Please take a moment to admire the great LeBron for the special talent he is. It never gets old looking at the King's history. So many accomplishments Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan will never achieve:
1. Bronze 2006 2. Bronze 2004 3. NBA finals sweep 2007 4. Go entire Finals scoring 20 pts only one time 5. Quit on his team the year after he promises a championship 6. Dunked on by a highschool kid and then confiscate tape 7. Bail on the dunk contest 9 times 8. Only able to win a ring with 2 superstars 9. 7th best player in NBA finals series. 10. Average 1.8 pts in the 4th quarter of NBA finals. 11. Lose not 1, not 2, but 3 times in the Finals. 12. Host a national televised TV show to leave his team 13. Play on the same team as his moms boyfriend 14. Go 2 for 18 in an NBA playoff game. 15. Get stuffed by a player under 6 feet (Nate Robinson) 16. Flop every single game in the playoffs 17. Choke 4 out of 5 finals games by dropping FG% by 18 18. Vow revenge for 2007 sweep, then proceed to choke again
Dear Abby:
I just met the most terrific girl and we get along fabulously. I
think she's the one for me. There's just one problem: I can't remember
from our first date if she told me she had TB or VD. What should I do?
Confused
Dear Confused:
If she coughs, fuck her.
If you want to have a blissful relationship, don’t ruin the chances by introducing things into your relationship until you are ready for it. Things like sex and your sex-history can make or break it for you; Choose wisely ...
The average person has ten sexual partners before they are married. They either think each partner is “the one” or they think sex is so wonderful they don’t want to miss out on the opportunity. Sex is indeed wonderful and very special and saving it for the wedding night is treating it as something special. Sharing it with practically everyone you date makes it rather ordinary.
Here are just a few of the emotional problems sex can cause:
-When you sleep with someone you aren’t married to, they begin to get concerned with how many other people you have slept with. -One has a tendency to compare themselves with their mate’s previous conquests. Since sexual relationships were designed for couples, your mind naturally begins pushing the relationship further along than where you might be. -If you are willing to have sex with someone/anyone, will you feel the same after? Not just about them but yourself too ... -You might not even know the person you are sleeping with but you start forming an emotional attachment to them. Many couples who really shouldn’t be together are married because a sexual relationship “bonded” them together when they wouldn’t have bonded without being physically intimate. Then there are those who are just looking for 'It', whatever it is.
Never Invest Your Money In Anything That Eats Or Needs Painting.
The California Chamber of Commerce has produced a white paper cataloging the top 10 mistakes most likely to get a company sued. While a few of the laws cited apply specifically to California, some of them are federal and may apply in your state.
The report observes: "Employers may unintentionally violate employment laws simply by trying to provide some flexibility for an employee, save money for the company or just be nice."
Here are the top 10 mistakes
1. Classifying all employees as exempt, whether they are or not
It may be easier to pay someone a salary rather than figure out overtime, meal breaks, rest breaks and the like. The time (and money) you save on bookkeeping is a false economy, however, since you could pay big time in penalties or a lawsuit. (See the report for more specifics.)
2. Letting employees work through lunch so they can take off early
A non-exempt employee is required to be given a 30-minute meal break, plus a 10-minute break for every four hours worked. If you deny one or the other, you owe the person an extra hour's wages; if you deny both in the same day, you owe an additional two hours. The wages must be paid during the pay period in which it's missed. The employee cannot waive his or her right to the breaks. This isn't just a California issue; here is a recent example in which an employee at a family-owned bakery in Washington allegedly was denied 10-minute breaks.
3. Making everyone an “independent contractor” because having employees is too much trouble
The report notes that contractors are happy until one of the following comes up: workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, state disability insurance or paid family leave benefits. Avoid these legal spiderwebs by determining who is and who isn't a contractor.
4. Not providing training about harassment and discrimination to managers and supervisors
Don't assume your employees won't need the information. Avoid lawsuits by providing the basic sexual harassment training required by law.
5. Letting employees decide which, and how many, hours they want to work each day
Most employees are restricted by law regarding the number of hours they can work without needing to be paid overtime. If you are allowing longer workdays for four-day workweeks, there are rules that need to be followed. Check with your state laws for specifics.
6. Terminating any employee who takes a leave of absence
From the report: "Employees have legal protection when they are away from work for various reasons, including workers’ compensation, disability, pregnancy, family and medical leave, military leave, jury duty and many more."
7. Withholding an employee's final check if they fail to return company property
You may think you can withhold money while you wait for an employee to return a computer or a cellphone, but think again. Some states have laws that require you hand over the check the minute the words "you're fired" come out of your mouth. And if an employee quits and gives more than 72 hours notice, the check must be ready on his or her last day. The penalties start accruing from the moment the check is late–one day of wages for every calendar day of delay.
8. Providing loans to employees and deducting the money from their paycheck each pay period
This seems perfectly fine, doesn't it? Except most state labor codes permit only paycheck deductions authorized by law and those authorized by the employee for health insurance or other benefits. No other deductions are permitted. If you're making a loan, you should have the employee sign a promissory note and a lawyer review it.
9. Using noncompete agreements to protect confidential information
Many employers force employees to sign these agreements to protect business secrets, customer lists and pricing information and to prevent employees from working for the competition. Essentially, you can't force your employee to stay with you, nor can you prevent him or her from making a living.
10. Implementing a “use it or lose it” vacation policy and avoid paying out all the money at termination
Accrued vacation is a form of wages and cannot be denied. You can stop an employee from accruing vacation beyond a "reasonable" amount, but you cannot take away what he or she has already earned. What is considered a "reasonable" cap? Generally 1.5 to two times the annual accrual, says the report.
He/She Who Speaks For The Innocent Is Eloquent Enough.
Democalypse 2012 - Cockblock the Vote
A Pennsylvania court upholds a controversial voter I.D. law that affects 9% of the entire state electorate, but that's the price you pay to prevent something that doesn't happen or make sense.
For those of you who continue to doubt whether the voter ID laws being passed around the country are a political tactic by Republicans to steal the vote in the 2012 election.
Playing for Change is a multimedia music project, created by the American producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson with his Timeless Media Group, that seeks to bring together musicians from around the world. Playing For Change also created a separate non-profit organization called the Playing For Change Foundation which builds music schools for children around the world.
Adidas has canceled plans to release a sneaker adorned with rubber fasteners after an image of the shoe posted on the Adidas Originals Facebook page, ignited a firestorm of controversy. The photo of the shoes, dubbed JS Roundhouse Mids by the company, is captioned, “Tighten up your style with the JS Roundhouse Mids dropping in August. Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?”
Critics, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, have called the $350 shoe racist and intensive, saying it evokes the era of slavery.
“You have GOT to be KIDDING ME ! Shackles ?? Really ??” one Internet poster wrote.
“Horrible,” added another
Criticism was not universal, however. The photo received nearly 38,000 likes on Facebook. But that was not enough to stop Adidas from canceling the shoe, which was expected to hit stores in mid-August.
Adidas defended the shoe and its designer, Jeremy Scott, saying, “Our collaboration with Jeremy Scott has always stood for creativity and originality. Jeremy Scott is renowned as a designer whose style is quirky and lighthearted and his previous shoe designs for adidas Originals have, for example, included panda heads and Mickey Mouse. The design of the JS Roundhouse Mid is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott’s outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery.”
In the same statement, however, the company also apologized for the shoe, saying, “Since the shoe debuted on our adidas Originals Facebook page ahead of its market release in August, adidas has received both favorable and critical feedback. We apologize if people are offended by the design and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace.”
Designer Scott has said the shoes were inspired by a 1980s children’s toy called My Pet Monster
When was the last time you gave any serious thought to your priorities, and where you expend your energy? Can you say with certainty that you are completely focused on ‘abundance’ and not on ‘lack’?
I don’t think people are born with an abundance mentality or a lack mentality. I think for many of us our priorities are the result of subtle, subconscious ‘programming’ that determines our approach to just about everything in life. Instead of being programmed for success, most people are programmed to avoid failure.
This programming controls how you react to hundreds of situations, each and every day. And the way you react reveals what your programming really is.There are many different warning signs all around us that we are suffering from lack programming or a poverty mentality, but none of these red flags will be of any use until we open our eyes and start looking for them.Like posted traffic signs and speed limits, these warning signs are there for our benefit, helping us raise awareness of our programming. Three of the most common warning signs I see are the following:
Warning sign #1: Constant Money Fixation What do you think about money? When you do think about it, are you concerned about how much of it you lack, or how much you can manifest? Have you ever thought about why you want to manifest money in the first place?
Most poor people spend all their time thinking about money (or more specifically, their lack of it).
Warning sign #2: "I Hate Rich People!" Being jealous of all the things other people had That’s when the real problems start, because as much as you hate rich people, you are working hard every day trying to become one! That sets the stage for a whole bunch of internal conflict.
Warning sign #3: Fear-Based Decision-Making Making decisions based on fear of loss or failure never leads toward prosperity.In fact, fear-based decision-making can rob you of any sense of happiness or joy of success, and distort your behavior.
Have you ever seen someone experience more anguish at losing $10 than earning $100? Ever seen someone drive around a parking lot for 10 minutes to avoid a one-minute walk to the store?
These scenarios are fear-based, not prosperity driven. The decisions are not made on what the possible benefits are, but made in order to avoid a possible negative outcome.
How do you know what kind of programming you have? If you really want to know if you have prosperity programming or a poverty mentality, look for your answer in the previous scenarios. Do they sound familiar?
If you make decisions--particularly money and career ones--based on the "moving away from fear" model, you’ve got poverty programming. If your decisions are made based on a positive "move toward prosperity" model, then you have success programming.
The more you experience success and prosperity, the more you’ll start to realize how little they have to do with opportunity, chance, luck--or even training, education, or skill. It has everything to do with consciousness, beliefs, and even subconscious programming that you aren’t aware of.
You see, poverty is not an absence of money and things -- it is a mindset.
Prosperity is not an abundance of money and things--it’s also a mindset.
Nurse:[Within] Madam!
Juliet:I come, anon.—But if thou meanest not well,
I do beseech thee—
Nurse: Madam!
Juliet: By and by, I come—
To cease thy strife, and leave me to my grief.
To-morrow will I send.
Romeo: So thrive my soul—
Juliet: A thousand times good night! [Exit above]
Romeo: A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.
Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books,
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.
Why is it accepted that EVERYBODY LIES yet we do not put emphasis on theft? Maybe coz every one DOES steal. From children stealing candy to that friend who steals your 'status' to the local convenience store owner who charges an arm and a leg for a gallon of expired milk.
Have you ever played cops and robbers? It's fun pretending to be a cop chasing and capturing a robber. It can be even more fun to be the robber because you take things and try to get away with them before your buddy, the cop, catches you. You're not really stealing, of course. It's just make-believe.
Or maybe you're playing baseball, trying to steal a base and not get tagged out. When playing basketball, you can steal the ball from a player on the other team. A stolen base or a steal on the basketball court can help your team. Hey — it's fair play and it's part of the game!
These are both examples of pretend or imaginary stealing that are OK, but there is another form of stealing that is wrong.
What Kind Of Stealing Is Wrong? When a person takes something that belongs to somebody else without permission, that is stealing. The stolen object can be as small as a piece of candy or as big as a car. It can be taken from someone a person knows or from a stranger. It can be taken from a store, a kind of stealing called shoplifting, or from someone's home. But either way, it's stealing.
People can steal words and ideas, too. For instance, if someone takes your book report and tells the teacher that she — not you — wrote it, that's another form of stealing. Imagine how upset you would be if that happened to you!
Why Do People Steal? Little kids age 4 and younger may not understand that they shouldn't take things that don't belong to them. But by the time you are 5 or 6, you understand what's right and what's wrong. Most school-age kids know that they aren't supposed to take something without asking or without paying for it.
Still, some people lack self-control. They might see something they want and take it. They don't stop to think first about what might happen. They might not think to buy the object or ask to borrow it. Kids get better at self-control as they grow. Some kids may need extra help learning self-control.
Some teens steal because their friends or family members do it or because they might have been dared. They might believe their friends will like them more if they steal. Doing something for these reasons is called peer pressure, but kids don't have to give in to it.
Other kids and teens steal because they feel something is missing in their lives. What's missing may be love or attention. Or simple things like food and clothing. They may be angry, sad, scared, or jealous. They might steal as a way to deal with the situation. But stealing won't fix what's missing.
Others might have personal problems that lead them to steal. They may feel jealous of what others have. They may feel unloved and neglected. Or they may be upset that their parents are arguing or getting divorced. A kid might steal, in this case, to make up for something that's missing. But stealing won't solve these problems.
Some don't care about rules. They steal because they think they can get away with it. They may believe they deserve to have the stolen goods. But kids need to learn to respect rules and the rights of other people because like all things in life, we become what we learned and know ...
What Can Happen If You Steal? Stealing causes a whole bunch of problems. Suppose a young girl sees a pen in a store and decides to take it. If she gets caught, the store owner might say she's not allowed in the store again. The owner might tell her parents. She may have to give money to pay for the pen and the police could be called because stealing (including shoplifting) is a crime. She could be arrested, especially if she has stolen before, and that could lead to more problems. She may have to go to court and may have some sort of punishment, like having to do work in the community to make up for what she has done.
How Does Stealing Make Someone Feel? ***Adrenaline/The Chase*** Whoever is stealing is probably nervous during the act itself. If she gets away with it, she may be relieved at first. Later, she feels lousy because she knows what she did was wrong. She may also be afraid that someone will discover her secret, and she'll want to deny it. But lying will only make matters worse.
If she gets caught, she may be really embarrassed. Then she may be ashamed because she let down her family. She may feel like nobody trusts her anymore. She might feel stupid and worried. What if she goes to jail? What if her favorite teacher finds out? What if she loses her friends?
Stealing has serious consequences (say: con-see-kwen-ses) because it hurts everyone. Stealing causes a big problem for a family. Store owners have to spend more money to protect their things, which makes prices go up for paying customers. Kids sometimes don't trust each other with their belongings. People don't feel as safe when they're worried about someone stealing. Stealing, in fact, may lead to violence. Some kids even carry weapons to protect themselves from other kids who may want to take their jewelry or clothing. This can lead to even more problems.
"Chili-Wop became an ally, a protector in a violent world. Finally, after I'd lived there for nearly two years, he told me something. 'When y'all first moved in, I robbed your house, maaan. I never knew you was gonna be a cool family.' ... That's just one hood lesson: Your allies can arrive as enemies, blessings as a curse." (p. 3)
"How can you defame mud when such a beautiful flower grows from it?" (p. 4)
"Just as you must come through a woman's womb to attain physical birth, so must you come through Wisdom to achieve mental birth. And like childbirth, Wisdom often comes with pain." (p. 7)
"I advise everyone to find an island in this life. Find a place where this culture can't take energy away from you, sap your will and originality. Since anything physical can be mental, that island can be your home. Turn off the electromagnetic waves being forced upon you, the countless invisible forces coming at you all the time." (p. 18)
[RZA traveled to a small village in West Africa to visit Ghostface Killah there. To get there, he had to fly into the city of Cotonou, Benin. People there saw that he was dressed like a rap star, so...] "In the city, just about everyone I met had his hand out — either asking for something or trying to sell me something. When we got to the village, everyone had his hand out in offering — either something to eat, or directions, or some kind of help. They had less but they were offering more." (p. 28)
"The personal characteristics of great messengers are usually irrelevant. For instance, they say that Martin Luther King Jr. was a fornicator. Does it matter? Do you believe the messenger or his message? I believe in the message. That's why when I read certain books or see certain films, I skip over the names: Forget who said it if it's truth." (p. 33)
"I ask people what piece they are on the chessboard. And some people say 'I'm the king' or 'I'm the knight.' And then they ask me what piece I am, and I say, 'I'm no piece. I take the position of God.'" (p. 33)
"I think most of my approach to life has been like that, to find order in chaos, to be in the middle of a bunch of things happening at the same time, but find focus. I strive to be like the sun sitting in the middle of the solar system with all the planets spinning around it — millions of things going on. It's just sitting there being the sun, but exerting gravitational effect on everything. I think man should look at himself that way." (p. 48)
"An enlightened man sees that there actually are no numbers. It's all a circle. On a number line, the numbers left of zero head off to negative infinity and the ones right of zero head off to positive infinity. But it's infinity either way." (p. 62)
"They say there's a dark spot in your heart, a tiny black vacuum, that's the size of the tip of a needle. I believe that tiny space is where God is located inside you. That tiny dark spot is a piece of space trapped in our body, something that connects us to the universe and one another." (p. 68)
"Our culture is programming its children to join the 85 percent, to be robots, to have no knowledge of self. Today, being one of the 85 percent might mean being married in the suburbs with 2.5 kids and 3 cars, spending your days eating prepackaged food, and talking about ten-year-old sitcoms. It might mean chasing Escalades, Rolexes, and power in a corporation that will betray you. It might mean simply accepting everything you see without question. Today, we need some form of the Five Percent." (p. 94)
"You are a 64-track recording — the tracks are always there, they're always with you. Sometimes the harsh tracks are cranked up and the rest are rolled down to zero. Other times the sweet tracks are high and the darkness is low. But it's all you." (p. 117)
The day-after-Christmas holiday is celebrated by most countries in the Commonwealth, but in a 'what-were-we-doing-again' bout of amnesia, none of them are really sure what they're celebrating, when it started or why.
The best clue to Boxing Day's origins can be found in the song "Good King Wenceslas." According to the Christmas carol, Wenceslas, who was Duke of Bohemia in the early 10th century, was surveying his land on St. Stephen's Day — Dec. 26 — when he saw a poor man gathering wood in the middle of a snowstorm. Moved, the King gathered up surplus food and wine and carried them through the blizzard to the peasant's door. The alms-giving tradition has always been closely associated with the Christmas season — hence the canned-food drives and Salvation Army Santas that pepper our neighborhoods during the winter — but King Wenceslas' good deed came the day after Christmas, when the English poor received most of their charity.
King Wenceslas didn't start Boxing Day, but the Church of England might have. During Advent, Anglican parishes displayed a box into which churchgoers put their monetary donations. On the day after Christmas, the boxes were broken open and their contents distributed among the poor, thus giving rise to the term Boxing Day ... (Maybe)
But wait: there's another possible story about the holiday's origin. The day after Christmas was also the traditional day on which the aristocracy distributed presents (boxes) to servants and employees — a sort of institutionalized Christmas-bonus party. The servants returned home, opened their boxes and had a second Christmas on what became known as Boxing Day.
From this also came the term Christmas Box: the container where people placed gifts whether it was for the needy or from employer to employee ...
So which version is correct? Well, both. Or neither. No one, it seems, is really sure. Both the church boxes and the servant presents definitely existed, although historians disagree on which practice inspired the holiday.
Boxing Day's origins aren't especially important to modern-day folk. Few people can afford to have servants anymore and the religious significance has been lost by many. Today's Boxing Day festivities have very little to do with charity. Instead, they revolve around shopping, food, football (soccer), visits from friends, food and drinking at pubs and/or the nearest watering hole.
So, can I f*ck you? I mean, not like physically But can our minds intertwine And reach a level of ecstasy that shatters every boundary Of realization and fantasy I mean, can I f*ck you And invade your random thoughts Penetrating your soul Causing you to come (Cum) To orgasm To reach a point of bliss Turning you inside out Cause you didn’t know f*cking could be like this... If I had one wish It would be to f*ck you And ride your wave of emotion To the understanding of my heart flow On…and on…and on This f*cking would go on in our souls fighting the lover’s battle Where we both would win I just want to f*ck you This heavenly thought can’t be a sin Invading your world Stroking your strength Massaging your weaknesses Kissing your wounds Blowing your mind F*cking you like the rhythm of a poet’s rhyme Transcending earth Defying gravity and time Damn…I feel like f*cking you... #Think differently
Teacher: What’s your name?
Student: Simba
Teacher: You are in South Africa now so from now on you will be known as Sipho.
Simba returned home after school
Mom: How was your 1st day Simba???
Simba: My name is not Simba, I’m in SA now and my name is Sipho
Mom: 'Are you ashamed of your name? Are you trying to dishonour your parents and your heritage hhhhhhhhhhhhh? Shame on you my boy!'
His mom beat him then the mom called the father who beat him as well
The next day Simba aka Sipho returned to school.
The teacher saw all the bruises: 'What happened to you Sipho?' She asked
Well ma’am shortly after becoming South African I was attacked by two Zimbos!!!
Whether you’re first or last, you will be in the seat that is assigned to you. So why is it that everyone has to get up and start huddling towards the gate entrance like its the day after Thanksgiving? This is specifically towards the “senior citizens”. They are usually cane-walking their way to form a line at the gate 15 minutes before the airline even announces they are ready to board. And if I make even the slightest movement in their direction I get a death stare through tinted glasses telling me to back off or die. All I can think about is how easy it would be to give one swift kick to the knee and the old man would collapse. I would never actually do this, but I’m just pointing out the fact that the possibility is there.
So now I’m waiting to board behind a giant huddle of old people and I begin to do a scan of the passengers I will be riding with. I first look for potential disaster passengers such as crying babies or sick people. Then it goes to uncomfortable passengers such as someone with obvious bad hygiene. And lastly is the most important scan: are there any hot chicks? Not that it actually matters because the chances of her sitting by me are slim, but there’s nothing else to do while waiting so I might as well make it interesting.
First the lady with the crying baby walks by. Thankfully she isn’t sitting by me but if she was, I don’t think it would be a problem for long. I don’t know this from experience, but I heard if you shake a baby long enough it stops crying. Don’t know if its true but it seems logical. Next the sick patient walks by. Once again I am grateful this passenger moves along. In these situations your best bet is to mention something about how you worship Satan or let something about a herpes outbreak slip under your breath. They’re essentially guaranteed to not interact with you the entire flight. And then the hot chick starts approaching. Its almost like she is holding up a sign that I can’t quite read until she gets to my row and the words “DENIED” are written on it. I mean come on, is it that much to ask to sit next to someone appealing for once? Maybe its a hot chick. Maybe she has a low cut shirt on. Maybe she laughs at my jokes. I don’t ask for much. But no, the hot chick moves on and who should sit down next to me but a “senior citizen”. I should have gone for the knee, after all...
At this point you are probably wondering why I don’t just read a book or listen to my iPod on the plane. Believe me, I do listen to my iPod, or read a book, or even watch a movie. I’m just saying if I’m going to be stuck in the same seat for 3 hours sitting next to someone else who is stuck in their seat for 3 hours, why not make the trip go by a little faster by having a decent conversation. And by “decent” I don’t mean listening to someone else’s problems or learning about their life story. Just something simple and interesting like sports or a good movie. Who knows, maybe no one wants to talk about sports or good movies or maybe I’m just the asshole that no one wants to talk to on the plane. But if that’s the case then they can piss off.
The plane takes off, I read my book and eventually the stress relieving voice of the pilot comes on and announces we are beginning our descent. This is great news in knowing that the ride is almost over, but also bad news because I know what is about to come next. Sure enough the plane lands and who would have thought the day after Thanksgiving rush could come twice in the same day. Seriously, sit the fuck down. We are all going to get off the plane and I’m guessing it will happen even quicker if we don’t herd ourselves into the aisle. I mean obviously we all need to rush off and get to baggage claim so we can wait there for 15 minutes instead of in the plane. But in a situation like this, who has the time to be rational?
In the end I’m still going to have to fly more no matter what. I guess the best I can do is be prepared with fresh reading material and the latest podcasts. And maybe I’m making a bigger deal out of this than it really is. But I’m not going to admit that because that would mean that I am wrong. And I am never wrong.
First a friend, then an enemy of the United States, Manuel Noriega, the strongman of Panama, was finally taken down by a U.S. military operation, captured, and brought to Miami for trial on drug charges in 1989.
Early life
Manuel Antonio Noriega was born the son of an accountant and his maid in a poor section of Panama City, Panama, in 1934. At the age of five he was given up for adoption to a schoolteacher. He attended the National Institute, a well-regarded high school, with the intention of becoming a doctor, but his family could not afford to send him to medical school. Instead, Noriega accepted a scholarship to attend the Chorrios Military Academy in Peru. He graduated in 1962 with a degree in engineering. Returning to Panama, he became a sublieutenant in the National Guard.
Military career
Colonel Omar Torrijos (1929–1981) liked Noriega and obtained for him the command of Chiriqui, the country's westernmost province. In October 1968, they led a military takeover of the government of President Arnulfo Arias. Noriega's troops seized radio and telephone stations in the city of David, cutting off communications with Panama City. Torrijos emerged as the major figure in the new government. In December 1969, when Torrijos was out of the country, a trio of officers tried to seize power. Torrijos flew his plane into an airport in David that had no lights for night landing. Noriega lined up cars along the runway with their lights on to help Torrijos make it down safely. With Noriega's troops at his service, Torrijos reclaimed the capital.
From that moment, Noriega's career blossomed. He became involved with U.S. intelligence activities. In 1971 he went to Havana, Cuba, at the request of U.S. president Richard Nixon (1911–1994) to obtain the release of crewmen of two American ships seized by Fidel Castro's (1927–) government. At this time Noriega was already involved in drug deals. A high-ranking drug enforcement officer recommended that President Nixon order Noriega's assassination, but Nixon did not follow through. As head of G-2, Panama's military intelligence command, Noriega was the second most powerful man in Panama. In 1975 G-2 agents rounded up businessmen who criticized Torrijos, took away their property, and sent them into exile in Ecuador. Torrijos once said of Noriega, "This is my gangster."
Increase in power
Torrijos died in 1981 in an unexplained plane crash. In the following two-year contest for power between politicians and military officers, Noriega emerged as the winner. In late 1983, following his promotion to general and commander of the National Guard, the guard was combined with the navy and air force into the Panama Defense Forces (which also included the national police). The following year Noriega's choice for president, Nicolás Ardito Barletta, won a narrow victory over Arnulfo Arias. But Barletta failed to improve the country's weak economy (system of production, distribution, and use of goods and services), and Noriega forced him out. Noriega at this time began to be suspected of gun trafficking (smuggling), money laundering, torture, murder, and selling U.S. information and technology to Cuba and Eastern European governments. Noriega denied wrongdoing and said U.S. politicians were looking for a way to undo the Panama Canal treaties before the canal became Panamanian property on December 31, 1999.
In June 1987 Noriega's former chief of staff, Colonel Roberto Diaz Herrera, stated that Noriega had fixed the 1984 election and ordered the killing of Hugo Spadafora, who had publicly accused Noriega of drug trafficking. Herrera also said Noriega had been involved in Torrijos's death. Panamanians organized protests demanding the removal of Noriega. He responded by declaring a national emergency. He suspended constitutional rights, closed newspapers and radio stations, and drove his political enemies into exile. Herrera was captured and ordered to recant (take back) his statements. Church leaders, businessmen, and students organized into the National Civil Crusade, dressed in white, and went into the streets banging pots and pans. The riot squads drove them away.
United States steps in
By now Americans were outraged, and in June 1987 the U.S. Senate called for Noriega's removal. The administration of President Ronald Reagan (1911–) began looking for a way to bring Noriega down. The U.S. economic and military assistance ended, Panamanian bankers began withdrawing their support, and Noriega quickly lost favor everywhere except for the Panama Defense Forces (PDF). Secret talks were held between U.S. officials and Noriega's representatives calling for him to resign and leave the country before the 1988 U.S. presidential election, saving George Bush (1924–), who as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had dealt with Noriega, from embarrassment. The Justice Department filed charges against Noriega in federal court in early 1988 as a warning. Assistant Secretary of State Eliot Abrams went to Panama to get President Eric Del Valle to fire Noriega. Instead, Noriega forced out Del Valle and named a new president.
After taking over as president, Bush increased the pressure. In May 1989 Noriega decided not to run in the election but backed another candidate, Carlos Duque. The opposition Panameñista Party nominated Guillermo Endara, who was immediately provided with $10 million by the Bush administration. Even though the election was being watched by former President Jimmy Carter (1924–) and other foreign officials, as soon as Noriega realized that Duque was losing, he ordered the PDF to seize ballot boxes. When the opposition took to the streets in protest, Noriega's squads beat them. Endara and a vice presidential candidate, Guillermo Ford, lost the election.
Last straw
Noriega declared the election void (having no legal force or effect), installed another president, and, in October 1989, survived a takeover attempt supported by U.S. forces. To improve the nation's international image and to prevent Noriega from naming one of his people as administrator of the Panama Canal, Bush took stronger action. Using as an excuse the firing on U.S. soldiers passing the PDF headquarters and Noriega's statement that U.S. actions had created a state of war, the United States launched a full-scale attack (Operation Just Cause) with twenty-four thousand troops on December 20, 1989.
Fighting continued for four days, with the United States losing hundreds of troops and the Panamanians losing thousands. Noriega escaped capture for a few days but was found hiding in the Papal Nunciature, a religious office. Under pressure from Vatican officials, Noriega surrendered to the Vatican Embassy in Panama City on January 3, 1990. In a deal worked out with the U.S.-created government headed by Guillermo Endara, U.S. authorities brought Noriega to Miami for trial, which was delayed into the early 1990s. He was convicted of several crimes including cocaine smuggling. He was sentenced to forty years in a Miami prison and ordered to pay $44 million to the Panamanian government. In 1999 a French court sentenced Noriega and his wife to ten years in jail along with a $33 million fine. Also in 1999 the Panamanian high court announced that it would seek to have Noriega returned to that country to make sure he served time there for murder.
In 2002 a parole hearing took place in Miami, which resulted in Noriega's denial for early release from his U.S. prison sentence. He would remain in prison in the United States for at least five more years.
Panama also has an outstanding request for the former dictator's extradition. He was convicted in Panama in absentia and sentenced to 54 years in prison on charges of embezzlement, corruption and ordering the murder of opponents.
In his first interview since the successful Nation of Islam Saviours' Day 2011 convention, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan sat down in the studio with popular radio host and long-time friend Cliff Kelley on WVON-AM 1690 for a two and a half hour conversation.
A critically important portion of the discussion centered on the unrest in the North African country of Libya which the Minister spoke about for the very first time during his recent keynote address. He provided even more layered contextual understanding when questioned by Mr. Kelley March 10. Then the subject of Libya was raised. When the western media began reporting on Libya, Febbruary 15, it seemed as if it was a foregone conclusion that Col. Muammar Gadhafi would be ousted in the country he has led for over 42 years. Now, nearly a month later, he remains in power. On March 12, the Arab League agreed on asking the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, days earlier, the African Union voted against it.
It is no secret that the Nation of Islam and Minister Farrakhan have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the Libyan leader for decades. The United States has long opposed Col. Gadhafi and attempted to force him out of office even bombing his country during the Reagan administration, Minister Farrakhan noted.
The Minister blasted President Obama and Secretary Clinton for their arrogance in meddling in another sovereign nation's affairs and publicly recommending regime change.
Minister Farrakhan instructed Americans to look beneath the surface to see who stands to benefit from the unrest, and warned President Obama to be careful of the words coming from advisors lobbying him to move in with military forces to depose Col. Gadhafi.
"Well, today our dear brother (Obama) has to be very, very careful in this decision that he and his Secretary of State, and [French President Nicolas] Sarkozy and [British] Prime Minister [David] Cameron and others are planning. They would love to go into Libya and kill Brother Gadhafi, and kill his children as they did with Saddam Hussein and his sons, Qusay and Uday. You must remember, dear people of America, that whenever government wants you to think and act in a certain way that would bring justification to an action that they are already planning to make, they must make the person that they hate a 'boogey man,' " he said. Col. Gadhafi, who led a bloodless coup against a U.S. ally over 40 years ago, has seen constant negative publicity and was once called the "Mad Dog of the Middle East" by American leaders and analysts.
People unhappy with government are not solely in Libya, he pointed out. Many are unhappy with Mr. Obama, he said. The U.S. government has a long history of deposing leaders of other nations in order to get natural resources, more specifically-oil, he continued, saying the imperialistic forces are not interested in saving those being killed, it is just a "noble motive to hide your (the U.S. government's) wicked agenda!"
"When George W. Bush was president, he said they wanted regime change in Iran, in (North) Korea regime change-how do you get regime change America? How do you do that? Congress, the Congress of the United States, voted to spend $150 million to replace the government in Iran that America doesn't like, so they send their agents in to work among the dissatisfied. So when they had this election, and the people in Iran rose up, they have legitimate grievances, all right-but stimulated from the outside," Minister Farrakhan continued. "Well, what about Libya? How much money is being spent to arm the so-called rebels? They're dissatisfied! Well, what is their dissatisfaction about? Do they (Libyans) have jobs? Yes. Do they have food? Yes. Has Gadhafi used the oil money to build Libya? Yes. Did Gadhafi use oil money and discover water under the Sahara Desert, and brought that water to the surface; and brought water from Benghazi all the way to the border almost of Tunisia? Did he impose farming in the desert so that they could feed their own people? Yes. Are there billions of dollars that he's spending building homes, building apartments for his people? Yes. So something is under this!" said Minister Farrakhan.
"Is it that you're (U.S. officials) so concerned over the blood that is being shed in Libya, when you looked the other way when the Israeli Defense Force was bombing the innocent people of Gaza, unarmed men, women and children? ... You looked the other way when the Israeli Defense Force went into Lebanon thinking that they were going to have an easy victory, then you had to come out with your tail between your legs?"
Minister Farrakhan said Col. Gadhafi has been investing money in Africa, enjoys international friendship, and should not be killed simply because he is not America's friend. "Now, I want to warn you, in the Name of Allah, that this is more complex than what you think! Go into Libya if you want to. The Libyans do not want foreign occupation on their land. And when you make that kind of move, if you're not careful, you'll unite the Libyan people against you!"
Inside America members of the Branch Davidian religious sect were killed in 1993 in Waco, Texas, by federal law enforcement, while men, women and children of the MOVE organization were killed when police bombed their home during a 1985 standoff in Philadelphia, he said. Current American outrage is nothing but hypocrisy, the Minister said.
To President Obama, Minister Farrakhan delivered a pointed warning: "Don't let these wicked demons move you in a direction that will absolutely ruin your future with your people in Africa and throughout the world. They don't like the way you handled (former Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak! They don't like the way you're handling the situation in the Arab world! So I would advise you to be careful-and move with wisdom and skill.
And then, Minister Farrakhan offered President Obama some divine advice.
"Why don't you organize a group of respected Americans, and ask for a meeting with Gadhafi? You can't order him to step down, and get out-who the hell do you think you are, that you can talk to a man that built a country over 42 years, and ask him step down and get out? Can anybody ask you? Well, well there's a lot, now, [that are] going to ask you to step out of the White House, because they don't want a Black face in the White House," said Minister Farrakhan.
"Be careful, brother, how you handle this situation because it is coming to America! It has already started. Look in Wisconsin! Look in Ohio! Look at what's going on in your country! And remember your words because the American people are rising against their own government: It's not Muslims; it's not Black people! It's White militias that are angry with their government, and they are well armed. Are you going to tell them-'Put your arms down, and let's talk it over peacefully?' I hope so. But if not, America will be bathed in blood, not because Farrakhan said so, but because the dissatisfaction in America has reached the boiling point. Be careful how you manipulate the dissatisfaction in Libya and other parts of the Muslim world," he warned.
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