These astonishing figures don’t include people in military or

CIA prisons. Kinda makes you snicker at Republican blandishments about “criminalizing conservatives.” Let’s see one conservative go to

prison. mjh

HoustonChronicle.com – Number in prison or on supervision nearly 7

million By REBECCA CARROLL, Associated Press

The total number of people incarcerated in the United States grew 1.9 percent in

2004 to 2,267,787 people. …

The number of people on probation in 2004 grew by 6,343 to about 4.2 million. …

Nearly 7

million adults were in U.S. prisons or on probation or parole at the end of last year, 30 percent more than in 1995, the Justice

Department said Wednesday.

That was about one in every 31 adults under correctional supervision at the end of 2004, compared with

about 1 in 36 adults in 1995 and about 1 adult in every 88 in 1980 ….

I was just over 6 months old when Rosa Parks

struck a blow that ultimately killed Jim Crow and ended American Apartheid. It would not have happened without giants like Rosa Parks.

Nor would it have happened without a strong Federal government interceding in the South, imposing justice where there was none.

Gwen Ifill noted that Rosa Parks resisted authority at a time when Black Americans were lynched for less. Imagine that 50 years later,

Rosa Parks lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda. We may still have far to go, but we should celebrate how far we’ve come. mjh

Rosa Parks, civil rights

heroine, is dead

In one of her last lengthy interviews with the Detroit Free Press in 1995, she spoke of what she would like

people to say about her after she passed away.

“I’d like people to say I’m a person who always wanted to be free and

wanted it not only for myself; freedom is for all human beings,” she said during an interview….

Chorus of Sister Rosa Parks, by The Neville Brothers

Thank you Miss Rosa, you are the spark,

You started our freedom movement
Thank you Sister Rosa Parks.

Strange Fruit — Allen/Holiday

STRANGE FRUIT
by Lewis Allen /

Billy Holiday

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the

southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes

and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the

crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and

bitter crop.

I rode the Rapid Ride bus today. I parked for free

at the Uptown Station (between NMEFCU and Coronado Shopping Mall (I saw a

bike chained to a fence, but did not see a bike rack). When I arrived at 12:27pm, a bus was waiting; it left a minute or so after I

boarded. At Uptown, there may have been half a dozen folks. Along Central we picked up quite a few more, including bike commuters; it

felt half-full, but I didn’t count heads (or make much eye contact, except when a women on a neighboring bus made me smile).

The

trip from Uptown to the Downtown Library at 5th and Copper took about 1/2 hour, but I was busy with the newness of the experience and

with the wireless connection, which worked great for me. Sitting with my TabletPC, the infinite newstand/library of the Web at my

fingers. I even sent email to my wife, telling her I was on my way.

All for one buck (each way). Highly recommended.

When I

exited the bus, I was surprised to see the library partly surrounded by a fence. Even more surprised by the picket line. Between 30 and

50 men and women marched with signs for a carpenter’s union. They had a lively chant, demanding many good things like decent wages and

health care for all, plus “no justice, no peace!” Right on! I don’t expect to see a word of this in the Journal or on TV. You got to get

out of your car to meet the people.

It has been a few years since I walked around downtown as much as today. Great to see several

large murals — we need more. We walked from the City-County Building on the Plaza to the new Flying Star on Silver near Eighth.

Beautiful place, great service, OK food. I felt so urban/urbane, sitting on the balcony, browsing the Web for the cost of the new lofts

across the road (up to $360K!). Felt like visiting a big city, though I had to stop myself from saying hello to everyone I passed. mjh

ABQ RIDE

Rapid Ride travels an 11-mile route along Central Avenue from Unser to Wyoming, then north on Wyoming to the Uptown shopping district.

ABQ RIDE – City of Albuquerque
Rapid Ride Now Has Wireless Web Access

Using

the Rapid Ride just got a lot more interesting for the business commuter and college student. All of the city’s 12 Rapid Ride vehicles

now have wireless web access. There are 83 hot spots along the route that allow the buses to establish a connection from zone to zone.

This new technology will allow passengers with laptop computers to surf the internet, check email, send reports to work or chat with

friends. Now, many people will find their commute time to be productive time.

Map of Route
http://www.cabq.gov/transit/pdf/05aprrapidram.pdf

Commuter rail gains support by Bob Golfen, The

Arizona Republic

A commuter rail system that uses existing freight-train routes throughout the Phoenix area is being touted as the

future backbone of public transportation in the Valley. …

A lot of the current discussion about commuter rail is fueled by the

success of new systems throughout the West, Dickey said, including New Mexico and Utah, which are building passenger systems on former

freight track beds.

Keep Judge Rudd Campaign

Judge Rudd will seek her second four-year term in 2006.

She needs your support. During her first term, she has increased the court’s caseload 60%, started a major computer automation of the

court’s docket system, proved her commitment to public awareness and outreach through her “Judge is In” TV show, Albuquerque Journal

column, and numerous speaking engagements. She has served our community with integrity, dedication, and hard work.

Note: I

developed the campaign website and MRudd is my long-time companion of 24 years (as of this week).

Defenders of Wildlife – Wolf Awareness Week 2005