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2ady gleut O edi t or ia l PagePAGE FOUR, SECTION A A Page Of Feet And Opinion WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012

Arrest GeorgeZimmerman

B y M a g g i e G a l la g h e r

In the whole swirling political/media uproarover Trayvon Martin's shooting, only two things areindisputably clear: A 17-year-old boy is dead, andGeorge Zimmerman shot him.Nothing we can do can bring Trayvon back. It's clearfrom all versions of this event that Trayvon did notdeserve to die. It is not clear whether his death is aresult of murder, manslaughter or what the law calls"justifiable homicide" -- a legal term for an intentionaldeath that is not a criminal act.The other thing we can know for sure is that this casehas exploded in the media in part because it touches araw nerve for every African-American in this country,but perhaps most especially African-American middle-class parents. Can they protect their sons? Will the lawstand with them in this process?If the answer is "no," then no African-Americanfamily in this country, however successful, howeverlaw-abiding, can feel safe.If we don't empathize with this reaction on the partof black parents, we cannot in our turn be trusted orask them to trust the legal process.What we owe Trayvon and his grieving parents, andevery other anxious parent in this case, is the truth.Was it murder? Or justifiable self-defense?That depends on uncovering what actually happenedthat night. We have only one process for discoveringthat truth, and it is the legal process. It is imperfect.But the last few weeks, if they have proven anything,have proven this: As a mechanism for uncovering truthand doing justice, trial by jury is infinitely superior tothe barbaric ordeal of trial by media.We live in very ugly postmodern times in terms ofour public and media culture. Elites right and left haverecognized clearly the power of "spin" as an ancillaryto the great doctrine of Plato that poets are the realrulers of society.Someone at NBC who edited the 911 tapes from thatnight was acting on that impulse: The narrative whichserves the "larger purpose" is more important thanthe truth. Here is what NBC broadcast, what millionsheard as truth:Zimmerman: "This guy looks like he's up to no good.He looks black."At rallies across the country, speakers refer to havingheard these 911 tapes to confirm their worst fears: Agood kid can be gunned down for "looking black" andthe law does not care.But here's what actually happened that night:Zimmerman: "This guy looks like he's up to no good.Or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's justwalking around, looking about."Dispatcher: "OK, and this guy -- is he black, white orHispanic?"Zimmerman: "He looks black."NBC's edit was a savage violation of not only thenorms of journalism, but of basic human decency.NBC has issued a weak apology but zero explanationfor how a mainstream, powerful, well-funded newsorganization could do this.

Crafting a narrative that allows you to seize power,or hurt your political enemies now appears moreimportant to both right and left than what Plato calledthe most crucial task:"Crucial indeed is the struggle, more crucial thanwe think -- the choice that makes us good or bad -- tokeep faithful to righteousness and virtue in the faceof temptation, be it of fame or money or power, or ofpoetry -- yes, even of poetry."Or, I might add, journalismArrest George Zimmerman. Not because I know oryou know his actions were a crime, but because thelegal process is only way we can possibly know thetruth.And without truth, there can be no justice.

T h e l a b o r c o l o n i e s a r e e n c l o s e d b e h i n db a r b e d w i r e a n d e l e c t r i f i e d f e n c e s, m a i n l yi n t h e n o r t h a n d n o r t h c en t r a l m o u n t a i n so f t h e c o u n t r y , t h e r e p o r t s a y s , a ll e g in ghigh rates of death in detent ion due tos y s t e m i c m i s t r e a t m e n t , t o r t u r e , e x e cu -t i o n a n d m a l n u t r i t i o n .WASHINGTON (AP) The it marks the centennial of theU.S. human rights envoy for nation's founder a step thatNorth Korea said Tuesday Washington says will derailconditions in the communist a recent U.S.-North Koreancountry's "brutal" prison camps agreement to provide food aidare worse than in the Soviet in return for nuclear conces-Union's gulag during the Cold sions. According to South Ko-Wr. reanintelligence, the NorthisRobert King made his com- alsopreparingits third nuclearments at a conference exam- weapons test.ining the North's networkClearly the nuclear issue isof prison labor camps and a critical issue that needs to bepenitentiaries. A new report dealt with in North Korea. It'sestimates the camps hold more an issue that threatens Norththan 150,000 inmates, despite Korea's neighbors, Japan (and)North Korea's denial it holds South Korea," King said. "At thepolitical prisoners. same time, we have also to dealKing said the U.S. has made with human rights."

it clear to Pyongyang that

he report on the North'sit needs not only to address prison camps is by the Commit-international concerns over tee for Human Rights in Northits weapons' programs but to Korea, a U.S.-based privateimprove its human rights re- roupand the organizerof thecord if it wants to participate conference. It documents thefully within the international alleged incarceration of entirecommunity. famlies, includingchildrenThe international spotlight and grandparents for the "po-is currently on the North over litical crimes" of other familyits plans to launch a long-range members, and infanticide androcket as early as Thursday, as forced abortions of female pris-

oners who illegally crossed intoChina and got pregnant by menthere, and were then forciblyrepatriated to North Korea."It is not just nuclear weap-ons that have to be dismantled,"said Roberta Cohen, chairwom-an of the committee's board ofdirectors, "but an entire systemof political repression."The report, is based its reporton interviews with 60 formerprisoners and guards, saysthe camp system was initiallymodeled in the 1950s on theSoviet gulag to punish "wrongthinkers" and those belongingto the "wrong political class" orreligious persuasion.It cites estimates from NorthKorean state security agencyofficials who defected to SouthKorea that the camp systemholds between 150,000 and200,000 people out of a totalpopulation of around 24 mil-lion. It urges North Korea toallow the International Com-mittee of the Red Cross access,and to dismantle the camps.King compared the vastnumber of North Korean de-

tainees with the hundreds im-prisoned in Soviet prison campsin the 1970s. He cited anecdotalreports that people have facedarrest, torture and imprison-ment for making a joke aboutNorth Korean leaders and be-ing overheard by governmentinformants.He said conditions in NorthKorea are worse today thanin the repressive Soviet Union

during the 1960s to 1980s.The committee's report de-scribed different kinds of de-tention facilities, includingpenal labor colonies where itsays political detainees areimprisoned without judicialprocess for mostly lifetimesentences in mining, logging oragricultural enterprises.The labor colonies are en-closed behind barbed wireand electrified fences, mainlyin the north and north centralmountains of the country, thereport says, alleging high ratesof death in detention due tosystemic mistreatment, torture,execution and malnutrition.The report says formerprisoners were able to iden-tify their former barrack andhouses, work sites, executiongrounds and other landmarksin the camps via imagery avail-able through Google Earth.The committee says thereport's findings contradicta December 2009 statementby North Korea to the UnitedNations Human Rights Coun-cil that the political prisoner

camps do not exist.Greg Scarlatoiu, the commit-tee's executive director, saidmore than 30,000 North Koreandefectors have now fled thecountry, up from just 3,000 adecade ago, so Pyongyang can-not hide the harsh reality of itspolitical prison camps.

H e l p i n g S t u d e n t s A s p i r e t o S u c c e s sCa s i n o t o O p e n S o o nD e s p i t e M a s s i v e P r o t e s t

BROKEN ARROW, Okla.(AP) A tiny Oklahoma In-dian tribe of fewer than 450members could partly open acasino in this Tulsa suburb bythe end of the month despiteprotest from thousands of resi-dents, a pending state lawsuitseeking to stop the buildingand permission from a nationalgaming organization.The Kialegee Tribal Town,headquartered in Wetumka insoutheastern Oklahoma, brokeground on the 20-acre site nearthe Creek Turnpike late lastyear and has trucked in sev-

T 8 i b te T b o u g b tCreate in me a clean heart,0 God; and renew a right spiritwithin me... Restore unto me thejoy of thy salvation; and upholdme with thy free spirit.-Psalm 51:10,12Prayer: Dear Father, help

us to recognize where theHoly Spirit is working in us,and grant us the courage andstrength to cooperate in whatthe spirit is doing. Amen.Thought for the Day: Godtakes us from pathetic topromising

eral pre-fabricated buildingsin recent weeks to temporar-ily house the Red Clay Casino.When it opens, the gamingcenter will be among severallarger casinos already operat-ing in Tulsa County the clos-est is about 10 miles away fromthe site.The casino quickly drew theire of residents, pastors andschool administrators, whofear the tribe is trying to forcethe development on the con-servative bedroom communityof 99,000.Opponents say the casinowill only be a few blocks fromthe future site of an elementa-ry school and pre-kindergartencenter and worry it could at-tract a flurry of criminal activ-ity to the area. More than 10,000people have also signed a peti-tion to keep the casino out.The facility is located sev-eral blocks from an 80-acre par-cel purchased by the districtfor a new elementary schooland pre-kindergarten center,where nearly 1,000 studentsare expected to attend whenthe buildings open in the fall of2013. Dozens of angered parentshave lobbied the district to op-pose the casino because of theproximity and safety concerns,such as inadequate roads.

By Bryan Gonterman,President, AT&T OklahomaAT&T is honored to helpAmerica's children Aspireto success.One in four students -more than 1 million studentsa year - fails to graduatehigh school with their class.This is one of our nation'smost critical problems, par-ticularly in an era whencompetition for jobs amongpeople and, indeed, amongnations is becoming ever-more intense.Over the last four years,our Aspire program hasworked with organizationsacross the country to helpreverse this trend to reachthe national goal of a 90%high school graduation rateby 2020. AT&T Aspire hasalready impacted over 1 mil-lion students with $100 mil-

lion invested since 2008.Although the high schooldropout rate has shown im-provement, we can do more.In fact, we're doubling downon American students andAmerica's future.In our continued effortto address this critical issue,we are excited to launch anew phase of Aspire - a $250million investment plannedover five years that willfurther build on our exist-ing initiative to help more

students graduate from highschool prepared for careersand college, and to ensureour nation is better preparedfor global competition.Here in Oklahoma, publicofficials and educators haveplaced a premium on educa-tion, and we are delighted tohave had an opportunity toplay a role in their success.With our new phase ofAspire, we'll take a "sociallyinnovative" approach thatgoes beyond traditional phi-lanthropy, engaging peopleand technology to createnew and different solutionsto social problems.In today's world, the mo-bile Internet is omnipresent.Students - of all ages-readept at using this powerfulresource, and it is criticalthat its potent power be har-nessed for the cause of edu-

cation. Our AT&T Foundryinnovation centers will workwith educators and othercompanies to find fresh oratypical approaches to im-prove education. The newAspire will also leveragetechnology to connect withstudents in new and moreeffective ways. And you canexpect to see a particular em-phasis on gamification (us-ing game techniques to teachstudents math, science, andother applications), mobile

applications, video and so-cial media - the communica-tions environments in whichmany of today's students aremost comfortable - to instilla new level of excitementinto learning.But technology alone willnot solve the education chal-lenge. It takes people too.We plan to take our cur-rent Job Shadow programto a new level with the As-pire Mentoring Academy, aprogram that will providemore opportunities for ouremployees to work closelywith students most at-riskof dropping out to help themsucceed in their classroomsand in life. Students andmentors will be matched onthe basis of shared interestsand will work together toexplore and solve real-life,on-the-job business prob-lems. They will also havethe opportunity to partici-pate in e-mentoring, specifi-cally in the fields of science,technology, engineering andmath (STEM). Some 100,000students participated in theAT&T Job Shadow initiativewith Junior Achievement todate, including over 2,100 inOklahoma. Local communityorganizations will be vitalto the success of Aspire andour plans call for providingfinancial support to those

groups that deliver genuineresults in helping studentslearn.Thanks to the commit-ment of our employees andmany Oklahoma organiza-tions, our initial $100 millioninvestment in high schoolsuccess and college and ca-reer readiness has made apositive impact. The Okla-homa Aspire investmenthas amounted to over $3.3million since 2008.We're excited to expandour investment in this greatresource - our children'seducation - with our newcommitment.There's no doubt that ourinvestment in Aspire is aninvestment in America'sfuture, and, indeed, our own.At AT&T, we believe thatpeople are the critical differ-entiators in our industry, es-pecially given the lightning-fast pace of technologicalevolution. And Aspire helpsto create a pipeline of diversetalent for all U.S. companies,including AT&T.Our children are the keyto our future. And joiningtogether in the communitieswhere our employees andcustomers live and work, wecan make a difference in thelives of students and familiesand in our own communitiesand across the nation.