Amending the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution

The 13th Amendment goes like this: 

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

My thoughts as to how it should actually be read or written is this: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to US jurisdiction".  

This is a very simple effective change. There are no loopholes here, no slavery, no slavery script available within our laws, and all those sworn "to uphold the constitution" won't be subject to upholding crimes against human beings, such as "slavery" or "involuntary servitude" forcings.  All your Supreme Court lawyers who laud the constitution as the "highest laws of the land" don't have to make asses out of themselves any longer as "slave masters", "torturers", and "criminals".  All that arrogant lauding of our Constitution as the "greatest" and "wonderful" and all that, will be for something; instead of our criminal history as a united people; at least it will stand for the 21st century instead of 1792.  

What do you think please? Any comments? 

The dates of all the debates involved with this Amendment can be found here:
Library of Congress: Primary Documents of American History

All the debates about the U.S. 13th Amendment took place between March 31, 1864 and December 18, 1865.  

There has not been any type of debate concerning this Amendment in 153 years, which says much about Americans. 

Now let's pick a part here: A human being can only be subject to "slavery" and "involuntary servitude" (typically, the same as slavery) if and when they are "duly convicted".  That is a slippery slope statement though with many Americans.  "Duly convicted" has multiple meanings: Does this mean convicted because of the color of our skin, our religion, our gender, our choice of occupation, our heritage and ethnicity, our way of life; or, for an infraction, a misdemeanor, or a felony? Being convicted or "duly convicted" happens sometimes just because we are born on the wrong side of the tracks; or, by those who look down on the wrong side of tracks birthers for not having the big golden goose laying eggs in the living rooms, if you know what I mean.

But first and foremost, look at the word "Slavery" in itself: Doesn't this shock you at all living in the 21st century? It did me!  How could anyone subject anyone to "slavery" or resort to such thinking? "Involuntary servitude" is just another terminology that can somewhat replace "slavery" or outright replace the word, "Slavery"; but, it's a fancier two- word description that causes one to look aside from the basic premise of "slavery".  In other words, it's tricky and any trickster (as any Native American) would understand, could use a pair of seeming words to subject anyone to slavery, if of course, they are in a position of power, have some sort of dominance over a person, have much backing of peers, and no one speaks up, does anything, or thinks they do not have to take action.  

But let's get to the main point: THESE WORDS DO NOT BELONG IN OUR U.S. CONSTITUTION AT ALL!  

We must Amend and cause the Amendment(s) to be Ratified; we have no choice in the matter. This entire ideology concerning "Slavery" as any form of acceptable idea or word does not belong in American society at all.  

The U.S. Constitution scripted the conscience of America and its inhabitants. You may feel that all those words mean nothing, but in many respects they do mean something and they enable certain segments of society to act on them; thereby, subjecting segments of society to slavery. 

Additionally, "duly convicted" does not state, "duly convicted for a crime in an honest ethical court of law with a jury of peers"; it simply states, "duly convicted".  To try not to get into a long history and story, I was a convicted already inside America and for doing nothing but being alive. #1 I am female. You may call it a diatribe, but if you are female, most of the time, you may realize that you are born without the privileges of mankind written throughout laws, all government segments, the economy, our educational system, or radio and media segments, and so much more.  My family was convicted already by a powerful agency who felt they had a right to lead by committing many various crimes.  

It just so happens that "slavery" has not ended in America and although some may feel that "Slavery" is a horror of the past, they have as yet to learn the stories and experience of real life people, sometimes of many faiths, religions, or colors used as slaves. 

In particular, Black Society within America who has suffered for hundreds of years from slavery, are still subject to slavery in let's say what society deems "legal ways".  Those legal ways, are not legal at all; the are authoritarian "legals" sometimes; that is, laws created by White Supremacist types who don't feel or empathize, nor really think about the plight of African Americans living in America today.  

I am not saying that "Slavery" is not perpetuated on various segments of society outside our Black communities for they are, and many are still in silence over the matter, but we all know that hundreds of years of Black Slavery is and was a huge wrong. Native Americans were also used and taken as slaves. 

I have read many websites and emails concerning Black Slavery inside our Prison systems.  To try to get to the point in this blog, I am simply putting this out there to try and collect ideas, comments, writings, statements for a new Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I also know of slavery to White folks too, inflicting suffering on disabled, locking people up for no reason, being falsely accused, misogyny & it's hideous politics; it's spawns of evil; it's various guises; and the profit making machine; lack of knowledge and wisdom within our justice system, our courts, our prisons, and our psychiatric industries.  To put it easily understood: Much of these industries are insane at times, out of line, unnecessary, evil, cruel, and unjust.  How can you heal a wound by inflicting another one in the same spot? You can't.  Teaching logic to those who believe logic involves torture and harm is not always an easy task. 

Although, I'd like to move on this NOW AND I MEAN NOW and not willing to wait long years for an entire country to see the light or make a move that is ethical, decent, and human, I realize, that it's going to take many people working to get there, and helping others realize what they did wrong or what they are doing wrong, may take some convincing.  

For instance, how I could I charge people or ask for donations to get this new Amendment moving?  Why should we pay White politicians, legislatures, or government to simply change something so outrageous, intolerable, wrong, unacceptable, and criminal? WE SHOULDN'T! Any one of them with a conscience would feel ashamed of our constitution the way it is written. We don't want any other types of politicians running anything who would believe otherwise. 

Everyone should have a conscience, I feel, especially all House Members, any congress member, or anyone in politics to see very easily that this Amendment is just wrong. Simple as that!  What's stopping anyone from simply agreeing unilaterally that it needs to be changed for the better? There should be nothing stopping anyone in politics whatsoever!  I don't see any obstruction or any color that would prevent intelligent bright ethical humans from simply changing the 13th Amendment and I expect everyone will. 

Another issue: The Amendment(s) to the 13th needs to be written correctly. Can I write it on my own, or should it have many people involved who understand all the details or what needs to be written there? 

Also, the idea of "punishment" is wrong. Currently, and I know, believe me, there is torture, especially inside our US Prisons.  There are many unintelligent types of police as well who do not know how to analyze and weigh situations or statements who act with barbarity and cruelty, and possible sadists who enjoy living in a hell of sadism.  The entire idea of "punishment" needs to be changed.Most of our police are not educated in medicine, health, ethics, or law; some actually believe that overreacting, violence, and causing suffering is the only way to behave as human beings.    

Without getting into DOJ territory concerning punishment and even though I don't have a college degree in criminal justice, I do know that in many areas and many ways, that torturing people is not what criminal reform is all about; slavery is not about reforming criminals but only reinforces the idea of criminality. In other words or simple terms; We tell a person who has done something society does not accept that the US government is allowed to perpetuate crimes but the wrongdoer is not. Isn't it better, ethically speaking, to set a good example or lead by example? We are simply reinforcing fascism, dictatorship, Slavery,  double-talk, double-think, & basing our idea about compelling a wrongdoer into reform by reinforcing government crime. This idea concerning government enabled criminality is heinous and absolutely not acceptable.  

I need ideas, comments, writings, participation so others can say what they want in that Amendment.  

How should we do this? Shouldn't Black Civil Rights leaders participate and help rewrite the Constitution. God knows, they definitely have a right to, all things considered? How about other Civil Rights leaders of other faiths, colors, or ethnicities? How's about women?

We can ignore this for all time, but really, with those laws, which are supposed to be the highest laws in the country (The US Constitution) still perpetuating the horrific ideas of White Male Slave Masters, how is our society really going to change if our highest laws don't change?   I am not condemning "White Males"; I am outlawing "White Supremacist Racist Males who still harbor Slave laws" and say "ok" to themselves simply based on our US Constitution. This does not exclude White Females either or anyone of any race, religion, or color.  

Hey, believe me, I would rather be happy singing, dancing, and making a ton of money and I am busy with getting my life course in gear. But, this Amendment weighs on me, and I realize people are suffering for no reason, so I have to do something about it.  I'm not certain how to get this ball rolling though.  

I'm not doing this for glory, profits, fame, wealth, or political votes whatsoever! I'm doing this because I feel we are living in a certain dark age that is causing many to suffer unnecessarily, because the whole idea of "Slavery" is wrong and does not belong in our entire conscience or our superconconscience. It does not belong in the Highest Laws of the Nation. I can't be proud of America or say it's the "greatest" because there is much more to being great than saying it. 

I am not running for any office. The gains I do hope for is an entire change for everyone, a better way of life, a lifting of a heavy burden in the spirit, to cause happiness and freedom.  

There should be no war or fighting over this change. It doesn't hurt anyone.  There shouldn't be any hard argument or heated debate. Everyone understands I expect that the 13th Amendment needs to be changed now and that includes every single solitary politician or political body in every segment of the South.  

LEAVE YOUR IDEAS, COMMENTS, SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS, DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE THAT WILL MAKE THIS CHANGE, THIS NEW AMENDMENT(S) happen and whenever you like!  

You may not be paid, or at least, I can't pay you; but, you know you are doing something right, something that will affect generations to come, will affect people's lives now and for the better.  

If you think the US Constitution doesn't mean anything though, please realize our society and all the issues involved that cause suffering; doesn't many of those situations or issues stem or are rooted in a set of laws written over 150 years ago? 

I am attempting to keep things simple as well. Everyone may think that the "other" person will handle this, but when it comes to really changing what needs to be changed, a lot of people do nothing and that DOES include our political bodies.  Let's face it: A predominant White Political body doesn't have any real reason to change it, now do they?  

Then, of course we all know about full plates sitting on every politician's plate.  Some may just be so overwhelmed or busy, it's hard to take on another major issue.  Let's try to give some the benefit of the doubt too. Just because I want it or see it, doesn't mean that anyone really sees or understands it; I know ethically speaking, that all people would agree naturally according to human rights, conscience, intelligence, and principals, but I have a hunch that some may enjoy the idea of slavery and & upholding criminal ideals.    

Sometimes, people understand things by experiencing things, so can empathize. Demanding people change something where they don't feel empathy is like asking someone to have a blind faith in something, to believe.  I mean, did G-d show up in your living room one day? What if G-d didn't show up in a bunch of people's living rooms and they say, "huh? what you talkin' bout?", "that's never gonna change", "I'm not part of government, so it's up to someone else", "I can't do that", "I don't matter, they aren't going to listen to me", or "what for, I'm making millions off of the prison industry"? 

These r some of the humps and it may be a bit bumpy, so if you have oranges make orange justice; if you have lemons, lemonade is good too.  Whatever you have, that's fine.  You don't have to have the oranges and lemons cause you have you. You are good enough to make this change.  

Written by REPORTERS COMMITTEE 

a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association dedicated to assisting journalists since 1970. 

Feature

Page Number: 

 32

The state secrets privilege keeps some claims from ever being heard

From the Summer 2006 issue of The News Media & The Law, page 32.

By Susan Burgess

Khaled el-Masri thinks he deserves $75,000 from the U.S. government for what he alleges was five months of beatings, sodomy and imprisonment in the "Salt Pit," a CIA-run facility in Afghanistan.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis agrees el-Masri should be compensated if his allegations are true. But Judge Ellis, of the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., dismissed el-Masri's case against the government in May, ruling that further litigation would jeopardize national security. Judge Ellis did not consider the validity of the allegations, but ruled that the government properly sought to dismiss the case under the state secrets privilege.

"[I]f El-Masri's allegations are true or essentially true, then all fair-minded people, including those who believe that state secrets must be protected, that this lawsuit cannot proceed, and that renditions are a necessary step to take in this war, must also agree that El-Masri has suffered injuries as a result of our country's mistake and deserves a remedy," Ellis wrote. "Yet it is also clear from the result reached here that the only sources of that remedy must be the Executive Branch or the Legislative Branch, not the Judicial Branch."

El-Masri is just one of dozens of plaintiffs who have lost their day in court because the government invoked the state secrets privilege to withhold information needed to prove their cases.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the privilege in 1953 in U.S. v. Reynolds, the government has invoked the privilege at least 81 times in cases involving a variety of claims, including patent infringement, race discrimination, libel and manufacturing defects, according to research conducted by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. In 62 cases, the government was a party to the litigation, but in 19 cases, the government invoked the privilege to withhold documents or testimony requested in lawsuits to which the government was not a party.

It is difficult to quantify beyond 81 the precise number of times the privilege has been asserted after Reynolds since some cases remain secret or unreported, but research of reported cases reveals that the privilege has been invoked in 18 cases since Sept. 11, 2001. (An earlier report in the Fall 2005 News Media & The Law revealed lower figures for invocation of the privilege, both before and after Sept. 11, 2001. That report was based on an independent report that was later retracted and amended.)

Among the secret or unreported cases are Horn v. Huddle, in which a former agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency alleged unlawful retaliation. Although the case was sealed by agreement of all parties, leaks to the press, including of a redacted copy of the district court's 2004 dismissal of the case under the state secrets privilege, resulted in coverage. Despite that, the case remains sealed.

And in Sterling v. Tenet, a case concerning a CIA employee's claims of race discrimination, Judge Allen G. Schwartz's decision -- rejecting the government's argument that state secrets warranted dismissal of the case -- apparently remains sealed, more than three years after being entered in January 2003.

In 28 of the 40 cases where a court has been asked to dismiss a case, claim or party because litigating would reveal state secrets, courts have complied. Late in July, however, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker in San Francisco ruled that state secrets would not be jeopardized if a lawsuit against AT&T goes forward. The privilege is likely to be invoked in the next year as similar lawsuits over the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program progress through the courts.

The state secrets privilege has been used in at least 10 of the 13 federal appellate circuits, including the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The privilege does not appear to have been invoked in federal courts in either the First Circuit (which includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island), the Tenth Circuit (Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma) or the Eleventh Circuit (Florida, Alabama and Georgia).

The U.S. Supreme Court recognized the state secrets privilege in1953, ruling that the government correctly withheld for national security reasons records about a B-29 bomber crash in 1948 in rural Georgia. The official report about the crash could not be given to the widows of three civilians who died in the crash "without seriously hampering national security, flying safety and the development of highly technical and secret military operations" because "the aircraft in question, together with the personnel on board, were engaged in a highly secret mission of the Air Force," according to an Air Force court filing in the case.

Chief Justice Fred Vinson, writing for the Court, said that the privilege could not "be lightly invoked. There must be a formal claim of privilege, lodged by the head of the department which has control over the matter, after personal consideration by that officer. The court itself must determine whether the circumstances are appropriate for the claim of privilege, and yet do so without forcing a disclosure of the very thing the privilege is designed to protect."

Since Reynolds, the privilege has been invoked in at least 19 cases where the government is not a party. In Robinson v. City of Philadelphia, for example, former city employee Stacey Robinson sued the city in August 2004, claiming her supervisors retaliated against her for cooperating with a federal criminal investigation of city government corruption.

When lawyers for the city scheduled depositions with two FBI agents Robinson claimed to have cooperated with, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia asked the city to cancel the depositions because the information sought would jeopardize an ongoing investigation and could be protected by one of several privileges, including the state secrets privilege. The city asked the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia to compel Robinson to answer its questions about her conversations with the two agents, but the court refused, explaining that it could not compel testimony "where any of these privileges are raised."

The case illustrates that the government does not always assert the privilege only in court documents. The government has not formally intervened in the Robinson case and has filed no motions asserting that the state secrets privilege protects particular information that the parties seek.

The U.S. Attorney's Office acknowledged that the letter in Robinson was not unusual. DOJ spokesman Charles Miller declined to comment on whether such letters are typical.

A privilege apart

Like other types of evidentiary privileges, such as the lawyer-client or priest-penitent privilege, the state secrets privilege withholds information on the theory that it is in the public interest to do so, even if a party cannot prove his or her case without the information.

The state secrets privilege is unique in that it is held by the executive branch, which brings up issues of constitutional law and separation of powers because proper invocation by the executive branch ultimately deprives the judicial branch of the ability to review the executive's actions.

Critics argue that the privilege impairs the public's ability to hold the executive branch accountable. They also note its potential for abuse, arguing that it lets the government conceal information at its whim, allowing officials to shield embarrassing or illegal conduct, rather than truly sensitive information such as weapons development or intelligence strategies.

"[T]he incentive on the part of administrators is to use the privilege to avoid embarrassment, handicap political enemies, and to prevent criminal investigation of administrative action," wrote University of Texas at El Paso Professors William G. Weaver and Robert M. Pallitto in an article about use of the state secrets privilege. "[I]f the privilege protects the executive and agencies from investigation and judicial power, the privilege may have the effect of encouraging or tempting agencies to engage in illegal activity." Weaver and Pallitto's article, "State Secrets and Executive Power" was published in the Spring 2005 issue of Political Science Quarterly.

Such critics point to U.S. v. Reynolds to illustrate that the government misuses secrecy to cover up its own negligence. In 2000, when Air Force reports about the 1948 accident that led to the Reynolds suit were declassified and released, attorneys for family members of the deceased civilians found no information about the secret electronic equipment that the Air Force had cited in withholding the reports. The reports did, however, contain information about the aircraft's poor condition.

A widow of one of the plane crash victims sued the government, claiming that the cover-up in the Reynolds case constituted a fraud upon the court, but the U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia (3rd Cir.) disagreed, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the decision.

The lack of public oversight that results when the privilege is invoked troubles plaintiffs' attorneys who think the courts are failing to examine the government as rigorously as directed by the Reynolds decision.

"The courts have been very much ignoring the promulgation of the instructions by the Supreme Court," said Mark Zaid, a Washington lawyer who has represented many plaintiffs in state secrets cases. "[T]he judicial branch is at a weak point with respect to the privilege and the executive branch is exploiting the judicial unwillingness or inability to deal with the privilege in a substantive fashion."

Ann Beeson, the associate legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union and the lead attorney on an ACLU suit challenging the government's warrantless wiretapping program, agrees. "I think courts have been frightened by and too deferential to the government's claim that national security would be harmed if particular cases continued and have undermined their role in performing a check on government power. The government's broad view of the privilege completely eliminates checks and balances."

Overclassification?

Supporters of the privilege said that internal checks and balances protect against misuse. "People who suggest this is lightly or casually done have no idea what they're talking about," said a former Bush administration official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the administration. "The privilege has to be personally invoked by the agency head responsible, supported by an affidavit that he personally reviewed the documents at issue. That requires several levels of review. Since you generally need the affidavit of a senior intelligence official, the attorney general is routinely brought into these discussions. The assistant attorney general would want his boss' approval before approaching someone like [U.S. Director of National Intelligence John D.] Negroponte for his signature. It's enormously cumbersome for the government to assert."

Former executive branch attorneys from both the Bush and Clinton administrations also note that the privilege -- and its ability to completely disembowel a case -- is not excessive because it helps prevent important secrets from being revealed in cases where protective orders or sealed proceedings would not suffice.

Even when all precautions are taken, mistakes happen that can let slip valuable information. For example, during an oral argument in the Sterling case, Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., accidentally identified a CIA agent by her last name.

He stopped himself midsentence and apologized to attorneys for inadvertently disclosing the name of a covert agent.

Plaintiffs' attorneys also worry about how the increase in the amount of information agencies label secret or classified amplifies the effect of the state secrets privilege. "With the government reclassifying documents that weren't classified before, you don't know that what they're saying is secret," said Washington, D.C., attorney Janine Brookner, referring to the CIA and other federal agencies' secret reclassification of more than 55,000 pages of records at the National Archives and Records Administration.

Brookner, who represents former DEA agent Richard Horn and has represented many federal employees in suits against the government, said that the government "submits documents ex parte so that the other party, even if they have top secret security clearance, doesn't get the documents. It's difficult to fight the government's assertion if you don't know what they're saying."

Former FBI translator and whistle­blower Sibel Edmonds, whose case against the FBI over her firing was dismissed because of state secrets, has experienced the problem of over-classification first-hand. When she challenged the Justice Depart­ment's refusal to give her documents under the Freedom of Information Act in a separate suit, the government again claimed in part that the documents contained state secrets, despite the fact that the documents she sought included the transcript of an interview the department had conducted of her in the presence of her attorneys who lacked security clearances.

"None of the questions they asked me [in the interview] involved classified information," Edmonds said, yet the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. did not order the FBI to release the interview. "One of the questions was 'when and where were you born?' That means my passport is a top secret document."

Government sources, however, claim that overclassification is not an issue. "The bottom line is that when courts review claims of the privilege, they make an independent assessment," the former administration official said. "Because the courts examine it, the DOJ examines it too. They don't want to bring it up unless it's going to be upheld. The courts are the second and ultimate check. Any situation where they have upheld it is not a function of overclassification."

Critics disagree. Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU deputy director and one of the attorneys working on challenging the government's domestic surveillance program, said that secrecy surrounding national security programs is "unnecessary and motivated not by national security but political concerns. I don't think any reasonable person could conclude that disclosure of generic information about the existence of national security programs could jeopardize national security."

What critics point to as overclass­ification may be in part due to intelligence agencies' subscription to what is known as the "mosaic theory." Under this theory, the executive branch protects data that alone may appear innocuous, but that like the "construction of a mosaic," could be fitted together by terrorists to form a "bigger picture" of the investigation. Several courts have upheld the government's assertion of the state secrets privilege on this theory.

Losing one's day in court

For plaintiffs, the state secrets privilege frequently means never being able to argue their case in court -- or win compensation. Beeson, who represents el-Masri and filed a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Edmonds, said that in state secrets cases, "the government has given no consideration to remedying the plaintiffs.

"I've never heard of a case where the government has been supportive of some other remedy through Congress, through a private bill or other means. I don't think that it's even remotely likely that Congress will do anything to help this man [El-Masri]. There's no recourse for him."

Congress has the authority to pass so-called private bills to benefit people by granting them money or relieving them from a legal obligation.

No one introduced a private bill for Edmonds, despite that an FBI internal investigation confirmed her allegations that a coworker had unreported contacts with a foreign official whose communications he was charged with translating.

Tom Devine, legal director of the Government Accountability Project, agreed that there's little recourse.

"We've tried [to get private bills] for numerous whistleblowers, but never got anywhere," he said. "In our experience that's always been like the pot of gold at rainbow's end."

Some government officials recognize the privilege's effect on government whistleblowers. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) introduced a bill that would limit its use in such suits. "National security whistleblowers tell us when things go wrong," Shays said in a February House Government Reform Committee hearing. "But those with whom we trust the nation's secrets are too often treated like second-class citizens when it comes to asserting their rights to speak truth to power."

In addition to losing one's day in court, invocation of the state secrets privilege may also mean erasing an entire legal doctrine for a particular type of plaintiff -- namely intelligence agency employees.

U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Bruce Lee in Alexandria, Va., concluded in Sterling v. Tenet that Jeffrey Sterling could not bring a race discrimination case against the CIA because it would have required deposing covert operatives and introducing evidence about CIA operatives' job responsibilities. This theory could potentially apply to other cases in which CIA agents allege unlawful employment discrimination.

Zaid, who represents Sterling, said that the privilege's cost to plaintiffs could be relieved by creating an alternative system for handling sensitive civil cases. "Congress needs to either create a new federal court like [the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court], where there's a rotating base of judges appointed to hear classified proceedings in these cases . . . or give jurisdiction to the administrative agencies, like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to hear these cases. At least the person would have a chance to have their day in court."

Brookner notes that in the criminal context, procedures exist to allow cases to go forward without jeopardizing national security information. The Classified Information Protection Act (CIPA) dictates the procedures litigants must use in these cases, but no judges have agreed to use CIPA procedures for the civil context.

Without oversight, it is difficult to determine the privilege's cost to the public. "Government secrecy prevents reporters from reporting on government programs, Jaffer said. "Because the government invokes the privilege over and over, we have to start asking how that secrecy is affecting the public's ability to evaluate executive branch activity."

The News Media and The Law, Summer 2006

URL: https://www.rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news-media-law/news-media-and-law-summer-2006/cases-without-courts

Here is an open copy of the letter I sent President Trump today concerning the need for an amendment(s) and ratification to our US Constitution 13 Amendment:

Dear President Trump,

I was appalled last week on the 1st days of national prison strikes when I read our 13 Amendment of the US Constitution: Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

I need you to publicly change this as soon as you can please! We need civil rights leaders & legal experts working together on the correct amendment to the atrocious wording of our shameful 13th amendment. Just imagine someone you know & love sitting before a judge after doing something out of range and the judge declares: I now sentence you to slavery in so and so prison for making a phone call or taking that loaf of bread. This is basically the wrong script for American constitutional policy; the wording alone is demeaning, derogatory, criminal minded, and does not promote healthy living standards nor a completely civil minded society overall.  For instance, many minorities already are convicted based on minority status, that is, many minorities are determined as second class citizens based on color, religion, & race or even gender; thus, in the minds of many supremacists they already stand convicted.  Also, punishment for crimes (definite crimes) should not be met with the mentality of becoming a "slave" or being subjected to "involuntary servitude". The idea with reforming behaviors & acts is to promote change, or helping a person see the light, better his/her lifestyle, their ideas about others, help them reach a spiritual level of love & respect for life, property, and the rights of society--not to whip, punish, & torture the person as punishment or to use old-style slave tactics to inflict a Supremacist White authoritarian rule of law.  To reform prisoners is about causing change in them, where they can recover.

Additionally, reform is not always the case with our prison populace; an ex. is a disabled woman who was deprived medical testing treatment at facilities, such as nursing home & more who had no money but was very ill so she stole some cough suppressants. She was arrested, waited in jail then sentenced 2 a year with still no medical testing & treatments for obvious medical symptoms. She had cancer the entire while & all our system could do was surround her with gruff gun holding police & treat her as a criminal. Our system was criminal--not she! She didn't belong in any holding cell at all while each member of our court was paid mighty dollars and acted with pompous disregard for her rights & humanity.

This, I am hunching this happens all the time in America; our system compels poverty, has used & enslaved people various ways, especially minorities through agencies that have used them to profit by selling drugs (look up Contra Wars & how they were funded please); keeps them in poverty, in despair, without jobs, then arrests them for any situation, which much of the time will profit White Prison Owners somehow or another. We have to make each other see the realities & deeper dimensions to gain an understanding: Many prisoners do not belong in prison all together & our prisons r geared more towards torture, punishment, then they are geared towards ethics, teaching humans to do better, teaching them to find their better selves, or helping those victimized by our systemic abuses find logic or reason for their own plights after so much systemic wrongdoing. Ask yourself: If you knew someone enslaved somehow by US government officials used by them somehow for whatever reason & they left you with zero dollars & you had to take a loaf of bread, would you expect empathy or a prison sentence from a Harsh judge hepped on punishing anything or anybody at a high price civilians are compelled to pay for the profits of some corporate owners? Sincerely,

Neil Portnow, NARAS, the Future of Women in Music

Although this took many years to incite, Neil Portnow is finally removing his misogynistic self from the Grammy Awards.  I thought I was on my own years ago, when I cried and fought for justice, BEFORE ANY OTHER FEMALE DECIDED TO STEP UP, but I guess I was just ahead of my time, which is typical for me. 

I'd like to thank the women who finally stepped up after a long battle of my own to set things straight: Michelle Anthony, Julie Swindler, Jody Gerson, Julie Greenwald, Sylvia Rhone, Desiree Perez, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Rosemary Carroll, Natalia Nastaskin, Marsha Vlasic, Katy Perry, Vanessa Carlton, Charlie XCX and more. I applaud a letter written by a number of these women concerning Neil Portnow, the past president of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences who run the Grammy Awards: 
     “Your most recent remarks do not constitute         recognition of women’s achievements, but             rather a call for men to take action to                       ‘welcome’ women,” they wrote. “We do not             await your welcome into the fraternity. We do       not have to sing louder, jump higher, or be             nicer to prove ourselves.” (Vanityfair.com)
   The truth is, I had spent much time trying to bring the issue of Neil Portnow to light years earlier, but no one would respond or listen. I contacted his entire staff and every one that worked for NARAS letting them know how he was, who he was, and how he treated women. I was pleading with them for some sort of justice because he and others had made me suffer so intensely (read my experience living under the threats and thumb of criminal, David Lee Roth & others in another blog). 
     I worked my ass off year after year trying to make it in the music industry as most of my friends know. I recorded seven albums independently, ran my own record label, BDRQ (Billion Dollar Roqu Queen Records); worked for major labels in many departments for side monies, worked job after job to pay for the music productions, putting up with more misogynistic abuses, working way below what I was worth, and denying my own talents, intelligence, education, recording in major studios, all types of musicians, produced a slew of my own music videos with full casts, crew, costumes, and themes, and at one point I was living in my car, because I spent every dime on the music, working three jobs at a time. I mean, this was a day and night labor of love, a labor of passion, a labor of independence as a woman trying to make it big in the music industry. I worked on it ritually, every day, practicing, playing out at festivals or clubs, dealing with changing bands, changing musicians, new product, recording, promotions, rehearsals, and more. 

     I studied music. I played guitar & sang since I was three years old. I learned piano lessons given to me by my mother, who sacrificed her dime, even though we were left without a dad, and we barely had anything. I studied voice with many voice coaches and was on a six year opera scholarship six days a week with a private opera coach from Sicily. I studied dance, voice, choreography, acting, theatre, and much more in colleges, private performance academies, with private coaches ceaselessly and all the while pursuing my rights. This was not enough for mostly the men in the industry though nor did it matter at all. All that mattered much of the time was that I was willing to suck their dicks, literally.  
     Sometimes, some ignored me.  I met with hostility, especially in the rock n roll world. Men would say things telling me I didn't have a right to enjoy success, freedom, freedom of expression, nor to enjoy economic independence and achievement. I heard threatening statements by males in the business. Journalists try to screw me, while others withheld truth. It was  a non stop roller coaster of misogyny, yet it wasn't without the female oppressors who sided with the men and kept their jobs as long as they were silent and evil like the men were mostly. 

     Debbie Davidsohn (Back Left), Linda Russo (back Right), Mr. Keys (front left), Carlos Ibarra (front left mid); Susan Buck (middle right); and Dean Drummer (front Right). 
      I met up with some of the most extreme cases of misogyny and sexual harassment in the industry, label after label, and yes, Neil Portnow literally helped destroy years of my work and labors because he did not see me as a hard working human being, a musician, a vocalist, and  creator and person with my own rights and economic goals; he saw me as an object for his sexual lust, a "nobody", "just a female, second to males", and only good for his bedroom aesthetics (his personal disrespected mistress or whore; his whim of quick lusts, of some sort) and passed off years of very hard works over the fact that I did not go home with him to perform sexual favors or act as anything other than his sex slave. 
     I met with Neil Portnow personally at a record label office prior to him becoming the NARAS President. He brushed off my talent, music, cd, music videos as if they meant nothing. The only thing he suggested was that I go home with him instead. Here I was $250k in debt for the music videos I had produced and needed more for editing, was living in a shithole on Sunset Blvd with no shower, no kitchen, and no savings; had no car at that time, no one taking care of me and not on welfare, and here was a powerful man with a lot of corporate monies and in a position where he could move mountains for women and all he could say to me was, "You can go home with me though". 
     Why the fucking hell would I have to become someone's record label hooker though or be thought of as one, treated as one, and have to deny my own conscience in the first place? Portnow continued to harass me for years to come writing me from UCLA, sending me jargon, denying my talents still and my long years of education, and my self determinism. You see, by men denying women the right to their own self determinism, they feel more powerful for some odd reason. Rape, economic depravity, molestation, criticism, lies, lack of real communication silences women while empowering men; thus, men can keep women in subservient slave-like positions in life, begging for a husband to care for their economic needs, begging for jobs that demean them and lower their quality of life, using them like hookers which humiliates and hurts our feelings, making them or compelling women to sell their bodies as prostitutes somehow or play mistresses even though it just doesn't feel right, even though we know we are not actually loved, we deny our own spiritual constitution of honesty and integrity when we play their games unwillingly. 

     Some of us don't even know our own feelings anymore, for so many layers and years of abuse has caused us to believe we are not even allowed to feel our very own feelings! We were forced to deny our own needs and feelings so often, many of us resorted to stuffing their feelings with alcohol, drugs, antidepressants, self mutilation, or live in perpetual sadness, sometimes grieving a loss, that we may not know exactly what it is. 
     It is our true selves we are seeking, our own feelings, our own dreams that we never pursued, our careers we gave up, the years wasted being abused, raped, mocked, berated, passed over, forced into Welfare, food stamps, below par jobs that do not uphold our own educations, passed over for promotions because we are female, all our work tossed and thrown into their fiery furnace of destruction as if it meant nothing as Hitler burned and tossed living bodies into the oven with their children in the Holocaust; forced into kitchens, on our knees cleaning all day, cleaning toilets; having our educations stripped because He needs you home to care for the child, so you can't continue school; watching many men born into privilege act as if they are above women, have more of a right than woman, can beat or harm women if they wear a badge or just because they are typically larger, have stronger arms, or are male; can deny women justice in court when and if they feel like it, can balk and make up lies on the snap of a finger to destroy a woman's livelihood, to destroy women's sense of self and sense of honesty; can inflict disability on women who cry about this and more and call them names habitually, then send them to mostly male psychiatrists who make a fortune feeding them unnecessary drugs to take care of the grief, the sadness, the PTSD, the anguish of having their lives stripped of humanity, their ideas pushed aside into human baking ovens; their inventions pushed to the back because a man's invention will make money; their pleas and cry for help or friendship tossed into the ocean and passed off as "just a woman's cry" or "it's all her fault";  her talents stuffed into his toilets like his feces without any regard for what they are and if it's not his property or his idea than it gets flushed straight down; being told they have to either be a teacher, maid, or a secretary because that is the only jobs open (unless they want to be prostitutes, although illegal, the men won't be arrested--only the women); watching monies handed out like water to the men while making it easier for men to earn profits and higher paychecks or obtain important jobs with some security all while living in despair as we are supposed to act as if it means nothing, behave like soft spoken unintelligent white gloved women, only concerned for how clean the house is, or what happens to the children daily; giving up entire careers so that men can enjoy what we worked for, even though many didn't work for it; etc . . . etc . . . etc . . . 
     I know there are very successful women though, and some ruthless too who became like some of the men; unthinking, heartless, cold, and quite cruel. The world can make anyone feel like they are living in a cold hell either way.  But, do you have to become ruthless, cold, criminal (even in the guise of law abusing monies), to live in what the world still titles as "A Man's World"? 
     I don't know how many others are out there who endured what I did in the Music Biz, but I got slammed like this so many times, I stopped counting, and can't even recall every name that did this routinely. Some were more brash in their language, including Ahmet Ertegun: "How about your tits?" or a little more casual like the label with MCA at that time: "Let's go up to my hotel room". I mean here I paid for, worked for, rehearsed a band for a year and half writing and recording new songs and worked my soul out to do a showcase for the music industry and here was some guy who was some big shot who was going to brush all my work off but tell me that to even be considered for a contract or work that I had to go up to his hotel room to do suck his dirty fucking cock, whether I was interested or not. My mind wasn't on sex at all; I had to get to work, I had bills, debts, living in the poverty levels, had a band to feed, their families in need, and lots and lots of songs and music to get out. I had people's lives to move, to make a difference somehow.     

  

     What's the difference if I'm politically correct, language-wise or not. What's the difference if I'm soft toned or nice, loud, and aggressive? Do women always have to walk around as if nothing is wrong at all and it's nothing to have their entire careers trampled on, their needs ignored, their lives thwarted somehow by criminally uncouthful sadistic men? 
     Women sometimes sit in offices today, as they did in Neil Portnow's office silent, unable to have an opinion, to take action and oh, "IT WAS JUST ANOTHER WOMAN'S LIFE TRAMPLED ON" was the mindset.  There were many people I contacted, and not a single one of them displayed any feelings, any outright empathy, compassion, communication, and not a single one took any action to stand by my side. They also compelled me to endure it all alone. Everyone who worked at NARAS including the higher ups, the ones who made more money from MUSICIANS (believe it or not) knew what I endured and it wasn't just a comment that Portnow made. It was his acts he didn't perform, his innate belief that women were to be oppressed habitually for all eternity and if he could, he would help "mankind" keep women as their slaves; whether for breeding, for the sexual needs, or for their economic empowerment.  
     There was one time I applied for MusicCares, the Grammy Foundation paid for my musicians and artists that help other musicians in need.  I was in such dire distress financially, having had so much ruined by mostly males, even in different fields or side jobs of endeavor, and was ill. I endured a lot of violence as well throughout my life being a victim of gangster type rape, rapes, beatings, beatings by Roth, & enduring a lifelong issue because of Kiedis and his violence, hostility, jealousy, and mayhem.  But, at the same time, they had made a fortune which I believe some goes into the MusicCares fund (uncertain) and also made a fortune for Warner Bros. another big bully asshole as far as music gender discrimination overall and they lean towards empowering only male bands and men; period. WB also did a number on me with much unfairness perpetuated then by Mo Ostin but that is another blog and story. WB must have raked in 1/2 billion dollars in profits from some of their bands or recording artists using me as the muse for intellectual materials. I am only going to name some. There was Ostin's hideous son, another misogynistic bastard, Michael Ostin who called me into the office to only humiliate and hurt my feelings, and deny me a career or any economic worth & power. MusicCares didn't even bother to help me out with a nickel at all.  Yet Pornow stole monies from the charity that was supposed to help people suffering in the music industry.
     I was going through two major surgeries for damages and had been driving to four hospitals with one hand because three hospitals had turned me down for surgery that was needed in the first week or I would lose my right main hand. Now I know through Dana Tomarken, who worked for Music Cares that Neil Portnow had taken the monies that were supposed to be used for people in need and used it somewhere else instead.   Business as usual in the land of evil and by the rule that Pornow made up.
     The truth is, I was a muse for a good number of music celebrities, that is I was in fact exploited for their wealth: David Lee Roth, Robert Plant, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more who all knew me and had experiences somehow or another.  The stories are long, hard, grueling with me on the losing end by power bullies without any conscience, without an ounce of real reasonableness, fairness, swift hard hoarders, bullies, mockers, and with Anthony Kiedis: outright violence, destruction, death threats and more exploitation for he jumped out of nowhere one day on my video set and started to destroy everything in his path and tried to destroy me, then tortured me so I ended up in the hospital.  

                 The album this band recorded was never released and entire while I was being threatened by Roth who was stalking me, and had done much violence to me. My band was Yankee Rose and this was just one of the versions; there were others. I DID NOTHING TO DESERVE HIS VIOLENCE, MAYHEM, HATRED, JEALOUSY, OR RAGE AT ALL.  I am not at fault at all. Roth hated me working with men, was a jealous obsessed psychotic, and had made a fortune singing about my life. In his mind, he owned the woman of his choice and she could have no outside passions, friends, interests, or pursuits and could only empower his glory. He would follow me around after work where he knew I went to go relax or eat.  The rest is history.  

     To add to this punch, he released topless artwork of me on the cover of one of his albums, and at first released a song about breaking the girl (what he did to me through violence and treacherous acts), acting as if he cared (I suppose Kiedis has two people inside him) but he sent men to beat me by his orders and witnessed some to what they did to me. Racism, misogyny pervaded this entire issue and gave men the reason to destroy lives. I had brought the first Black people to Venice Beach with me for my filming and documentary footage and Whitey Kiedis and the White Venice Police Dept. hated it.  Kiedis didn't know yet, that he was going to have to face the truth one day and I wasn't going to disappear into obscurity. One day, the truth would come out, but internet hadn't started yet and reaching people was not easy at all, even though it still isn't. 
     Unfortunately, Kiedis wouldn't cease at one album and wouldn't stop stalking me somewhat and hounding me.  When the 9-11 attacks took place and there is much more that went on than I won't discuss here, because of the emotions involved, I went into special service for the country. My acumen became pretty intense & was able to protect millions of people without any violence whatsoever, because I'm very good at what I do or did. RHCP was busy distracting me and harassing me in typical Kiedis asshole style so I called Q Prime to tell them he has got to fuck off and I'm really busy.  Kiedis then began to berate me for protecting Americans and our friends and calling me names, sadistically and cruelly mocking me for protecting people and doing my best to ensure no attacks took place as if Kiedis wanted wars, violence, people to die, and he thrived off the blood of innocents. I WANT HIM TO CEASE HARASSING ME AND TO FUCK OFF FOREVER.  He had no right to exploit me for his profits either and I don't give him that right at all.  I don't want fucking hear him, see him, or know any of his psycho ideas either. He has spent a lifetime giving heroin to little girls, then molesting and raping them, getting them addicted, spreading his fucking drug disease around like water, trampling and abusing girls and women, just the same in typical macho psycho mode. 
     He trampled around my documentary set and video set as if he owned public lands, ran rampage like a man with rabies, terrified all types of innocent people there and I DO NOT FORGET AND definitely do not forgive people like that who actually feel no remorse at all or Conscience.  The sickest stuff here in America goes through the cracks especially if he is a White Man with money.  You aint getting through my cracks though. 
    Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers who berated and sadistically mocked me in some of the most terrible times in the country, the largest crisis in decades, during some of the most difficult times in my life while I save lives because he was jealous of that as well. He painted me topless without my consent on the cover of his album at this time with a Ray of Light going across my eyes. This idea came from unreleased music video footage at Venice Beach that was in the hands of the management company, Q Prime. I was dancing around a tree with my cast and by mistake part of my bathing suit top slipped half way off while dancing. Who the fuck gave him any permission to paint me nude? I've been a paid artist model and they gain my consent to paint me. Kiedis had no right to paint me, in particular, because he had already beat me and tortured me, caused me physcial damages, destroyed my video, my sense of safety, much of my livlihood.  The honest truth is Kiedis is an Anti Semitic asshole is all. 
     I'm not going to begin to relay the names he used on me right this moment but a man like that who cares nothing about life, actually feels nothing for his fellow men, women, or children is a dangerous portion of society I can simply do without; a man who pretends he cares for profits, but when the bones show through you see the reality of a heartless aberrated soul who hasn't begun to grow a real conscience. 
     Kiedis, a fucking coward who never stood up for others, unless it was to babble chant his psychomanic shit only, never fucking protecting a human life, never cared about human beings unless they were paying him, who would never lift a finger for anyone out of kindness or to sacrifice his valuable drug time writhing in drug ecstacy for his own glorious highs. Sure, and a young girl really knows what she wants while very high on heroin right? WRONG! How much profits did he make off of me, the big leach, using me without regard for my life, rights, feelings, or my work? How much did Warner Brothers make siding with his misogyny and exploits?  
     Was I born just to suffer for man so he can feel like King of the Mountain or become King Kong or something? It's despicable that all these men in the music industry never once thought of my needs, my need for appropriate living conditions, my goals, my rights because men's overall thinking dicated I had to play hidden housewife, cleaning dishes and floors all day, empowering him so he could go count all his assets, be paraded around as a big shot, and so forth.        This is the real beliefs found in so many men, that join together, even without talking so they can harm girls and women, take them down, humiliate and demean them, and so they can use us any way they can; whether it is outdated male written laws and an outdated legal system, a supremacist misogynist type of male police force, their fists, their words, their power by abusing their power, by humiliating and subjecting us to ceaseless ruthless sexual abuses and lack of defined and real communication; whereas, people talk together and have understandings and respect each other as human beings no matter what gender or preferences. 
     This means, if a man is actually honestly interested in an ethical moral relationship with a woman and honestly wants something with much more potential than a hurt scared girl in his bed that had to fuck him because he wanted it and she didn't, but the only way to hold onto a job or be considered for one was to do what he said; that he acts like a gentleman, that he is sensitive and honest, that he has respect, and honors her goals, longings, needs, and treats her the way he would treat a Goddess (if not his mother or sister, cause many males abuse their mothers, sisters, or spouses) or the way he would treat himself or would like to be treated if he were in fact a girl or woman and he met himself face to face; that, he would first honor her intellect, her inner self, her goals, and not in any way try to push her into the ground below him.  
      No, and I didn't give any come on to Neil Portnow what so ever.  I dressed appropriately and decently. I didn't give him any clue that I was in the least way interested in anything personal and gave every communication that I wanted to do business, was seeking a recording contract, wanted to work and earn an honest decent living, and also relayed that I wasn't about to sell out on my own conscience and wasn't about to play his mistress or hooker.  The man didn't feel a drop of humanity, critical or analytical skills, had a complete inability to listen or communicate in an effective way; was unintelligent overall without any actual education that would or could uphold humanity, womanity, or any sort of trustworthy integrous business venture; and I'm certain was a major cheat either, considering how he stole monies out of sick, desperate, struggling people's funds. That just wasn't me. 
     Back then, I believed in real love actually and believed you actually enjoyed personal relations with someone or sex because you actually liked them and were in love and had earned each others trust. When both people actually feel reciprocal love and attraction both know it; he didn't care what I felt, the selfish, bastard, ruthless aberrated fuck. 
     I mean, I really did want to find someone to marry back then and really wanted a big family too. I just felt if I could earn enough money I could have that family and have my own security in case some bad man did a number on me somehow. At that point I was dating a guy, a guitar player from a band called, "Jagged Edge".  I didn't want to be trapped by a man's money, unable to talk, move, take action reliant on him if that someone was going to lose their integrity, run off, push me into the dirt, and so forth.  WOMEN need their own economic security somehow, after all, breeding and giving birth, cleaning the house all day, and being an at home mom doesn't create real economic security.

     What if a husband runs off with another woman, wants one half his age, decides to get drunk and feels empowered by his own economic status knowing his wife must stay home to care for the children and clean house just because he is bringing home the money? I didn't want to ever endure that at all. I need my own value and security and my need is just as valid as any man's needs or rights.  
     Getting back to Red Hot Fried badman Chili Men, in those days, Black people just didn't go that beach at all and I know this. In fact, years later, when I went there to lay on a towel to tan on the same beach, only one Black family came on the beach and they arranged their blanket, snacks, and towels right next to me out of thousands of beach goers. They knew my spirit and felt me even without talking. It's their beach too to enjoy and go boogie boarding in. Sitting in the sun awhile may be good for you, considering the sun gives you Vitamin D, which also by the way prevents cancer. The Sun is a natural Vitamin D, of course within reason. I get tanned very easily fast and typically don't burn red with the sun; but some people with different pigments have to be more careful and are more sensitive, so have to wear sunscreen or not stay out too long. 
     I just never thought the thought: Racism. I didn't have an idea of what that really was at all!  I was raised with all types of people and didn't know there was a race war that was going on yet. I didn't even know yet that people only viewed life as Black or White! I really didn't. I liked people. They wanted to be in our video and documentaries and they were likable people, had talents and enthusiasm so we did it together. They were terrified when Kiedis attacked though and he just happened to attack me. I wasn't allowed, according to misogynistic rules to defend myself and had to stand there and let him punch, strangle, push me down, and rape me if he wanted without doing anything but being some soft sweet, soft spoken female. That was men's laws! Really! 
     I just liked people and we worked together; it wasn't you are Black and I am White at all. It was us all the while, having fun, doing things we like, enjoying our video and documentary, us respecting each other and creating together making something beautiful.  
     But, being a woman with a set made up all morning that Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Fucks may have made, made Kiedis jealous, put him in a rage as if ONLY HE WAS ALLOWED to be KING OF THE JUNGLE, the one to have fun, the one to have a cast and crew. I mean it was madness!  I also never thought I needed security, another part of the entire dream: Get the most advanced security you can trust and NO THUGS allowed. By beating me & putting me in hospital with a serious injury, Kiedis continued to make some music about it, not telling people who I was and put himself on glory mountain. He destroyed my documentary & music video, and after he did this he came to me and tried to almost kill me, with a big mouth, calling me names in so much rage and hostility, I thought he was going to seriously harm me and I didn't even know who he was at that point. 
                         ******************    
     He wasn't famous at all obviously, I didn't recognize him, and as far as I could see he was a twisted, loud, hostile, violent, destructive dangerous man. It wasn't only til later, I realized that it was him and he became very famous after this. He made false allegations on me and because the White Police dept. were misogynyst and racist, I spent the night in prison. They didn't let me make any phone calls, kept me in the freezing cold without a blanket, while I shiver and shake from the cold, and had already beaten me brutally, whereas, I was supposed to go the ER for damages but they kept me locked up without medical treatment.  Kiedis was pressing charges against me for his trespassing and vandalising my property, terrorizing my innocent kids and people with me, making death threats at me, and attacking me. Of course the charges couldn't stick, but just the same, I realized more as to how these types of people work and what they can do on different levels. I finally got to the ER and pretty much had a long recovery which I still haven't recovered from. Don't tell me how easy it is to sue or find a lawyer either, because I already have long experience with what you call lawyers: Most of them that I have met are just as criminal in ways than your everyday street criminal, Kiedis, or any other aberrated illogical fucker; they lack full analytical and reasoning skills, completely deny justice although commit themselves oft time to injustice, abuse power, lie and cheat clients, take advantage of the poor, trample all over victims like wild animals out for prey, will steal monies but won't do their job right and find a "legal loophole" to not do the job; oft time lack empathy and compassion or good listening skills, so never really heard you; and, or, charge a Lot of money, so one phone call they make for you will cost you at least $375.00. Now imagine what years of their work will cost. They will claim its an hour, when the phone call took a minute or two as well, so they typically cheat there too to get technical. Very rarely will you find a very advanced integrous legal team or lawyer who really does due diligence, actually does critical analysis to the extent to know the workings and innards of a case or its laws, and who don't try to fly by night the case by destroying it, so they can get some fast money out of a cheap settlement. 
                 ***************************
     We all know that law school professors are also men, and many still base their philosophy and moral intelligence on 19th Century law books, misogyny, and an imbalance of laws. Let me know when at least half the professors in America's law schools are advanced highly intelligent females please of different colors, religions, faiths, and very progressive legal moral ideas. I'll let you know when there is a solid fair chance for Americans. 
     I know Kiedis was a heroin addict, alcoholic, and junky; but that was no excuse for his rage, racism, jealousy, violence, and mayhem. He, by the way made a false report to White Venice Police dept. who had a lot of hostility in them to begin with and did what White Supremacists sometimes do: They sabotage the good people who are trying to do productive good things in life and try to deprive them their rights, make up lies, use police force if they can, use judges, monies, depravity, parades of hatred, threats, or whatever they can to oppress a people. 
     I've met heroin addicts that are completely peaceful people and wouldn't hurt a fly, so please DON'T BLAME THE DRUGS FOR the aberrations within a man that are already there empowered by a destructive misogyny, a lopsided harsh music world and business, and by male written laws that allow violence, rape, and destruction of women's careers and economic goals. 

   Debbie (right) : Capture from Music Video w/ a Cuban flavor with friends from Cuba and more, a William Morris Agent interested in my career until Roth did severe criminal acts destroying my chances yet again. Roth went into a jealous rage over my music videos and believed I was not allowed to have fun, dance, or create.  HE WAS WRONG of course, but did the Music Industry understand this yet.  It is now in the budding state, just born at last in the way of battling harsh misogynistic evils, harsh religioso types of male patriarchal beliefs, and the ceaseless bid and game for power.  YES, I declare under penalty of perjury that Roth did do crimes out of jealousy, rage, and the innate belief that women weren't supposed to succeed or achieve in life; in this case, he didn't believe I had a right to my divine rights, my freedom, and to simply make music videos and feel happy. 
     

         Debbie Davidsohn (Right), Roxanne, Chris W, and Jennifer in All Girl Band, Sun Goddess. This is just one of my girl bands. There were others, but I didn't always get photos or videos. 

     With this band we had a large turn out with the music industry. I created & designed costumes and we worked for a long time on new song material.  We worked real hard on this. An A&R man came out from Columbia and stayed after our private label showcase and told me that I had to get rid of my female musicians and he wanted me to tailor my music more like Brian Adams.  I guess he would suggest at some point an all male backup band as well. The girls in the band were furious at this although not my fault.  The asshole at Columbia wanted me to change everything on a whim after we had worked over a year on new songs, new recordings, new show, costumes, and fed his fucking ass in our buffet.  Simple as that.  But, some of the girls got hostile as well and tried to physically beat me up out of anger, rage, and jealousy. I didn't agree with the A&R guy either, but jealousy is a tricky thing to contend with. 
     Then I found out Chris stole from me and was dishonest. It gave me a bad feeling cause I was working so much, paying for much of everything, and Roxanne was working next to me doing a lot of work too wearing different hats. Chris, even though she had more money than me decided to steal my credit card and charged it up some.  She was funny cause she used to steal toilet paper from public bathrooms, then I was missing some jewelry, a sacred piece I had. 
     We all were living in scarcity but it got really bad when Roxanne got pretty hostile and violent.  I can't work with people like that either way. The asshole A&R dirtbag at Columbia was just a stupid asshole either way telling me to get rid of my band just like that or not considering how hard they worked; but, their reactions was also out of line and not what I could endure. Violence is not the way I could live my life.  Why would he suggest I act like a man though? I had tons of songs and music, all types of styles and genres, had studied classical, opera, did pop, rock, blues, and mixtures of R&B, etc... Why would he tell me that I had to write like a man?  Goes to show, he didn't even open any corporate wallet and probably wouldn't have unless someone sucked his fucking ass dick either way so he can go to hell. I don't even remember his name. Why would I write him a coddly love song though, when I wasn't in love nor felt all coddly and mushy just the same? 
     The songs in this band were more intellectual and I sung about a Goddess, war, countries harming each other, appreciating and liking life while you are alive instead of fighting and hating; I wrote about genital mutilation, about a good man, and more in lyrics. We composed a combo rock opera, did pop sort of tunes, and we had another female keyboardist show up to do the special label showcase.  It was hard enough to get record label execs to come out, let alone have to scratch everything in one minute because one silly A&R man doesn't respect nor appreciate women. 
     We had business managers come out and they were gun ho: "let's go" but the record labels were the hard ones to contend with (read my other blog about sexual subjugation at most major record labels and by famous moguls). I had Cher's business manager try to lure my business and others all nice people. Ha, it seems the one's handling all the monies are pretty respectful overall thus far and nice, but these record label moguls, owners, thugs, and A&R. Ouch!  There were no profits to business manage though. 

God forbid I should lift my dress above my ankles as well. Scotti Brother's Records offered me a record deal finally after a bunch of us sat at a round dinner table.  But, oh gosh, when they saw sparkly sexy costumes in my music videos, their A&R man censored me and told the owner not to sign me. I mean, women today are wearing more revealing costumes and actually since then, I've seen the same type of costumes worn by most Divas out there on stage, at the Grammys, on the cover of their albums and so much more. 
     You'd think I was born in the 1900s but this went on in the late 20th Century for god's sake. The men weren't only trying to compel and force me to play prostitute but were at the same time compelling me to become a nun in my style and dress. Their vision was so shortsighted and brutal, I couldn't get the light of day with anyone in the music business. The reality was was that I was playing as a tiny child, had studied my entire life, and here these labels were signing male rec artists or bands and some only played for a few years and most never had a voice lesson in their life! 
     The men could walk into their offices and sit and talk strategy, money, drugs, women, or whatever they wanted; no problem.  I had to jump through hoops of fire, over mountains, get beat up, brutally raped, and much more to have someone tell me that I had to write like a man and dress like the Virgin Mary (but even then you know they wouldn't have been easy with me).  They always seemed to find a way to make life hard, ugly, terrifying, horrible, and despicable didn't they? 

     

                    Private Performance for private guests including Red Foxx and many                                   others with NO record labels invited. I sang pop/R&B for this show. 

                                     The docs tried to fix some damages from rapes & violence 
                                  perpetrated against me and no IT WAS NO A FACE LIFT. I was working a number of low paying jobs and didn't have a car. One night a man gave me a lift to hell and I was raped & tortured by five people, his friends with a new born baby in the house. I managed to escape finally and city officials took the baby. I could never find out what became of the baby though. They raped me in front of the baby and did much violence.  The baby was six months old. The public lawyer who was supposed to help me establish justice said to me when he met me and after police gathered up four of the criminals: "Oh I see this everyday" and he let the perpetrators go free back into society to commit more crimes. This male, representing our judicial system is just one symbol of the fierce, hateful, angry, despicable misogyny that women endure, many without even understanding or knowing why their lives are so difficult. The lawyer who worked for the city who told me this already had a hospital report with injuries and damages perpetrated by the criminals, but just the same brushed it all under his evil rug of misogyny.