is like - life is over for you. You can’t vote; you can’t get a job; you cannot obtain financial aids for an education, and the list goes on. However, the worst part about it, the eternal crime against the offenders, is that they are not able to secure employment.

Recently, there has been a buzz about this issue. President Obama appears to have had it in the back of his mind to do something before the end of his term. He is talking about reform. He has commuted the sentences of a few nonviolent drug offenders that had been unfairly incarcerated for too long. And, he has even visited a federal prison setting as the only sitting president of the country to have done so. I praise the president. Further, Bill Clinton has confessed that his policies during his administration was wrong against criminal offenders. And, many Republicans are supporting Obama’s position, calling for reform in the justice system. Obama has defended his call for reform bluntly. He has declared, “Any system that allows us to turn a blind eye to hopelessness and despair – that’s not a justice system. It’s an injustice system.”

These two words - hopelessness and despair - bring me back to the film ‘Life’ again, where Ray and Claude are desperate for a way out to freedom that would never come. They are condemned for life. And, so are millions of our brothers and sisters out there who had served time behind bars for whatever reason, big or small. Whether it is a petty crime as shoplifting, or a serious act of murder, once somebody had been behind those bars, getting a serious or even a trashy job in these United States of America is next to impossible. Employers would not hire someone with a criminal past, whatever it had been. Whether a person has voluntarily admitted to his criminal past or not, it does not make a difference. He simply would not be hired once this background check had been conducted. Especially with the advent of the computer, the Internet, the social media and all, the bad history of a person is just a click away; plus, taking into consideration other discrimination factors.

One may judge, “well, the employers are right; the persons should not have committed any offense anyway.” But, remember! Jesus said that the person who had not sin should cast the first stone. And, nobody was worthy of doing so. We all should be able to discover some dirt in our closet past, as we may infer from President Obama., that the commuted prisoners had only succumbed to mistakes similar to his or ours. Then, why would we condemn the others for life? Why would we not allow them to live on?

When you take the mean of labor from a person, you just plainly take his life. That’s what we do when we don’t allow people who have been in jail to get a job. We literally murder them; and, with them all those depending on them, children, wives, husbands, and any others. And, with that, we are forcing them to live a permanent criminal life. If I may put it this way, the USA has ended up as a crime producer society in this circumstance. Those people who are not allowed to work, they must certainly have resorted to more crime. A man has to eat!

If Obama or anybody else wants to do some real justice, some real reform that would benefit these true helpless and desperate victims, and the American society at large, they must advocate laws that do not crucify the offenders after they have served their dues. They should not force the offenders to commit more crimes by being unable to secure normal and legal employments. As Obama mentioned, there should be measures in place to accommodate the individuals released from incarceration to reintegrate them in society. However, the Number One issue I advise the government to consider is to give those people back their lives by allowing them to be able to work to sustain themselves and their families, and not resort to criminal activities. We actually need legislation that bars employers from discriminating against people who had been in jail, at least for not-so-serious offences. 

By E.C. GRANMOUN
E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "The Social Worker"  ebook, amazon.com

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The Natural Controversy of Same Sex Marriage

There was a time when the man was the sole dominant face of society. Women and children were subordinate. Then, you had the wild animals, the plants, and the lifeless objects. Later, varieties of human kinds began to intermingle. Some groups overcame others and subjected them to servitude. And, the story of society has moved on. Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States passed a landmark ruling that made it legal all over the territories of the giant nation for people of the same sex to unite into marriage. As everyone may already know, this is only the advancement of the popular trend that through time has transformed this nation from the state of paternalism to a free and liberal society where individuals’ choices are respected, if they are not intruding on others.

In the history of this country, there are several such events to remember, such as Women’s suffrage, Slavery emancipation, Equal Rights, Abortion, and so forth. Those are issues of diversity that a majority of the citizenry had come to agreement that people should be allowed freedom to exercise; or, the highest court of the law has ruled so. Still, the recent gay marriage ruling that makes same sex marriage legal all over the United States is one of a kind. Most people do not have an issue with human rights or equal rights. Therefore, they would not make a big fuss over the liberation of people of same the same gender to marry. You find two major arguments against this. One, that I immediately neglect and would not even discuss it, is the religious opinion, that it is not the will of God for individuals of the same sex to marry. I don’t even want to go into this; for, I would have to satisfy a whole debate on the nature of God and religion in which I am not interested.

The second argument involves the ‘natural’ approach. Many very rational individuals who would not have a problem with the equal rights aspect of the ruling have remained very uncomfortable when contemplating nature and its predispositions of mankind. These would agree that the women, the Blacks, and everybody else should be free and enjoying the same rights as the white males. They may also accept the fact that due to certain constraints abortion may, in most cases, be justified.  However, they cannot reconcile with the fact that two individuals of the same gender would involve in sexual intercourse together. They see it as counter to nature. They argue that naturally there is the male and the female. Their sexual organs are naturally placed to fit their purposes. The human beings should not deviate from such a predisposition. And, to solidify and authenticate their arguments, they have raised the fact that we only conceive when we utilize the sexual organs as predisposed by nature.

Looking at this simplistically, one would almost empathize with the naturalist viewpoint. On the other hand however, there is a test that the above could never satisfy. It is the fact that the human being has never remained in synch with nature. In fact, society and civilization are almost directly the opposite of nature. In nature life was brute and short. In civilization, life is refined and sophisticated. The point is, the human being has never remained on course with nature, but has traced his own route in the wilderness of nature to better his own existence. If we could agree to this, and we must agree; we could never force anybody to live according to the laws of nature simply because their ways are not to our taste.

The human being departed early from the course of nature. The man realized if he did not move away from the rudiment of nature to build his own suitable and enjoyable existence, he would not last but very shortly. He went against nature, moving from an isolated and lonely existence, forming social entities, building defensive structures, and organizing and planning to cohabit with nature’s savagery. Today, the days of the man are long, prosperous, and enjoyable. He is in fact ready to lead the most formidable battle with the savage nature. And, he would not allow anybody to push him back into the natural state. Should not the naturalist allow the gay man and woman the liberty to also enjoy his or her life according to the freedom of society?

The Supreme Court ruling has enforced just that. Gay people have the rights to redefine their lives from the rudimentary nature just like anybody else. Of course nature may have destined the sex organs, in some aspects, for reproduction. But, the gay human being may have come to view reproduction very differently from nature. Hence, he may choose to alter it, to alter its usage to fit his new consciousness. You and I may not be in that state of mine. But, who are we to say that the other person is wrong? Should we also say that the human being had to still be living in caves and huts? Should we say that a woman should still be condemned to conceive twelve children? I don’t think so. Then, let us all agree that the human being remains free to experience with nature the best way enjoyable to him.

 I don’t think I would offend anybody either if I try a little prediction. I don’t even want to mention marijuana. Most places are already taking some type of approach at legalization of it. It should not be too long before this highly preferred ‘buzz’ is considered just like alcohol all over the United States. Do you see another one? What about prostitution? They have claimed that it is one of the oldest ventures. Could you foresee the man and the woman free to liquidate this prize of theirs on the corner or all over the social media? The last may appear at first upsetting to many. But, don’t be! This should be considered as one of the most ancient practices of man as well. Some people have translated the version of Eve and Satan in the Garden of Eden as a seduction of the woman by the snake. This is radical. Yet, I believe that one of the big contests that we may undergo during our days is the liberation of sexual intercourse between humans and animals.

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By E.C. GRANMOUN
E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "The Social Worker"  ebook, amazon.com

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In The Shoe Of Miss #Dolezal

A majority applauds her. Some consider her a villain. Me, I call Rachel Dolezal “An Ultimate One-Woman Revolutionist.” To those who applauded her, to those who cursed her, I would say that it was all the consequence of her revolution. I call her a revolutionist because a revolution is most definitely a radical undertaken to alter a certain course. Rachel Dolezal took the most stringent approach in her attempt to participate in the struggle of the Negro being.

When the news erupted, my initial reaction was that she simply wanted to live as a black person. I could not figure anything wrong with that; except of course that she may have violated the law by lying to maintain the blackness. I had yet to learn much about her background, her life, and her work in the black community. After I had arrived to know more about the life of Miss Dolezal and her position vis-à-vis the Negro race, I have reserved nothing but praise for her. And I would encourage her to consider any pitfall from this as a backfire of her endeavor.

What is the best way to understand the suffering of another human being than to experience the suffering yourself? Perhaps if the slave owners had subjected themselves to the experience of the Negro slaves, they would have had a change-of-heart that other human beings should not have been treated so inhumanly. Miss Dolezal went all the way to even alter her physical stature to adopt the Negro identity in order to live like a black person. We may never know exactly what might have pressured the lady to go that way. People have speculated that she is crazy, that she is a liar, that she is a phony, and all. Some of her action may force us to certainly empathize with the above. Her parents have described her as a pathetic liar; her adopted brother has painted a mentally displaced picture of her; and other people are just baffled by her comportment. Yet, what Miss Dolezal did was just trying to be as Negroid as Negro could be. She adopted a Negro identity and attitude; she altered her hair and skin color; and she joined the Negro person to live like one.

Many black females, and even black young men, have continually been trying through time to approach closer and join the Caucasian being. Throughout colonization and even to now, many black men and women have procreated with white individuals, and those kids have benefited significantly by having associated with their Caucasian progenitor side. More recently, we have seen black women crowning with long hair that sometimes makes it almost impossible to determine their race from behind. And more absurdly, many young black individuals have bleached their bodies to make them appear more light skin.

Miss Dolezal does not fit within the above disorder. She was in contrast on a mission to discover Black, to live black, and to fight on the side of the black person. Of course she could have done it some other ways, probably more effectively, that people could have comprehended her better and commonly accepted her. However, I guess she wanted to do it that way, or some way. She might have miscalculated the eventual outcome; bu,t that was what she wanted – to identify, live, and struggle like a Negro. With that, she certainly attained some highs and lows. (1) She received a scholarship to Howard University. Well, perhaps she would be capable as a white woman to obtain financing for her education some other ways. (2) She has been a professor of Afro-American Studies. She could be a professor of any other subject of her liking. (3) She became head of a NAACP chapter. It is very likely that she could ascend some other echelon. (4) She was also Head of some police order. Likewise, it is claimed that she was victim of hate crime and other abuses.

Now, Miss Dolezal, a Caucasian woman, entered the Negroid shoe not for the superficial aspects that most Blacks have done, (white privileges, better skin color and hair style). She appears to have had a deep sense of wanting to experience the life of the black person and to fight along side of him. She stated that she expected her strategy to fire back. Anyway, that was what she wanted to do. She did it. Most often, that is the way a revolution ends. You win some; you lose some. Miss Dolezal has now been somewhat derided over the media. Nevertheless, she would remain that one white woman who had gone so far as to enter the Negro’s skin to fight along with him.

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By E.C. GRANMOUN
E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "The Social Worker"  ebook, amazon.com

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The Red Cross’ Fiasco In Haiti Goes The Haitian Way

When the earthquake of January 12, 2010 occurred in Haiti, the tiny and impoverished island nation automatically became the focus of the rapacious media. Some people took it as a natural catastrophe. Many considered it a punishment for the cursed land of voodoo, zombies, and demons. No matter what, the most astonishing sentiment was the outpouring of grief and support: (1) People from everywhere, from all denominations of life sprung forth to collect aid for the population in difficulty; and (2) so many God-loving individuals willing and ready to offer the necessary assistance to booster the Haitian people back to normal existence.

It did not take long for the benevolence, sentiment of helping and giving to recede, however. Haiti and its misery; its hundreds of thousands of people under tents; its down-ridden mountain tops; its piles of garbage; its young men and young women in the infernos of the slums; all the dreams of repairing Haiti; and its incompetent, ignorant, and corrupted leaders under the strong arms of imperialism; they all reentered the shadows. There was one new sphere to the phenomenon yet. It was the news about how much the poorest nation of the Americas was being abused and exploited by the so-called good Samaritans. And, one of these major villains was the Red Cross. Recently, the headlines about this organization’s squandering money destined to help victims of the earthquake were plentiful. One of them read, “How the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars for Haiti and Built Six Homes,” by Justin Elliott, ProPublica, and Laura Sullivan, NPR. Above the title, they showed a couple of minuscule shacks on dirt ground with two kids and their bikes and a woman.

The recent news should not be surprising.

Back a couple of years earlier, the bell had already rung. The controversy was about a plan of the Red Cross to construct a luxury hotel and conference hall with money that was donated to help poor and displaced Haitians. Therefore, as everything else in Haiti, the aid organizations arrived and maintained the same irreconcilable mentality of chaos and fiasco of Haiti.

According to the above article, “The Red Cross received an outpouring of donations after the quake, nearly half a billion dollars.” And for an institution with a reputation of successful philanthropy in the American society, the Red Cross has failed badly in Haiti. In fact, it is mentioned that the Red Cross used the Haitian crisis as a mere opportunity for fundraising; and, the organization has claimed success publicly. But, on the ground in Haiti, and according to verifiable records, it has shown that “the charity has broken promises, squandered donations, and made dubious claims of success.”  For instance, (1) they said that they have given homes to some 130,000 individuals. Investigative reports could account only for 6 newly built homes. (2) They offered an ambitious plan to “develop brand-new communities.” None was built.

Why the organization failed so badly?

The investigators pointed out some common issues. (1) A dependence on outsiders who did not even speak the Haitian language. (2) Discrimination against Haitian workers and job applicants. (3) Organizational lacking of developmental project expertise. (4) Too much overhead costs. The Red Cross itself has admitted that the event in Haiti was a trying moment for them. One project manager stated that the reason why a certain project failed was that they “didn’t have the know how.” Another blamed micro management from Washington D. C. that caused everything to take “four times as long.” Another major issue the organization raised for the failure of completing projects was the difficulty of clearing land titles in Haiti. The investigation has revealed however that the Red Cross has simply done a very bad job.

They wrote. “Instead of making concrete improvements to living conditions, the Red Cross has launched hand-washing education campaigns…,” these were “not effective when people had no access to water and no soap.” And, when the cholera epidemic broke out a few months after the quake, “the biggest part of the Red Cross’ response – a plan to distribute soap and oral re-hydration salts – was crippled by “internal issues that go unaddressed,”…”

The Red Cross’ fiasco in Haiti goes the Haitian way.

I remember in college how they instructed us that American business people  and officials would break the law once they were out of the United States territories. They would act according to the norms and vices of their host countries. The moment of the earthquake in Haiti proved such an American tendency. When the disaster had just struck, the world came in mass, painting a picture as if Haiti was going to be rescued forever. After a little while, however, it was the big question. What happened to all the money that had been collected? The answer was muddied.  Haiti remained in its misery; a mass of people had not exited the tents; and those who had found the badly constructed shacks were rejoined the same life of misery in the slums and ghettos.

Many nations, particularly the big so-called friends of Haiti had promised much money. That likewise has remained controversial. The donors have claimed they have already given out much. Haitians officials and critics have not agreed to the claim. No matter what, the philanthropists, the organizations, the mercenaries, all have come and gone. Many players, Haitians and foreigners, have cashed out majorly. It is the Haitian way. There is no law, no rule; everything goes the corrupted way. In fact, the reporters pointed out that it has remained a norm for the organizations to botch “delivery of aid after disasters…” Therefore, in Haiti it should not be surprising. It has gone as always – the Haitian way. 

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By E.C. GRANMOUN
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E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "Big Bully Country: A Novel"  ebook, on amazon.com

This Electronic Age Reveals the Young Men in Peril

One young man dead; the police to blame; Baltimore erupted into flame; such has been a common affair in the black communities in the great United States of America - Florida, New York, Missouri, New Jersey, California, South Carolina, and on and on. Some children are in peril. A nation remains divided. What is going on? Who is to blame? I recall one day I was picking up some food at a tiny café in Little Havana Miami. I overheard some White Hispanic officers, a half dozen or so, talking about how they despised young black males. I was terrified. They had one familiar argument. The young black men had an attitude. I went my way. They went their ways. Yet, I felt that young Afro men in America were facing an uphill battle.

It is about 20 years later that I am writing this blogpost. In the white house, there is a half-black-half-white president of the big white men’s country. People should mistake that the relationship between Black and White in the United States must have highly improved. It in contrast, appears to have deteriorated. During the last few months, or at best the last couple of years, a rash of cold murdering of young black men by the police all about the country has proven that the issue of race in the United States is still to be reconciled. 

This murdering of young black men by police should not be taken for anything new in this country. In fact, the mistreatment of poor Blacks here has ever remained a common affair. In general, black people in the United State have been kept a degenerated and deprived mass. No wealth, no suitable education, no well organized structure to serve the Negro interest, people of African origin here are left in a conundrum of societal inefficiencies that have held them captives of their white Caucasian compatriots, as destined from their backdrop of slavery. It is not a surprise that the young black men have developed attitudes, and the police the keeper of the dungeon have brutalized them. However, the new age of social media has brought to light what used to customarily be done in darkness.

Young black men in America have always been more exposed to the injustice of racism. Ever since slavery, where such young men were lynched for the mere fact of looking at a white female; or when they were condemned for crimes committed by other people; and, the actual brutality of the law enforcement on them simply for the fact that they are Negroes. Black people here in general have suffered most often silently under the racist system that has marginalized their race. No one wants to condone any illegal actions of the young black folks. Yet, it as criminal for the white police to go about massacring them mercilessly. 

Everything was done in the dark until cameras started to branch out on all standing structures, and individuals with smart phones and tablets were ready to snap a picture of any action at every joint, every angle. I remember Rodney King, with his face all bulged up, and all the protests in Los Angeles and all across the country. Then, there was no more, as if the police had stopped brutalizing black men. This was 1992, the age of camcorders. Today, is the age of social media. Not only that a camera is posted at every angle of our activities, the network of people are up and ready to transmit with the tapping of a finger to every corner of the globe and even up into the heavens. Nothing is hidden; no place is too far.

Hence, the peril of the young black men in the United States is exposed. Not only that, this society incarcerated the Blacks in slavery for centuries; not only that these Blacks were abandoned to failure by the exploiting and racist society at liberty; now the young black men have been revealed to have been suffering extreme discrimination, brutalization, and even extermination by the judicial institutions of the country that not only render false judgments to imprison the young black men, but also allow the brutal racist police forces to exterminate the young men. It is no longer a secret. The electronic and social media society must have clearly acknowledged.

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "The Social Worker" ebook on amazon.com 
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Always Keep Your Mind and Your Eyes on Your Child

A child is dead and a dad is behind bars – sad story that one would not wish to hear. When I am walking about with my social worker’s mindset and I observe a parent walking in front with a child behind, it automatically rings the alarm bell. This parent does not take 100% charge of the child. Those are certain criteria that the child welfare worker considers when investigating the family environment. Very often you hear that a child is dead from heat exposure after having been left in the vehicle by a parent. Your heart is tearing apart thinking about the suffering that such a child must have gone through to meet his or her demise. And, such incidents that could have been averted.

This father James Koryor, as reported by NBC News, is arrested on “suspicion of manslaughter and child abuse…” It obviously appears to be a case of negligence of him. Detectives revealed that he went to the liquor store, “bought a bottle of gin, drank it on the way home and fell asleep inside his house.” All along, there were two children of his in his care. At the end, the younger one, 2 years old, was found unconscious in the vehicle and died in the hospital. His 5-year-old brother either exited by himself or taken by his father. Surely one could detect gross negligence here. The father went out to buy liquor with his children, he got drunk on the way home with the children still in the vehicle, he lost his sanity, and he abandoned his responsibility of the children. According to the police, the younger child "struggled to get out of the vehicle before dying."

Now, even though this father was overly negligent, we all still need to take note. For, in many other cases we have heard relatively sane and stable individuals who have forgotten their kids in vehicles and who have suffered the same ill fate. We are living in a highly pressurized and even inflated society. People are usually on the run, and occupied by a multitude of activities. People’s minds are often full with worries about all different types of concerns about life. And often time, it gets to some certain degree that people have lost control. Perhaps you and I have already developed the skills that would keep us away from such a tragedy. Yet, we must have a message for the others. Always keep your mind and your eyes on your children.

As the social worker, it beeps when I observe a child walking behind the parent. When I say that your eye should always be on your child, I mean that you have a certain attitude that you must develop to make sure that you cannot forget your child. Number one would obviously be to not get drunk with your child in the car. Number two, which must in reality be number one, you should keep such a close watch on your child that the possibility that you could forget him in the car should be zero. When I am caring for a child, I automatically know that I am the protector of the child. (1) I know that I have to provide for this child in my care. (2) I know that there are things that I must refrain from doing with this child around. (3) I also give the child his limit, particularly of what he should stay away from and what he should not do. And, we all would be safe. 

When relatives in the home asked the older sibling for the smaller one, he responded that he was sleeping. They automatically assumed that the child was in a room somewhere.  With your mind and your eyes on your child, it is very unlikely that you would undertake any activities, allow the child to undertake any such activities, or to forget the child long enough for such preventable tragedy to occur. The lesson to learn is. Do not assume. Make sure to check and verify when you are not sure. We don't want to waste our little love ones.

  

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "The Social Worker" ebook on amazon.com 
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Children and Firearm

One of the responsibility of the social worker is to make sure the home environments present no danger for the children. When you go for a home study; or, every time you arrive for one of the monthly visits, you have to check that the homes offer a suitable atmosphere for the children there. There are foods, electricity, running water, ventilation, enough room space, etc. But, the issue of safety, how do you measure that? The social worker has to make sure that there is no electrical wire exposed, no paint is peeled off  the walls, nothing is too precarious placed that it would fall on a child, no knife or anything like that or poisonous or dangerous material is at the reach of children. But what about when you see such a headline: “Florida Boy, 12, Kills Brother and Self.” Your stomach cringes.

The worse part about it, the boy had access to a firearm that he utilized to kill his younger brother, 6 years old, and his sixteen-year-old brother was shot in the leg and survived. How does a twelve-year-old get his hands on a firearm? What is the role of the custodians? What is the role of the society? Could the social worker foreseen such a danger?

Recently, there has been so much publicity about the gun issue. Several individuals, particularly young black men have been killed by others with a firearm. The perpetrators have often claimed the "stand-your-ground" law, which literally gives people who own firearms the right to kill others that they may consider threatening to them. This has brought up the argument against the much availability of weapon in the communities. Yet, our major concern at the moment is the fact that the twelve-year-old could get access to a gun and arrive to shoot his brothers with it.

The parents must beware. If you choose to own weapons, you must be ready to take responsibility for their safety in the home. Anybody who purchases a weapon, you must take charge of it. In the home, in the vehicle, it is yours and yours only; and, nobody else should be able to assume control over it. You were the one who felt that you could handle it and went out and buy it. So, don’t count on anybody else. Especially when it concerns children, there is no excuse. Children are not logically sound enough to handle weapons. They may see it as a toy. They may not know yet the level of damage it could inflict. So, it remains on you the custodians to make sure that the children never have access to weapons, particularly firearms. There have been so many instances where parents have cried because they have been careless and allowed the children access to weapons. It should not be; or, let it be no more.

The freedom to bear arms in this country is extremely liberal. No one would wish to infringe upon another’s rights. Still, this society needs to take a careful look on how this easy access to firearms is affecting certain ethnic groups. And, the social workers, there is not too much to do under such a circumstance. When you go inside the home, you check for all abnormalities. Yet, usually, the gun would not be sitting around openly. You would most likely miss it. You could pass the message, however: If you have a gun, make sure the children are not able to get to it. At the end, the whole safety concern rests with the custodians or parents. If you don’t have necessity for a gun, do not even acquire one. If you have to, make sure no child could lay hands on it. And, don’t allow people with guns to bring them near your children.

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "The Social Worker" ebook on amazon.com 
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Watch Out For The Bad Kids Who May Not Appear So

A young man and his mother are dead. The killer, another young man that the son had befriended. The murderer declared that a, “Voice in [his] head told him to do it.”

A lot of times you are at home and afraid to venture out. And at night, you check every joint of the home to make sure that you and your family are sleeping in security. What about when the criminal is a friend? What about when the criminal is inside?

The murdered individuals here appear to be from a normal modern family environment. There is no mention of a father, but the mother is in her early fifties and a nurse at an area hospital, and her son is a twenty-year-old. These people were very likely having a-okay-life. Then there was this other young man who penetrated their home and sat at their dining table. One night, he shot both dead. He destroyed this seemingly normal life.

Watch who is coming to dinner. We are not supposed to be prejudiced. Yet, this makes you wonder what level of precautionary measures you must consider vis-à-vis people coming into your home. The young murderer proclaimed that voices in his head had caused him to act so cruelly. This is a very critical aspect to consider. Usually, we look at people in term of race, religion, social rank, and the like. Particularly, these days in our ghettos, we want to stay away from the young kids with ‘nasty’ dreaded hairs, dropped down pants, and those plated teeth. We usually think that they would mug us. Which, they often do.

The young man with this “devil” inside his brain that would tell him to kill his benefactors is usually overlooked. Such kids most often do not fit the profile of terror in their appearances. You would have to go inside their brains; which people often ignore even when the signals are clear. Then you end up with this kid killing his friend and his mother. And, you have the shootings in the schools, in the shopping malls, and in any place where there is a mass of people.

Such kids are often more menacing to most of us, since they often appear to be no threat, and we pay no attention. And, they most of the times inflict greater scale of damage. They are difficult and even almost impossible to discover beforehand. They are among us. They are often no different from us. Most of the times they possess no distinct characteristics like our kids in the ghettos. So, we intermingle with them, and go about our business - until they strike. It is at that point, and only then that we know we had such a danger lurking around. It is too late. The worst has already happened. The damage is already done.

What can we do? Watch out for the unusual signs. Normal kids usually conduct themselves as good young citizens. They listen and follow their parents, their teachers, and other positive figures, and do what is right. In addition, they would concentrate on productive, positive, and optimistic matters. Kids with problems are often not so mentally stable. They may not be so respective of their parents and their teachers; they may not be so productive; and, they may be occupied with issues of illusion. Our best bet is to watch out for signs of stability, when allowing certain kids in our homes.  

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "The Social Worker" ebook on amazon.com 
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Break Barriers And Be Happier

Generally, the human being is limited in his ability to develop and satisfy his own existence.  There is a song that says, “Life is what you make it.” Most people are often not living to their maximum potentials. What is the reason for that? We are often tied up by certain obstacles, whether natural or societal, that limit us from developing our full potential for happiness. Although law and order, rules and regulations, and morality and ethics are important and sometimes even mandatory in our daily lives, we sometimes have to learn to break the unnecessary boundaries that have often kept us from living to our fullest extent.

We come into existence, limited and bounded by nature, society, government, religion, family, and more. As children, we are totally dependent upon our parents and others for even remaining alive. We develop with all these restraints and become adults. Most of us tend to remain attached to them until the end of our days. And, many times they are keeping us from fulfilling our best lives. Our goal is to break away from the barriers and go on to live a full and happy life.

Escape the Common Obstacles

It is our life. We have to live it. In order to live fully, we must navigate with agility within the rims of the following five most common obstacles to human liberty:  Nature, Society, Government, Religion,  Family.

Beware of Nature

Nature is our best friend. In fact, nature is our mother. Likewise, nature is our worst enemy. The human being comes into nature helplessly. Without assistance from others, a child would not remain in existence more than a little while. This odd relationship with nature composes the first restriction in our lives that we must break. Nature restricts us in one place; we are born into a certain family, in a nation, and within a specific geographic area. Often, we feel that we can never win our liberty from this natural phenomenon which sometimes renders us very unhappy. Certain measures we could take against this bizarre relationship:

We must learn to break the ties – Since the beginning of their existence, the human beings have been battling nature for freedom. We have moved from the rudiments of the cave, to the luxuriousness of palaces today. We as individuals have simply to recognize that we are free to explore, experiment, and do whatever is right to live fully and happily.

Stretch out and touch the world – Individuals today are no longer members of their own small nations alone. Technologies have brought us together in what we may call a “mega society.” We no longer have to sit in the little corner where nature placed us and be unhappy. We have the option to reach out into the greater world’s environment and benefit from its resources.

Get up and go – This is our world. Christopher Columbus left us a great lesson. He and his men traveled across the Atlantic and landed in an unknown place. Today, we could do better. People could simply jump on an airplane and go across the world. Still, you find other people who risk their lives with small boats across miles of ocean, and others walk miles of land to gain a better life. If you are not happy where you are, you always have the option to try some other place.

Society and Government

Rid yourself of certain societal norms – We understand that our societal nature has ameliorated our condition. Yet, when it comes time to break away from certain cumbersome ways of our society, do not be afraid to do it. This is your life. If it makes you happy and it is right, go for it.

Watch out for the government – Not all laws, and rules and regulations, are right all the times. Nobody should do anything illegal. If you consider the government is wrong in some way, you may consider protesting. Why not even go into politics to challenge things?

 Always do the right thing – Nobody ever wants to break any laws. As a citizen, you could always run to the justice system, but don’t do anything illegal.

Religion Is Always a Conflict

Do not be disturbed – Since the dawn of our days, religion has been a controversial topic. Never allow it to be a problem for you. It would never go away.

Choose carefully – You have the option to choose your way of living. If you are going to choose a certain religion, make sure to choose something that you think you like and you would be happy with. You could always change, if you need to. It is only to consider that some other ideology better fits what you consider your next life to be.

 If you are an unbeliever, that’s okay – If unbelieving is what makes you happy in this life, why not? It is your life.

The Family Is the Backbone of Your Life

Love and respect – This doctrine is one of the primary means to a happy life. Our family is the one that has generally been there for us all along. Always give them the exceptional love and respect that it deserves.

Do not be too attached to the family. Yes, we love, respect, and honor our family. But, we must also recognize that we have a life of our own. We cannot substitute that of our family for ours. That means, at times, we must live and let go.

Move away from the general norms of the family. When we are born into a family, we tend to live according to its ways. We should strive to break away from the family setting as we gain maturity.

Those are some of the common barriers to our happy existence. By trying some of these measures, one would certainly experience a more rewarded life.

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "The Social Worker" ebook on amazon.com 
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U.S. Machiavellic Democracy In Haiti 2015

When Michel Martelly joined the hoard of candidates for the election of 2010 in Haiti, he did not expect to make it to the presidency - as to his own admission. Yet, because he did not believe in himself, other people did not believe in him as well; and, the government of Rene Preval carelessly allowed him to slip through. By the time they realized that the former drug addict and lowly educated musician could inflict damages, it was too late. The incumbent government applied all sorts of ruses to circumvent him, in order to install their own Jude Celestin, son-in-law of the president, to power.  Or, at least they would would prefer the elitist Professor Myrlande Manigat. They failed.
  

How they failed so badly? They got rid of the more  popular Wyclef Jean easily, claiming that he did not meet the residency requirement of the country. Martelly could have been trashed the same way. He is even said to be American citizen; which disqualifies him automatically for Haitian presidency. The Preval’s government paid no attention to such details, presuming that Martelly would not even be a challenge. Then, the illiterate mass acclaimed the former dirty-dancer and trash-talker. And, in Haiti the majority of the population is illiterate. This rendered Martelly invincible. The incumbent government reacted frantically. They tried to steal the election. Two major obstacles presented. (1) The violent portion of the illiterate mass swore to burn up the country if Martelly was not elected. (2) The imperialist machine, supporters of destabilization in Haiti, they came to the rescue. The United States imposed Martelly on the country, with the complicity of its cronies, UN, OAS, and allies.

The imperialists materialized on the ignorance of the majority illiterate mass that saw the brute and low-life musician as its own. This mass never understood that Martelly has remained a bourgeois, a mercenary, a manipulator, a sham, and somebody who possessed no ability and willingness to cooperate with different sectors of the country to ameliorate the condition of the nation for all the citizens. In fact, Martelly was a major proponent of the opposition that destroyed Haiti during the 1990s to overthrow the popular leader Aristide. The latter was indeed radical and menacing to the elite classes. Yet, Martelly and his acolytes would not negotiate at all. They would not work to give the people a chance. It was this same Martelly, returning to reestablish the status quo.  The imperialists forced the first draft of the election into a recount; and, they placed Martelly back on the ballot for a runoff. He easily defeated the elitist Myrlande Manigat.

When I was growing up, they taught me that the United States was the epitome of democracy. I arrived to learn differently later, as I was becoming educated and learning the ways of the world. I earned a bachelor degree in political science, emphasizing on international relations. We debated much about imperialism and the rest of the world. So, it does not bother me much about whatever is happening all-about.  I understand too well that unless the big imperialists adopt some conscience, things would never change. However, what happened in Haiti as the new year 2015 was making its way, I was not ready for it. It just knocked me crazy. Although it was nothing new, it was something that my brain simply would not digest. It is too brutal in this plain 2015.

It is the genocidal move against the socio-economy of the tiny country. Not only that the U.S. declared openly to support a dictatorship that has not held elections in the country as called for by the constitution, they have installed a puppet prime minister with a 9^th grade education or lower to lead the government. Now, you have a president with barely a high school education, imposed by the U.S., and this prime minister? It is leadership genocide. This is criminal. For the United States to do that today, in this complicated and sophisticated world of globalization and information? It is sadistically criminal. Pamella White, the U.S. ambassador, remains the strong hand in Haiti. She rules the government. She entered the parliament and threatened the remaining congressmen that were not forced out yet. And, she and her Haitian government, and her investors who are digging gold in Haiti, they have their ways.

But, imagine, at the minimum, Pamella has a bachelor degree. You should already imagine as well how she must be looking down on these two illiterate Haitian head leaders. They forced out Laurent Lamorthe who had an education. He must have at least put up a head, having frequented the seat of a university. Pamella and Martelly kicked or bought him out. Now, she has the country for herself and her two bozos “restavecs”. People with low education do not know much; they do not see far; they don’t ask too many questions; they don’t resist; they just need a little something, a little bribe, just like children. With that, Pamella has Haiti by the neck. The future is dark. All the minor progresses since the struggle of the 1990 and since the earthquake, they are drawing backward, with the hard life, strife, division, and protestation of the regime of Pamella/Martelly, pulling the country back into dictatorship - tonton makout/ republican, and at the end ANARCHY. 

By E.C. GRANMOUN
Join the conversation. Connect with granmoun@hotmail.com

E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "Big Bully Country: A Novel"  ebook, on amazon.com

Socio-economic Genocide In Haiti

In January 2010 a devastating earthquake flattened Port-au-prince and the surrounding areas. Some 300,000 individuals perished, and millions injured and left without shelter. The international community responded sympathetically and massively. Yet, the power struggle of imperialism was felt, as the United States imposed itself in Port-au-prince, chasing all others about. Much was promised. Very little accomplished.

 In 2011 a greater disaster struck the country. While the earthquake caused much physical damage that the eye could see, the ascendance of Michel Martelly (Sweetmicky) to power is the worst the little country would see in the sphere of this global society, setting it back and off course for many years to come.

For much of its existence, the mass of the people in Haiti has remained in the state of under development due to the lack of leadership.  The little island nation has recognized mostly despots and dictators that have brutalized the inhabitants and keeping them in much of a bestial nature. Life in Haiti has remained "...short and brutish," as not by recently by an American journalist. It took the poor mass of the country some 29 years to break the yoke of the brutal Duvaliers’ regime in 1986. And, after much thuggish military power play, the mass of the people arrived to choose a man of their own, President Jean Bertrand Aristide in the elections of 1990. A leftist priest of the Theology of Liberation, Aristide was radical against the established powers that had been the cause of the misery of the Haitian mass. The Haitian elites and the imperialists automatically marked the new president for death. Since his militancy days, the Haitians military goons attempted to eliminate him on several occasions. And, in accomplice with the United States, the repressive military gave him a coup-d’etat even before swearing to the presidency. Thereafter, he suffered 2 other coups.

Michel Martelly was at the center of this resistance against the choice of the people. He associated with the Haitian bourgeoisie and the imperialists to curb the progressive movement of the mass. They sabotaged all attempts to the establishment of legitimate government. The assassinated the character of the charismatic priest. The plotted the most absolute resistance branded “tabraz” to not cooperate with his government. They flooded the country with illegalities, drugs, crimes, and arms. They pushed the movement of the people to demise. Of course President Aristide was a radical priest. Likewise he was leading a revolution against a radical dictatorship and military rogues brutalizing the mass of the people for so long. His approach and position were of course extreme. Still, he would have negotiated. However, the imperialist machination would not work with him. They would not give the country and the people a chance. And, with the black colon mindset, the country is drawing near its grave.

The imperialists and the black colons make up the perfect destructive machine of Haiti. Sweetmicky Michel Martelly is a perfect representation of that. Unlike President Aristide who was an educated priest, vested in literature, arts, and humanities; and who advocated a better Haitian national environment for the whole; Michel Martelly is a brut "Sweemicky" with barely a high school education, wasted in drugs and boozes, participating in all illegalities, advocating for the mediocre Haitian bourgeoisie with not national sentiment. The imperialist have found their operator in him for their destructiveness of the Haitian nation. How so?

Society today is a complex, sophisticated, and complicated entity that requires much educational refinement to manage the subtle ruses of its nature. It is a predatory environment, capitalism, survival of the fittest at the uttermost, only the best would survive. Haiti is an ultimate victim, at the very lowest end of the food chain. The imperialists are just swallowing the tiny nation. And, Michel Martelly, without the benefit of higher education, is greasing the way. Imperialism, capitalism at its uttermost.

Depriving of a higher education, the human being is very limited in the art of sophistication. To put it simple, you see small. Imperialism is a machine of sophistication, adorned with doctorates, masters, and bachelors. Those people are almost soulless. And, when they are dealing with an illiterate, they just use him as tissue paper. They know that you don’t know much. You are almost a animal, a child seeking the immediate gratifications. They give you the little things you wish, and they do whatever they want with you.  Sweetmicky Michel Martelly represents just such a character. That’s why he is the greatest disaster of modern Haiti. The imperialists despised President Aristide because of his emphasis on fairness for Haiti and the mass of the people. However, in spite of the so-called democratic principle, the United States has complotted with Michel Martelly to reestablish dictatorship in Haiti in this plain 21st century.

When the illiterate mass acclaimed the presence of Sweetmicky Michel Martelly in the elections at the end of 1990 because of dissatisfaction with Preval, the imperialists knew they had their man to reverse the movement of the people. They threw their money machine behind him and hurled him to power. Having been with their destabilizing trend since the beginning of Aristide, they knew what they had in their hands. Michel Martelly came to erase all traits of democracy, liberty, and any rights of the mass of the people. He has therefore methodically kidnapped the process of election and filled all electoral posts with his partisans. He has run psychological propagandas promoting false hopes and bedeviling all oppositions. And, after three years without election, he has ended up the one despot leader of Haiti, presiding along the American Ambassador, Pamela White, and their chosen 9th grade level prime minister Evens Paul K-plim.

The imperialist machine is cruel at the uttermost. Now, imagine this perfect destructive machine of Haiti in this plain 21st century, the world of globalization and ultimate information, Haiti is led by two literally illiterate "black colons". It is criminal. The United States is criminal for placing two unlearned men on the top of the tiny country. This is genocidal.

By E.C. GRANMOUN
Join the conversation. Connect with granmoun@hotmail.com

E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "Big Bully Country: A Novel"  ebook, on amazon.com

My Wish For This New Year

Thousands of people have taken the streets of Port-au-prince the capital and other major cities in the country; rocks are being thrown; smokes are going up the heavens by the burning tires and other trashes to block the streets; people have been injured; there have even been reports of deaths. The people are protesting. They are trying to overthrow their government, that of President Michel Martelly. This is nothing new. It is two hundred years of political strife in the history of Haiti in which the nation, the mass of the people, has always come out the ultimate loser. In fact, some ten years ago, the president Michel Martelly himself was at the opposite end. He was working on the unmaking of President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

When Toussaint Louverture, the architect of liberty against slavery in Haiti, declared freedom for the slaves, he did not seek independence. He wanted peace and security, and to remain attached to France, the motherland. But, France, in spite of its current “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens,” it could not accept the freedom of the black man. Napoleon Bonanpatre sent out the largest naval expedition at the moment to subdue the liberation movement. The liberators fought their way out and won their liberty with blood.  

For the 200 years of its existence, Haiti has been continually advancing towards its demise. From its inception in 1804, it has made no step toward progressive development. In fact, it appears to be far worse than where it started. In addition to the political violence that has always been stalking the tiny country, everything has been literally destroyed along the way. The citizenry remains a shameless, unethical, and valueless entity. The land environment is almost bare of any life form. And, the nation as a whole is devoid of any real structure, as in conformity with societal nature. And, the main culprit behind this dysfunctional nation is none other than the power of national fragmentation, originated from fundamental slavery, with a culture of bigotry and distrust. This sentiment revived in the veins of the new Haitian nation, through the machination of the same white man and slave masters, collaborating with their bastards and bigots, to not living in the unity of the Negro nation.

At the end, the “pearl of the islands” as Haiti was known, has turned into a “failed nation”, as to the standard of the world of Nation States. My wish for this new year is for the Haitians nation to start coming together in reversing the perilous course of their nation. Most Haitians think it is a lost cause – Haiti cannot be saved. In their views, the culmination of 200 years of the bestial environment described above could only get worse. Haitians are discouraged, confused, unrealistic, and living in a state of ultimate desperation without any light at the end of the tunnel.

A Light of Hope

I say, “I see a light at the end of tunnel.” On her Facebook page, the beautiful I am Haitian recently wrote, “In the face of impossible odds, people who love Haiti can change it.” I supported her statement when I shared it on my page MKNA – All Haitians Together For A Better Haiti, where I commented, “I would add that it is not simply to "love Haiti" but also something deeper, to envision a new face of Haitian away from the veil of shame, that could lead to change Haiti, [a better Haiti].” What I am trying to say, Haitians need to start feeling something that gives them a certain desire that could move them towards improving their own national nature. Right now, it is a wild-wild-west over there. It is a bestial nature. Haitians need to start experiencing a desire for the development of an environment that promotes human nature.

This would not come easy. 200 years of political strife and national fragmentation would not just blank away. Yet, I agree with Miss I am Haitian, things could change. The slaves fought for 300 years. They did not stop in the face of monstrosity from the slave masters. They continued to fight, crying “liberty or death” until they won their freedom. Today, the Haitian man does not face death. In fact, we are facing death more by not trying. So, in the spirit of my wish, this is the year of the turning point, the year that we are starting to come together as a nation to live and work in unity for our common cause. 

What I mean by that? According to this new year’s resolution, we will begin undertaking the following steps to pull the Haitian citizenry together. (1) All Haitians will begin looking at each other as ‘my countrymen’. (2) Haitians will start to consider what is wrong with their system and seeking ways to ameliorate things. (3) Haitians will discourage the youths from copying the wrongful past. (4) Haitians will seek to start building positive and productive relations with each other. (5) Haitians will stop supporting bad politicians because of partisanship. With that, the nation could begin to move away from adverse politics to a progressive and rightful state for the Haitian beings.

Join the conversation. Connect with granmoun@hotmail.com, or Join the Facebook group: MKNA – All Haitians Together For A Better Haiti 

By E.C. GRANMOUN

E.C. Granmoun is the Author of: "Big Bully Country: A Novel"  ebook, on amazon.com